Page 60 of Catching the Coach
I give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine, bud. It’s just a cut.”
He nods and looks at me expectantly. “Sooo are you going to answer my question?”
“Uh-” I start. I was hoping he’d forget. I look over at Kessler, who’s stopped loading the dishwasher and is leaning back against the sink, legs and arms crossed looking at me. I look back at Hudson. “It’s, um, it’s early in our relationship, sweets. We have to get to know each other better before we decide that.” I look back over at Kessler and raise my eyebrows, waiting for him to agree with me. He just gives us a smirk and shrugs his shoulders, turning back to the sink.
“Ok, is he going to live with us? Jenny Baker’s mom got a boyfriend last year and even though they’re not married, he moved in with them.”
What are kids talking about these days? I move to pinch the bridge of my nose, but remember I’m trying to keep from bleeding out through my finger. Kessler shuts the dishwasher and comes to the island and leans his arms across it. “Would you like it if we did live together?” he asks Hudson.
Um, what?
I stare at Kessler as he reaches across the table and grabs my hand with the towel. He gently unwraps the towel and looks at the cut.
Hudson looks at me then at Kessler and shrugs his shoulders. “I mean yeah, it’d be cool.”
Kessler nods his head and looks at me. “The bleeding has slowed and it’s not too deep, you won’t need stitches. Where’s your Band-Aids?”
“I’ll get them,” Hudson says, getting out of his chair and going down the hall to his bathroom.
“Grab the ointment too, bud,” I call down to him.
We hear a muffled “K’” down the hallway.
I turn to Kessler and smack his arm with the back of my free hand.
“Ow,” he protests. “What was that for?”
“What do you think it was for? Why did you ask him if he’d be ok with you moving in? Wejuststarted dating.” I’m whisper shouting and I can feel my breaths coming faster. I just realized today that I might be falling in love with this man and I haven’t even told him yet, now we’re discussing moving in, with Hudson.
What is going on?
“Hey,” Kessler says, taking my chin and tipping it towards him so I’m looking at him. “We’re just having a conversation. I’m sure Hudson has a bunch of questions about this since you’ve never dated anyone.”
I take a deep breath and let it out. He’s right. This is new. To everyone, and the only way to get through it is open communication. I nod at him and we hear Hudson come out of the bathroom with the box of Band-Aids and the antibacterial ointment.
“Thanks, bud,” Kessler says, taking the stuff from Hudson. I go to take my hand back but Kessler stops me. “Let me bandage you up. You take care of people all day. Let someone take care of you for a change.”
I swallow and nod, letting him bandage me up. Hudson sits back down in his spot watching Kessler.
Well might as well try this open communication thing. “Hud,” I say, waiting for him to look at me. When he does, I continue, “I know you have a bunch of questions about Kessler and me, and I want you to be able to ask us anything.” Hudson looks at Kessler, who’s wrapping my finger with the bandage, and back to me.
“So are you moving in?” he asks again.
Kessler gathers the garbage from the bandage and chuckles. “Not yet, bud.”
Yet? So he wants to?
I shove those thoughts aside and turn back to Hudson.
“But,” I say. “How would you feel if he stays the night sometimes?”
Hudson looks between Kessler and me and shrugs his shoulders. “I guess it’d be cool.”
“Great, now that that’s settled, I have something I need to talk to you and your mom about,” Kessler says. Hudson and I both turn to look at Kessler. “As you know, I went to my agent, Dale’s house, this morning and we sent out a press release about what happened yesterday at the game,” he says, looking at me.
I nod my head and he continues, “He suggested in order to get ahead of the press and keep them from printing misinformation, that we go public with our relationship and release our own statement.” All I can do is stare at him. I knew it’d come out eventually, I mean we couldn’t keep it a secret forever. There have been whispers after he showed up to the boy’s tournament. But I thought we’d have a little more time. That I would have more time to get used to this, and talk to Kessler about the one thing I’ve held back.
Kessler reaches across the island and takes my uninjured hand and gives it a squeeze. “I know it’s a lot and it’s overwhelming, but I think it’s a good idea. We can keep it straightforward. That we met at the meet and greet for the team, we hit it off and started dating, simple as that.”
