The absolute last thing I needed was for my girlfriend and my high school ex-girlfriend to be friends.

“Hey, Coach. Congrats on your charity,” Grayson said. I hadn’t even seen him slip up behind Parker until he put his arm around her shoulders. There wasn’t any animosity in his body language or his demeanor. Apparently, I was the only one who still harbored any anxiety over the situation. “Max, right?” Grayson shook Max’s hand. “Good to see you again, man.”

I felt Max tense. Maybe not the only one.

“Congrats on signing with the Cheetahs. You have the best coaches in the league.” Max bumped his shoulder gently against mine.

“No doubt,” Grayson said.

He seemed so charismatic and friendly and the longer we stood chatting, the more it seemed like I was being the childish one. Lexi held my hand which didn’t go unnoticed by Parker, but nothing on her face gave me any indication that it bothered her. Parker asked Lexi questions about her therapy practice and seemed genuinely interested in everything she said. She turned those deep blue eyes on me and opened her mouth to speak when we were interrupted.

“Coach McCoy, Grayson Moats. Would you mind if we did a quick interview?” Grayson and I turned to find a local TV reporter poised and ready to film with a cameraman three steps behind her. I’d seen her on the ten o’clock prime time news. She was blond and attractive. Grayson looked at me and I nodded. The reporter wasted no time in directing us to a more private place away from the traffic by the tables.

“You two used to play football against one another, right?”

“She destroyed me in high school.” Grayson was being overdramatic, but it was done in jest and we all smiled. “I’m so fortunate to be on her team this time.” I was impressed with his acting skills. The reporter turned to me.

“I’d say it’s mutual. Grayson is an excellent quarterback,” I said.

“Are there any hard feelings between you two?” she asked.

Grayson put his arm across my shoulders. He made it seem friendly rather than invasive. “Not a single one. I’ve admired her for a long time. First in high school then in the NFL. I can’t think of a better offensive coach to take us far our first year.”

I smiled through my nerves and almost convinced myself I was having a good time. “Even when we were teenagers, Grayson was a powerful leader. I can’t wait to see what he does with this team.”

“It sounds like you two have a great history.” The reporter moved to my other side so the cameraman could get a shot of the crowd behind us. “So, tell us about your charities. Let’s start with you, Coach McCoy.”