Second Time Around

Chapter Twelve

Friday night was chilly, with a hint of rain in the air, which suited Kelly's mood just fine. Dan was obviously still ticked about her reaction to his wanting to swap weekends, barely saying two words to her while the kids got their things together. Alyssa was in a grouch because she wanted to go to the football game and ogle her crush. Shane was in a snit because he couldn't find his DS charger. And Kelly was annoyed because she had to sit in the bleachers by herself. No one else wanted to come out into the cold, dreary night to watch Brunswick's team get demolished again.

So, she picked up the tickets, which were waiting, just as Tony said, and finding a spot on the bleachers was hardly difficult. She winced as the cold metal bit through her jeans. The Vikings were out on the field, the cheerleaders were doing their best to pump up the crowd, and Kelly couldn't help but smile as her gaze fell on Tony. He wore Levi's and a black and gold windbreaker that said Brunswick High Vikings across the back and a black baseball cap. He looked almost edible.

Blowing on her fingers to keep them warm, she snuggled down further into her fleece, wishing she'd brought something a little heavier. The chill just bit into her all over. Even her toes were cold.

By about halfway through the first quarter, the bleachers filled up a little, which helped to make it that much warmer, although she was still freezing. The woman sitting next to her smiled. "Lousy night to be out here, huh?"

"You can say that again." Kelly tugged her sleeves down over her hands. "I'm worried about frostbite."

"You don't notice it so much when they're winning. Last season, I sat through rain and a snowstorm and barely noticed. It's a shame so many of them graduated. They fielded a great team last season."

"Really?"

The woman nodded. "Oh, yeah.  They went undefeated." She twisted to hold out a hand. "I'm Lori Berkeley."

"Kelly Adams."

Lori nodded. "My son Troy is number eighty. Which one's yours?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Which player is yours?"

"Uh, none of them. My son is only going to be eleven. My daughter is a freshman here, though."

"A cheerleader?"

"No." Kelly smiled. "I've been seeing one of the coaches."

"Oh, yeah? Which one?"

"Tony Marino." She pointed to Tony, who had his back to the field, discussing something with a couple of his players.

"Nice. He's cute. There are a lot of team mothers who wouldn't mind trading places with you."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised."

Lori smiled. "Yeah, he has them chasing him all over the place and has for a long time. He coaches wrestling as well and you should see how many women turn out to watch, and half of them don't even have kids on the team."

Kelly blew on her fingers again. "I can't say I blame them. He's pretty hot."

"Some good genes in that man. He gets better looking every year. I'll be sorry when Troy graduates next year."

As if he could hear them discussing him, Tony looked up toward the bleachers. Kelly didn't know if he could see her, but then he smiled and did a little head bob. She waved and he winked. He saw her.

Beside her, Lori sighed. "Damn... Some girls have all the luck."

Kelly smiled, feeling a little warmer now. Which was good as a light mist began to fall. By halftime, her hair was a damp, frizzy mess and her fleece fuzzed like crazy. However, Brunswick was leading by ten, so every damp soul in the bleachers was at least in high spirits.