DADDY, IF YOU SAY THAT WORD ONE MORE TIME, I'M GONE PUT NAIR IN YOUR FACE WASH TO GET RID OF YOUR MUSTACHE.

[  season 1 — episode 06  ]

DAISY DRAGGED HER FEET on the way to the Richmond facility. It was the first day back since the last match — since Jamie kissed her. And if her father wasn't in such a horrible state from the looming divorce, she wouldn't have gone to see him at work to check on him. Honestly, she was just thankful that she had an early morning lesson to teach, which kept her away for a little bit longer.

But finally, she was inside, choosing to head to the room where she knew her father was doing a press conference rather than go to the locker room where Jamie was. She planned to put off that awkward interaction as long as possible.

Daisy slipped into the back of the room, noticing right away that her father seemed a bit frazzled — his clothes were wrinkled, his hair wasn't as neat as usual, and his empty ring finger with a thin tan line around it was shining like a beacon to her. She was both surprised but proud of him for taking it off so soon.

"Sarah, why don't you lead us off?" Ted asked, nodding to the woman in the front row. The reporters loved how quickly he got to know them.

"So, Coach Lasso. You finally won your first match. How's it feel?" she asked while standing.

"Well, Sarah, I believe you can outscore your opponent and still lose. Just like you can score less than them and win. But last week, we definitely won, which is pretty darn fun," he replied.

During his answer, Daisy felt someone enter the room behind her. She turned her head the slightest bit, seeing the very man she wanted to avoid. It seemed Jamie was expecting to see her either, and he froze for a moment, just staring down at her.

"All right, next question. Trent Crimm, The Independent," Ted called, pulling Daisy's attention away from Jamie.

"Trent Crimm, The Independent," he couldn't help but repeat as he got to his feet. And Daisy couldn't help but giggle at Allora's uncle. "Is it safe to assume that Jamie Tartt will be back on the pitch next match?"

And then Daisy was looking right back at Jamie, who was even more tense now, waiting for Ted's answer.

"Well, you know what they say when you assume, Trent? You make an arse outta you and me. Yeah?" Not a single person laughed at his joke as it didn't make much sense over here. "And that right there is another example of how our English and y'all's English sometimes do not jive, innit?"

After a few of them chuckled, Trent pressed him again. "But are you honestly gonna keep your best player on the bench?"

"Well, that depends on Jamie," Ted replied, shrugging a bit. "He knows what we need from him. Let's keep it going, yeah? Kip, come on."

When Jamie rolled his eyes at the answer and left the room, Daisy found herself following after him. "Jamie," she called. "You can't still be upset."

"Um, actually, I can be," he said, stopping and facing her quickly. "And stop followin' me. I don't care if you've got a little crush on me—"

"Crush on you?" she interrupted, actually laughing. "You kissed me, Jamie Tartt."

Jamie huffed, the tips of his ears turning a little red, which made him look infuriatingly adorable. Then he looked around the empty hallway once more. "Well, it never happened, yeah? As far as I'm concerned. Just forget about it."

"Fine," she mumbled, not knowing why she was so annoyed all of a sudden. Daisy had been pretending it never happened, after all. "It never happened."

After a second longer of staring at her, Jamie simply nodded and stalked off to the locker room, not having any more to say. And Daisy watched him go with a frown on her face as she leaned against the wall.

"Stupid football players," she grumbled, her glare more of a squint than anything.

"All football players are stupid, dear," Rebecca said, walking up to her. "Though are you speaking of one in particular?"

Sure, Jamie said to pretend it never happened, but Daisy was a shit liar and also didn't care all that much about what Jamie wanted. She'd be telling Keeley, who deserved to know. So, Rebecca could know as well.

"Jamie and I were arguing at the game after he got benched," she told her, keeping her voice down. "Then he kisses me mid-sentence before runnin' off."

Whatever Rebecca had been expecting, that wasn't it. "He's only been broken up with Keeley for a week."

"Oh, no, he slept with some girl the night she broke up with him," Daisy said, shaking her head. "And I'm gonna tell Keeley, of course. She deserves to know. But Jamie was just now saying to act like it didn't happen. And he accused me of having a crush on him like he wasn't the one to kiss me in the first place."

