***
I was laying on the lounge, an empty pizza box on the coffee table, and a cold beer in my hand, when my blissfully quiet night was interrupted by a knock at the door before the sound of a stampede echoed off my walls.
“You home, big brother?”
“Wish I wasn’t,” I muttered under my breath. “In here, Ari.”
When she waddled into the lounge room, I almost laughed out loud. I probably would’ve if she hadn’t looked so exhausted and, frankly, a little scary.
“Uncle Luca!” Jake and Rohan bellowed before launching themselves on top of me.
It was the best thing about being an uncle. Wrestling with my nephews. It was almost as much fun as having tea parties with Princess Phoebe, not that I was about to tell the boys that.
By the time they climbed off, we were all panting and exhausted. I’d copped a knee to the kidneys, and I knew I’d be paying for it tomorrow.
Straightening my shirt, I stood up. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?” I asked, heading towards the kitchen.
“I just missed my favourite brother.”
“I call bullshit on that one, Arianna. Wanna try again?”
Snagging a couple of bottles of water, I went back into the lounge to see she’d kicked off her shoes, was leaning back against the couch with her feet propped up while she rubbed her bulging belly. Seeing her sitting there, eyes closed, looking completely relaxed, something inside me snapped.
“I’m retiring.”
“Huh?” Ari’s eyes popped open.
“I decided.”
“Wait! What?”
“Uncle Luca, can we please play your Xbox?” Jake asked hopefully, while Rohan stood behind him staring at me with huge pleading eyes.
“In the family room,” I conceded quickly. It wasn’t like I could very well say no.
“You’re the best!”
“Yeah! Thanks, Uncle Luca!” Before I could answer, they were already barrelling down the hallway and disappearing.
“How do your two kids sound like a heard of elephants?” I asked, flopping down onto the couch next to Arianna, only to have her swing her fat feet into my lap.
“Forget them. Massage my feet and tell me what you’re on about and where all this talk about retirement came from.”
“Don’t you have a husband for that?” I teased as I started kneading her foot, not missing the way her eyes rolled back in her head and the satisfied moan she let out.
“Why do you think we’re here?”
“Huh? Did Josh do something?” I demanded to know, suddenly on edge. If he’d hurt her, in any way, I didn’t give a shit about consequences, I’d kick his arse into the middle of next week.
“What? No! Of course not!”
“You sure?”
“One hundred percent. Josh would never hurt me. It’s nothing like that.”
“Ari,” I practically growled. “I’m gonna need you to explain here because my imagination is running wild.”
“Calm down, caveman. I’m fine. We’re fine. He’s just at work. Again.”
“Oh. You sure that’s it?”
“Absolutely. Now, what’s this talk about retirement? I mean, I know it’s been on the cards and in the news for years now, but I never actually thought you’d go through with it.”
“You thought I’d play forever?” It sounded dumb when I said it, but in a way, I thought I would too. Until ten minutes ago, I hadn’t really given it much thought, not in much more than a far away, abstract idea, then all of a sudden it wasn’t a decision I had to make. My future was right in front of me, and for the first time, I was excited by the prospect.
“In a way, yeah. I mean, I knew you couldn’t. And you are getting old. But I guess I just never saw you wearing a suit and tie, sitting behind a desk.”
“Now, let’s not get too crazy.”
“So, no suit and tie?”
“No, no suit and tie.”
“What are you going to do then?”
“No bloody idea.”
Half an hour later and Ari had passed out on my couch and was snoring like a freight train. I had no hope of moving her without waking her, and that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. After messaging Josh and letting him know where to find his family, I draped a blanket over Ari and locked up for the night before going in search of the boys.
Standing in the doorway, I listened to the trash talk as the boys elbowed and nudged each other while on screen they raced their cars around the virtual track. Feeling like I was missing out, I dragged the bean bag out of the corner.
“I’m playing the winner,” I declared, settling in.
