Chapter Twenty-Six

“Where’s Coach Kulti?”

“He’s taking time off for the rest of the season,” Gardner answered before walking off.

I stretched my arms up over my head to really get a good stretch into those shoulder muscles always nagging me. All the while pretending like I didn’t hear the group talking twenty feet away.

“He’s been here all season, and now he’s decided to take time off?”

“I’m not surprised.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Really?”

“I bet Sal knows what’s going on.”

“Duh, she knows. I’m sure they spent last night together.”

A couple of my teammates giggle-laughed. Whores.

“You know, I heard she went by Cordero’s office and he gave her an ultimatum: Stop seeing him or he’d trade her.”

“No way! What’d she say?”

“Oh, I have no idea, but I think that’s why they were planning on benching her in the semi-final the other night. If that would have been me, and they told me I wasn’t starting, I don’t even know what I would’ve done. But not Sal, she just stood there. I didn’t see her bat an eyelash.”

“No shit. She’s never upset; I don’t think she feels anything. I know I’ve never seen her cry.”

Yep, still not looking.

“Me neither. Her entire life revolves around playing. She’s a robot or something.”

And that was my cue to zone the group out. To zone every single girl I’d at one point or another helped, including Genevieve.

A robot. They thought I was a robot.

I took a breath.

Everything was fine.

I only had one more game to go. That was it. Five more practices to get through before the season was over.

What was that saying? When life gives you lemons, go to a taco stand.

* * *

When I pulled into the driveway that day, there was a mountain bike off to the side, and next to it was the German. The Audi was nowhere in sight.

“I didn’t know you were here,” I said, getting out. “I took a yoga class at the gym already; otherwise I would have come home and made you do some with me.” I wasn’t even joking either. His butt in downward dog… God help me. It seemed to be one of the only things that could cheer me up lately.

Kulti dusted off said bubble butt as he got to his feet. “I’ve only been here an hour.”

From anyone else, the comment would have sounded like he was impatient, but he didn’t look anxious at all. “Did you ride your bike all the way over?” I asked, eyeing the black mountain bike I’d never seen before.

“Yes,” he said, taking my bag from me. “I bought it this morning.”

I followed him up the stairs and handed him the keys to open the door. He left my bag in the exact same place I usually had it and set my dad’s hat on the appropriate hook. My dad had said I wasn’t allowed to ever wash that damn Corona hat.

“I’m going to hop in the shower. I’ll be back out soon.”

In no time, I was in and out. By the time I made it back, he was on the couch watching television. I grabbed a protein bar and took a seat on the other end.

Kulti tilted his head and raked his gaze from my face down, down, down to land on the white tank top I’d put on over a clean sports bra, and then kept right on burning a visual path to my thighs. He took a quick breath I almost missed. Those amber eyes slid back up to my face.

“What is it?” I scrunched up my face, expecting the worst.

“Do those freckles go everywhere?”

He was talking about the freckles on my chest and my stupid, stupid nipples reacted as if he were calling them to attention. “Umm…”