"Men are so stupid, Daisy," Rebecca told her, sighing heavily. "And I'm sorry that Jamie has set his stupid sights on you."

"H - how am I meant to deal with this?" she asked her, never having been through something like this. "I mean, do I do what he asked? Pretend it didn't happen?"

Rebecca opened her mouth to agree before remembering what she really wanted — to tear AFC Richmond to the ground. So the coach's daughter potentially starting a secret love affair with the player that hated Ted the most was promising.

"Maybe you don't have to," she said with a soft smile, squeezing Daisy's shoulder. "Find the time to speak with Jamie alone when he's not so angry with your father. You know how hotheaded he is."

"I do," she mumbled. "He's not always so angry though."

"Then I hope you get a moment alone with that Jamie rather than the one you just saw," she told her.

"Thank you, Rebecca. I've just been so confused since it happened," Daisy admitted. "Oh, but don't tell Daddy. I don't want him to get mad."

When Rebecca said, "I promise," she was surprised that she meant it. She was willing to do a lot but didn't want to tear apart a father-daughter relationship. Besides, she didn't have much faith in Jamie and his inability to keep something like this a secret. He loved to gloat and show off his nice and pretty things — and Daisy certainly was a nice and pretty thing.

Shortly after their conversation ended, the press conference ended and Ted rushed out of the room. And Rebecca was ready for him.

"Ted. Just the man I wanted to see," she said brightly.

"Hey, boss," he greeted. Then he kissed the side of Daisy's temple in greeting.

"Your decision to bench Jamie Tartt was very brave," Rebecca told him.

"Thank you."

"I mean, a masterstroke."

Ted frowned at that. "I don't think we're allowed to talk like that at work anymore." Daisy just rolled her eyes and nudged his side.

"There's just one complication now. Manchester City have called, and they've inquired about terminating Jamie's loan," she explained.

"They're gonna take his house?" he asked in alarm.

"No, Daddy," Daisy said, shaking her head. Then she looked at Rebecca. "How come you didn't say anything before?"

"Well, I knew you'd be sticking around," she told her before explaining to her father. "Ted, Jamie's contract is owned by Manchester City, and they, in turn, loaned him to Richmond for the season."

"Okay. I get it," he murmured.

"They want Jamie back if you are planning to bench him," she told him.

"I'm not planning on that," he told her confidently. "No, my plan is for my plan to work. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? Hmm... Said 'plan' too many times. Word's lost all its meaning now."

Daisy sighed as he began repeating himself. "Plan. Plan. Plan—"

"Daddy," she cut him off.

"Doesn't matter," he said, finished with the word. "Hey, you tell Man City that this man has a plan."

But then he started all over again. "Plan. Plan. Plan?"

"Plan," Rebecca spoke up, saying it in her British accent, a deep-set frown on her face. "Not plan. Plan."

"Plan," Ted repeated, sounding exactly the same.

"Like flan," she said. "Plan."

"Flan? That dessert?" he asked.

"Yes, like flan," Daisy said, nodding a little.

"Eugh. No, I don't dig on flan," Ted said, making Rebecca roll her eyes. She just gave up altogether and left after that. "Plan. Plan."

"Daddy, if you say that word one more time, I'm gone put Nair in your face wash to get rid of your mustache."

"That is just cruel, Darlin'."

✵︎

Daisy really was considering carrying out her threat because Ted had been whispering and muttering the word 'plan' over and over as they walked to his office. And as soon as they stepped inside, Beard caught onto Ted's problem, a pro on how the man thought.

"Word become a sound?" he questioned.

"What's that called again?"

"Semantic satiation."

"Yeah. Okay. All right," Ted muttered. Then he glanced out the window, looking into the locker room. "Is that new kid from Mexico here yet?"

"He's getting treatment on his knee," Nate told him.

"Okay, good."

"What new kid?" Daisy then asked, not aware of a new transfer or anything.

"He got injured at the start of the season, and his physical therapist finally cleared him to play," Beard explained.

"What's his name again?" Ted questioned, scratching his head.

"Dani Rojas," Nate answered.

