The Game Changer - Ch. 8 (Patreon)

I'm kind of thrilled about this month of posts (this, Guilty as Sin, IKYWT [ when we get there ;) ]), because I think all of these stories are kind of starting to take off?

The first handful of chapters (for me) have to build and set a tone, right? And now, I feel a lot of the tones have been set and we're getting into some of the fun stuff...

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Chapter Eight

“Who lives here?” Cassie asked as Rose helped her jump out of the car. “What are we doing here?”

Amazing that her daughter had chatted the entire drive here without asking any of those questions – granted, it wasn’t surprising. Cassie might have had Rose’s attitude, but she had Nathan’s inclination to chat.

She swung the car door closed and settled her sunglasses up onto the bridge of her nose as she gazed at the house in front of her. It was a little disconcerting – even to herself – that she still remembered how to get here, despite having only been here once.

Granted, that one time had been incredibly impactful to her teenage self, but still.

The home was large but not imposing. A well-kept, small garden in the front, it seemed to radiate warmth. That had been her impression the first time she’d been here, too.

And, unlike today, that time had been in the middle of winter.

Today, it was easy to exude warmth. The early September sun was shining, the temperature had spiked into a hot, muggy day – like one of the last of the summer season – birds were chirping.

And Abbie’s Rav4 was parked right here in the driveway.

Her stomach flip-flopped. Okay, they were doing this.  

“This is Coach Abbie’s house,” she informed her daughter, mindful to reach down and grab a hold of one of her hands, because she knew the likelihood of Cassie trying to race forward in excitement once she learned that bit of information.

Yep, there was the spike of energy. Cassie jumped in place, and Rose kept their fingers interlaced. “Abbie said, um, she said we’re friends, mom. Her name is just Abbie,” Cassie’s exasperation was paramount.

Rose breathed out a chuckle, shaking her head. If this was her daughter at five, she couldn’t even imagine what she’d be like in ten years.

She hadn’t necessarily planned to do this with Cassie in attendance. As per their agreement, Nathan would typically drop Cassie off in the later afternoon, and it was barely eleven in the morning now.

But, as it happened so frequently with having a child, the schedule didn’t always work out as intended.

Meaning that Nathan had called her this morning, apologetic and hurried, asking if it would be all right to drop Cassie off earlier than anticipated, as some of his clients were apparently having an unprecedented crisis.

She always understood that with Nathan’s job – managing clients that had multi-millions in investments – people often had a lot of urgency. It didn’t mean that Rose never mocked them in the privacy of their own home, but she understood why they felt so demanding of Nathan’s time and energy at a whim. People were more wrapped up in their money than in just about anything else. Large sums of money dictated just about every aspect of people’s lives.

He'd apologized again when dropping Cassie off an hour ago, for interrupting her morning.

She’d waved him off, but certainly hadn’t divulged to him that the reality was her morning had already been interrupted. By her own thoughts. Repeatedly.

She’d been wide-awake since six, after not having managed to fall asleep until after midnight.

Because her mind hadn’t been able to turn off since last night. The moment Abbie had left, she’d replayed the entire interaction, wondering… just wondering. Feeling her body tingle with the wonder of it all.

… and then Abbie had run out of her house so quickly, so thoughtlessly, she’d left her phone in Rose’s kitchen. She’d had no idea, even, when Abbie had taken it out?

Then again, she’d been pretty fucking preoccupied at the time.

“Come on!” Cassie tugged as hard as she could on Rose’s hand, clearly eager to go to ring the doorbell.

Rose gave in and walked a couple of steps forward, running her eyes over the home yet again.

God, it had been the shock of her life to see this house all those years ago. And the night she’d spent here had been so awe-inspiring, she’d almost felt like it had all been a dream when it was over.

She felt a very different kind of nervous right now, standing outside in the already-hot sun with her daughter. Back then, she’d been petrified.

Now, she felt a little electrified. And a little amazed by it all.

Maybe life had felt surreal for Abbie last night, but Rose was feeling that way, too.

What did it all mean? The way Abbie had looked at her, as if she’d never seen her clearly before. Granted, Abbie really hadn’t ever seen Rose clearly, before. Which was nerve-wracking, but also so, so freeing.

This had been the feeling she’d wanted to chase, in divorcing Nathan.

She’d never anticipated she’d feel anything close to this rush with Abbie; she’d just wanted to be able to be herself with someone – with a woman. To exist in her truth, to be seen as… as a lesbian.

But Rose’s life wasn’t really in the right place for dating just yet, which was why she hadn’t spent any serious time on dating apps. And with the changes she wanted to make at Elliston, openly dating a woman at the school would be – frankly – a fucking nightmare.

Let alone the fact that Abbie had been so freaked out at their proximity last night.

Yes, that was sobering enough for Rose to think through everything with a clear mind.

Before they could walk up the steps to the front door, the gate in the fence on the right side of the house swung open and pulled Rose from her thoughts.