It was getting late and the boys were fading fast. After losing the fourth straight race to a couple of kids, my ego wasn’t the only thing that was ready to call it a night.
“All right, boys. That’s it.”
“Uncle Luca…” Rohan complained with a yawn.
“Nope. Bedtime.”
“Are we staying here?” Jake asked, and I wasn’t sure if he was okay with that or not.
“Yep. Your mum’s already asleep, so you’re crashing here tonight.”
“Yes!”
“So, who’s sleeping in the spare room?” I asked, watching their enthusiasm vanish. Apparently, boys weren’t keen on sleeping in the purple unicorn room. “Or… or you can crash in here on the couches?”
Half an hour later and they’d made themselves at home in my family room and were lying in the dark, talking about how cool it was to be staying out on a school night. Giving up on trying to get them to quieten down, I headed to my own bed, but I wasn’t under any illusions sleep would come easily. I was already busy making plans on how to get on with the next step of my life. Something I was vibrating with excitement about.
Chapter Twelve – Elise
I hated Mondays. This one more than normal. I wasn’t ready for a new week and I had no one to blame but myself. After Luca dropped me off, I walked into my apartment, dumped my bag on the chair, and then lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
I should’ve got up and done something. I know I should’ve. But after falling down the YouTube rabbit hole, I ended up eating popcorn for dinner and binge-watching Hugh Grant movies. Spending the afternoon with Hugh seemed like a better option than working on my program.
Now I was heading towards my classroom, juggling my handbag, a bag filled with books and folders of shit I should’ve done over the weekend and didn’t even take out, and trying to balance the largest cup of coffee the café sold, all the while hoping my wine hangover would hurry up and lift before I was surrounded by kids who didn’t know the definition of an inside voice.
Stumbling up the stairs, I splashed my coffee on my shirt, and I almost cried. Not because it’d stained my pale-pink top or because it scalded my skin, but because it meant there was less in my cup to help get me through the day.
By the time I made it to my desk, I was already exhausted and not in the mood for bullshit. So when the bell rang and Nerilee came racing up to me, tears streaming down her cheeks, I wanted to hide under the desk and hope she couldn’t find me. She was so worked up she could barely get her words out.
“M-M-Miss McCoy.”
Squatting down to her eye level, I reached out and held her arms, steadying her. She was shaking all over. “Nerilee. Sweetie…what’s wrong?”
“Simon…S-S-Simon…” She was really struggling to get air into her lungs and her words out.
Looking down at the terrified kid, I noticed blood on her shirt. “Nerilee, whose blood is this? Is it Simon’s?” When she nodded, I shot to my feet and took hold of her hand. “Can you show me where he is?”
Following her, we wound around the building until I found where a group of my kids were gathered around looking completely freaked out. Hurrying my steps, I looked down and saw what had everyone worried. There Simon was, his face covered in blood. Grabbing Tara and Karenya, I sent them to the office to get some hel
p.
After pushing the kids back a bit, I knelt down beside Simon. “Simon? Are you okay?”
“My head hurts,” he mumbled as he tried to sit up.
“Just stay still for a minute.”
“Okay.”
Half an hour later and Simon’s mum was on the way to pick him up, and I was back in my classroom. Turns out a game of tips had ended when he tripped over his own shoelaces and fell, knocking his head on the edge of the path. Thankfully he wasn’t badly hurt. A bump on the head, a couple of stitches, and he’d be fine.
By the time the lunch bell rang, I was starving. Hungry and playground duty didn’t work together. Especially not for me. Digging the bruised, seen-better-days apple from the bottom of my bag, I slid on my sunglasses and headed out into the playground.
When I got hit in the boob with a soccer ball, the result of a stray kick, I was ready to call it a day, head home, and crawl into bed and pretend today never happened. But I couldn’t. Instead, I kicked the ball back in the direction of the game, at least I tried to, and headed over to the benches to check on a game of handball that was getting heated. Who knew a tennis ball and a couple of eight-year-olds could cause so much trouble?
