Echoes of the kids’ bickering began to drift into the kitchen.
“Speaking of stress,” Jack shook his head. “Let me go see what that is all about.” He started out of the kitchen but turned around, sniffing. “Toast!” he cried, dashing toward the oven. As Jack pulled a charred pan of toast from the oven and fanned the air with a dishtowel, he and Nora doubled over with laughter.
Their eyes locking, their laughter faded into appreciative smiles.
“Nora,” Jack said as he reached for her hand. “I just want you to know that you can stay here as long as you want…no expectations attached…I hope you know that.”
“I know you’re getting tired of sleeping on the couch in your own house,” Nora sighed.
Jack started to reply but lost his train of thought when Jessica began hollering again. Rolling his eyes, he turned abruptly to go check on the kids.
“Jessica, go away!” Hailey harped.
“This is not fair!” Jessica lashed out.
“We can’t move it, Jess,” Hailey snapped. “The other doors are too close to the wall, and we keep slamming into the linen closet door! I offered to hang it over the bathroom door, but you and your precious hair think you own that room too.”
“And the Tar Heels score!” Grant exclaimed as he shot a small, black foam ball at the plastic rim hanging over the door of the girls’ bedroom.
“The Tennessee Volunteers are still up by two in what has been a game for the record books, ladies and gentlemen,” Hailey broadcasted.
Jessica was standing at the end of the hall, her arms crossed.
“What is the problem?” Jack shrugged.
“What is this?” Jessica shrugged emphatically as she pointed at the door.
“What is what?” Jack laughed as Hailey and Grant continued to play, laughing as they pushed and shoved to keep the other from scoring.
“That thing,” Jessica pointed. “That flimsy, plastic, neon green, dollar store hoop that is duct taped to my bedroom door.”
“It’s not bothering anyone,” Jack scoffed.
“Yes it is!” Jessica exclaimed. “This is my room, Daddy. If I want to have friends over to study, I don’t need to have to worry about getting home to find this contraption hanging on my door…it’s tacky.”
“Perhaps,” Jack shrugged, “but, Jess, it seems to be keeping Hailey and Grant happy, and, if all it takes to keep them from fussing constantly is this cheap basketball goal and a foam ball, then by all means, it’s staying…”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “I seriously doubt their newfound happiness has much to do with their shared love of basketball,” she mumbled.
“Jess, if the hoop bothers you so badly, we’ll move it,” Grant offered.
Hailey turned on him quickly, and if looks could kill, Grant would have dropped dead that instant. “When did you become Prince Charming?” she blurted.
“I try to be a decent human being when I can,” Grant shrugged.
“Since when?” Hailey laughed.
“Hey! I have my moments!” Grant exclaimed.
Hailey nodded. “Yeah,” she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and stood there tucked under his arm, “I guess you do…few and far between, but you do have your moments.”
Hailey darted through the woods, leaving Grant to chase after her. They were both still wearing their basketball jerseys following Saturday morning’s game. Hailey didn’t know how to describe the sensational feeling that consumed her that day. Sure, they had won their ninth basketball game in a row and were pulling off an undefeated, dream season despite the in-fighting that still plagued their starting lineup. Grant had been the game’s high scorer while Hailey bested her own personal scoring record. Another win solidified their spot as a true threat to take the state title, and that excited the competitor in her.
Things had gotten better for the team off the court as well. Her dad had taken a new approach to coaching, emphasizing team unity at every turn. He made the whole team eat lunch together, and he sat with them, clearing his throat and offering a stern warning any time Grant’s tone became remotely sarcastic. During practice, Jack had gone as far as tying all the kids together like a giant bale of hay, then presenting them with different challenges that forced them to work together. Though Grant’s habit of barking out orders about what each person should do did not settle well at first, it soon became clear to everyone that, while they might not have liked it, Grant was a natural leader, and it was in the best interest of time to listen to his instructions. Another day, Jack blindfolded certain players and gave teammates the responsibility of directing them through activities, and, though, on more than one occasion, he had to lead Grant’s partner by the arm back to the group and insist that they try again, they had finally started working as a team. In order to show that they had truly bonded as loyal and unified teammates, Jack suggested doing trust falls off the bleachers, during which each player would fall backwards into the waiting arms of his fellow players who would act as the only safety net between him and the gym floor. Grant had snickered at the idea and suggested that Jack’s methods were becoming hazardous to his health. When the other boys laughed along with him, Jack knew he had accomplished his goal.
It was undeniable that things on the court were running much more smoothly than anyone had anticipated whenthe rocky season began, yet Hailey knew that the team’s success was not the sole reason she was running through the woods feeling absolutely giddy as Grant called after her.
It was mid-November, her favorite time of year. The day was unseasonably warm, and she knew exactly how she wanted to spend her afternoon and who she wanted to spend it with. Admittedly, it had been a couple weeks since she had spent any of her free time hanging out with her friends, but she wouldn’t have traded the past couple weeks for anything in the world. With every day that passed, she and Grant seemed to be building a more solid foundation for a relationship that she couldn’t imagine her life without. Grant was her teammate, her study buddy, her first kiss, her best friend, and the reason she couldn’t seem to quit smiling that Saturday afternoon. As well as things were going on the court, and, as much as Hailey enjoyed playing basketball with a bunch of boys…now, all her favorite moments were spent with just one boy.
She used to spend Saturday afternoons after a big win sitting next to her teammates at Maude’s, sipping sweet tea from a straw and reliving the fun they had just had. Now, when the game was over and the locker room cleared, the fun had just begun.
Hailey remembered how she used to go to her daddy with everything, but, three days earlier when she had gotten a big splinter in her finger while climbing a rickety fence, it had seemed natural to look to her boyfriend. She was impressed by how unexpectedly nurturing he proved to be, and she was even more shocked by how at ease she had been as he used a needle to remove her splinter. He could be so matter-of-fact, brash and dismissive at times that she feared most people missed out on how sweet he could be. For the time being, it seemed to be their little secret…and that was fine with her.
“Where are you going, Hailey?” Grant laughed as he chased her that day.
“We’re almost there,” Hailey called over her shoulder, as she dodged tree limbs and maneuvered through the brush. She stopped abruptly when she reached the bank of the pond, and Grant put on the brakes right behind her. Hailey stretched out her arms wide and raised her chin to the sun, calling attention to beauty that surrounded them. “Last chance to swim before it gets too cold,” she smiled happily. “It’s not often it hits nearly 80 degrees in Hope Hull in November, so I figured we better enjoy it! There will probably be a bit of snow on the ground before you know it.” Hailey slid her shoes off and kicked them toward the trees; she took off her socks and pulled her jersey over her head, revealing a black, Nike sports bra.
“What are you doing?” Grant gulped, eyeing the mucky water. “You’re not really planning on getting in there, are you?”
“Yeah, I’m going for a swim,” Hailey smiled as she tossed her jersey at Grant, laughing as it landed across his shoulder. “Why don’t you join me?”
As Hailey lowered herself into the muddy water, Grant stood with his mouth opened wide. “Are you crazy?” he practically shouted. “This looks like the set of a bad horror movie. Any minute Swamp Thing could sweep you right under.”
“Lose your shoes and get in,” Hailey rolled her eyes.
Grant slowly eased out of his shoes. “I can’t believe I am about to do this.”