She and Cassie both turned to see –

Norah Parker.

The irritatingly attractive assistant district attorney. The one that wasn’t married to Abbie at all.

Norah had been sifting through the large purse she had hanging off her shoulder as she bumped the gate shut with her hip, before she lifted her head, and her eyes locked on Rose’s.

God, Rose felt… insane. She wouldn’t let herself delve too deep into embarrassment territory, but – for a couple of weeks, she’d been positive this woman had been married to Abbie.

And now that the mishap was cleared up, it was a little humbling.

Norah tugged her sunglasses down her nose, looking at Rose and Cassie above them for a beat, as her lips pulled into a slow, curling grin.

One that was far too knowing, and Rose narrowed her eyes at it. Fine, she’d made an assumption that had turned out to be incorrect, but it had made sense with the limited information she’d had at the time. And she didn’t appreciate that look.

Norah tsked, her voice light, “Well, well, well, who do we have here?”

“I’m Cassie,” her daughter introduced herself assertively, sending a wave in Norah’s direction. “We’re here to see Abbie!”

“I bet you are,” Norah drawled, still grinning. Even though she was looking at Cassie, Rose knew that the comment was – obviously – directed at her. “I’m Norah,” she directed at Cassie with a bright, not-teasing smile. “Abbie’s cousin.”

“I’m Cassie, Abbie’s friend,” Cassie announced herself, proudly. Like she was trying to one-up Norah on their relationships with Abbie.

A woman Cassie had only met a couple of times. What was it about Abbie that just got right to Rose, and how had she passed it on to her daughter?

“And my mom is her friend, too,” Cassie informed Norah.

Wasn’t having a precocious child a gift?

“Oh, I know your mom and Abbie are friends. They go waaaay back!” Norah said, laughter in her voice.

Even as Rose wanted to huff out a breath at this woman, she found herself landing on no real negative emotion. Because this woman wasn’t married to Abbie. Abbie was single.

And even though Rose knew, logically, that she had no right to have any jealousy or any other of the myriad of complicated, complex emotions she felt for Abbie, it didn’t change the fact that she did feel them. That she always had.

“So, Norah Parker,” she drawled right back. “How are you doing?”

Norah slid her sunglasses back up, tapping them into place, but it didn’t hide the knowing expression she wore. “I’m great. Came over for a brunch visit to see my cousin and aunts.”

Given her pointedly amused tone as she laid out the relationship between herself and Abbie, it was clear that Norah at the very least suspected the assumption Rose had made.

Lovely.

“They’re out back,” she gestured behind her at the gate she’d walked out from. “Having a pool day, if you want to head out there. They probably won’t hear the doorbell from here, anyway.”

“Thank you,” she allowed, still not quite sure how she felt around Norah.

No, there was no complicated and unwarranted jealousy or anything like that. But… she obviously knew things about Rose. Things Rose had long kept silent. It was her knee-jerk reaction – so deeply ingrained in her – to grit her teeth and narrow her eyes at anyone that could possibly have suspected about her.

But she was also Abbie’s cousin. Someone that was clearly intelligent and accomplished. Someone Abbie clearly trusted, someone that had been showing up for her when Abbie needed an assistant coach at work.

“See you around, Elliston,” Norah seemed to sing-song at her. “And so very nice to meet you, Cassie.”

“You too. Parker.” She tacked on, still getting used to the feeling of that name.

“C’mon!” Cassie had clearly had enough of the delay, bouncing with all of her might in the direction of the gate Norah had exited. “Mom, there’s a pool day! Come on!”

“Cassie, we are not having a pool day,” she muttered, shaking her head as she tugged the gate open. “Just because there is a pool doesn’t mean it’s for us to use.”

… unsurprisingly, Cassie had not a peep to say to that, as she continued her march forward, only hindered from running ahead by Rose’s grip on her hand.

The lawn was perfectly manicured, with flowers springing up against the fence. There was quiet music playing, and the sound of laughter rippling through the air – definitely Abbie’s. Not only Abbie’s, but definitely including Abbie’s – already reaching Rose’s ears even before they walked into the backyard.

As she and Cassie came out into the open, Rose’s stomach tingled with a mass of emotions she wasn’t even sure how to decode, all boiling down to the very idea of facing Abbie after last night.

Not only after their moment or whatever it could be called, but after their talk.

Frankly, for Rose, both of those components of the night before had equal amounts of significance. And their significance was not a small amount, in any way.

She tightened her grip slightly on Cassie’s hand – knowing very well that her daughter would love to take off like a rocket at the sight of anything she deemed fun – and took a deep breath to fortify herself.

Which proved to be the right idea.

Norah had said it was a pool day, but Rose still wasn’t prepared for the scene in front of her. The scene of Abbie hauling herself out of the pool, that was.