When the final bell rang, I was so done. After making sure they were all safely out the door, I cleaned up, got my shit, and made my escape before someone asked me a question or tried to get me to help with something. I just couldn’t people tonight.
After a quick pit stop at the shops to grab the groceries I should’ve bought yesterday – thank God no one relied on me to keep them alive – I made it home and got changed. Throwing a load of washing in the machine, I tossed the heat and eat meal in the oven and stripped my bed. I was on a mission. Actually, I was scared that if I stopped, I wouldn’t move again. When my phone buzzed, I assumed it was Jax and ignored it. I’d deal with him later. I was on a mission.
By the time my dinner was ready, I’d worked up a sweat, but my apartment was sparkling and smelt lemony fresh. I plated up, took a bottle of water from the fridge and flicked on the TV. With some reality trash show playing, I ate my boring chicken and vegetables, wishing it was a taco. I only ate half before I gave up and scraped my plate into the bin. Dragging my heavy work bag across the room, I dug out my program and tried to figure out where I was up to. When my eyes went blurry and I couldn’t stop yawning, I gave up, setting it all down on the coffee table.
Not even bothering to clean up my mess, I got ready for bed. Twenty minutes later, I was lying in my queen size bed feeling entirely too lonely. Most nights I slept alone. Actually, every night I slept alone, with the exception of the last two, so I was beyond confused why I was feeling so small in this big bed.
Needing to exhaust myself, I unplugged my phone and started scrolling through my social media accounts. Seeing the message icon with number three showing, I logged in. As expected, Jax had his knickers in a knot about something. Dana was blaming me for her hangover, which was complete bullshit. It was totally her fault. Then there was a message from Luca, which surprised me. I hadn’t been expecting to hear from him so soon, let alone via messenger. Just seeing his name there had the butterflies in my stomach starting to stir.
Luca: How was your day?
How could four innocent little words have my palms sweating and my pulse racing? Seeing that he’d sent it over two hours ago had me wanting to vomit. Even though it was after ten and I wasn’t expecting him to reply, I tapped out my own reply, not wanting to be rude.
Elise: It was a long day. Who knew kids could bleed so much?
Luca: Bleed?
His answer was almost instant.
Elise: Kid fell and cracked his head open. Great start to the morning
Elise: Not
I hit send and regretted it instantly. Luca was a nice guy. I mean he was hot, fun to be around, and a genuinely all-round nice guy. I couldn’t believe I was so dumb to dump my crap on him. Why couldn’t I have just said, I had a great day. You know, like any normal person would’ve.
Luca: Kid OK???
Elise: Yeah
I watched as those three dots danced, holding my breath. When it appeared, it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Luca: You OK?
Elise: Yeah. Just tired. How was your day?
I needed to direct this conversation away from me before I said something stupid. The last thing I wanted to be was one of those girls who was so focused on herself she forgot about the other person. One-sided relationships, or even one-sided friendships, sucked arse. I’d been there, done that. I wasn’t interested in trying again.
Luca: My day was busy. Good but busy
Elise: I should let you get some sleep
Even though I was saying what it was I thought he wanted to hear, I didn’t want to stop talking to him. After the exhausting, craptastic day I’d had, just messaging back and forth with Luca had me smiling again.
Luca: Sleep tight, pretty girl
His pet name made my heart soar. Suddenly Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough.
Elise: Good night, Luca xo
Not wanting to see what he replied, if he replied, I silenced my phone and flicked the light off before rolling over and trying to get some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow was another day and being Tuesday, it meant it was going to end with tacos, tequila and, undoubtedly, more of Jaxson’s infinite wisdom.
Chapter Thirteen – Luca
It was almost midnight and I was still lying outside on the lounger, staring at the night’s sky, tossing the soccer ball up in the air before catching it again and repeating. Over and over again. I don’t even know how long I’d been at it. All I was sure of was that right now, I needed the distraction. I needed to take my mind off everything that was coming. I was well aware that I was the one setting everything in motion, but in a million years I’d never dreamt it’d become such a production.
