Page 27 of Read Between the Stars

“Did they find us a coach?” she asks excitedly.

“You’re looking at him,” he tells her as he slowly strides over to her and gives me a view of his bewildering ass in those same black basketball shorts.

Luna’s mouth drops open.

“For real?!”

“For real, let’s go,” he tells her and turns to me again while she scrambles excitedly, packing up her stuff.

“I’ll text the other moms and let them know, and I’ll be by with snacks for the kids later,” I tell him as a delightful exhilaration zings through all the veins in my body. I give them both an excited wave as Ben turns to give me one more gentle smile as he follows an ecstatic Luna out the door.

Ben

This is going pretty much how I expected. The day has been fun and rewarding with just a few aggravating moments sprinkled in, seeing as how it’s a group of nine-year-olds, but there’s only six of them, and for the most part they’re eager to learn and practice.

“Olivia, you’re supposed to be practicing bounce-passes with your partner right now, not practicing your pirouettes!” I call to the little blonde who can’t seem to stop spinning around while she twirls her ponytail.

“Jacob, use both hands with the ball up by your chest to pass!”

I let Luna pair up with her friend Brayden that she told me about, and while you’d think most kids would goof off when paired up with their buddy, they are doing a good job listening and applying instruction during drills.

No one is happy when I tell them to dribble up and down the court with their opposite hand until they see me demonstrate how easily I can switch from one hand to the other when I do it. Then of course they all want to master it and take off down the court, bumping into each other while they chase the stray basketballs that got away from them. I feel my lips curl up at the comical and heart warming sight of kids who haven’t quite gotten the bearings on agility, practicing a new skill for the first time.

The content smile widens when I catch movement in the corner of my eye; the light coming in from the open door at the far corner of the gym gets momentarily blocked as an adult figure walks through it. Once she’s a few steps into the gym and no longer backlit, I see Kasey making her way towards this end of the court with one grocery tote up on her shoulder, while another swings down by her side. Her summery dress sways with her graceful movements that I can tell she’s oblivious to, and her warm smile holds a sense of shyness.

When she reaches the bleachers, she averts her eyes from mine and seems somewhat relieved to have something to busy herself with as she starts pulling containers out of the grocery bags. I decide to give both her and myself a minute and look back to the kids. I try to focus on how Luna is dribbling in a nice straight line towards the opposite end of the court, in a nice straight line, albeit running a little slower than she does when she’s using her right hand. But I can’t seem to ignore Kasey in my peripheral, or the energy crackling between us as she sets out some napkins and paper plates.

I try not to clench my jaw, but I do tighten my fist under my crossed arms, not trying to fight what I’m feeling, but just to tamp it down a little; get it under control. I need time and headspace to figure out what it means, if anything.

After taking a few deep breaths, I finally allow myself to glance back over to Kasey. Her back is still turned to me but she looks about finished as six plates are lining the lowest bleacher bench, loaded with apple slices, string cheese, grapes and graham crackers.

“Alright guys!” I shout out, followed by a sharp whistle, cuing them all to halt their activities and turn my way. “Looks like it’s snack time. Come on!”

Guess I don’t have to tell them twice. They all abandon their balls, which bounce to different areas of the gym while the kids all bolt towards Kasey. Luna stakes her claim by throwing her arms around her mom’s waist, but the other kids take turns swarming her with hugs before attacking the plates of snacks the way only energetic young athletes can.

“Hey,” I greet Kasey, as she puts the extras away in the bags.

“How’s it going?” she asks, looking between me and the kids.

“Not bad actually,” I say blowing out a breath, and I actually mean it. I’ve spent the whole day with six people without getting pummeled with questions about where I’m from or what I do and I haven’t grunted or felt the need to avoid eye contact with any of them. “Are you done for the day?”

“No, I’ve got one more appointment to get back for,” she responds, pulling one of the totes back up on her shoulder. “But I’ll be back in time to get Luna.”

“I can bring her back to you if you want,” I offer as my gaze cuts over to Luna and Brayden, giggling as they try to shoot grapes into each other’s mouths.

“That’s sweet, but I’ll make it,” she nods with what I’m thinking she hopes is a convincing smile, but something’s off.

“Mom, I wanna ride back with Ben,” Luna pipes up from my side. How the hell do kids do that? She looks up between us expectantly, popping another grape in her mouth like she hadn’t just surprised me and her mom.

“Uh…” Kasey awkwardly shrugs one shoulder. “Ben has already taken a lot of time out of his day and-”

“I took a lot of time out of doing nothing, Kasey,” I adopt a practical tone, trying to reassure her without sounding patronizing. “All that’s waiting for me after this is a couch and four walls.” The prospect that normally appeals to me, surprisingly doesn’t right now, and I’m using it as a reason do more for Kasey and her little girl.

“You should come to dinner with us then,” Luna suggests, bouncing on her toes with her arms tucked behind her back, looking oh so innocent. “We’re getting pizza,” she adds, like it’s a cherry on top. I can tell by the way Kasey is looking between Luna and me, her mouth slightly open that she’s uncomfortable and at a loss for words. Something in that mind of hers is telling her this is a bad idea.

But I don’t see how I can say no on my end when I just professed I had no other plans, and I can tell Kasey doesn’t want to tell me I’m not welcome in front of Luna. It’s easier to just agree in this kind of situation. I look to Kasey, who gives a resigned smile.

“Okay then, if Ben wants to,” she sighs, looking up at me.

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