All perfectly tanned, toned, lithe muscle, blonde hair up in a bun on the top of her head, wearing a dark blue bikini, the water sluicing off of her, and…

It was borderline inappropriate – not because of Abbie, really, but because Rose was witnessing it with her daughter at her side, and Abbie’s parents both sitting at the edge of the pool.

“Jesus christ,” she whispered, feeling heat curl through her body, before she tightly closed her eyes and shook her head.

“I can’t believe you pushed me in! Why did you wait until Norah left? What, she doesn’t deserve to be pushed in, too?” Abbie asked, but there was no anger in her voice at all.

“Norah wasn’t wearing a bathing suit,” Abbie’s mom – stepmom – shot back.

Rose exhaled slowly, opening her eyes once more – this time, to take in everything else in the scene in front of her.

Abbie’s mother – the same long, blonde hair, but hers tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a sunhat – sitting at the edge of the pool, leaning back against the legs of Abbie’s stepmom, the brunette with a glintingly appealing grin.

The scene in front of her felt so… foreign. Abbie, at Rose’s age, was actively choosing to spend time with her parents, and they were all having a good time, and –

“I wanna go in!” Cassie interjected, and Rose was shocked it had taken her daughter this long to comment.

All three women snapped their attention toward Rose and Cassie, all in varying intensities of question.

But mostly, she was locked on Abbie.

Who’d picked up a towel and wrapped it loosely over her shoulders after having wiped her face off. Those blue eyes were wide and obviously shocked to see Rose, and even from a slight distance, she could see the blush on her cheeks.

“Hi. Sorry to interrupt.” She offered a wave and a small, self-conscious smile under all of their scrutiny.

But she didn’t know what Abbie’s moms knew about her, and that wasn’t something she’d thought about until this very moment. She didn’t know if they knew about their talk last night, but even bigger than that – she had no clue if they knew about That Night.

Sure, she and Abbie had discussed the details last night, but there was a good chance Abbie’s moms knew Rose as the girl that lied about being in a relationship to get their daughter to sleep with her before immediately getting engaged.

… yeah, maybe she should have had the foresight to think about that, first.

But Abbie’s stepmother – Caroline, she remembered – recovered from her curious head-tilt first, darting a look toward Abbie. Before she gently squeezed Hannah’s shoulders and stood, then offered her wife a hand to help her up.

Rose locked onto the gesture. The ease of it, how easily their hands fit together. How easy they fit together, and it struck her very much the same way it had struck her way back when, the first time she’d been here.

Seeing how… how casually affectionate these women were. Being able to see how much they loved one another in every look, every small touch. Even if she’d tried to push beyond the queerness of it all – and back then, she’d tried – the fact remained that their relationship still amazed her.

These two adults who, by now, had been together for decades and seemed so, genuinely, deeply in love?

She’d never seen that before seeing Abbie’s moms.

“What are you doing here?” Abbie asked, dragging her attention back.

Even though she’d clearly worked through most of her shock, Rose had to admit that she felt some satisfaction at it. There had always been something very pleasing about surprising Abbie.

She didn’t get a chance to answer, though, before Caroline greeted, “Hey, Elliston.”

She strode closer, offering Rose her free hand. The one that wasn’t holding her wife’s. “It’s been a while. Caroline Parker, in case you don’t recall; like I said, I know it’s been a while.”

“It has, but I remember,” she returned, as she slipped her hand into Caroline’s. “It’s nice to see you.”

God, she remembered the first time she’d been introduced to Caroline, too. Again, in this house the night she’d stayed over. She was funny and warm and easygoing and she had so much affection for Abbie, it had put Rose in a state of awe.

“You, too,” Caroline’s handshake was just the right length and firmness, and it seemed very clear to Rose that this woman was used to walking into a situation and being the person in charge of managing it.

It was oddly calming, especially given that Rose had spent so much of her life having other people – older adults – command situations.

She supposed the truly calming thing about Caroline was how genuinely warm her expression was. She remembered that from back in high school, too.

And, startingly, she realized it was a very similar expression Abbie had often worn back in the day. Weird, given that Caroline was certainly not Abbie’s biological mom.

“Hannah,” Abbie’s bio-mom offered her hand next, with a small smile.

Rose, furtively, ran her eyes over Hannah as she shook her hand. Abbie’s mom was sick, that news was still very fresh in her mind. She didn’t look notably unwell, though, and Rose felt a bit of relief at that. Maybe slightly paler than she would typically be, maybe a little tired, but – she seemed okay.

“You can both just call me Rose, by the way,” she informed them, as she dropped her hand back to her side. “And this is Cassie, my daughter.”

“I really wanna swim, too,” Cassie informed everyone, darting her eyes to all of the adults. “You can, um, you can push me in,” she offered to Caroline, dead seriously.

Caroline chuckled, immediately kneeling to be eye-level with Cassie. “What a generous offer. Can you swim?”

“My mommy and daddy put me in classes since I was real little,” she informed Caroline with a decisive nod. “I’m great.”