This morning, after I’d fed my nephews bacon and eggs – something they were raving about; apparently week day breakfast normally consisted of vegemite toast or some cardboard health cereal, according to Rohan as he stuffed his fourth slice of bacon in his mouth – I woke the sleeping pregnant beast, and they headed home, leaving me in silence.
Part of me had been convinced that when I woke up this morning, the phase would’ve passed, and I’d be back to my normal self. It hadn’t. If anything, I was more determined than ever. With a plan forming, I hurried through my own morning routine, taking extra time to shave and style my hair before jumping into the car and heading to the club.
I’d already text Coach and knew he was in his office waiting for me, but my unexpected appearance must’ve caught some people off guard. There were whispered conversations and murmured hellos. With a wide, fake smile plastered across my face, I strode purposefully down the hallway before rapping my knuckles on Coach’s door.
“Conti! You’re early,” he said gruffly, dropping his pen.
Coach was a funny guy. He still refused most of the time to use a computer and preferred his trusty notebook. It would’ve been fine, but his chicken scratch scrawl was so illegible, if you were on the receiving end of one of his notes, you’d spend the next half hour trying to decipher it.
“I can wait,” I replied, my voice shaky.
I was sweating like a whore in a church standing in the hallway. My palms were clammy, and my heart was pounding. I could hear the blood roaring through my veins as nervousness swallowed me. I was used to running out in front of thousands of people. I could hold my own in TV interviews when the camera was in my face. I could play the role of excited role model in front of the fans. But standing in the doorway of Coach’s office, waiting to talk to him about my future, had me shitting myself.
“Get in here and sit down before you throw up all over my rug.”
“The rug’s ugly anyway.”
Sitting in the uncomfortable stiff chair, I wondered if he’d chosen it on purpose. It was a widely known fact that Coach wasn’t a people person, so discouraging anyone from
hanging around too long wouldn’t surprise me.
“So, wanna tell me why you’re annoying me so early on a Monday morning?” he invited.
Although in my heart my decision was made, saying it out loud was proving far more challenging. “I’ve been thinking…” I began. Fuck this was hard. I should’ve sent an email.
“You’re retiring,” Coach finished for me. It sounded so easy for him to string those words together, while I was sitting over here like a chump trying not to choke.
“Ah, yeah,” I confirmed, rubbing the back of my neck. “You knew?”
“Luca, your poker face is shit. When was the last time you asked to see me?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Exactly. And as much as we both didn’t want to admit it, we knew this day was coming sooner or later.”
“So, you’re not disappointed?”
“Hell yeah, I am!” His voice boomed.
“Look, I’m sorry. I mean, shit! I’m not getting any younger and…”
Rising from his desk, he strode over to me with a smirk I didn’t understand. Coach didn’t smile or smirk and barely cracked a grin, so this was definitely unusual. Grabbing his belt buckle, he hoisted his pants up. When his hand landed on my shoulder, I dropped my head. I couldn’t look. Disappointing him, letting him down, letting the team down was the absolute last thing in the world I’d ever want to do. Crawling into a hole and dying, right now, was sounding pretty damn appealing.
“Luca, don’t you dare apologise. Getting old happens to us all. I’m not disappointed in you. I don’t think that’s even possible. I’m only disappointed that next year you won’t be around to help me keep this band of misfits under control.”
At his words, all the stress, all the fear that had been consuming me evaporated, and my shoulders sagged with relief. “Yeah, good luck with that,” I replied, starting to see the humour in the situation.
We talked for another hour or so before he left me with a laundry list of questions I was going to have to find answers to at some point but not right this second. Not today. First things first. There was someone I had to tell before the grape vine and social media got together and made a beautiful gossip baby.
Overtime (Playing The Field Book 1) Page 7