I laughed. “Oh no.”
“Totally worth it, though.”
“He seems like a really nice guy. Alex can’t stop talking about him when we get home. He calls him Brick. It’s really cute.”
“Yeah, I heard the other coach call him that, too. Of course, it totally escaped me that his last name was Brickson, and my mind automatically went to wondering if he had a brick in his pants.” She leaned forward and squinted. “I wish he’d wear tighter shorts so I could get a look at the outline.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit since high school.”
“What? Like you weren’t wondering the same thing. A man that nice, who donates his time to coach football, and has a body like that… There’s got to be a catch. No one is the full package.”
My mind instantly flashed to Levi in his boxers last week, the night he fell out of the bed. Now that man had a very full package—one I’d thought about too often lately.
“What’s his deal, anyway?” I asked. “He mentioned the other day that he’s lived in Beaufort for five years. It’s not a place people usually move to without a reason.”
Kat nodded. “He owns a construction company. Came to town to build the new high school and never left. I think he lived up in Charleston before. He’s divorced. He and his wife lost a child—born with some sort of heart defect and only lived to age four. He played college football at Clemson, and his son was a huge football fan. So now he donates his free time to teaching kids football. Honestly, I’m not sure I could do that—be around a bunch of kids who are probably about the same age his son would be now, playing his son’s favorite sport.”
“Wow. I had no idea. That’s really sad that he lost a child.”
“He’s pretty private. Keeps to himself mostly. But my friend Annemarie was his receptionist for a while, so she gave me the skinny.” Kat opened her purse and dug out a ChapStick. She rubbed it on her lips as she spoke. “So what’s going on with you? Are you seeing anyone?”
I shook my head. “I’m still getting settled in.”
“Well, if you want to go out sometime, I’m game. There’s a new bar a few miles out of town that has a good crowd. Travis stays at his dad’s Thursday through Saturday morning since we share custody, so I’m always up for a Friday night out.”
“That sounds good. I’m sure I’ll be more settled in a few weeks.”
After practice, Kat and I walked down to the field together to help our boys carry their equipment. They might be playing football, but God forbid they carry a duffle, helmet, and pads. Jeremy walked over while Alex was shoving his jersey into his bag.
“Alex is doing great. The rumors about him having a killer arm were all true.”
I smiled. “Thanks. He’s been practicing a lot with his uncle lately.”
Alex finished packing his bag and zipped it shut. When he stood, Jeremy rested his hands on my son’s shoulders. “He told me. How am I supposed to take credit for all of his accomplishments someday when he’s drafted into the NFL if Levi Miller is also helping him train?”
I chuckled. “Ummm, if he stands on the podium and thanks anyone other than his mother, both you and his uncle will be hearing from me.”
“Mom?” Alex interrupted. He pointed to the parking lot. “The ice cream man is here. Can I get something, please?”
“Sure.” I dug into my purse and pulled out a five. Alex snatched it and took off running. “Hey! What about your equipment!” I yelled after him.
“Thanks, Mom!” he yelled without looking back.
I shook my head and bent to lift the duffle. But Jeremy took it out of my hand. “Let me. I’m heading to the parking lot, too.”
“Thanks.”
We started to walk side by side. “So Alex said you guys live over at The Palm Inn?”
“We do. Alex’s grandfather passed away six months ago. He left part of it to Alex as an inheritance. So we’re living there while I work on trying to make a go of it.”
“It’s a beautiful building. I stopped in once when I’d first moved to town and Mr. Miller gave me a tour. I do construction, but I’m a closet wannabe architect.”
“Yeah, it’s a pretty incredible place.”
“It’s got something like ten bedrooms, right?”
“Fourteen. But ugh, don’t remind me. That just means more work. It’s pretty run down. I got an estimate for new air conditioning this morning, and it’s more than I expected to spend on the entire refurbishment.”
“Do you have a GC?”
“A general contractor?” I shook my head. “Well, I guess I do. You’re looking at her. I’m trying to save money by coordinating everything myself.”
“Well, if you need any help or any recommendations for reliable workers, just let me know. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to get a few estimates for any big jobs. It still surprises me how much one company’s price can vary from another.”
“Thanks. That’s very nice of you to offer.”
“It would be my pleasure. Is the B&B open for business while you’re working on it, or do you have it shut down?”
“It’s closed right now to guests. Well, except Fern. But she’s not really a guest. She’s more like a permanent resident. She was a good friend of Thatcher’s. Levi is also staying there while he’s in town, too. He owns the other half with Alex.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you divorced?”
I shook my head. “No, but only because I was never married. Alex’s dad and I were engaged, but we didn’t actually make it down the aisle. He lives in New York. We haven’t been together in a long time.”
“Well, why don’t I give you my number in case I can offer any help with finding good contractors?”
“That would be great.” I dug my phone out of my pocket and handed it to Jeremy. As he typed, I said, “I might bug you for the name of a plumber, if you don’t mind. We had a few pipes burst the other day.”
Jeremy looked up and smiled. “No problem at all. I’m happy to help. I’ll send you some later.”
He had a really warm smile and was also pretty cute. I’m not sure I’d even noticed that when I’d spoken to him at registration.
As he went to hand back my cell, Kat caught up to us. She noticed the phone passing, and her eyebrows rose with a smirk. “Hi, Coach. You look really good out there. I mean, the kids—the kids look really good out there.”
“Thanks. They’re picking things up fast.”
“Hey, Brick!” one of the other coaches called. “You got a minute?”
“Sure.” Jeremy looked back at us and nodded. “Have a good night, ladies.”
Kat wiggled her fingers. “We sure will.”
“Bye.”
When he was barely out of earshot, Kat was all over me. “You lucky bitch.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me. I saw him give you his number.”
“To give me a recommendation for a plumber for The Palm Inn. We need some new pipes.”