“I didn’t realize you two had kept in touch,” Hannah said, drawing Rose’s attention away from Caroline and Cassie’s chatter. Gray eyes dragged between Rose and Abbie, as her eyebrow slowly arched.

“We haven’t,” Abbie finally interjected, offering her mom a small half-smile. “We…” She flicked her gaze toward Rose, “Just got back in touch, actually, because Rose is now the headmaster at Elliston.”

“Oh?” Hannah hummed, her eyebrows lifting, and – okay, no.

Rose didn’t believe Abbie had ever divulged the details about them to her moms, because there was no latent animosity from either one of them. She knew for damn sure that if Cassie ever told her Abbie’s perspective on their time together in college, she wouldn’t be all happy-go-lucky toward the person that did that to her.

Also, because obviously, she’d not even revealed to them that they were currently working together. Rose didn’t know how to feel about that, either.

“Headmaster?” Caroline asked, tilting her head.

“I really am not a fan of the etymology of mistress,” Rose explained, scowling at the word. Even more precisely, she wasn’t a fan of the way several of the members of the board had said it when she’d started. Dripping with condescension, like the very fact that she was a woman was inherently less deserving of the same respect they gave her father. “I’m doing the same job as my father, they can refer to me with the same title.”

Despite the fact that Rose had made this exact statement to multiple people since taking over this job – all to different responses – she realized in this moment that no response had made her feel better than the approval of these two women. These happy, successful, gay women.

And, of course, from Abbie. Who wore a keenly considering look, as she studied Rose.

“Mom,” Cassie whined out, clearly exasperated, tugging on her hand. “The pool.”

“I didn’t know it was a pool day,” Rose said, both firmly and apologetically, stroking her free hand over Cassie’s hair. “I don’t have your bathing suit.”

Cassie’s bottom lip immediately poked out in a pout. “But! The pool!” She pointed to it, as if Rose couldn’t see the large inground pool barely twenty feet away.

“If that’s the only issue…” Caroline started, meaningfully trailing off as she locked eyes with Rose.

She realized Caroline had deliberately not finished her sentence as to not potentially make extricating Cassie from the possibility of a pool day even harder.

She flicked her gaze toward Abbie, who was giving her an inscrutable look.

Huh. Rose most definitely did not appreciate Abbie being the least readable she’d ever been, right here and now.

And – fine, then. She looked back at Caroline. “Yes, it is – mostly. I also don’t really know how long we’ll be staying.”

“Well, we’re happy to entertain while you two have… a conversation?” She dragged her very curious, questioning eyes between Abbie and Rose. “Even if it’s just for a short while, we have a few bathing suits that’ll probably fit you, Cassidilla,” Caroline directed her comment down at Cassie.

“Cassidilla!” Cassie echoed with a giggle, clearly delighted by the nickname.

“We have a lot of family come over with their kids, and we’ve learned it’s wise to have everything on-hand,” Hannah explained.

“Yeah, we don’t keep random children bathing suits for no reason,” Caroline added, jokingly – yet so tenderly – bumping her hip into Hannah’s.

Unsure and surprised by how easygoing this was? How simple? Rose didn’t know the exact word, but she knew she’d never experienced anything like it. She hardly saw her parents – now, just her mother – and they saw Nathan’s parents a few times a year. Sure, Cassie recognized them as her grandparents, but she also complained every time they saw them about how boring and stuffy it always was.

And she was right.

Because, even for a five-year-old, the world she and Nathan had grown up in had rules. And those rules did not allow for casually playing in the pool, especially not for a short amount of time.

There were always strict schedules and stricter expectations – Rose couldn’t think of a time when any adults played in the pool?

And if Rose wouldn’t have the time to dry off before getting in her parents’ car? Yeah, right.

“I really am not here to impose, and I don’t want you to feel obligated...” Her uncertainty came from feeling so out of her depth, dealing with people like Caroline and Hannah, and she could hear it in her voice. “Like I said, I don’t know how long we’ll be staying–”

“Because you didn’t answer the question that I asked: what are you doing here?” Abbie voiced once more.

Hannah turned a reproachful look her way. “Abbie!”

Rose didn’t bother trying to smother her smug grin.

Abbie lifted her hands. “Sorry! I just think it’s a valid question,” she muttered, darting another look at Rose, her cheeks flushing.

She wondered if Abbie had also been kept up by the moment; it certainly seemed so.

Rose tilted up her jaw, meeting Abbie’s eyes with a level stare. “I just have a few things I want to go over with you.”

Abbie’s cheeks definitely flushed again, as she narrowed her eyes. “Work-related?”

“Obviously,” she volleyed back, immediately.

And… she supposed it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Ooookay,” Caroline’s amusement was clear in her tone, and it made Rose blush.

“Well, if you’re all right with it, then, why don’t we take Cassie to get pool-ready, even if it’s just for a little while, and you two can… talk?” Hannah offered.

