The Surprise Princess (7 page)

Brad was making notes at halftime when Katie noticed the man on the aisle, who’d stood to stretch, look longingly toward the concession stand.

“We’ll be happy to save your seat, sir,” she offered, leaning around Brad. He accepted with thanks.

Almost before he’d vacated the seat, the two rival assistant coaches showed up.

“Spencer,” said good-looking Heath Taub. “Not hard to guess why you’re here.”

Brad grinned. “Wouldn’t think it would be hard for even you to guess, since I’m here to see our freshman-to-be, who also happens to be the player you most wanted to sign last go-around.”

“Hah. On to greener pastures, now, Spencer. Don’t try to tell me you’re not drooling after Eric Bridge.”

“Hi, Katie,” said the other man, pleasant and solid. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you right off. Guess it was seeing you out of context.”

“Hi, Walt. Good to see you. How’s your family?”

Heath snapped his fingers, “Katie – Coach Draper’s Katie. I didn’t recognize you. You look great, Katie.” His voice dropped on the last sentence, as if it were private and sexy.

She stifled a chuckle. “Hi, Heath.”

He reached past Brad to cup her shoulder and rub. People sitting beyond her didn’t leave enough room for her to avoid the caress. Brad resolved the issue by batting away the arm stretched in front of him.

“I’ll be sure to tell C.J. you were drooling over her,” he said coldly.

The other man straightened, alarm in his face. Walt laughed. “Not even Taub’s willing to risk the wrath of Coach Draper. And my family’s fine, thanks for asking, Katie.”

“Good. Your daughter’s all over that flu?”

“Don’t encourage him. Take pity on me, Katie. I’ve already heard all that family stuff.” Heath Taub pretended to shudder. “What matters is you and me. How’d you like to go for a drink with me tonight?”

“No. Thank you.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you, Taub.”

“Don’t tell me I’m intruding on a budding relationship here.” He said it with mock dismay, but avid eyes.

“No,” Brad said. At the same time she said, “Not at all.”

“Because I’d hate for you to have your heart broken, Katie. You know Spencer has quite the reputation. Yes, I see you do know. So come out with me after the game and I’ll make sure you’re armored with all the facts. And, who knows, we might find time for a few other things.”

Brad made a sound low in his throat.

Heath smiled. “Talk only, of course. Unless …”

“It’s moot,” she said briskly, “since I already declined.”

“You could change your—”

“She said no, Taub.”

“Why’re you sticking your oar in, Spencer? It’s none of your business.”

“I’m making it my business. I’m responsible for—”

She interrupted. “You are not. I’m responsible for myself. Thank you for the offer, Heath, but no thank you.”

“Teams’re coming back,” Walt announced. His eyes met Katie’s and glinted with laughter as he murmured, “Great halftime show.”

As they headed to their seats, Heath’s voice carried back to them, “Can you believe how much better she looks out of that ratty old sweater?” and Walt said drily, “You’re thinking about getting her out of all her clothes.”

“Damned right.”

Her eyes met Brad’s for an instant. He said, “He’s right about the sweater, but I should still knock his block off. The worm.”

“A good-looking worm,” she said matter-of-factly.

His head snapped around. “You haven’t fallen for his bull, have you? You’re not taken in by his slick line of—”

“I can spot bull and slick lines.” She acknowledged the return of the older man on the aisle with a smile and a small wave. She dropped her voice. “Though, in fairness, we weren’t meant to hear.”

“You never know with Taub,” Brad said darkly. “He’s got a reputation about women.”

“So do you.”

“I’ve dated some, sure. But—.”

She chuckled, and it sounded good. “Some? How about the entire alphabet, from Audrey to Zaria.”

“Not true. And I have never— I don’t— This is serious, Katie, you’ve got to know, he’s got a bad record with nice, innocent girls.”

“Brad. For heaven’s sake.” Her half chuckle didn’t mask her annoyance. “I’m a grown-up. I hope I’m nice, but
innocent girl
?”

“You might think you—”

The crowd roared around them, coming to their feet.

Brad cursed under his breath. “Totally missed it.”

“You’ll see on the film that Eric Bridge drove the lane, looked like he was going for the shot, no-look passed to the center, who put it in easy.”