"Yeah. It's a great name," he muttered. "Okay. How's Jamie doing?" Beard just looked at him with an unreadable expression that told them something was wrong. "What?"

"Says he can't practice today. Says he's hurt," Beard said simply, none of them believing it for a second.

"He was perfectly fine when I saw him during the press conference," Daisy chimed in.

Rather than speak, Ted left the office, which was a bad sign, especially given the mood he was in because of the divorce.

"Oh, boy," Beard muttered. "Daisy, defuse the bomb."

Daisy looked after her father, not so sure how she'd do that if Jamie was his normal self during the conversation. She followed him nonetheless over to Jamie, who was sitting at his locker and talking with some of the others.

"Hey, Jamie," Ted greeted in as pleasant a tone as he could manage. "I heard you're not gonna be able to run with us today. That true?"

Jamie just leaned back on his hands casually. "Yep."

"Why's that?"

Daisy was shaking her head, but Jamie ignored her silent warning. "'Cause I'm hurt."

"I'm sure he'll be better tomorrow," Daisy murmured, grabbing her dad's arm.

Ted looked at him for a moment before taking in a deep breath. "Really sorry to hear that," he said before turning to leave, deciding not to fight the boy on it.

But then Jamie laughed, and Daisy began nodding even harsher while waving her hand back and forth at her neck in a 'cut it out' motion. Of course, Jamie didn't heed the warning though.

"Relax, Ted. It's just practice," Jamie said, rolling his eyes.

The whole locker room fell silent as Ted came to a fast halt, and those sitting next to Jamie slowly moved away from him like a bomb was about to go off. Well, the Ted Bomb was about to go off.

"Hey. If you can't practice, you can't practice," he said, going back over to Jamie. "If you're hurt, you're hurt. It's as simple as that. But it ain't about that... at all."

Jamie scoffed, and Daisy just sat on the seat next to Roy with her head in her hands, knowing it was only going to get worse. Ted never got mad, so when he did, it was the kind of mad that made you wanna crawl up in a ball and disappear.

"You're sitting in here. You're supposed to be the franchise player. And yet here we are, talking about you missing practice. We're talking about practice. You understand me? Practice," Ted repeated, getting more upset. "Not a game. Not a game. Not the game you go out there and die for. Right? Play every weekend like it's your last, right? No, we're talking about practice, man."

He began to raise his voice then, seeing the uncaring smirk on Jamie's face that made his blood boil. "Practice! You know you're supposed to be out there. You know you're supposed to lead by example. You're just shoving that all aside. And so here we are, Jamie. We're talking about practice."

Daisy took a moment to glance around at the locker room. Several were awkwardly averting their eyes while others were drinking it in. Roy had a huge grin on his face, and Daisy knocked her knee into his, giving him a judgmental look. He just widened his grin and pushed her back a bit so he could have an even better view.

"Not a game. Not the game. We're talking about practice, with your team. With your teammates. The only place we get to play together, we got control over. Rest of the time, it's us eleven against those eleven."

Ted had been loud before, but now he was shouting, and Daisy nearly flinched. "We're talking about practice, man! I'm talking about practice! And you can't do it 'cause you're hurt. Right?"

She spared a look at Jamie, seeing his smile was long gone. He looked sad almost, like he didn't want Ted disappointed in him.

"It's fine by me," Ted said, lowering his voice a little and taking in deep breaths. "Tell you what — do me a favor. When you get out there, set up the cones so the other reserves can do a little passing drill."

Nearly everyone in the locker room let out childish laughs and 'ooh's as Ted went to return to the office. Jamie scoffed in disbelief. "You want me to set up cones?"

"I really appreciate it!" he said sharply before leaving them all alone.

"Colin," Jamie said, looking to the boy, "go set the cones up."

Isaac was the one to speak up. "I think he asked you, mate."

"Was I talking to you, big man?" he asked, glaring at him. "Colin, set up the cones."

"Isaac's right. He asked you," he said, standing up for himself. "You are a second-teamer."

No one was more smug than Roy as everyone began to head out to the pitch. Daisy was sure she'd never seen him look so happy in her short time of knowing him.

"Oh, that's gotta sting," Roy said, looking at a pouting Jamie. "Cheers."