“Yes!” Cassie answered for her, tearing her hand out of Rose’s, looking absolutely pleased as punch as she started chatting away with Caroline and Hannah, walking toward a small pool house on the other side of the pool.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Abbie wasted no time in asking, “I’ll repeat: what are you doing here?”

Rose crossed her arms over her chest, feeling even more off-kilter by Abbie’s tone.

No, it wasn’t biting or angry, but… “I thought that after last night, the animosity you had for me would have cooled down?”

She’d meant for her own tone to be a little more biting, but it reflected her confusion more than anything.

Abbie opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, and rubbed her hand over her eyes, looking sheepish. And more than a little cute. “I – it is cooled. I’m… I just shocked to see you here. At my house. On a Saturday morning. Unplanned.”

Rose reached into her back pocket, pulling Abbie’s phone out. “You left this at my house in your rush to leave last night.”

She waved it in front of Abbie, knowing she was likely too amused by this aspect. By the fact that Abbie had raced out of the house. By how wide Abbie’s sky-blue eyes were. By the blush that crept up on her cheeks.

Abbie snatched the phone back, her reflexes – unsurprisingly – lightning fast.

“Okay – first, thanks. And second…” She worried at her bottom lip, shaking her head. “I was planning on reaching out to you today, for the record. To get it back.”

“With what phone?” She shot back, smartly.

Abbie rolled her eyes, hard. “I was going to email you – smartass.”

“And you decided to wait to do that and not do so when you realized that you forgot your phone at my house, because…?” She pressed.

Before Abbie could answer, the door to the pool house opened again, and they both turned to see Cassie race out in a purple tankini, followed by Abbie’s parents.

“Mom! I’m going in the pool!” Cassie shouted at her, excitedly.

“I see that!” She called back, only her daughter wasn’t looking at her anymore, anyway.

Abbie turned to walk farther away, toward the table and chairs set back on the patio. Still fully in view of the pool, but far away enough that no one would be able to hear them talk.

She started to follow, only to fucking trip over her own two feet when Abbie tugged off the towel she’d had draped around her, and slung it over the back of a chair, before she bent down and –

Rose almost choked on the air.

She’d have sworn Abbie was doing this on purpose to her, only Abbie didn’t seem to give her a second thought. Nope, apparently, she’d been reaching for a pair of black shorts, which she pulled up over her legs.

She stood up straight at long last – Rose’s throat was far too dry – and turned to face her again. “I figured I could put on clothing so we could talk like actual adults.”

“And you call that clothing,” she returned with a scoff, before she could process what she’d said.

Her cheeks burned when she did realize it, but… whatever.

A slow, entirely too pleased smile worked over Abbie’s face, and Rose lifted her chin. No, she hadn’t meant to say that, but she stood by it.

The shorts fell to about two inches down Abbie’s thigh, and she was still only wearing a bikini top.

But, sure. Clothing.

“Anyway,” Abbie continued, shrugging as she pulled out one of the chairs at the table and sat in it. “I didn’t message you right away, because I had to process.” She arched a look up at Rose. “There was a hell of a lot from last night to process. Also, you could have just emailed me, you know. Or given my phone back to me on Monday at school. Instead, you came over to my house?”

Again, there was no anger or even judgment behind Abbie’s stare. But there was a lot of curiosity.

Fine, Abbie might have made a valid point. But –

“Because after our last interaction,” she aimed a meaningful look at her as she pulled out her own chair to Abbie’s left. “You told me you’ve spent almost a decade feeling like it was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made. I hope now that you know the details that you don’t feel that way,” she couldn’t help but add in.

Because god, she really hoped that. More than hoped, actually. She needed it. She needed Abbie to not feel like them sleeping together was her biggest regret.

Clearing her throat, she continued, “We work together, now. We’re going to see one another at work, and – apparently – occasionally out in the wild, too. As we learned last night, historically, you and I haven’t been the best communicators–”

Abbie didn’t let out a scoff. She let out a loud, booming laugh. “We learned that last night? Umm, where were you for the first couple of years that we knew each other?”

Rose rolled her eyes, as she grit out, “Fine, but my point is that last night is when we cleared up the misconceptions. I don’t want to start our relationship over, now, with any more of them.” She gestured between them, pointedly. “So, yes. Maybe it isn’t the polite thing to do to show up unannounced at someone’s house, but, as I’m sure you’d point out if I didn’t, I haven’t always been the politest when it comes to you.”

And while Rose did regret that, she also couldn’t perseverate too much on that or the past. That was a coping mechanism she’d had to build out of necessity, and it was still very much active.

“No, that’s true,” Abbie muttered, and there was an unfamiliar warmth in her voice, as she studied Rose. “You know, it is so fucking weird.”

She swore she heard a record scratch in the back of her mind at that. One second, Abbie was giving her a warm, considering look, and the next… She frowned deeply as the offense slid through her. “Excuse you?”

