The Coach's Daughter

Chapter 5

"Alright, what's the problem?" he asks, seemingly already tired, as I unlock my door.

"She won't start."

He raises a dark brow, almost amused. "She?" he repeats.

"Her name's Josephine," I enlighten him as I step inside and attempt to start my car. "She's named after Jo March from Little Women, my favorite..."My eyes flicker to him. "Nevermind." It's not like he would know what Little Women is.

"Little Women, huh?" he repeats and his lip turns up into a devilish grin. "So you're into some girl-on-girl action, aren't you?"

I manage to shoot him a look of remorse as I try to restart the car over and over again, the roar getting quieter every time.

"I know that got you all excited but you gotta calm down. You're gonna kill Joanna."

"Jo," I correct.

"Whoops," he says blandly and motions for me to get out. "Just chill for a second, ok? Think you can manage that?"

Rolling my eyes, I take a seat on the floor. I'm waiting blankly, staring at the gravel floor, and when I look up, I nearly pass out. He nonchalantly starts to unbutton his shirt, as if I'm not right here. My eyes widen and I'm about to protest when he pulls off his shirt, leaving himself in a muscle tank, and tosses the outer shirt to the side. 

Solely out of curiosity, my eyes stay trained on his flawlessly sculpted body as he pops the hood of my car with finesse. The muscles in his arms flex as he moves around wires with familiarity. I don't even realize I'm staring until he turns around and our eyes meet.

I drop my gaze immediately but it's too late- I've been caught.

"Need something?" he asks smugly.

"Huh?" I play dumb and keep my eyes on his.

He shakes his head but he's holding in a smile as he closes the top. "It's done," he announces and I wipe my hands on my leggings as I stand up.

"Good," I reply simply.

"Now can I get a 'thank you, Zack?'" He says the second part in a seductive coo that makes me want to barf. I shoot him a glare.

"I'm waiting," he sings.

"Thank you," I mutter under my breath, looking to the side.

"Sorry, what was that?"

I lift my gaze to meet his and let out a sigh. "Thank you for the help, Zack," I let out sincerely. I guess he's not completely useless after all.

His head tilts back in satisfaction and he bites his full bottom lip. "Anything for Princess Amelia. But next time you check me out, it'll come with a fee."

Confidently, he seats himself in the passenger seat of Jo as I say, "I was not checking you out. Now get out of my car."

"You're buying me lunch, remember?"

"I never said that," I deny.

"Really? I fix Jolene up for you and give you a first-class view of my body and you won't buy me a burger? Cruel."

"You know her name is Jo. Now get out."

He shakes his head. "Why is it so hard to win with you?"

"I think you're too used to everyone making things easy for you," I reply honestly.

I expect him to come back with some snarky rebuttal but his expression turns somber. There's still a smile on his lips but it's forced.

"I don't know about that one," he says, his eyes on mine.

I swear something connects between us, a sense of unspoken understanding. Maybe it's in my head, but I still find myself climbing into the driver's seat.

"What do you wanna eat?"