‘I’ll call Colt,’ she hums, reaching across me for her phone. ‘I’ll make sure this story makes it in one piece, don’t ya worry—’
I don’t let her finish. I have her in my arms, and I’ve weaponized that ticklish spot in her ribs. Her laughter is pure ecstasy, even with the occasional snort. ‘Speaking … of unfair advantage!’ she chokes out between cackles.
Still the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Still the most beautiful line I’ve ever crossed.
Chapter Thirty
Test Drive
Jordan
The sharp tweet of my whistle cuts through a moment that very much did not require whistling. Our kids freeze on the field, and Rod and I very slowly turn to our culprit.
Tali stands on the bleachers, eyes wide, my hot-pink whistle in her mouth. ‘Girl,’ I call, ‘I will pull that thing straight out your mouth, so help me.’
Intrusive thoughts, I can’t blame the troublemaker. I was way worse as a kid, anyway. But Rod and I are definitely grasping at straws. We’ve got something like two weeks until the big game, and our team is running practice matches. Rehearsal is the best way to guarantee a stellar performance, which is why Benny arranged for us to play the most accurate opponent we could get: the tri-town U16 team.
Despite playing against kids anywhere from four to eightyears older than them, our campers hold their own. Captain Jake proves to us that he is more than the peanut butter and has led our team to multiple goals, tying it up against U16. Unfortunately, Tali, who has a day off from karate camp, is the most whistle-happy assistant coach we could ask for.
‘Sorry!’ she squeaks, and the whistle, attached to my OKC lanyard, falls right out from between her lips.
‘She listens to you better than me,’ Rod quips, as play resumes with a shout from Jake in front of us. We’ve only taken the first of many steps in a more serious direction, but I can already feel some of the tension that used to hang between us beginning to loosen, in the way Rod isn’t as afraid to talk to me about his family, his daughter. It feels like an immense privilege. ‘You’ll be at her birthday Saturday, right?’
‘Of course.’ I adjust my sunglasses with a smile. Showing up for a kid is everything. Showing up for this kid … I think back to the way she looked up at me as I brushed Hermes, as if I held the secrets to the universe. ‘Everything’ seems like a bit of an understatement. ‘She only listens to me because she doesn’t know me, Rod. That’s how kids are.’
‘She listens to you,’ he nudges me, his fingers lingering at my waist for just a moment, ‘because she very much does know you.’
I mull that bit over as the test drive continues. The U16 team makes multiple attempts on our goal, and eventually, to our chagrin, sneaks past our defence. Benny, Rod and I share a unified groan of frustration.
‘They’re caving,’ I tell Rod with a sigh. ‘The later into the game we get, the more they start to believe they can’t hold the opponent back. And Brady starts leaving his right open.’
‘Invites them in,’ he finishes. He fiddles with his whistle, popping it in the corner of his mouth for a moment. ‘Call a time?’
‘Nah, let ’em play it out.’ I wipe my way-too-sweaty palms on my shorts, then cup my hands around my mouth for a loud, ‘COME ON, BRADY!’
Defence regains some spark, but it’s ultimately not enough. The kiddos wrap up 5–3, and they’re beating themselves up over it. The benches are the quietest they’ve ever been with fifteen minutes till pickup. It’s an awful sight.
‘This is horrible.’ My eyebrows furrow as I scan the stands. Every child is quietly undoing their cleats with forlorn expressions. ‘Rod, Benny, you know I can’t do silence.’
‘You think you can try talking them up?’ asks Benny. His big brown eyes reflect the exact same worry that I feel right now. Team morale being dumps the week before a big game is the ultimate Achilles heel.
‘I could.’ I watch Tali help Rod bring a big cooler full of Popsicle sticks over to the benches, though, and I realize that I’m not the one who can get this job done. Rod’s been at this camp for years; after last weekend, I believe I understand just why he wants these kids to not only compete, but to learn how to have fun doing it – to love the sport. ‘But I think he’s got to do it.’
Benny purses his lips, and then nods before turning back towards the Popsicle cooler and yelling, ‘Rod!’
The two of them jog over to one another. I watch some whispers exchanged between the two of them, and then Rod, just a twinge of nerves on his face, brings his whistle to his lips and gives it a little tweet. ‘Circle up, guys!’
Our campers are more sluggish than I’ve ever seen them. They drag themselves over to the face-off circle with duffel bags and backpacks not far behind. I think back to that first week – Rod telling me he started this whole thing so kids could play with the edge off lacrosse, no pressure. It looks like this competition has got the best of them. We never told them about the funding issue but, from the looks of it, they’ve got wind of how heavy this match weighs.
‘Okay.’ Rod swallows, his eyes glancing over the circle of campers. They land on me, and I press on with a reassuring smile.You got this.
‘I know that the competitive spirit is a little bit high,’ he starts. Someone coughs in the pause that follows. ‘But, um … I want you guys to think back to when you first picked up a stick.’
Benny hums in approval. The kids still look confused, but I think this is going in a good direction. ‘Did you pick it up because you wanted to win?’ asks Rod. His voice becomes more solid as he goes on. ‘Or did you pick it up because it was fun? Because I just thought it was fun. It is fun. Of course, it won’t be easy once we turn towards the winning-and-losing stuff. This is not an easy sport. But I’m pretty sure it’s a sport we all can appreciate. And you are all phenomenal at it.’
Rod goes on. ‘I know we’ve also been unfairly serious about this match. That is on us. It is supposed to be a friendly and, to be fair, I would rather see you guys play your hearts out with big smiles and lose than beat Boston all angry. I mean, beating them would be excellent. But you guys get the gist.’
Faint chuckles. A couple of heads are starting to lift. Good.