Jamie looked miserable as Roy went off after the others, and Daisy didn't feel all that sorry for him. But she couldn't help but say it as she went to join her father. "I'm sorry, Jamie. But I did try and get you to stop — you always take it too far."

Then she went to join the other three. Ted was calming himself down while Beard and Nate were processing the scene he made.

"I must say, it's quite nice seeing Jamie put in his place for once," Nate noted. "Thrilling even, innit?"

"No, no, no," Ted denied. He certainly wasn't thrilled by it. "This is a no schadenfreude zone, all right?

"Nein schadenfreude," Bears corrected.

"All right. The new kid, what's his... Dani what?"

"Rojas," Daisy, Beard, and Nate all answered at the same time.

"Rojas, yeah. Is he any good?" Ted questioned.

Beard was the one who answered, who'd done his homework on the not-so-new player. "Came here in the summer transfer window, was immediately injured, so no one's really seen him play."

"That's okay," he said, waving it off. "You know, 'cause once Jamie sees someone else playing his position, you know — I mean, it's gonna hurt his soul."

Nate audibly let out a giddy laugh, all of them looking at him with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry," he said, trying to suppress a smile. "I shouldn't be happy about that."

"I mean, you have good enough reason," she said, thinking about how miserable Jamie used to make Nate.

"Okay, let's be sure to help Dani get acclimated, all right?" Ted asked. "First time in this league can be very overwhelming."

✵︎

They heard Dany Rojas before they saw him. The boy shot off like a rocket, running around the pitch, full of energy as he chanted his own name over and over again.

"Dani Rojas, Rojas! Dani Rojas! Rojas, Dani Rojas! Rojas, Rojas, Rojas!"

"Oh, he's got great energy," Daisy said, grinning brightly.

Then Dani circled back and ran over to where she and Nate were standing with the two coaches. He took the time to shake their hands — Daisy giggled when he kissed her knuckles like they were in the 1800s or something. "Hey! Hello, coaches. Thank you for the opportunity."

"Yeah. You are a spirited fella, Dani," Ted complimented, shaking his hand. "Just go on out there and get the striker spot for us, okay?"

"Yes! Just like back in Guadalajara, you say it, I do it, Coach," he said, running backward to the pitch. "Football is life!"

"I like him," Nate noted happily.

Danny ran around the field, taking time to look at and meet all his teammates. After finishing with those on the pitch, he ran up to the second-team members who were on the sidelines. He high-fived all of them, but then he reached Jamie, the other man smacked his hands away, not amused at all by Dani's arrival.

"Jamie doesn't," Beard noted.

"In'nat what we want?" Daisy asked, earning a nod from him and her father.

"Chipper dickheads like that can never back it up on the pitch," Jamie muttered jealously.

But Dani was proving him wrong within minutes. In just the first drill, he moved expertly across the pitch, never letting anyone close enough to steal the ball from him. Then he passed to Sam, who got it further down the pitch before kicking it back. And Dani came up off the ground as he kicked the football right into the net and past O'Brien in the goal.

Everyone on the team was so excited as they ran to congratulate him. And Dani went right for Sam, who jumped into his arms. "Beautiful cross, Sam! Football is life!"

"Oh, he's gonna fit in great," Daisy said, so happy that he and Sam were getting along already.

Jamie overheard her and scoffed. But before he could say anything, Roy waltzed over him to gloat some more. "Did you see that? I can't really tell, but it seems like he's very good," he said, patting Jamie on the shoulder, delighted. "Cheers, again."

Daisy couldn't help but lean in and whisper to an ecstatic Nate. "I think this is the best day of Roy's life."

"Me fucking too."

✵︎

Daisy stopped watching training eventually, knowing that she had to speak with Keeley, who was coming by to meet with Rebecca about the new PR position she offered her. She was right there when Keeley drove up to the front of the facility, Daisy anxiously picking at her fingers as she waited.

"Morning, lovely," Keeley greeted her with a smile. She was holding a sparkly planner in her hand.

"Morning, Kee. Love the unicorn," she started off as they entered the building.

"Right! So fucking cute!" she squealed. "I'm so excited. I spent all last night stalking the players — speaking of, turns out Roy has his own verse on this charity song. It's hilarious. You're gonna love it.

