I wanted to bark but the kids looked nervous about getting close to either one of us.

“How am I the only one who dressed up?” I asked.

He looked down at his Cheetahs windbreaker and khakis. “What do you mean? I’m a winning coach from the Cheetahs. That’s good enough.”

Everyone else looked professional in their pressed pants and Cheetahs shirts and I couldn’t have felt more awkward and out of place until Bill showed up. He was dressed as Aquaman and gave me a giant side-arm hug.

“At least I can count on Sutton.” His gruff, now hoarse voice sounded hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at his attempt to keep his long golden-brown wig from getting caught in his mouth or tripping over his oversized boots. It was the perfect icebreaker.

About half the players who stuck around were dressed up as well. Grayson was dressed in green tights, a green skirt, and a tight green T-shirt. I thought he was the Jolly Green Giant until I overheard him telling people he was Peter Pan. Parker’s costume made more sense now. She was Tinkerbell. Their daughters were dressed completely differently from them. The oldest, Violet, was dressed like Katniss Everdeen and had a small bow and a quiver slung over her tiny shoulder. Rose was dressed like a witch. They ran over to me and asked if they could pet Crowbar. They barely waited for approval before hugging him tightly. Thankfully, he loved children and accepted their awkward hugs and slight fur pulling.

“Be careful. Don’t hurt him,” Parker said.

“You look incredible.” Grayson laughed at us.

I playfully threw a piece of candy at him, ignoring the twist in my stomach at what just happened in my office with his wife. “Laugh all you want. Look at our line. Besides Bill, we’re the next best thing here. Isn’t that right, Crowbar?” He wagged his tail and gave a low woof.

“Good for you for dressing up,” Grayson said. I felt guilty at the easy camaraderie we shared.

“Uncle Matt. You need to come over and meet Crowbar,” Rose said. She adorably dropped the “r” off the end of his name. A nice-looking man kissed Parker on the cheek and knelt to talk to the girls. He had dark, wavy hair and twinkling eyes. I wondered if he was Grayson’s brother because Parker was an only child.

“Are you Coach McCoy?” he asked Crowbar. The girls squealed and laughed.

“No, he’s Crowbar and she’s Coach McCoy.” Violet pointed to me. “It’s a joke.”

He winked at me. I barked at him. He fist-bumped me and grabbed a piece of candy from the table. “Nice to meet you, Coach,” he said.