Abbie breathed out a laugh, gesturing at her. “This! You, being like this.”

“Like this?”

“All… honest. Self-aware. Being willing to give me back my phone and initiate a conversation like a real human being, without snapping or grinding your teeth into oblivion.”

Well, she certainly still had her teeth grinding moments – and the mouth guard she wore to sleep to prove it – but Abbie didn’t need to know that. She arched her a dry look. “I suppose that not living buried under all of the repression really changes things.”

Though she’d meant it to come out glibly, the heavy truth of those words landed inside of her. Especially saying the truth of those words to Abbie.

And the look in Abbie’s eyes gentled into something so unbelievably soft, it made Rose’s breath catch in her throat.

“Yeah. I bet it does,” she whispered, sympathy etched into her face.

Rose felt her heart thud in her chest as they locked eyes for a long beat… before Abbie closed hers and shook her head.

“I appreciate you bringing my phone to me–”

“Fully charged,” she interjected, shaking her head at Abbie. “It had, like seven percent battery. Who lets their phone get down to seven percent battery?”

“I didn’t have time to charge it!” Abbie defended. “I was at work – as you well know – then practice, and then I forgot to charge it when I came home to get ready for dinner.”

“Ah, yes, the only truly relevant part of that sentence: I forgot to charge it. All you needed to say.”

Abbie sharply cleared her throat. “So, whether polite or not, I do appreciate you taking the initiative to come over and clear the air. But I also want to be honest and let you know right out of the gate: I can’t get involved with you. Romantically,” she tacked on, as if Rose could have misunderstood her meaning.

Rose literally reeled back, the surprise of that comment rocked through her. She just hadn’t expected Abbie to come out and bring up that moment between them – then again, that was on her, wasn’t it? Since when had Abbie ever backed away from anything, even back in high school?

“I’m sorry,” she shot Abbie a sharp look, “I missed the part of this conversation where I implied we were dating.”

Because she hadn’t expected the comment, though, she hadn’t expected how it would feel.

Like… a stinging rejection, without having even put herself out there? It wasn’t like she’d come here to ask Abbie out, for fuck’s sake! And even without doing so, she’d still been handed a rejection. Ouch?!

Abbie met her stare, scoffing incredulously. “Okay, but we both know–” She cast a look over to the splashing fun in the pool, before turning back to Rose, her voice low, “That there was a… thing last night. And I can’t do that right now.”

“Well, neither can I,” she shot back, haughtily, still feeling a little tender.

As much as she hated saying so, it was the truth. As much as it was a wildly exhilarating, heart-pounding idea, the fact that being with Abbie could ever be a reality – it was just that: an idea.

This gleaming, shiny idea that had only ever existed in a corner of her mind she’d never allowed herself to look into in any serious or meaningful way. Because if she had, it would have been pure torture. Even now.

“Great,” Abbie nodded, decisively. “I mean, clearly we’re still attracted to each other.”

She quickly turned to gape at Abbie yet again, completely not expecting that. Not expecting the ease of the statement, or the casual way she stated it. Not after she’d literally just told Rose nothing was going to happen between them?

And why did the way Abbie was throwing these curveballs into the conversation so appealing to her? Why had it always made her stomach dip and tingle in that pleasant way when Abbie did or said something that surprised her?

That had never made sense to Rose, especially back in high school. Because she’d always associated surprises and the unknown with negative connotations.

“Right,” she breathed out, shaking herself out of – whatever the hell was going on inside of her right now.

But the reality she was living in today was so very different than her reality of even twenty-four hours ago, and she needed to take a second to marvel at that.

Abbie knew she was a lesbian. They both had spoken their attractions aloud. They’d talked about the past.

And the world… it still spun, exactly the way it did before.

The same bright, hot sun beamed down on them.

Cassie’s squealing laughter from the pool didn’t miss a beat.

This was her reality, now. Those kind of truths could exist in the world, and it didn’t have to mean anything other than the fact that… it was the truth.

She could sit here, at this home that was owned by two queer women, next to Abbie Parker wearing a bikini, and… and she didn’t have to spend every second wondering when something would slip. When she would be found out. She didn’t have to feel resentment and frustration because the world felt so un-fucking-fair.

She could just. Be.

That, more than anything else – more than Abbie telling Rose she was attracted to her, more than even the conversational idea of dating – brought her a sense of awe.

“But,” Abbie continued, studying Rose through thoughtfully narrowed eyes. “We don’t really even know each other. Isn’t that weird? Like, we’ve known one another for so long. But not really. And even then, we haven’t spoken in almost ten years.”

Rose took a second to mull that over, before noncommittally agreeing, “You’re not wrong.”

But the fact was that it did feel wrong to her. It really did. The idea that she didn’t really know Abbie felt at-odds with how she’d felt about her for so long in her life. Technically, Abbie was right. Even if they discounted the past, they hadn’t spoken in nearly a decade. So. Fine. Whatever.

