by Sean Michael
“So, what? You go and say, look at him, he can jump?”
“Basically. My word that you’re the best diver I’ve seen ever will get us in the door. Then they’re going to want film of you diving, and then they’ll want to see you, talk to you, find out how serious you are about diving, what our plan of attack is.” He smiled wryly and added again, “They’ll probably try to talk you into getting a different coach.”
“So you said.” Austin shrugged. “I got a videotape of me down at the lake, if you want it.”
“Or we could put one together with some specific dives over the next couple of days.” He was jonesing to watch Austin dive some more, wanted to put the kid through his paces.
“I have tonight off. My shift starts at ten tomorrow night. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. I mean, if it doesn’t work, it’ll still be cool to tell people.”
“I’ll have to make a couple of calls, but I can probably get us some time at the diving pool at the college tomorrow morning. Now, you’re not teasing me, right? If I get you the sponsors to compete, you aren’t going to suddenly decide you’d rather be welding?”
“Dude, I can weld anywhere. It’s not like the training expires.” Austin bit into another roll, nibbling. “I don’t know what all to do. This comes out of the blue.”
“Yeah, for me too.” He ate a cucumber slice from his salad. “You’re the real deal, Austin. You should be competing—bringing the sport to new heights.” He took another swig of his beer and then cleared his throat. “So we’re going to find some sponsors, and I’ll coach you, and you’ll compete.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”
“Okay. Sure.” Austin shook his hand, looking like he’d been whacked in the head with a baseball.
Vince tried not to crow, tried not to put all his eggs in this brand-new basket. Austin could change his mind at any minute, come out of the stunned wows and decide he didn’t want to hook up with a disgraced coach. “How about we enjoy our dinners and get to know each other,” he suggested.
“Okay. Okay, I can handle that.”
“Good. So, why welding?”
“Auto mechanics was more expensive, and I heard you could learn to weld underwater.” Austin grinned. “My folks had me late in life and are already retired. They moved to Arizona and I needed a way to pay my bills.”
“Weld underwater? That sounds dangerous. It also sounds like something a water baby would be attracted to. Have you done it?”
“No. Not yet. Getting your scuba certifications is real expensive. Sounds fun, though.”
He beamed at Aunt Jenny when she showed up with their steaks. “Oh, this smells divine.”
“Only the best for my favorite customer.”
“Love you too, Aunt Jenny.”
First thing Vince did once she’d gone again was to take a bite. “Damn, it tastes as good as it smells. So your folks are in Arizona, but your aunt and uncle are still here. Any other family?”
“I have a brother, Dallas—he’s in the Navy. He’s quite a bit older than me.” Austin smiled suddenly. “Guess we’re both water babies.”
“Sure seems like it. You didn’t go the Navy route yourself? They’ve got underwater welders there, I’m sure.” He gave Austin a wink, glad to see the kid relaxing a little, losing that stunned bunny look.
“I, uh, don’t do the orders things so well, and I, well, I didn’t pass the physical.”
“No? Why not?” The orders thing he could work with, but if there was something seriously wrong with Austin….
“Diabetes. They wouldn’t take me. That a problem?”
He was relieved. “Shouldn’t be. You on insulin?”
“Supposed to be, yeah. I sort of don’t, sometimes.”
Vince shook his head. “That’ll change if I’m your coach. I don’t want you passing out up on the five-meter. It’s a good way to end a career real fast.”
“Yeah. I get busy, you know? Shots are a hassle.”
Vince smirked. “Oh, you’re going to love me. Shots are going to be the least of your hassles.”
Those bright eyes twinkled, one almost-white eyebrow rising. “You did hear me say I don’t take orders well, right?”
He nodded. “I did. I’m good at giving them, though, and making sure they’re followed through on.” He leaned forward. “I can live without you taking them well, but I’ll need you to try. Austin, you can’t do this half-assed.”
“I’m not even sure what I’m trying to do yet.”
“Be recognized as the best diver in the world. Meets here in the States, around the world, the Olympics. The next Greg Louganis, only better.”
