Chapter Sixteen #2
“First, there’s nothing to prove Razor has a motive for being here other than wanting to play. Second, Summer adores you and respects you. I saw how pained she was at her admission. She really did it as a last resort.”
Nancy wiped her nose with her sleeve. “I just feel so useless now.”
“You’re not useless.”
“Are you sure? It’s obvious I wasn’t Courtney’s first choice for this position. Now that Razor is here and taking on a more active role, what’s to stop her from firing me?”
Ashton reached over the desk and grabbed Nancy’s hand. “You’re a coach on this team. Courtney knows how valuable you are, how important you are. We need you. Summer and Razor need you, too.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes, allowing the emotion of the moment to ebb away.
“You’re right,” Nancy whispered. “They do need me, even if right now they believe they don’t.”
The comment was strange, but compared to the tirade moments before, it was a win in Ashton’s book.
“So, you’ll be in film study on Monday?”
A long, uneasy pause passed until Nancy finally nodded in agreement.
“Oh man, what an emotionally draining day,” Nancy stated, spiking her hair higher on her head. “I could use a beer. What do you say?”
Ashton winced. “I can’t. I have to go to the library for research, so I’m just going to grab a quick bite and head on over.”
Nancy’s tight smile showed her disappointment. “I understand. Thanks again for the help. I appreciate it.”
Ashton slowly exited, watching as Nancy went about tidying up her mess.
In the lobby, she saw Razor, Summer, and Summer’s father.
They looked relaxed, all smiles and laughs.
Well, everyone except Razor. Her smile was tight, shoulders hunched.
When Summer was picked up and spun around by her dad, Razor stepped back to dodge flying legs and caught Ashton’s gaze.
The emotions swirling in those brown eyes could be seen even from a distance.
There was self-doubt and emotional turmoil.
In that moment, Ashton realized how wrong Nancy was because Razor had the look of a person genuinely sorry for their actions, not someone plotting a softball coup.
* * *
The easy smiles and banter shared by Summer and her dad made Razor envious. She couldn’t celebrate. What Summer didn’t realize was that they’d kicked a hornet’s nest with their little stunt, and if they didn’t perform to the level expected of them, it was going to be a long season.
As soon as she spotted Ashton, however, all thoughts of possible penance faded. She took advantage of Summer’s and Bill’s distraction and jogged over to Ashton.
“I’m sorry,” she confessed. “I promised not to do this, and I swear I tried to find an alternative. Nancy wouldn’t listen to us, and—”
“Razor, it’s fine,” Ashton interrupted. “While I wish you hadn’t done it, and I still don’t understand why you didn’t go straight to Courtney—”
“I should have. I take full blame for that.”
Ashton huffed. “While I don’t agree with your methods, I do agree with Courtney’s decision.”
The blatant reluctance in Ashton’s tone confused Razor. She must’ve made a silly expression because Ashton’s stern glare softened, and she bit her lip, probably to hold in a laugh.
“I looked at the game stats,” Ashton explained, her voice quivering. Oh yeah, definitely trying not to laugh. “The Jaguars’ batting average dropped off significantly from the fourth inning on.”
“Really?”
Ashton nodded, still biting that lip, which was getting sexier by the second. Relief flooded Razor’s body, but one thought seeped in.
“How did Nancy take this revelation?”
The lip came loose as Ashton winced.
“That tells me all I need to know. I’ll go and apologize.”
Razor stepped to the side, but Ashton moved into her path, pressing their bodies together.
“I would advise you to hold that apology until Monday.”
Razor looked down to the hallway toward Nancy’s office. “Is she hot?”
“Scalding.”
Razor aborted her mission and looked down.
The first thing she noticed was Ashton’s hands loosely gripping her forearms. The second thing she noticed was how close their bodies actually were.
There was no reason for that level of closeness unless they were planning to dance or do something more… intimate.
Ashton must’ve sensed where Razor’s mind went because she wet her lips, and her breathing shallowed.
Her eyes darted all over Razor’s face, as if she was looking to Razor for the answer to the question What is this?
In all honesty, Razor had no idea what it was.
But she knew what she wanted it to be. Unfortunately, she also knew this wasn’t the time or place to explore it.
Gently, Razor extracted herself from the gentle grasp.
Ashton’s hazel eyes refocused, and her breaths became longer, deeper, and she rubbed her empty hands on her thighs.
A deep red colored her cheeks as she opened her mouth—maybe to apologize?
—then closed it immediately as she focused on someone behind them.
“Hey Razor,” Summer called. “We’re ready to go.”
Razor turned and waved at Summer and Bill. “I’ll meet you there.”
She watched them leave, then turned her attention back to Ashton.
“Would you like to join us for dinner?”
The disappointment in Ashton’s eyes told Razor she was about to be denied.
“I need to catch up on some research tonight.”
Razor nodded. She didn’t like it, but she respected it. “Another time, then.” She turned, gathering strength in her legs to get out the door and to her truck, then to the restaurant.
It was hard to fathom walking away from Ashton when so much needed to be said.
But maybe it was smart, too. Talking about their attraction and feelings would only complicate matters in regards to the team, so waiting made logical sense, especially with her and Summer’s newfound autonomy.
All her focus needed to be on the game. Not Ashton.