Alex backed off. “Maybe you hate me, but at least I’m alive,” he said nastily. “Near as I can tell, Brian’s ready for the undertaker. And you? Let’s see, what’s the word I’m looking for? Starts with F and rhymes with rigid—”
Brian finally made his appearance, saving Holly from making a scene at her own prom by punching Alex in the face. She’d grabbed Brian by the arm and stormed away, refusing to look back at Alex and unable to speak until she’d had a few minutes to cool down.
But that hadn’t been the end of that memorable evening. With Alex’s words and Alex’s taunting expression playing over and over in her head, Holly had practically attacked Brian in the front seat of his car.
Abruptly, Holly came back to the present.
Oh, well, at least she could laugh about it now. Sort of. And one good thing had come out of that night. A great thing, actually. Will.
Holly sighed as she pulled into the company parking lot. Alex had always had the ability to get under her skin, whether he was making her furious or making her hot. The night of the prom…yesterday in her bedroom…last night’s dream.
At least she didn’t have to worry about him flirting with her anymore. Ever since she’d asked him to stop doing that with her, he’d gone along with her request. She’d asked for friendship and that’s what she was getting.
And Alex’s friendship was a gift she should be grateful for. He was generous and kind, and he made her laugh, and Will was crazy about him. That was what she wanted. A good, safe friendship. Not the other stuff. The dangerous, pulse-accelerating, nitroglycerin stuff.
Yes, Alex was giving her what she wanted. Trying to not feel depressed at that knowledge and resolving to put Alex firmly out of her mind for the next eight hours, Holly stepped out of her car and prepared to once again take the world of financial planning by storm.
Chapter Seven
Well, it was working. Sort of. Alex supposed he should consider himself lucky that Steeltown was going to present such a challenge Friday night. Preparing for the game kept him from thinking about Holly every five minutes.
Unfortunately, he didn’t feel that lucky. Steeltown was big and mean, and had a reputation for playing dirty. Late hits, personal fouls, all the things no coach liked to think about, especially with a young, light, inexperienced squad.
He worked his kids hard, telling them in no uncertain terms that the team they were about to face, on their turf, was going to be their toughest test yet.
He was proud of them, Alex thought when he’d wrapped things up and sent them to the showers. If guts and hard work could do it, they’d hold their own against Steeltown Friday night.
Now if only he could hold his own against Holly Stanton.
Last night they’d eaten at the mall after their afternoon of shopping. Tonight, Alex stayed resolutely in his office until he figured Will and Holly had finished dinner, trying not to think of how fun it would be to share a meal with them at his big dining room table, the one he hardly ever used since he usually ate off a TV tray in the living room.
It was easy to imagine what it would be like. Mother and son would talk and laugh and include him in all their jokes and affection and warmth. Alex was amazed at how much he wanted that, and then realized he was having a fantasy about Holly that for once had absolutely nothing to do with sex.
Alex sighed and filed the last of his paperwork, grabbing his jacket from the door and turning out the light. He shut and locked his office door and walked along the silent, empty corridor toward the exit.
Sometimes it felt a little strange to be back in this place. It also made the don’t-think-about-Holly project tougher, since his memories of high school were all intertwined with memories of Holly. It was good to be back, too, though. It gave him a chance to redeem himself, to make up for the mistakes he’d made as a teenager by helping other kids avoid them.
As hard as it was to live in the same town as Holly Stanton, Alex knew he belonged here, at least for now. He liked this town and he liked the kids he was coaching. He believed in them. They needed him. Well, they needed someone, anyway, and he’d do until someone better came along.
Alex grinned as he pulled into his driveway. Hell, he even liked his drafty old house. He was almost looking forward to the off-season, when he’d have time to take care of it. By then, maybe Holly and Will would be gone and he could get his sanity back, too.
Alex walked through the front door and knew immediately that something was different. He turned on the light and looked around.
The place was clean. Someone had vacuumed, and dusted and done something that made the whole place smell fresh and crisp and lemony.