“Olympics? Like on the TV?” There went that look again, unbelieving and confused.
“Yeah. Like on TV.” He shook his head. Austin would come out and do this; Vince had to hope that once he understood the dedication needed to do it, the kid would be able to come through. “Eat your steak. And maybe I should let you ask the questions for a bit.”
“Do you dive too?”
He tilted his head from side to side. “Compared to what you do, I just jump into the water.”
“Hell, that’s all I do. I practice on the trampoline, then do it in the water.” Austin ate some more steak. “You got a boyfriend?”
He swallowed rather abruptly and shook his head. “He went south when the career did. What about you? You seeing anyone?”
“Me?” Oh, now that was interesting. Austin’s cheeks went bright pink, gaze cutting away as he shook his head. “No.”
“Good-looking guy like you? With that show you put on at the pool? I’d think they would be lined up around the pool.”
“Oh. I only goof off. I don’t….”
“You don’t what? Put on a show? Date?” He wondered what the kid was dancing around.
“Oh, I’m a show-off. I don’t date much. Never have.”
“Why not?” He found it hard to believe that this good-looking live wire would be celibate. Of course that wasn’t exactly what Austin had said, now was it. And if the kid really didn’t date, it would make things easier. Significant others often didn’t understand the time athletes needed to put in to train.
“I. Uh. This is a pretty small town. It ain’t Austin.”
He frowned and then suddenly the penny dropped. “Oh, fuck, I’m not always so dense.”
Lord, down, boy, he told himself. Austin was a good-looking guy, but he was also an amazing diver and that was where Vince’s focus had to be right now. Which was likely why the kid slipped totally under his gaydar.
“Yeah? Good to know.” The kid’s cheeks were almost purple. “Nobody knows, yeah? Nobody.”
Jesus, that was a lonely way to live. “Nobody? As in not one person?”
“Not one person.” Austin wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Well, one now, yeah? You’re not alone anymore.” And that was more loaded than he meant. “I mean… ah, your secret’s safe with me, kid.”
“Thanks. I… I mean, chances are I’ll have to come back here, even if you do find someone who wants to pay to have me dive.”
“You could come clean—people surprise you. My mother….” He couldn’t help but smile. “Once she got over the disappointment of no grandchildren, she started a local chapter of PFLAG, started marching in rallies, the whole nine yards. Is it going to be a problem for you? That I’m out?”
“Shouldn’t. My folks’ll think I’m being a jackass, trying to avoid working. You won’t even register.”
“You’ll show them. I might register once you’ve got a few gold medals around your neck.”
Something flared in those pretty eyes. Something very much like hunger. Like want. “You think I could do that?” Oh, there it was. There was the look that belonged in the eyes of the kid who could dive like Austin could.
“I’m willing to bet everything I have and everything I am that you can.”
“Yeah? Damn. Damn.” Austin started bouncing a little, food forgotten.
Vince felt grea
t, his own enthusiasm sparking again now that Austin had lost the stunned look. “They won’t even see you coming, Austin, and you’re going to blow them out of the water.”
“I just…. Are you real, man? Did I whack my head on the board and am dreaming?”
“Funny, I was wondering the same thing when I watched you dive today. Couldn’t believe my eyes. And then when I found out you didn’t have a coach….” Vince shook his head. “I’m as real as that steak you’re not eating. And I truly believe in what we can do out there.”
“I. Damn. Just… damn.” Austin looked over at him, blinking a little, eyes a little red.
“Hey. It’s okay.” He reached out and petted Austin’s hand awkwardly. “Look, if it would make you feel less like a dream, we can have a contract drawn up, saying I’m your coach, that I’ll find us sponsors, outlining what your responsibilities are and stuff.” It was a good idea anyway, but he hadn’t wanted to spook the kid more than he already was.
“Okay. Yeah. That’s cool. Right now, though? I’m thinking I had one too many beers on no sleep.”
