Page 107 of Home Field Advantage
“Hey, Dallas,” she says on the other end.
“Hey, April. Sorry to call you while you’re still at work, but there was an accident at school today.”
“Oh my god. Dallas! What!”
“It’s okay. She’s okay. I probably should have led with that. I’m sorry.”
“You think?”
“She fell off the swing at recess and hit her head. She didn’t need to go to the doctor, and there were no cuts. She just has a bump on her head, and there’s no signs of a concussion or anything.”
When I left the nurse, that was the first thing I asked. From my years of playing sports, I know a concussion when I see one.I know the signs to look for and when things start to indicate that we need to implement some type of medical intervention.
This isn’t that.
“Okay,” she breathes out on the other end. “That’s good. I’m going to leave now and come there.”
“Of course. Sage will love that. We’re hanging in tonight, so we will be here.”
“See you soon.”
She hangs up, and I spend the next half hour straightening up the kitchen and putting her backpack from school away. Just as I’m about to sit down on the couch next to Sage, there’s a knock on the door.
“Who’s that?” Sage asks.
“Not sure.”
When I open the door, I see Poppy standing on the other side, holding a box in one hand and a basket in the other. She’s still wearing the same outfit she had on at school—a pair of bright pink jeans and a tucked-in T-shirt with an apple on the front. She hasn’t even taken off her work lanyard.
She came right here.
I’m not surprised, given the state of mind she was in when I left her in her classroom. She blames herself, and I hate that. I fuckinghatethat she’s blaming herself for this, and I wish I had the right words for her to know she did nothing wrong.
“Hey,” she says softly. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced, but I wanted to see that Sage was okay. I brought her some goodies, too.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Poppy. But she’s going to love it.”
I step back, letting her in, and Sage notices her.
“Poppy! You’re here!” She sits up taller on the couch, and I watch as Poppy assesses her from head to toe. Her shoulders relax as if seeing her was what she needed. “I’m all better now. Just have a bumpy bump on my head.”
“That’s so great to hear. I brought you some goodies.” Shelifts the arm with the box. “I got a six-pack of assorted muffins from Batter Up.” Then she lifts the basket. “And I put together a little basket of coloring things for you since I know it’s your favorite.”
Sage claps her hands in excitement. “This is so fun. My head feels much better already.”
Poppy and I laugh simultaneously, because it’s always the little things.
I stare at Poppy while she looks at Sage in wonder. She looks at her like she’s the light of her life, or maybe I’m reading too much into it.
She just fits.
And it’s so much deeper than that for me. Poppy was right to say she’s not like other girls I’ve been with, and it has nothing to do with her being inexperienced. It has everything to do with how I’ve approached things with her. Did I flirt hard at the start before I knew she was Sage’s teacher? Yes. Did I slow down and control myself when I found out? Also yes. All of it’s an approach I’ve never taken before. With April and all my past relationships, it’s been physical before it got any deeper.
It’s the opposite with Poppy, and maybe that’s why I’m feeling the way I do about her.
There’s no denying that I’m hooked on her.
She’s like a song you can’t help but play on repeat.
