Page 185 of On His Team

“Just okay?”

I walk toward the kitchen.

Stanley follows.

“She did really good.”

That gets a different look out of him. Not mocking. Just interested.

“She was freaking out all week.”

“I know.”

He sets the container down. “You like her.”

I open the refrigerator. “Yeah.”

Stanley doesn’t say anything. I look over. He is staring at me with the expression of someone who expected a fight and got handed the answer instead.

He picks the pasta back up. “I’m enjoying how easy that was.”

I take a bottle of water and drink.

Benson comes downstairs while I’m standing there and heads straight for the cabinet. “How’d it go?”

“Good.”

He looks at me. “G okay?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“She panic?”

“Before.”

Benson smiles like that makes complete sense. “She always does that. Anything happen?”

I lean back against the counter. “Nothing major. A couple kids had the wrong skates. One volunteer was late. Jerseys were too big.”

Benson stops. “Jerseys?”

“Apparently, she ordered all one size.”

He closes his eyes. “Jesus.”

“She made the kids tuck it in.”

He laughs. “Of course.” There is pride in his voice that he does not try to hide.

“She was good,” I tell him.

Benson looks at me. Then nods. “Yeah.” He opens the cabinet and pulls down a glass. “Mom called me twice about it already.” He fills the glass with water. “Thanks for going.”

I look at him. He doesn’t make anything of it.

“Yeah.”

Then he heads back upstairs.