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Chapter six
Johnny
Mondayrollsaroundquick,and I'm preparing for my date with Birdie--I mean,practice and drinks--like a fuckin' schoolkid.
I switch out one pair of basketball shorts for another; I go from a Portland Pucks t-shirt in case she takes any photos, to a plain black tee...then back again.
I'm an idiot.
This girl has me tied up in knots and we're not even dating.
I finally settle on a casual outfit and head over to the high school, where I'll be in charge of the soccer team for the next two weeks while Finn is on his honeymoon. I arrive early, hoping to get some stuff ready before Birdie is there to distract me...but of course, she's already there.
Sitting on the bleachers in a pair of skinny jeans and a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt, looking like a million bucks with her blonde hair up in a ponytail and a cute pair of glasses perched on her nose.
"Hey," I call out, raising my hand.
She looks back at me and stands, waving back.
"Hey yourself," she says. "I was wondering when you would show up."
"I said four, right?" I ask.
"You did...and I got here at three thirty because I figured you would need to get things set and we could talk a bit before," she says.
"You take the 'early bird gets the worm' thing real seriously, huh?" I ask.
She laughs. "Are you the worm in this equation?"
I snort. "You're too sweet."
"I try."
"Well, come on then," I say. "Let's get out the gear."
We head into the school gym and pull out some cones, soccer balls, and neon jerseys for the kids. Birdie helps me by pulling her weight, grabbing as much as she can and bringing it out to set down on the field. She puts her hands on her hips as she watches me sort through everything, her eyes squinting in the afternoon sun.
"What are you thinking?" I ask.
"Trying to figure out how to frame this in a way that doesn't put my readers to sleep," she says.
I chuckle. "Well, we could always spice it up a bit. Maybe make it a little more...exciting."
She grins at me. "Oh, you mean like have the soccer balls turn into flaming meteors and the cones become pillars of fire?"
I laugh. "Exactly. And we could ride on the back of a giant dragon while we coach the kids."
Birdie giggles. "I like the way you think, but I'm not sure that's quite what we're going for here. I'm a journalist, not a fantasy writer."
I nod in agreement. "Yeah, probably not. But we could still make it interesting. Maybe you could focus on the kids and their stories. You know, like the kid who's too shy to talk to anyone but comes out of his shell on the field."
"I like that," Birdie says, nodding. "And there's always the classic underdog story. The team that no one expects to win, but they work hard and come out on top...led there by the charitable, wholesome Johnny Playfair."
"You keep using that word and I'm starting to think it's an insult," I tease.
"What--'wholesome'?" she says. "Well, if you'd stop being so damn wholesome, I'd stop using it."
"Who's to say you're not pretty wholesome yourself?"
