“Man, that’s low,” Decan says. “We didn’t play aggressive enough is all.”
Alfonse DeMarco chimes in. “We were being easy on them, so we didn’t hurt them.”
I roll my eyes at that. “Were you being easy on Madeline when you knocked her over?” His gaze shifts guiltily to the floor. Pointing to Decan, I ask, “Were you taking it easy on your sister when you elbowed her in the ribs?”
No one seems to have any response, so I tell them, “The good news is that you played hard. This is the first time I’ve seen you guys with any fire.”
“But we lost!” Jake Fenton moans.
“By two points,” I tell him. “You could have just as easily won if you were faster passers. You’ve got to keep the ball in motion, so the other team doesn’t have the opportunity to steal it.”
A couple of heads start to move up and down in agreement. “Let’s spend the rest of the practice on passing drills,” I tell them. “I promise that once you have those down, you’re going to climb in ranking quickly. Now, go congratulate the girls on their win.”
“No way!” Kenny James turns away like he’s going to leave the gym.
“Yes, way,” Decan tells him. “We may not be where we want to be, but we’re not going to be bad sports.” He leads the way, albeit not with great enthusiasm.
Allie jogs across the gym still wearing a huge grin on her face. I like seeing her smile more than I want to admit. I don’t know Allie Rogers as an adult, but I’d like to change that. She’s full of complexities that make cracking that hard shell of hers a challenge I’m sure I’d enjoy.
“Congratulations,” I tell her. “You’ve been coaching for less than an hour and you already have a winning team.”
“They’re a great bunch of girls, Noah. They seriously want to play.”
“So, you’ll take the job?”
She snorts. “I haven’t been offered the job yet. I haven’t even met with Mr. Cooke.”
“What kind of grades did you get in English while you were here?” I ask her.
She laughs easily. “A’s, of course.”
“He’s going to offer you the job,” I predict. “The question is, do you want it?”
She tips her head to the side and stares upward like the answer to my question is flying somewhere in the rafters. When her chin finally levels, she looks me right in the eyes and answers, “I think I do.”
“You won’t miss working at Rosemary’s?”
“I like it there well enough, but there’s no challenge to handing out coffee and muffins.”
“And you’re looking for a challenge?”
Allie inhales slowly before releasing her breath with equal care. “I think I might be.” Taking turns kicking her tennis shoes out in front of her, she adds, “I’ve never been one to run from a challenge, even though life has dished out some pretty harsh ones lately.”
“Your husband?”
“Him, and well … others.”
I know this is said as a matter of fact and not an invitation to question her. I don’t know Allie well enough to intrude on her personal struggles, but I do know one thing. I’d like to get to know her a lot better, and that’s something that will certainly be possible if she’s teaching at the same school I am.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ALLIE
There’s been little joy in the last year of my life, and zero laughter. I’ve been metaphorically soaking in despair, and I’m tired of it. Even though I don’t know what the future holds, I do know that I’m ready to feel alive again.
Rolling over in bed, I look at the clock. I didn’t sleep well last night so I’m not surprised to see that it’s an hour past my normal wake-up time. I only have forty minutes to get dressed and get to work.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I sit up and look around my old bedroom like I’ve never seen it before. With renewed determination, I stand up and walk into the bathroom knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s time for me to move out of my parents’ house.