She leaned back in her chair, reconciling those thoughts. As she did, she cast another glance over toward the pool – just to check in.

Cassie was clearly having the time of her life as the center of Abbie’s parents’ attention. Currently, her hands were interlaced with Caroline’s, who was swishing her through the water in circles.

It wasn’t shocking to her that Cassie was having a great time, but more that it seemed like – by the grins on their faces – Abbie’s parents were, too.

Just… very, very different from a family situation Rose was used to. Everything about today was so different from anything Rose could have expected.

Honestly, everything since Abbie’s arrival back into her life weeks ago felt so wildly unexpected, and Rose still felt like she was trying to catch up and make sense of it all.

But maybe now that they’d cleared the air, things could settle. Maybe now, she could find a sense of normalcy where Abbie was concerned.

And that idea was so very appealing to her. So appealing, she felt like it was a glass of cold water and she hadn’t had anything to drink in days. A truly clean slate with Abbie, being given the opportunity to actually know one another – even if it wasn’t romantic…

Shaking her head slightly, unable to even feel too hopeful about that – she’d learned a long time ago not to let her hopes get too high about things she had no control over – she refocused on Cassie and Caroline, specifically, who’d just tossed Cassie into the water amidst her daughter’s shrieking laughter.

“Your stepmom is really good with kids,” she commented, a little mesmerized by that easy playfulness.

Even though she loved and adored her daughter, that kind of lightness she saw on Caroline’s face as she indulged in playing with Cassie… Rose hadn’t come by that feeling, easily. And she didn’t know if she could feel it for anyone that wasn’t her child.

Abbie looked out over toward the pool as well, smiling so sweetly, so indulgently. “Yeah, she is.” She bit at her bottom lip, before turning to face Rose.

There was a contemplative look on her face, like she was wondering if she should open any other doors of conversation with Rose…

Don’t get your hopes up.

Before she seemed to make up her mind. “When Caroline came into our lives I became, like, obsessed with the idea of her and my mom getting together.”

There was something so ridiculously charming in that, and also entirely unsurprising. Of course, little Abbie wanted to play Cupid to her mom and stepmom.

But it was also unsurprising because, “Yes, I read that once in an interview.”

Shit. She felt her cheeks burn with a blush because she hadn’t fucking meant to voice that!

Abbie’s expression was alight with amusement as she turned to face Rose again. “Oh, really? Following my career? Reading interviews?” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Rose pursed her lips, rolling her eyes as she sat back in her chair. “Oh my god, do not get your ego inflated over this. If you don’t recall: I also love soccer. There’s a reason my daughter is obsessed with it.”

Rose could so easily picture all of the times she’d put on a game and cuddle Cassie into her lap. She really had to give credit to her daughter when she told people not to tell her she was “still little” – sure, she was, but… in Rose’s mind, the days where she was even littler felt like yesterday.

And even though that was the truth – she’d loved soccer long before she’d known Abbie – there was also no way in hell she would disclose the complicated relationship she’d had with following Abbie’s career to her face.

When Abbie didn’t retort back or make any teasing comment, Rose turned to face her. And was surprised by the deeply thoughtful expression etched onto Abbie’s face. She didn’t think she’d said anything that serious?

It was a look so intent, it made Rose’s heart skip a beat and something warm rush through her veins, and, “Why are you staring at me like that?” She demanded, quietly.

“You do love soccer,” Abbie murmured, as if turning those words over and over in her mind.

Rose blinked back. “… Yes?” She drawled, entirely unsure of where she was going with this.

If there was one thing that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Abbie regarding Rose, it was that she loved the thing that had brought them into one another’s lives in the first place.

“You should be my assistant coach,” Abbie stated, her eyes lighting up at the words.

God, the unforeseen moments kept coming, and Rose did a double-take. “I’m sorry – what?”

Not only at Abbie’s presumption – that hadn’t been a question – but also at the concept.

Abbie seemed to get really into whatever plan was transpiring in her head, as she eagerly nodded and leaned forward. Close enough to put herself right into Rose’s orbit, close enough for her bare arm to brush against Rose’s, and she shivered. But Rose didn’t pull back, even as she looked down at the proximity.

“God, why didn’t I think about this before?” Abbie frowned, seemingly muttering to herself, “Well, never mind, obviously this would have made no sense before. But now – yes.”

Managing to think like a fucking adult, she looked away from where their arms pressed together, shaking herself into reality. “I’m glad you’ve managed to talk yourself into a good place with your thoughts.” She dryly commented. “How about you talk me through it, now?”

Abbie’s smile was slightly lopsided, a little contrite, but more than anything: excited. It was a very appealing combination. “Sorry, right.” She lifted her fist and coughed quietly into it, seemingly trying to put on an air of… professionalism?

As professional as she could look, sitting in only a bikini, looking like some sort of Greek goddess.

