Em wasn’t sure if she wanted to scream at Grant for being so charming or change her no-dating-players rule on the spot for the very same reasons. She stepped forward. “Arena soccer is very fun. And like Mr. Vaughn said, I enjoy going to the games. But he didn’t just come in to tell you stories about the Storm. He came to read a few books as well.”
Some of the kids who enjoyed hearing about sports instead of reading books groaned, but she gave them her best do-not-question-me-unless-you-want-to-go-to-the-office look. It wasn’t a look Em used often, only when she needed her students to know that she was serious.
When they settled, Em grabbed a chair for Grant to sit in. The smile he gave her in return melted her heart. He slowly eased into the seat and pulled a couple books out of his bag. They were the typical books kids this age enjoyed, and Em recognized all of them but one. It looked much older than the rest and had a very plain cover.
Grant started with the unknown book. “This was one of my favorite books growing up. It’s calledRed Riding: A Story of How Katy Tells Tony a Story Because It Is Raining.”
That was one heck of a title, but Em was intrigued.
“I have an older sister who was quite bossy when we were kids—still is. Our mom used to read us this book because she said Katy and Tony reminded her of us.” He lifted the book and started reading.
The book was as silly as the title. It was a rainy day, so the older sister decided to tell her younger brother the tale ofLittle Red Riding Hood. It was sweet because the younger brother kept interrupting the older sister, and she kept correcting him in return.
Em found herself laughing on more than one occasion and tried to imagine younger Grant as the precocious boy from the story. She shook her head. Nope, that wasn’t a good idea at all. If she imagined Grant as that sweet boy, she might be tempted to think he was a sweet guy. And no matter how wonderful he seemed now, Em knew that those first impressions could be deceiving.
So could the second and third and fourth.
She was thankful when Grant was done sharing that adorable book from his childhood and started reading something less personal. It was a book about monsters written by the latest celebrity turned children’s author.
The entire time, the kids listened quietly and were respectful. And Em couldn’t help the pull she felt toward the man reading to them.
Grant
Grant loved readingto the kids.
After being completely useless for the past few days, it was nice to feel like he was making a difference. Ever since his injury, he wasn’t able to participate in practices, though he still attended, and all of his workouts were modified. Grant wasn’t even allowed to dress out for the next few games. If it wasn’t for the fact that he lived with other players, he wouldn’t feel like he was a part of the team at all.
Getting to go to a school in a Storm shirt with a stack of tickets was just what he needed. Seeing Em was a bonus.
He finished reading the last story to the class and looked up at her for direction. He wasn’t sure if he should go back to telling soccer stories, pass out tickets, or leave. He didn’t want to leave.
Em looked up at the clock on the wall before she walked over next to Grant. His heart raced as she got closer. Unaware of her effect on him, Em addressed her students. “We’ve got about five minutes until lunch. Grab your lunch box if you have one, and we’ll line up and go down to the cafeteria a little early.”
The sound of talking and chairs scraping the floor soon filled the silence. Grant smiled and leaned over toward Em. “Breaking the rules in front of all these impressionable children. How do you sleep at night?”
Don’t think about that, Grant.
“I’m the teacher, I make the rules.” She winked playfully in his direction.
He leaned over and picked up his bag. “Should I leave the tickets on your desk?”
“Oh, right.” She reached out and took them from him. Her fingers brushed up against his, causing his heart to beat faster.
Leaning against his crutch, he hitched his thumb at the door where the kids were lined up and waiting for their teacher. “Well, I guess I’d better get going.”
Em bit her bottom lip. Too soft for her students to hear, she said, “If you’re hungry, you can stay and eat with the class.”
He would have loved that, but there was a small problem. “I didn’t bring any cash, and I have a feeling the lunch ladies don’t accept American Express.”
She smiled. “I have enough money in my account that I can treat you to a four-dollar meal. Hope you like corn dogs and baked fries.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were asking me on a lunch date.”
Of course, hedidknow better. Em didn’t date players—a fact she made abundantly clear every time they talked.
“I wouldn’t consider corn dogs anything special. Trust me, if we ever went on a real date, you’d know it.”
Grant laughed at the way she stole the words he’d used about arena pizza. “I’d be happy to stay for this non-date lunch.”
