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Aria turned from the window to see that Charli had angled herself to look back at her. “I am. I think it will be even more fun this time, since I have a better grasp of the rules of the game.”
“If you keep coming to the games, you’ll be hooked,” Charli said with a laugh. “We’re hoping that the team makes it to state championships once again. They made it last year.”
“Jay has been the main reason the team has made it to state,” Gareth said. “Both as a player and a coach. He has an uncanny perception of the game and its players.”
“He played all through college,” Janessa said, leaning forward to look past Layla’s seat. “And there was talk of him playing professionally.”
“Really? What happened?”
“He was injured his senior year, and though he probably could have still gone on to play, he decided to come home.”
Aria thought of the man she saw every day at work and had no problem imagining him playing professionally. “Is he the official coach for the team?”
“No,” Gareth said. “But the coach now is the same one who coached Jay when he was in high school. He’s been more than happy to have Jay work alongside him with the team. Actually, I’m pretty sure that Jay does more of the work with this team than Coach does. He’s more focused on the football team.”
“Coach is getting up in years,” Charli said. “I think he relies on Jay a lot.”
“Would Jay ever want to be the official coach of the team?”
“I’m not sure,” Gareth said. “I hope he doesn’t decide to give up his work at the clinic. We’d be lost without him. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
That got laughter from them all.
“Were you in any sports in high school?” Charli asked.
“No. I knew that if I wanted to go to college, I was going to need scholarships, so I was very focused on my classes. I also volunteered a lot. There wasn’t much time left for sports, even if I’d been so inclined.”
“Being focused on school isn’t a bad thing,” Gareth said. “I’m sure that Mom and Dad wish Cole was a littlemorefocused on school and a littlelesson basketball.”
“Yeah, but unlike Jay, Cole’s really gunning to play professional basketball,” Janessa said.
“If he continues on his current trajectory, I’d say he’s got a shot at it,” Gareth said. “I guess only time will tell, but you know Mom and Dad want him to have a back-up plan.”
“But Cole thinks he’s invincible,” Charli said. “Even knowing what Jay went through, he seems to think an injury won’t happen to him.”
When they arrived at the high school where the game was taking place, Gareth pulled the SUV to a stop in front of a set of double doors.
“Save me a spot,” he said as the women piled out of the vehicle and helped an excited Layla from her booster seat.
Aria nodded, even though he hadn’t been speaking to her specifically. It would probably be better if someone else saved a spot for Gareth. She didn’t need to be in that close of contact with him.
Inside the warmth of the building, she and Janessa followed Charli and a skipping Layla toward where the gym was located. They’d clearly been there before because there was no hesitation as they walked.
“Mom said they’re already here and have seats for us,” Janessa said as she looked at her phone.
The noise level steadily increased as they walked, letting Aria know they were definitely going in the right direction. When they finally stepped into the gym, Charli and Janessa led them off to the side as they looked around.
“There they are,” Janessa said, pointing to a section of the bleachers a little over halfway down.
After waiting for a group of people to pass them, they made their way along the gym floor in front of the bleachers, dodging around people walking or standing in their way. When they reached their destination, Charli led them up the bleacher steps with Layla. Janessa went next, and Aria followed her.
It seemed like a repeat of the previous game, with Janessa’s parents seated behind them. They’d laid jackets on the bleachers to save sections of the seats. Layla was excitedly showing off her outfit to her grandparents, then she waved frantically as Skylar and her fellow cheerleaders showed up on the gym floor in front of the bleachers.
Skylar came up the steps and scooted into the row in front of them so that she could reach Layla. “Want to come down with me for a few minutes?”
“Yes!” She turned to Charli. “Can I, Mommy?”
“Sure. But you listen to Skylar, okay?”