"Oh, I won't just love," she said, laughing already. "I'll choreograph a dance for Phoebe to do to it."

"Perfect," Keeley said, laughing along as well. "So, you going up to see Rebecca too?"

"Well, um, actually, I needed to tell you somethin'," Daisy said, not bothering to hide her grimace, which Keeley instantly noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, beginning to worry. "Are you alright?"

"Something happened, and I didn't know it was going to happen. I certainly don't think I was sending him any signals asking for him to, but Jamie kissed me the other night after the match," she said, speaking quickly. "We were fightin', and then he just, ya know, planted one on me to shut me up, I guess. Anyway, you deserve to know since he's your ex and all. And I understand if you're mad at me."

"Oh, I - I'm not mad at you," Keeley told her, stepping closer. "And I'm not mad at Jamie either. We're broken up but we're still friends. If we're being honest, we both talked about how fit you were all the time together."

Daisy let out a sigh of relief while also hoping her blush wasn't evident from the compliment she received. "Thank god. I've been so torn up about telling you."

Keeley let out a cooing noise and then hugged her tightly. "Oh, you're just the sweetest. You know most girls wouldn't give a fuck about my feelings if it meant they could get with Jamie, and I'd have to act all cool about it or be called a psycho."

"Trust me, I'm not getting with Jamie," she assured her.

"That's good, then. And not because I'm a jealous ex," she told her while pulling back. "He and I were together for a long time. I know he can be difficult, but he's really sweet when he wants to be — so sweet that it's a little dangerous. It's why it took me so long to break up with him."

"Yeah, well, I'd never date him just because of how he treats Sam. Doesn't matter how vulnerable he lets himself be around me from time to time or—"

"Or that he's a fantastic kisser," Keeley chimed in while they got on the elevator.

Daisy paused and thought about it. "I suppose as far as rushed kisses go, it was good," she admitted, making Keeley giggle. "But you know what I mean."

"I do," she said while linking her elbow with Daisy's. "So, if he tries kissing you again, and you're just really getting into it, then try to think about how he was to Sam when he got hurt at the match. It'll kill the mood and make you angry at him."

Daisy chose to ignore the kissing him again part as she shook her head. "God, it was just so horrible, wasn't it? I've never seen any kind of player do something like that before."

"Me neither," she said, shaking her head. "And I know you were probably just trying to help him before he kissed you. He always fucks things up, especially when people are trying to help him."

"Yeah, but I don't think that means I should stop trying to help him be better," she said, sighing.

"Right, then maybe get one of those American football helmets," she suggested, making Daisy laugh.

"I'll look into it," Daisy said as they reached Rebecca's office. Then she grimaced. "Oh, I forgot to ask her how she was doing with the news when I saw her this morning."

"We'll comfort her together," Keeley said before bursting into the office where Rebecca was talking with Higgins. "Hi. I've been up all night doing deep dives on all the players. Did you know that Richard was raised on a goat farm?"

"Really?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keeley nodded and kept going. "And that Isaac's mother has two left hands? The one from Nigeria that you've been wanting to meet."

"That's so cool."

"And I called a couple of contacts about some sponsorship opportunities. Even got myself a little work planner," she went on, showing off the book.

Rebecca couldn't even hide her smirk as she looked at the children's planner. "You couldn't get one without the word 'unicorn' written on it?"

"Fuck off. It's adorable," Keeley shot back, holding the planner to her chest.

Then Huggins let out a little noise, all of them looking at him. "Sorry, I couldn't help but think how you'd react if I told you to F-off."

"Oh, you'd be fired instantly," Daisy told him, quite seriously.

Rebecca chuckled and Huggins laughed along with her before her smile dropped.

"That'll be all, Higgins," Rebecca told him.

"Of course," he said, scurrying from the office.

"And Keeley," Daisy said, looking back at her, "you are a unicorn."

"That she is," Rebecca agreed with a little chuckle.

"We're really glad to see that you're laughing," Keeley told her. "I just came by to see if you're okay, really."

Rebecca looked between the two. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, Christ. Have you not seen the news yet?" she asked. Keeley and Daisy shared a look before sitting in the chairs in front of the desk. "I really wanted to be the one to comfort you, not to break it to you."