“You should have a bit more steak, Austin. Get some nutrition in you.” He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone so tall who was so skinny. “You’ll have to keep your strength up—I’m going to work you hard, and it’ll all be during your off time until we find enough sponsors for you to give up your welding job.”
“Yeah.” Austin cut the steak. “I work ten to six, Sunday night through Friday morning.”
“When do you like sleeping? And do you prefer not changing up your schedule for the weekend? Because I can find us space that’ll let us use their platforms and boards at night.” They could do longer practices on Friday and Saturday, shorter ones—workouts and whatnot—during the week. And it wasn’t like he couldn’t conform his schedule to Austin’s, given he was currently between jobs.
“I sleep in the late afternoon, early evening. Prime time, you know?” Ah, that explained the way the kid was slowing down. They’d have to change that before the season started.
“Well, then, I guess to start we can work in the mornings. See how that works for us. I have to admit, I’m not a morning person. You might want to think about changing up, to keep from having to deal with me as a bear.”
“Well, what are you talking? A couple hours? A couple days a week? What?”
He had to fight his smile. A couple hours, a couple days a week. Right. “A little closer to a few hours every day.”
“Okay. How about like ten to one or one thirty? That gives me a few hours to do errands and shit before and a few hours to sleep after, and if I have to pull overtime, I’m cool.”
He smiled and nodded, pleased Austin was falling in line. “And ten ’til four or five on the weekends?” He’d put together a schedule. Set up a regimen for Austin to follow. He’d have to find out what the kid liked to eat, too, put together a menu….
Wow. He was really doing this again.
“Man, you’re gonna have me working my ass off. My boss’ll be impressed.”
“Until we get the sponsors we need and you quit.” He wanted to make sure Austin knew that was in the cards, that once they could afford to do it full time, it was going to be full time. “Then you’ll find out what working your ass off really is.”
“Man, diving is fun. Welding is work.”
“Good. That attitude is going to come in handy.” He patted his pockets, looking for some paper and a pen or something, but he hadn’t come out today looking to score a new diver.
“Whatcha need? A smoke?”
“Paper and pen. We need to exchange numbers, and I was hoping to write some notes.” Funnily enough, when he was coaching, when he was excited about stuff, he rarely smoked.
“Aunt Jenny? Borrow a pad?”
“Sure, honey.” She handed Vince a little order pad, along with a greasy pen.
“Thanks, ma’am.” Vince wrote out his full name and address and his cell phone number on one piece and tore it off, then handed it to Austin. “I don’t have a landline, but this way you can get me no matter where I am.”
“’Kay. I got a cell too. I live in the Pleasant Vale apartments. Number 201.”
“Great! That’s not that far from the dive pool.”
He took down the address and Austin’s cell phone number and made a few notes. “I’ll call around later today and then give you a ring in the morning with where to meet me. We’ll start out with you going through your paces—give me a chance to see how you do with all the various dives.”
“Okay. I’ll practice on my trampoline, warm up.”
“Cool. You’ll need to continue to do that daily, do some working out. And the dive practice.” His leg was bouncing. And he was grinning, knew he was grinning like a fool. “This is going to be fun.” He couldn’t wait to see the faces on the other coaches at Austin’s first meet.
“Yeah.” Austin nodded, yawned. “It’ll be an experiment, huh?”
“It’s my life.” He’d been pretending the past three years, making like it didn’t matter, like he didn’t care. He cared plenty. “You want dessert or something, or should I drive you home?”
“Home, if you don’t mind. Uncle Jack gave me a ride to the pool.”
He nodded. “I can do that. I need to know the way to where you live anyway, as I’ll be dropping you off a lot, I imagine.”
He caught Aunt Jenny’s attention. “Bill, please, ma’am.”
“Oh, I can drive. I was saving my pennies.” Austin pulled out a ten, put it on the table. “That’ll cover mine.”
He shook his head. “You put that back in your pocket. You earned this dinner fair and square.”
“Yeah, but I got a job. I can buy my own.”
He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, okay. You can pay for your own.”
