Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
I see Kali glance my way, and for a heartbeat, our eyes lock. There’s a flicker in her expression—surprise, maybe, or acknowledgement. I tug my cap lower, determined not to give anything away. When the kids all scatter toward their parents, Juniper bounds over to me, face flushed and bright.
“That was amazing, Dad!” she chirps. “Coach Kali said I have a real good arm! Can we go buy a glove? I want a pink one with sparkles.”
I can’t help smiling. “Sparkles, huh? We’ll see. Come on, let’s go. We gotta get to Hattie’s for dinner.”
“You know what else?” Juniper’s big eyes blink at me.
“What?”
“She loves Star Wars. She called me her little padawan.” Juniper beams with pride.
“She did?” A Star Wars fan, huh?
Juniper hops along next to me, but not before tossing a loud “Bye, Coach Kali!” over her shoulder. My eyes flick to Kali, who waves enthusiastically at Juniper. Then she crosses her arms and quirks an eyebrow at me, as if waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. I give her a small nod, which is about all I can muster without my chest doing that weird twisty thing again.
All the way home, Juniper cannot stop talking about Kali. Kali this… Kali that.
“And then she showed me how to line up my feet, and it made the ball go faster, and then she said ‘Great job, Juniper,’ and she gave me a high five, and—”
I’m half-laughing, half-wincing at every mention of Kali’s name. “Okay, kiddo, I get it. She’s the best coach ever. Just don’t forget your dad’s a pretty decent ballplayer too.”
Juniper giggles. “I know, Daddy, but you’re always so serious when you play. Coach Kali makes it look fun.”
That stings a bit, but I force a chuckle. “I’m serious because it’s my job, you goof. You’ll see the difference when you start playing in games.”
We pull into the driveway of Hattie’s house. We live not far away in a nice little bungalow on the edge of town, overlooking the water. Hattie’s got the bigger kitchen, and she offered to host dinner tonight. So, of course I hopped on the plan. I’m still chewing on Juniper’s words when we step inside.
“Hey!” Hattie calls from the living room, flipping through a magazine. “How was practice? Anyone break an arm yet?”
Juniper races over, bouncing on her toes. “No, but guess what, Aunt Hattie? My coach is the Kali! The one Daddy was talking about!” She giggles. “And she loves Star Wars too, just like Daddy.”
Hattie’s eyebrows shoot up. “The Kali? As in, the new umpire who gave your dad a hard time?” She glances at me with a wicked grin. “Must have been fun.”
I drop my keys onto the counter, then loosen my shoulders. “Oh, it was a real blast,” I say dryly. “Turns out she’s pretty good with kids.”
Juniper nods vigorously. “She’s the best! She said my throw was awesome. And she showed me how to hold the bat just right. Look!” She mimics the stance, nearly knocking a lamp off the end table.
“Watch it!” I steady the lamp before it crashes. “We’ll practice outside after dinner, all right?”
She beams at me. “Yes, please!”
Hattie stands up and motions me into the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get started on dinner. Juniper, want to help me chop veggies?”
“Sure!” Juniper’s already tugging a stool over to the counter.
I slip off my jacket and wash my hands at the sink, doing my best to ignore Hattie’s smug look. She’s up to something, I can tell. I toss her a suspicious glance. “Stop looking at me like that.”
She grins, handing a plastic knife to Juniper for the veggies. “What do you mean? I’m just curious about your day.”
“My day was fine,” I say, drying my hands. “We got through practice, Juniper had a blast, and that’s that.”
“Uh-huh.” Hattie stirs a pot of sauce on the stove. “You told me you ‘wanted nothing to do with Kali’ just yesterday. So how’d that go, Mr. I’m-So-Over-It?”
I clench my jaw, tossing a few pasta noodles into the pot. “I still want nothing to do with her. She’s my daughter’s coach, not my friend. End of story.”
Juniper giggles. “But Daddy, you were totally staring at her—”
“Juniper!” I nearly drop the handful of noodles. “What are you talking about?”
She shrugs, giggling again. “I saw you, Daddy. You were watching her teach. And you had that look.”
“What look?” Hattie pounces, eyes sparkling.
I shoot Juniper a playful glare. “I didn’t have a ‘look.’ I was just making sure she was doing her job right. You’re my kid, I’m allowed to supervise.”
Hattie snorts. “Sounds awfully protective for a guy who wants ‘nothing to do with her.’”
“Can we drop it?” I mutter, feeling my cheeks heat. It’s infuriating how easily they gang up on me, but I can’t blame them for reading between the lines. The fact is, I am drawn to Kali in some bizarre way. I can’t stand her, yet I want to see her again. Makes no sense.