He kept his eyes on her for several breaths. “Thanks.” Then turned his attention to the court.

A
t the end of the game, Brad went to talk to the home team’s coach.

Katie stood by the bleachers, watching the warmth of the men’s exchange.

“Excuse me, you’re with Coach Spencer from Ashton, aren’t you?”

She turned to see a dark-skinned woman dressed in the home team’s colors of green and white. “Yes, I work in the basketball office with Coach Spencer. I’m Katie Davis.” She extended her hand.

The other woman met it. “I’m Gwen Stasek, Coach Stasek’s wife.”

“Oh.” Katie released her hand. “I don’t know if we can talk—”

“It’s fine,” Heath Taub said, sliding in with a broad smile. “Even if she were Eric Bridge’s mother, you could exchange a civil greeting.”

The woman nodded in reassuring confirmation. “You’re fine with coaches, it’s the prospective recruits and their parents you have to be careful about.”

“I’m mostly in the office, so I’m not as familiar with off-site rules. I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“That does you credit for–”

“Speaking of Eric Bridge’s parents,” Heath interrupted, “they got a chance to see their son have quite a game tonight. Love to see parents’ proud faces after a game like that. They were here, right, Gwen?”

“I’m not pointing them out to you, Heath.”

Katie chuckled at the woman’s bluntness and Heath’s deflation. She assumed her most innocent voice, “I’d point them out to you, Heath, but I don’t want you to be tempted to arrange a way to introduce yourself and get in trouble.”

“You know the fam— You mean you’ve met—.” His mouth was having trouble completing sentences while his brain processed the implications. High schoolers were allowed to visit college campuses at their own expense, and could have contact with the coaching staff and other personnel then. So Katie could have met the Bridges that way – which would mean Eric Bridge was very interested in Ashton. Heath’s face fell.

Katie patted his arm, “We’ll talk about something else, since this seems to be upsetting you.”

“No, no, not at all.” His smile was broad, and fooled no one. “But I better go say hello to Coach S now.”

Brad had left Coach Stasek only to be stopped by a coach from the opposing team. Katie saw Brad give Heath an assessing look as he passed, then his gaze came to her.

She turned back to the coach’s wife, chatting about the team’s season and prospects.

When Brad arrived, he gave the other woman a quick hug. “Gwen.” Then he frowned at her. “Was Taub bothering you?”

“Bothering me? Not at all.”

If he took that to mean she didn’t find the man’s attentions bothersome, it served him right. He was treating her like a naïve nitwit.

“If anyone was bothered it was Heath.” Gwen chuckled. “Katie led him around by the nose. Especially since I happen to know Eric Bridge and his parents haven’t visited Ashton – yet. So, tell me,
would
you recognize Eric’s parents, Katie?”

“Oh, yes. I do pre-scouting background for C.J. That was Eric’s maternal grandfather sitting on the aisle, the man we climbed over.”

Gwen laughed. “Surprised, aren’t you, Brad? She was way ahead of you there.”

“She often is. We better get going. See you later, Gwen.”

Brad guided Katie through the thinning crowd with a hand at her back.

A polite gesture. That’s all.

“Your conversation must have gone well,” Katie said when they reached the parking lot. She expanded the distance between them. Not drastically. Just enough that his hand dropped from her back.

“Why?”

“You’re in a better mood.”

He cut her a look, but no, even in the raw outdoor lighting it was clear she really thought that was why his mood had improved since halftime. “It went well. Good to see Brent – the forward—”

“I know.”

“—and always like to catch up with Coach Stasek. But not all the game-playing’s on the court. From what Gwen said, you did well with Taub.”

She made a dismissive sound – saying the other coach wasn’t much to handle, so little credit came with handling him. He felt a little tick at the back of his head, as if someone had flicked their fingers there the way an early teacher had when he wasn’t paying attention.

But then Katie started talking, and he shifted focus.

“Sometimes I forget how good you are until I see other coaches in action.” She quickly added, “I mean all of you, all of C.J.’s assistants.”

“On behalf of all of us, I say thank you.” He let her precede him between two parked cars, heading for his in the next aisle.

