Page 101 of Mom Ball

I bite back a laugh. “I think this county has a different kind of style is all. Why don’t we put it back in the bag, and you can dress up after the game?”

He unclasps the front and takes it off. I pat him on the back as he hurries onto the field, capeless.

Aniston steps in the dugout and turns an ear toward the field. Her eyes widen and she stares at me. “I knew it!”

“What?”

“That’s Guatemalan Spanish.” She grins.

“And how would you know that?”

Aniston stands tall and proud. “I backpacked through Guatemala one summer in search of the perfect plantains.”

“That’s strange.”

She frowns. “Maybe, but he just warned the tall kid to watch out for Ethan’s arm.”

My eyes dart in the direction of the kids. Ethan is warming up with Herrington. He does have our best arm and plays catcher. I sigh. “Want to coach first base tonight?”

“I’d be delighted.” She smirks and marches onto the field.

Morgan whistles and everyone runs to the dugout. She follows, eating a few peanuts on the way. “What’s Aniston doing in your spot?” she asks.

“She speaks Guatemalan Spanish and knows what the coach is saying.”

“Boss!” Morgan holds up her hand for me to high-five.

I do, then wipe my hand down my shirt. The peanut oil is dense. I snarl at a greasy stain on my clothes and reach for the book. “I’ll do her job.”

I start calling out the lineup, while Morgan straightens her ponytail behind her cap. The kids gather against the fence and semi-listen to her pep talk.

“And Miss Aniston is at first base today. Listen to what she says. She speaks the coach’s language.”

“She speaks Chinese?” Precious blinks in amazement.

“Spanish—Guatemalan, to be exact,” Morgan corrects.

“I didn’t know guacamole was a language.” Jack cocks his head.

“Just line up. Timothy, you’re first.”

Timothy takes the field and Reece hops on deck. I just pray we make it to Andrew in the inning. Something tells me these kids can field.

A few plays later, I’m proven right. We make it to Andrew, but barely manage to score one run. The next round they rack up five. These kids are such heavy hitters, we can’t get the ball in time.

At the top of the second, Morgan huddles everyone around. Aniston comes in the dugout with her intel. “He tells them to always go for home, and if nobody’s on third, the base closest to it. If we can load the bases, we have the best shot at scoring a run.” She wavers her head. “Or if anyone can hit more than a single, that would be great.”

I frown at her. She shrugs.

“Okay, so that’s offense. I have a game plan for defense,” Morgan says. “Do y’all remember Isabella and her friends who practiced with us?”

“Do we?” Jack says. He smiles at his brother, and Charlie wiggles his eyebrows.

Morgan clears her throat. “When they were your age, they won by rolling the ball.” She glances at the players to make sure everyone is watching, then takes a ball. “You gently toss it underhanded.”

“Like a Quaffle!” Reece wiggles with excitement.

“Get your mind off waffles, son. We can eat later.”

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