Page 55 of Winning Play
Spenceexaggerated his sigh of relief. “Goodto know.”Heslipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side.WhydidIsuggest the “fake-dating” scenario?WhatIfeel forKimgoes way beyond friendship.Maybeshe doesn’t feel the same.Eitherway,Ican’t say anything until her asshat ex is out of the picture.Don’twant to scare her away.
Thebalmy night air brushed over them as they walked hand in hand.Kimfelt grounded withSpence.Shethought she had detected something different in how he looked at her during dinner.Tenderness?You’reimagining things,Martin.You’refriends.Rememberthat.Herbrain flashed to the way his fists had clenched when she readFinn’snote.Pity?Protective?Whatgoes through your mind,ChathamSpencer?
Whenthey reached her dorm,Kimlooked at him with a contented sigh and squeezed his hand. “Ihad so much fun,Spence.Thankyou for today and for going out with us.”
“Weget to do it again tomorrow.”
Kimloved his crooked smile. “Can’twait,” she said, kissing his cheek.Spencemoved his face slightly, and their lips met instead.Timepaused for a glorious moment asKimshoved “just friends” to the back of her brain.Spence’skiss transported her to a cloud of bliss.
Theyparted, andSpencestepped back a little, his gaze exploring her face as if searching for answers neither could supply.Shewanted to stay in this feeling of suspended animation, butKimknew she needed to break the spell. “Ishould go now.”
Theydidn’t speak as they walked up the stairs and down the hall to her door.Hepulled her close for a hug that lasted a little longer than usual before finally letting her go with an almost imperceptible sigh.
Spencesmiled again and nodded. “Geta good night’s sleep, babe.”
Kimfelt a wave of sadness that made her heart ache a bit.Sheleaned against the door afterSpenceleft.Whydid she assign him to the ‘friend’ zone when they first met?Anotherhasty decision she regretted.ToldmyselfIneeded time to ‘get over’ the break up withFinn.Bythe timeIleftVancouver,Ihad no feelings for him—except regret for those wasted months.Andnow regret for placing a huge roadblock that may preventSpenceand me from exploring feelingsIthink we share.
26
Beforethe alarm sounded,Kimhad showered and dressed for the tournament’s second day.Anticipationbubbled in her chest as she covered a toasted bagel with cashew butter.Herthoughts wandered toSpence.DidIimagine the shift in our relationship—didSpencesense it, too?Wishfulthinking on my part?
Hewasn’t like any of the other guys she’d known.NotlikeFinn…Spencewas kind and gentle, and she felt safe with him.Hehadn’t just chipped away at her protective barriers but smashed them wide open.Shewanted to move forward instead of looking over her shoulder.Whycouldn’tIhave metChathamSpencerbefore making the biggest mistake of my life?
Determinedto bring positive energy to the tournament,Kimapplied sunscreen before brushing her hair and cinching it in a high ponytail.Shepulled it through the back of the baseball hatSpencehad given her, checked her reflection in the mirror, and then gathered a selection of energy bars and water bottles for her backpack.Thehallway felt eerily silent, much like the night before whenSpencehad walked with her to her room.Ofcourse, itwas earlyon aSunday—only those directly involved with the volleyball tournament would venture out just after dawn.
WhenKimstepped outside, the air felt cooler than expected, and she debated returning for a hoody.Thenshe spottedSpenceleaning against the wall, and his welcoming smile chased any chills away.
“Goodmorning, beautiful.”
Kiminstinctively looked behind her, expecting to see one of the gorgeous coeds attracted toSpence, like honeybees to bright flowers.
Witha chuckle,Spenceclosed the distance between them and hugged her affectionately. “Yes, you,Popcorn.Youlook adorable.”Hetook her backpack and slipped it over his shoulder. “Youready to bring home the champion’s trophy?”
“Asready as you.”
“Youshould see the people gathering for the first games—a larger crowd than yesterday.Iheard the localTVstation plans to set up news coverage.”Heshook his head. “Neverdreamed we’d make this big a splash with our little tournament.”
“Youhave a gift for leadership,Spence.Yousold the idea, and the ‘little tournament’ mushroomed into… this.”Kimwaved her hand toward the quadrangle. “Amazing.Everythinglooks perfect.”Shehugged him impulsively. “Aren’tyou excited?”
“Yeah—everyone pulled together to create something bigger thanIever dreamed.Ijust wanted to do some team bonding…Ihope we raise enough money to make a difference for theIcetheBulliesprogram.”
“I’mpretty sure we’ll exceed your secret goal,”Kimsaid. “Theconcession sales alone will probably take us over the top.”
SpenceleftKimhelping to set up the concessions, then checked the four courts to see if the volunteers needed anything.
“Don’tlet anyone take things too seriously,” he advised the referees and line judges.
“Noproblems.Wehad a coach at every game yesterday—no one wants to challenge them,” a women’s volleyball team senior replied. “Mosteveryone was a good sport.”
“Fantastic.We’lluse the same system as yesterday if you need anything—supplies, food, water—or if you end up short-handed, send anSOS.”Spencespoke with them for a few more minutes, then headed toward the team gathering area for a headcount.Hesmiled when he sawKimtalking to the group.Probablygiving a pep-talk.She’sgot them hanging on every word.Goodjob building their confidence,Kimberly.
Spencecontinued toward his team and decided to get them on the court to warm up.Kim’spep talk seemed to have had the desired effect, as the team of freshmen and sophomores looked even more determined than yesterday.Spencewatched her animated face, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Hewalked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’vegot the guys fired up,Popcorn.”
Kimlooked up at him with a grin. “Ineed to see if the concessions volunteers have everything they need.”
Spencemade a show of looking at his watch. “You’vegot twenty minutes–don’t get distracted.”Hislips twitched when he saw the frown forming. “Justkidding.”