"I can break it," Daisy offered. She felt it would be fair enough punishment for the Jamie kiss.

"Oh, please, god," she said, leaning back.

"So, you remember that pretty gal, Bex?" Daisy asked her. "The one that Rupert left with the night of the gala?"

Rebecca just shook her head, acting as if she had no clue who they were talking about.

"C'mon," Keeley whined. "Do you really want us to pretend that she wasn't mad fit?"

"I'd appreciate it," she stated.

"Okay, well," Daisy continued. "That hideous heifer — oh, I don't like talkin' about other girls like that. Anyway, whose name is Bex, which is really short for—"

"Rebecca," she realized.

"Yep, which is also your name, as you know. So the press is calling her..."

Daisy trailed off, but Rebecca easily finished it for her. "'New Rebecca.' Shit."

"Nope. Um, the press is calling her 'Rebecca,' and you're..." Daisy had to lower her voice to a whisper. "'Old Rebecca.'"

"What?" she asked, leaning in closer.

Daisy shook her head, unable to do it, so Keeley bit the bullet and loudly repeated, "Old Rebecca."

"Old Rebecca?" she asked, absolutely shocked.

"Don't worry about it. You've got this," Keeley assured her. "And if you ever have a moment, or if you don't got this, then you just call me, right?"

"And you know I'm always around," Daisy told her. "I'll always be here to talk and build you back up."

Rebecca blinked for a few moments before taking on a deep breath, setting her sights on Daisy. There was a tight smile on her face. "Yes, um, I'll - I'll be okay with this. And don't worry about talking with me. I know you'll have your hands full with Jamie."

Unfortunately for Rebecca, Daisy had just finished telling Keeley all about it, so the comment didn't get between them like she hoped — she hoped it would come to a big fight involving Jamie that would ruin the team.

"Oh, yeah, she does," Keeley said, scoffing. "Let's just hope Jamie doesn't really like her or he'll never leave her alone. She'll never get a moment's peace."

"Oh, he doesn't like me like that. He was just angry and I wouldn't stop yellin' at him," Daisy said, shaking her head.

Keeley and Rebecca shared a skeptical look. "Daisy, boys don't just kiss girls that they don't like out of nowhere," Rebecca told her.

"Even if he's not buying flowers and frolicking in fields, there's something there," Keeley added. "Just be careful, you know. Jamie's like a drug or something. Makes no sense."

Daisy just rolled her eyes playfully. "I think I'll be able to resist him."

✵︎

Daisy eventually left Rebecca's office to watch the end of training. Dani was still doing amazing and meshing well with the team, much to Jamie's visible annoyance. And then when it was time for all of them to return inside and start their workouts in the gym, Jamie was left to collect all the cones and stray balls, giving Nate a chance to enjoy himself at work for once.

"Here," Daisy said, walking over to Jamie with a stack of cones in hand. She'd collected them from the other side of the pitch on her walk toward him.

"I don't need help getting cones," he mumbled while taking them from her.

"Really? I figured you did since you wanted Colin's help earlier," she said in a sweet tone, which made him huff in annoyance. "I was just trying to help you finish earlier."

"Thank you," he muttered, feeling forced to apologize.

Daisy hovered near him, keeping her eyes on the ground. She bumped her toe against a nearby football, causing it to roll over to Jamie, who looked at it for a moment.

Of course, she knew Jamie wasn't hurt, but she had proof as he suddenly kicked the ball hard. It sailed toward the goal, missing by just a hair as it hit the top of the goal post and bounced off it, making Jamie sigh in annoyance at himself.

"Wow!" they heard Dani exclaim, running over to them. "That was on purpose, yes?"

"Yeah. Look, mate. You're good, yeah, but up here, there's a difference between good and great," Jamie told him, still refusing to believe Dani was as good a player as him.

Dani didn't seem offended by his words — Daisy wondered if he even knew that Jamie hated him. The newest player set down the ball he'd been holding under his arm and then backed up. When he kicked it, the ball did exactly what Jamie's had, bouncing off the top of the goalpost — but this time, on purpose.