“Of course, you’re a natural at this. Probably planned to coach from the time you could walk.”

“Me? No way. I planned to be a rock star. Can’t sing. Can’t play an instrument. Think drugs are stupid. But other than that it was the perfect job for me. Did you know there’s no major in being a rock star at Ashton? So I needed a fall-back career. But I was a real dark horse for becoming a coach. C.J. always thought Ellis should be the coach,” he said of one of his teammates. “Not me.”

“No.” For a second he thought she’d stopped short with shock. Nope. They’d reached the car, but she
was
surprised. “Well, he has to know better now.”

He beeped the car door open then held it. “Does he? Ellis Manfred would have been an amazing coach. He’d be an amazing whatever he wanted to be. Me? I had only one thing. Only one thing I could do.”

“Only one thing you wanted to do.”

“Maybe…. Probably.”

“And that’s why it’s the one thing you should do.”

“Now you sound like Andy.” He tried to make it sound irked, but she clearly heard the solid base of amusement.

Yet she frowned. “Your grandmother didn’t object to your coaching?”

“Object? She was all for it.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“Nothing.”

He closed her door and went to the driver’s side. “Going to tell me about that but?”

“Does your grandmother get confused sometimes?”

“Confused?” He laughed. “No way. Devious, yes. Why? Did she say something—”

She interrupted. “Your grandmother is sweet. How can you call her devious?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You didn’t catch it?”

“Catch what?”

“All of it. Starting from when we walked in.” He joined the stream of departing vehicles.

“When we walked in? She welcomed me and told you to take my coat.”

“And blocked us so we were jammed into the corner.”

She chuckled, then glanced at him and stopped. “Why would she?”

“To see how we reacted. Like two bugs pinned under her microscope,” he said. “Doesn’t stop me from loving her. But loving her doesn’t stop me from seeing it, either. She definitely wanted to see how we reacted.”

“To what?”

“To each other.” He had to look her direction as they turned into the busy street. That was convenient.

“Oh. But…” She swallowed, then resumed, “Of course she’s curious how you get along with coworkers.”

“Yeah, right. Like Heath and Walt were interested in coworking with you.”

“Not Walt. He’s married.”

He snapped his head around. “Aha! So you did know Heath was coming on to you.”

“No.”

“No you didn’t know? Or no he wasn’t coming on to you?”

“Both?” Although she clearly tried to suppress it, a small smile tugged at her mouth.

He looked over at her. Longer than he probably should have in this traffic.

He turned back to the road. “I’ve got somewhere to stop right after the game Sunday if you don’t mind. Could delay us getting back to Ashton. Hope you don’t mind.”

He’d told C.J. and Carolyn he wouldn’t commit to the idea until Sunday. But now he had.”No, I don’t mind. Getting back later’s not a problem.” She said it lightly, trusting.

This might be the last time she trusted him.

S
aturday was basketball from waking to sleeping.

She and Brad left the hotel early to catch the first game in a high school tournament north of the city then drove back to connect with the team. They reached the hotel as the team was finishing the late lunch/early dinner that served as their pre-game meal.

C.J. gestured for them to sit next to him, but Brad immediately got called over by three players.

“Did you see the salad servers in the gift shop, Katie? They’re the right color, but I don’t know if Carolyn would like them.” C.J. frequently bought his wife odd items, all in the same color brown.

“Haven’t been in the gift shop. Did you get my email this morning about the Europe trip?” Katie asked her boss as she sat.

“Yeah. Didn’t you get my answer?”

“An answer of ‘okay’ doesn’t tell me if you caught all the nuances.”

He grinned. “Is that why you CC’d Maura? So she’d ask me about it while the team was loading up?”

“Precisely.”

“And she emailed you before the bus left the parking lot in Ashton, so you already know everything you need to know, which is why I emailed ‘okay.’ “

“Sometimes I think we’re enabling your bad habits.”

“That’s what staff is for,” he said triumphantly. “Which reminds me, the travel department sent me something about not having a passport.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Is this something I need to worry about?”

“No.”

“Okay. So, how’s the trip been so far?”

“Very interesting.”

“Details.”

“This from the man who doesn’t have time for anything but basketball, especially on game day?”