They didn’t officially keep score in the six-to-seven-year-old league, but I did. The only task that hadn’t made it onto my shirt was my job of rotating the players in and out during the game. They were all supposed to get equal playing time, even the kid who used the bench as his nap station with his jersey tucked over his head.
“Nice shirt, Coach Dean.” Grace gave me a smile that promised trouble later. Didn’t I wish. Turning back to the team, she asked, “Which basket are we shooting for?”
All eight kids pointed up at the basket behind them. “That one!”
“Good job. Now jog to the black line and back. Ready? Go.” Grace blew her whistle, and the kids took off running.
“You’re so great at this,” I told her, knowing it would make her scrunch her nose at me and start a tirade about blackmail and volunteer-coaching leagues. When she’d inquired about getting Piper on a team with a later practice time, they told herto pull Piper from the program or coach and set her own practice times.
Sure enough, Grace rolled her eyes at me. “I’m here. That’s about as great as they can expect.” She stepped closer and surprised me with a hug, burying her face in my chest before letting me go just as quickly. We had kids running at us, after all. “You know they have your phone number now. A few months from now, someone from the rec center will show up at your house with pictures of your kidnapped lawn ornament and say all you have to do to get it back is coach soccer next season.”
“Good thing I don’t have any lawn ornaments.”
“I ordered you a gnome. You don’t want them breaking in and stealing something good.”
I gave out high fives as the kids made it back to us.
The refs ordered all the spectators off the floor so the game could start, and Grace handed me the starting roster. “Um, just so you know, Rob is planning to be here.”
“He is?”
She nodded. “Would you come with us to lunch after? You can take a minute and think about it.” With the game starting, her concentration was pulled to the middle of the floor for the jump ball. The opposing team had a kid who looked like he might be hitting puberty soon up against our tallest kid, who happened to be Piper. If her jersey wasn’t tucked in, it would have hit her knees. The other kid probably would have worn it like a crop top. Piper gave a pretty epic jump for the ball, but the other kid hit it over her head to his teammate, who took it down for a basket, traveling the whole way.
I touched Grace’s back. “Of course I’ll come. You sure you want me there?” I wasn’t the boyfriend. I was more like the guy trying out for the role of boyfriend when the director wasn’t even sure if the role was up for grabs.
“Yes.” She looked guilt-ridden for having asked, but also determined. “But only if you want to come and you won’t like, try to defend my honor or anything. He’s doing better, but dumb things come out of Rob’s mouth on a regular basis.”
“How dumb?”
“Pass!” Grace directed, when she saw one of our players getting mobbed by half of the opposing team. Man-to-man defense didn’t set in until these kids were much older. “Ollie, help him out.”
We both focused on the game, and it wasn’t until I followed Grace’s gaze at half-time that I spotted Rob sitting in the second row of the bleachers.
He was definitely eyeing me in return. He didn’t look intimidated or bothered by my presence next to Grace, but he did look invested in it.
I knew he’d been putting in more effort lately to see Piper. I knew that he had hurt Grace in ways I couldn’t fully understand when he’d left her. I just didn’t know where all that would put me.
I was doing what Isaac had suggested. Being that guy, showing up day in and day out. Not that it was hard. Every moment I spent with Grace and Piper wasn’t enough. I loved our goofy phone calls at the end of the day. I loved seeing Grace rock out to music while cleaning up a kitchen or completely immersed in a sketch she was working on. After work, her clothes and hair and skin would smell like green things and roses and lilies, and I’d miss the scent of it on her after she sold the shop in August.
Not wanting to bring a florist flowers, I’d found other ways to carry out my wooing plans. One night, while she was illustrating, Piper and I worked together on a construction paper and plastic straw bouquet for her. She kept it on their kitchen table in a vase, and every once in a while I’d sneak a new paper flower in.
The buzzer sounded, indicating the end of our halftime break.
“Okay, Dunkers. Let’s get back out there and kick butt!” Grace put her hand into the middle of our circle, and we all followed her lead.
“What’s the score, Dean?” One of the dads in the crowd hollered.
I waited until our starting players ran out on the floor and our subs were sitting on the bench to walk over and answer. “We have six points. The other team has sixteen.” I tried to never be emotional about it. We had good parents on this team, but you never knew who was going to freak out and start yelling at a ref. It was weird to know these things firsthand. Not that having kids was a requirement to be a coach, but doing this with Grace felt like a trial run for more than just the role of boyfriend. Boyfriend was not the endgame here.
I watched Grace yell out encouragement to our team. She caught me staring at her and raised both eyebrows. I jogged past her to help a kid throw in the ball from the sidelines. “You’re so hot,” I whispered. “Super hot.”
She blushed red and shook her head at me.
Mission accomplished.
Chapter 31 – Grace
I brought Piper over to greet her dad after the game. His button-down shirt today featured a jungle print with parrots and palm trees.