"Woo hoo!" Dani cheered. "One to one. Your turn, amigo."

Jamie rolled his eyes but then saw Daisy looking at him with a soft smile. She nodded her head to the bag of footballs, and he decided to play along with Dani.

Daisy watched as both boys took turns kicking the footballs, intentionally hitting the goalpost instead of the net. She was impressed, really, figuring that it took a lot of control to know how to hit such a small target. But Jamie got annoyed as Dani kept up with him.

"Fuck's sake. Right, watch this then. Left post," he said, getting more specific — and more excited by the challenge. He then kicked another ball, hitting right in the upper left corner of the post as he predicted. It reminded Daisy of baseball players that would point with their bats before hitting a ball.

"Wow. That was good," Dani praised, making Jamie smile cockily.

"I know."

Dani then kicked another ball, this time hitting the upper right corner, mirroring Jamie's earlier shot. "Yeah!"

Jamie nodded in respect before kicking another, only to get upset when it went lower than he meant for it to, the ball landing in the net. And then Dani went, hitting the post yet again.

"I got lucky," Dani said humbly. "Again tomorrow, Jamie Tartt?"

"We'll see," Jamie said with a shrug, ignoring how he sort of enjoyed that.

"Football is life!" Dani exclaimed before running off the pitch, chanting his name again and again. "Dani Rojas, Rojas! Dani Rojas!"

Way up in the stands and unnoticed by those on the pitch, Ted and Beard had been watching the whole thing.

"Oh, boy. I tell you, man. I feel like we fell out of a lucky tree, hit every branch on the way down, ended up in a pool full of cash and Sour Patch Kids," Ted said, quite delighted. "I mean, Jamie is an ace, right? You know, whose attitude turned him into a seven of clubs. So then we bring in another fella to help turn him back into an ace and then that fella ends up being an ace himself. And so now we got two aces."

Then Ted couldn't help but frown, feeling just like he did earlier that morning. "Aces. Aces. Oh, heck. I did it again. I'm stuck."

Beard looked away from Daisy and Jamie, who were still talking, to look at Ted. "Aces?"

"That's the word, yeah?" Ted asked.

"Aces."

"Aces."

"Ace." Beard then took of his sunglasses, getting upset with himself. "Oh, now I'm in there."

"See?" Ted asked, glad he wasn't the only one. "Okay, good."

"Aces? Aces."

"I hope it's not contagious," Ted muttered. He rubbed over his mustache. "I don't trust Daisy not to get rid of this. But heck, aces?"

"Aces? Aces."

"Isis," Ted tried.

"No, that sounds like 'Isis'," Beard said, shaking his head.

"I did say 'Isis.' I didn't mean to," he admitted. Then he moved on. "Okay, what if we cloned the lead guitarist from Kiss? You'd have two—"

"Frehleys."

"Frehleys. I like it," Ted said while getting up. "I'm gone run as see the boss — let her know how Dani is doing. Catch you in a bit, Coach."

"See you later, Coach," Beard said, staying seated and leaning back a bit, wanting to enjoy the nicer weather. As Ted walked off, both men were still muttering under their breath. "Aces."

Back down on the pitch, Daisy had been trying her best to get one of those aces to relax.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Daisy asked him, raising an eyebrow. He was collecting all the balls he and Dani kicked around. "I saw it — you were having fun."

"Football isn't about having fun," he said, rolling his eyes.

Daisy just scoffed playfully. "It's a game, Jamie. It is fun," she said while tapping a nearby ball to pull it closer to herself. "You know, Sam and Dani love this game. And even though Roy is always angry, he's passionate about it. Just seems like you don't even care most of the time now."

"I care," he mumbled.

"Then maybe act like it," she told him before kicking the ball toward the goal. It went up high and veered left, missing the goal by several meters much to Jamie's amusement.

"That was pathetic," Jamie told her, snickering.

"I'm a ballet teacher, not a footballer, Jamie," she said, smiling as well. "That's the best I can do."

"No, way. You've got strong legs from all that dancing. You can do a lot better," he told her, coming closer. "It's your form that's shit."

"Wow, you're so sweet and gentle when giving corrective criticism," she said sarcastically.