He put ten down for himself and added five for Aunt Jenny, figuring he could afford to be generous, considering he’d been expecting to pay for them both.
“Cool.” Austin stood, then went to hug his aunt, the affection freely and easily offered.
Vince smiled as he stood as well. The kid had a good heart, that was clear. Seemed to have a good work ethic as well. And all that talent.
Someone up there had obviously decided he’d paid long enough.
Chapter Two
OH.
Phone.
Ow.
Okay.
Phone.
Austin frowned, searching the bedside table. Man, it was bright for evening. Oh, man. Morning.
Fuck.
“’Lo?”
“Austin. Hey, there, it’s Vince. You ready to rock?”
“What time is it?” He blinked over at the clock, which was blinking 12:00. “Man, there a storm last night?”
“I don’t think so. It’s 9:00 a.m. Is something wrong? You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“No. Damned lights went out. I musta slept all night. You find us somewhere to go?” He got up, went to shave, lighting up as he went.
Oh. Wow. Shaky.
Food.
Foooooooooooood.
“Yeah, I’ve got us a space. You sure you okay?” Vince sounded concerned.
“Yeah. Just need food. Slept through any sort of snack.” He usually had something around nine or ten. He grabbed a Snickers bar and munched away.
“I did some research. We’re good with the diabetes, but you’ve got to eat, Austin. Especially with the activity you’re going to be doing. Why don’t I come get you in a half hour—that enough time?”
“Uh-huh. Got a Snickers. I’m good. I’ll jump in the shower.” He grabbed his toothpaste, his toothbrush.
Vince snorted. “We’re going to have to have a talk about your diet, kid.”
“Yeah, yeah. See you in thirty.”
He hung up, jumped in the shower, and started soaping up. Too fucking bad he didn’t have time to jack off. Vince was a babe. A little old, sure, but hot. Fuck him raw. The guy was a stud—nice muscles,
pretty eyes, good hands. A nice deep voice. And the man sure had a hard-on for diving.
Man.
Diving.
For money and shit. Damn. It was weird as hell. A guy goes to the pool to goof off and ends up talking to a fucking Olympic coach.
He hopped out, grabbed a pair of trunks and jeans, and started drying off. There was a knock on the door, bright and cheerful somehow.
“It’s open.” He tugged the jeans on and started hunting for a T-shirt. Man, it was so laundry day.
Vince came in, looking good in a pair of tight jeans and a shirt, buttoned all the way up, tie around his neck.
“Man, you look good. Tie and all. Want a Pop-Tart?”
“Gotta impress the peeps.” Vince winked at him. “Snickers bars? Pop-Tarts? I thought you were diabetic?”
“I am.” He grabbed his glucometer, his syringes. “I’ll shoot up.”
Vince laughed. “Yeah, I’ll have a Pop-Tart. I’m serious about the diet thing. I’ll do your shopping for you if I have to—you need to be in top physical shape, and Pop-Tarts don’t cut it for breakfast if you’re working hard for eight hours a day.”
“You want brown sugar or strawberry?” He fished out the box, checked his sugars: 230. Bleh.
“Strawberry. We’ll go through the drive-through at Burger Barn on our way to the pool.”
Oh, excellent. Pop-Tarts and sausage biscuit. “Where are we going? Waco? Austin? The one here in town?”
“The one here in town. We’ll move on to the big leagues once we’ve got some sponsors.” Vince looked pleased. Happy made the man even hotter.
“’Kay.” He took his shot and scarfed down his breakfast and a glass of milk. Man, it was almost ten. “You ready?” He had to be to work in twelve hours.
Vince licked crumbs off his lips and nodded. “Yeah. I can’t wait to put you through your paces.”
“That sounds ominous.” Not to mention fun. He stretched, back creaking and popping. “Let’s go play.”
Vince laughed. “I do like you, Austin.”
The truck was parked out front, and Vince got him settled, then headed around to climb in the driver side.
“So, what’s the plan, Stan?” He wasn’t sure what this whole thing was supposed to be like.