Page 55 of Bradley

When we got downstairs, my mother looked at us sheepishly. “Tyler didn’t interrupt anything, did he? I tried to stop him from rushing up the steps.”

I heard Nolan laugh and turn away embarrassedly. “No, Mom. We were painting.”

Off to the side, Tonya observed us, and I wondered what she thought as she studied Nolan.

Chapter Nineteen

Nolan

While I knew that there was no future with Brad and me, I decided to enjoy what we had as long as possible. That was the decision that I’d made this morning as I sat beside him eating a yogurt cup that I had confiscated from his fridge.

When I had woken up, I had studied him for a few moments. He was the kind of man I wished I could fall in love with and build a new life beside. Only I had two children that needed a lot of attention, and he had two children that didn’t. I mean, they did, but not the type that mine did. Plus, his kids had already lost one parent, and I couldn’t imagine them trying to adapt to a new woman who had children—and high-maintenance children to boot.

But until I brought the children down here, I could enjoy myself. I could enjoy Brad. I was pretty sure he understood my need to break things off once the kids got here, and I knew without a doubt that we’d remain friends.

During our fantastic lunch—thanks to his mother, Patricia—we sat on the back porch and talked while we enjoyed the spring sunshine and warm temps. Tyler was digging in my overgrown garden for worms, and Tonya watched my every move. She’d been doing that since she arrived—not just here, but in class too. All week, Tonya had been quiet in class and studied me. I had tried to pull her into conversation a few times, but she remained aloof.

Man, she was so much like Lauren. I hoped that when my kids moved down, they might be able to be friends. Maybe that would make the adjustment here a bit easier.

I went out to my car while everyone talked and dug around in the back seat for my favorite soccer ball. As I came around the corner, I called out to Tonya.

“Come out here and show me what you can do, Tonya.”

“Um, no, thanks,” Tonya said, looking uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, Tonya. I told you I’d help you. Let’s just kick it back and forth a little bit, and I’ll show you a thing or two.”

Patricia turned to her granddaughter. “Go on, Tonya. You were just talking about this last night.”

She looked uncomfortable, but she got to her feet and came out to the grass slowly. Brad was watching her looking slightly nervous himself, but he kept his mouth shut—good man.

“Okay, I’m just going to kick it lightly to you. You trap it and then kick it back.”

“Trap it? I don’t know what that is.”

I smiled at her and lightly tapped the ball to her. “Alright, then you kick it to me, and I’ll show you how to trap it.”

She kicked it, but it went wide, and I darted to the side and stopped it by putting my foot on top of it. “I trapped it. All you do is put your foot down on top of it to halt the movement. Think you can try that?”

She nodded, and I kicked it to her lightly again. She was able to stop it properly, and then I told her to kick it to me. Again, it went wide, and she groaned. “See, I suck!”

“No, you don’t. You just don’t know how to kick properly. Let me show you.”

I dribbled the ball over to her using both my feet to keep it close to me, and then I trapped it and stepped back so that we were side by side. “When you kick and you want it to travel a distance, you don’t use the toe of your foot. If you use the toe, then it’s going to either go up in the air, or it’s going to go wild as yours did. Kicking with your toe is usually the last resort.” I squatted down in front of her and put my hand on her foot. “The inside part of your foot is what you want to use. Sometimes the outside if you are passing it, but that’s a trickier move. When you go to kick, you are swinging your hip out and then bringing it back in.”

I stood and showed her how you pull your leg back and bring it toward the ball a few times. “Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay, then let’s try it.” I ran back out about fifteen feet away. “Go ahead. Just remember to bring your leg out and focus on the inside of your foot, making contact with the ball so that it will come to me. That’s how you control the direction.”

She nodded and then pulled her leg back and kicked. It was a lot closer to me this time, still off, but much better. I trapped the ball and sent it back to her. She tried it again and then again. By the time she had done it half a dozen times, she was getting the hang of it and even had a smile on her face.

“Great job!”

“Can I try?” Tyler asked as he stood off to the side and watched.

“Sure, move back, and we can make it a triangle.”

---