Jamie rolled his eyes and grabbed a ball, setting it in front of her. "C'mon, let me show you," he said. Daisy let him lead her by the shoulders so that she was behind the ball and to the left a bit. "You kicked with your toes. You'll need to angle your foot and use the side of it, yeah?"

"Alright," she said, making sure to twist her ankle outward.

"And the power doesn't come from your leg. It's up in the tops of your thighs and your hips," Jamie added. Daisy bit her lip when he came up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. She let him move her around, shifting her right hip forward, his own leg pressed close behind hers as he guided it. "Like that. You'll get more control. Make sense?"

Daisy wasn't really thinking about what made sense. She was thinking about his warm chest still pressed to her back. Fuck, she tried to remember the warnings from Keeley, but this Jamie was soft and gentle and he spoke about the sport like he cared, not like it was just something he did for the fame.

Jamie stepped back but only marginally, giving her the space. She shook her head for a second before focusing on the ball. And this time, when she kicked it, it landed in the goal — it still was wanting to go left, but it made it in, which was the important part.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, turning to Jamie with a wide grin as she held onto his arms.

And Jamie was smiling right back down at her. "Couple more tips, and you could be replacing some of our second-stringers.' Jamie liked the sound of her laugh, he decided, as the sound graced his ears. "Want to try again? We'll turn you into a proper footballer."

"Hmm, I'll give it a shot," she decided. "But I think you should have to try some pliés and relevés in return."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure those are made-up words, love," he told her, making her giggle again. "Now, need me to show you how to position your hips or do you got it?"

"Maybe you should show me again to make sure," she said in an innocent tone.

And so he did, teaching Daisy how to properly kick a football over and over again, staying pressed up close to her — far closer than anyone coaching needed to be. Every time she'd make a shot, he'd praise and cheer her on, and when she missed, he'd just squeeze her hips tightly and tell her what was wrong with her form.

It wasn't until she scored five in a row that they stopped.

"That was so fun," Daisy admitted, turning around in Jamie's arms — he was reluctant to take his hands off her. "You're not so bad, Jamie Tartt."

"Unbelievable. You watch me play every week, but this is what makes you see my greatness?" he asked with a playful scoff.

"Yeah, I think this Jamie is better," she said in a soft tone, stepping closer.

"Better?" he asked, eying her lips.

"This one is sweet and funny," she murmured as he leaned closer with clear intent to kiss her. He tightened his grip on her waist as he did so. "You're dominant," she whispered, lips brushing his, speaking against them. "But also soft."

Jamie pulled back as if she'd burned him in some way. The look on his face was a mixture of frustration and sadness that Daisy was fairly certain wasn't aimed at her even if his glare was.

"I am not soft," Jamie spat before storming off the pitch, leaving behind the cones and footballs he was meant to bring inside.

Daisy was left standing alone, watching him leave with her heart pounding rapidly in her chest and confusion clouding her mind. God, Jamie Tartt could stir up a hurricane of emotions inside of her, and that made her feel crazy.

Before she could even think to grab the cones and go find her father to check on him, her phone rang, which she pulled from her pocket. It was Beard calling her, which was odd because he wasn't a phone call person.

"Hey, B," Daisy greeted right away. "What can I do ya for?"

"More like what will you do Jamie Tartt for," Beard said, not even bothering with small talk.

"W - what?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Look to your left."

She did so and spotted one lone figure sitting in the stands. It was her Uncle Beard and he saw just how close she and Jamie were moments before. At the very least, they didn't fully kiss again.

"Oh, no," she breathed out.

"Yeah, oh, no," he snapped. Then he took in a deep breath. "Daisy Chain, you do recall what I said to you about getting involved with the players before we even boarded the plane, right?"

Daisy rolled her eyes — she wasn't a child. "Yes, Uncle Beard, I remember."

"And what was it that I said about getting involved?"

"To not," she muttered.

"And what have you done?" he asked accusingly.

She hesitated a moment, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Not that," she said, feeling a little ashamed now. "I'm sorry, B. I didn't mean for that to happen just now."

"God, out of everyone on the team, Daisy. Jamie? This isn't gonna end well," he warned. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," she said, kicking the grass. "Yeah, I know that."