The only personwho was able to show up to Silas’ grand idea of reading in schools was Silas—not that Miriam was completely broken up about it.
She’d heard through the grapevine—okay, through Finn—that Silas had been called out in the locker room for flirting with her. Allie had accused Miriam of the same thing. Being solo with Silas would give her an opportunity to clear the air with Silas without an audience.
Miriam would explain that she didn’t mean anything with her comment about the game. As a fan and employee of the Storm, she was allowed to be invested. How many times had she gushed about Finn blocking an onslaught of shots from another team? She cheered loudly with everyone else when Barros made that goal with a bicycle kick. It didn’t mean that she was secretly in love with either of those players.
Of course, she’d never dated any of the other players.
And none of them looked nearly as good making those plays as Silas.
Miriam shook her head. Nope, she was not going to think about the way Silas’ butt looked in his kits, and she wasn’t going to admit that she kept sneaking glances at him while he was sitting in the home bench area, wishing she could find an excuse to touch him again.
She wiped her hands on the front of her Storm-green dress as she waited in the school’s front office for Silas to arrive. He wasn’t technically late, but every minute spent waiting made Miriam more anxious about seeing him again. The more she tried to calm her heart, the more it wanted to burst from her chest.
The bell on the front door chimed, and Miriam turned to see Silas standing in front of her carrying a small stack of picture books. He smiled as his eyes traveled over her dress and back to her face. He took a step forward and leaned in so that his mouth was only inches from her ear. “You look gorgeous.”
Miriam ducked her head to hide her blush. Did he know the effect he still had on her?
“So do you,” she said quietly before they signed in with the administration.
And man, did he look good. Silas was wearing a Storm polo and a pair of khakis. His hair was wet and there wasn’t even a hint of a five o’clock shadow on his face. She forced her mind to ignore the fact that he’d just showered, and instead focused on the fact that he was taking this outreach event seriously by dressing up and bringing his own books.
The two got their passes to be on school grounds, and one of the secretaries walked them to a second grade classroom. Silas held the door open for the two women, and once he followed them into the hall, he took his place next to Miriam.
Walking next to him, she could smell his woodsy aftershave. The scent mixed with his strong form next to her, made the scene feel all too familiar. She had to ball her hands in fists beside her to keep them from reaching out to grab him.
One school trip to read to children didn’t undo the last two years. Silas had left her. He’d broken up with her at his first shot at playing for a winning team. And just because her body wanted to fall back into old routines, didn’t mean that she should.
The young woman led them through the halls, constantly looking back to make sure Miriam and Silas were still following. Eventually, she stopped and peered through the small window on the door. “This is Mrs. Johnson’s room. She’s expecting you, but it looks like she’s in the middle of a lesson.” She looked down at her watch. “I need to return to the office, so if you’ll just wait in the hall, she’ll call you in when she’s ready.”
Miriam nodded. “Thanks again.”
“Of course.” She smiled tightly at Miriam and then sent an appreciative glance at Silas. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I think we’re good,” he said, taking a side step toward Miriam. His arm brushed against hers. “But thanks.”
The secretary’s smile fell as her eyes went to wear Silas and Miriam arms touched. She nodded and said, “Mrs. Johnson should be letting you in soon.” Then she turned and walked back in the direction they’d all just come.
Once she was out of sight, Miriam took a step back and put some distance between her and Silas. She cleared her throat and jerked her chin at the books. “So, what did you bring?”
Silas looked down at the stack in his hands and started reading the titles. They were all silly books that Miriam was sure the kids would enjoy. When he’d gone through them all, he looked up at her. “Do you want to take turns reading?”
She laughed. “They don’t want to hear a community outreach manager read. They want the professional athlete.”
“But you’re just as important to the team.” His face was serious.
How many times had Silas said those exact words to her? He always made her feel like she was vital to the Storm—vital to Silas. Those words always made her feel important, now Miriam didn’t know how to respond.
Thankfully the door to the class swung open, and Mrs. Johnson took that moment to invite them into her room. Two dozen children were sitting on a colorful carpet in the middle of the room as Miriam followed Silas inside.
“Class, this is Silas Jenkins. He’s a professional soccer player right here in Waterfront.” The kids looked up at Silas with wide eyes and awestruck smiles. “He’s come visit us today to tell us a little bit about his team and to read to you. Isn’t that nice?”
The kids responded with shy yeses and nods.
“Mr. Jenkins, I’ll let you take it away.” Mrs. Johnson clapped loudly as Silas stood in front of the kids.
When the teacher was sure the class’ attention was focused on their guest, she retreated to her desk and started scribbling on papers with a red pen.
Silas looked betweenMiriam and the teacher who had already busied herself with grading papers. “I’m really excited to be here to tell you more about the Storm. But before I do that, I’d like to introduce you to my special friend, Miriam Taylor.” He held his hand out at Miriam.