 “Frankly, Rose, the state of athletics at Elliston right now is a fucking mess.”

So much for professional.

Rose slowly arched her a look. “Yes, I’m aware. It’s why I made it a priority to make sure we hired a good athletics director.”

“Thank you,” a smile – lovely and bright – flashed over Abbie’s face. “But between dealing with all of the meetings regarding all of the other coaches and teams and budgeting requests, I haven’t really had the time to start looking for a legitimate assistant coach. Which the team is in desperate need of right now.”

“Hence Norah. Your cousin.” She couldn’t help but state.

“Exactly.” Abbie made a finger-gun. “I love her to death, but she only understands the very rudimentary elements of the game, things she’s picked up from watching me over the years. But she couldn’t care less about the intricacies. She’s basically just there to keep note of drills while I’m working with other people. An extra pair of eyes, who only notices when something is egregiously incorrect. It’s – frankly – painful.”

Rose had been wound up in knots over Norah’s presence at Elliston, and she wasn’t even a good assistant coach. The entire situation was epic proportions of ridiculousness, and if she wasn’t still reeling from everything in the last twenty-four hours, it might have been funny.

In her silence, Abbie leaned in even closer.

Rose buzzed with the proximity. Did Abbie not realize how she was pressed against Rose right now? Did she not fucking think about the fact that she was barely wearing anything, and that they’d had a moment last night?

She held her breath as to not inhale any of Abbie.

Who reached out and put her hand on Rose’s wrist, squeezing softly. And even with the softness in her touch, it burned right through her.

“The girls… they really do have potential to be a good team.” God, there was that appealing earnest tone in Abbie’s voice, mirrored on her face. “But not while I’m stretching myself so thin. You would be amazing.”

“You think I’d be amazing,” she echoed, that absurdly pleased feeling fluttering through her.

And it was absurd. Objectively, Rose knew as well as Abbie did – Rose understood what it took to play well. She knew how to improve technique.

And yet, hearing it from Abbie was… it wasn’t logical or objective.

It was Abbie saying kind things to Rose about something she cared so deeply about – a part of her world she hadn’t gotten to engage with in any other way than watching games or watching Cassie for so long.

Abbie’s stare was delightfully dubious. “Of course I do. Even when you and I, personally, were at our worst, you were an incredible player.”

Again with that warm rush through her veins.

Yes, Rose had been an incredible player. And she’d known that Abbie knew it. But it felt so good to hear it.

“Assistant Coach,” she echoed, leaning back against her chair, arching Abbie a disbelieving look.

It was clear that Abbie, herself, hadn’t anticipated asking this today. That she’d obviously not even considered this as a possibility before this very moment. But it was also clear she was becoming more and more enamored with the idea with every passing moment.

And that alone pulled intently at Rose.

Even so, she had to pull herself into reality.

Reality wasn’t all about starting over with this clean slate with Abbie, or being able to dig deeper into her love of soccer. Reality was that she was busy as fuck with her day-to-day at Elliston as it was.

Reality was – it really wasn’t wise to indulge in spending so much time with Abbie.

Logically, she couldn’t imagine anything good would come of spending more time together. They both knew that they both still shared an attraction, but that they couldn’t, for various reasons, explore it.

Added to that, she shook her head, “You and I working together on the field could very well lead to us coming to blows. It might defeat the purpose of a clean slate.”

Abbie scoffed. “How so? The only reason we didn’t get along super well on the field was because of all of – you know – your unreasonable grumpiness at me, which I assume was because of your obvious – now – repression. Now that that’s out of the way, what could go wrong?”

Unerringly, Rose prickled inside at that, and she dourly asked, “Gee, I don’t know. How could this endeavor possibly go wrong?”

“You know I’m right.”

Had Rose somehow forgotten how utterly determined and stubborn Abbie could be when she sunk her teeth into something?!

“Come on, who could possibly help whip the offense into shape better than Rose Elliston? Don’t you want to return the Red Foxes to national glory?” She squeezed at Rose’s wrist again, both beseechingly and excitedly, stroking her thumb softly over her skin and…

And Rose – despite the fact that she didn’t really have the time, and the fact that seeing Abbie on the field may be dangerous for her – couldn’t actually hold on to a reason to say no.

For so very long in her life, she hadn’t been able to do things she wanted to do simply because she wanted to do them. The expectation and the fear of failure and the pressure had such a firm grip on her, and…

It didn’t anymore. None of that really mattered.

She could do what she wanted.

Which – as she eyed Abbie up and down, from the bright blue eyes and the way her sunshine hair had a slight wave as it dried against her shoulders, and her golden fucking abs – was dangerous.

Dangerous and freeing and appealing, and…

She had to swallow against her dry throat before she managed, “I’ll see if I can figure out my schedule to make it work.”

Abbie’s eyes glinted back at her far too knowingly, the look landing sharply in her stomach, which clenched in response. “Deal.”

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