“Hey.” She grins at the boys, then looks up at me with a hint of confusion. “Thanks for the introduction.”

It’s more of a question than an actual statement. It’s also adorable.

“Miss Clark is going to be in the dugouts with you and helping you with the lineup,” I say, ignoring the way Palmer looks up at me. “She’ll answer your parents’ questions and make sure you don’t choke on your sunflower seeds, Sandbox.”

Everyone laughs.

“I want you to treat her like you do me or any of the assistant coaches.” I pull a whistle out of my back pocket. “Welcome to the team.”

“Thank you,” Palmer says, grinning. “I even get my own whistle?”

“Just don’t use it a lot,” I say.

She laughs, and it’s music to my ears.

I place the whistle around her neck, trying my best not to touch her. She holds her hair off her neck as I lay the small lanyard against her. She smells warm, like coffee beans, and I want to bury my head in her hair and breathe her in.

“Before you guys go,” I say, ignoring the fire in my stomach, “I want you to stop by and say hello to Ted. Do you guys know him?”

“Ted from the butcher shop?” Braylon says.

“He usually helps out with baseball,” Sandbox says.

“That’s right.” I nod, shoving down the lump in my throat. “Please say hello to him. A big part of baseball is sportsmanship. He was supposed to be your coach this year but had a medical procedure. I know he misses being out here.”

Sandbox looks up at me. “So, will he be our coach next year? Or do we get you again?”

“Please say you,” Braylon says. “No offense to Ted, but you’re swaggy.”

“Swaggy?” I laugh. “Let’s do this one season at a time, all right?” I hold my hand in the air at an angle. “Give me ‘team’ on three.”

My hand is joined in the air by theirs.

“One, two, three—team!” we all say in unison before the group breaks.

Dirt is kicked in the air as the boys march off to say hello to Ted. I watch them shake the man’s hand . . . and him beam.

I get it. They’re a great group of kids, and coaching them has been entirely more fun than I ever dreamed. But they feel like my team now, and I’m trying to be an adult about it.

It’s harder than I thought it would be.

“Thanks for the hard whistle,” Palmer says, drawing me back to the present. “Really great description.”

I wink at her. “What did you think it was?”

Her cheeks flush as she laughs.

Damn this woman.