Eric grinned. “You can still do that. We’ll be done by five.”
“What do you think of the team so far? Are we going to be competitive?”
“You sound like Mr. Kirkman, Tyler’s father. He’s told me at least five times that Tyler needs to be on a winning team in order to be considered for all-stars.”
“We haven’t even played a game yet, and the man’s worried about all-stars. What has happened to little league?”
“It’s become the minors for travel ball. As for Tyler, he’s going to have to lose his attitude if he wants to play for me. He may be the best player in the league, but he knows he’s good, and he makes sure everyone else knows it, too.”
“Then on the other end of the talent scale, you have David, Liam, and Jordan.”
“I’d rather deal with beginners willing to work hard than a bunch of cocky kids who think they don’t have anything else to learn.”
Adam tossed the last chicken nugget into his mouth and reached for his drink. “What do you think about Jordan’s mom? She must have had him when she was in high school.”
Eric started to tell him that Julie was Jordan’s aunt, but something stopped him. “I asked her to be the team mom.”
Adam smiled knowingly. “Good choice. I wouldn’t mind spending time with Julie Evans. I’ve always had a thing for teachers.”
Eric shook his head. “Do you realize how stupid that sounds?”
“Come on, man. You can’t tell me you never had a crush on any of your teachers.”
“None of my teachers looked like Julie Evans.”
“She’s cute, isn’t she? I wonder where the father is. I haven’t seen him around.”
Eric didn’t want to talk about Julie and her degree of cuteness. It was in everyone’s best interest for him to confine his thoughts about her to baseball-related things. “He’s in the military.”
“When the cat’s away…” Adam said suggestively.
“Jordan told me his dad is an Army Ranger. If I were you, I’d stay away from that particular mouse.”
“You’re probably right. The reward isn’t worth the risk.”
As Eric followed him out the door, he hoped Jordan wouldn’t ruin everything by saying ‘Aunt Julie’ in front of Adam. For a reason he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want his friend to get interested in her.
Chapter Three
Jordan made sure they were the first to arrive at practice. Julie watched as he made a beeline for the outfield where Eric was setting up bright orange construction cones. What was he planning to do with those?
She found a shady spot not too far away to set up a chair. Then she delved into her tote bag for the sci-fi thriller one of the other teachers had recommended. She quickly found her place and started to read. Although she was some distance from the field, Julie could hear Jordan telling Eric about the movie they’d watched last night on TV. His voice kept getting louder and louder.
Smiling at his enthusiasm, she raised her eyes from the book and watched them walk across the infield. Eric reached into a large duffle bag and took out something. He handed it to Jordan and then pointed in her direction.
Jordan nodded and started running toward her. When he got within twenty feet or so, he yelled, “Coach Gibson wants to know if it’s all right if he gives me this. It’s from when he played in the World Series.” He stopped just short of stepping on her toes with his cleats and handed her a red baseball cap.
Why would Eric give away something so personal? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to save this for his own children? “Of course you can have it. Be sure to thank him.”
Jordan looked shocked at the suggestion that he hadn’t thanked his coach. “I did already. Can you hold on to it for me? I don’t want to mess it up at practice.”
As he sped back to the field, she turned the cap around slowly. Stitched on the side was the number 7. On the inside of the bill were long lines of k’s written in ink. Some of them were written backwards. What did they mean? She’d have to ask Jordan when they got home.
Several boys along with Coach Tillerson showed up and practice got underway. Julie returned her attention to her book. The activity around her faded into the background. The sudden vibration of her phone caused her to jump. She smiled when she saw it was a text from Devon.
Everything okay?
We’re fine. Jordan misses you, but I think baseball is helping.
I can tell he likes his coach.
It’s not every day you get a sports star to coach your little league team.
I remember watching Eric Gibson play. He was formidable on the mound. He got more strikeouts in one game than most pitchers had in two or three games. It’s a shame he had to retire early. He probably would have ended up in the Hall of Fame.
He was that good, huh?
Yeah. Too bad he didn’t do as well in his personal life.
What does that mean?
He was one of the bachelors on Find Your Mate.
Julie’s glance instinctively sought the tall figure standing near home plate. Was that why his name was familiar?
I only watched that show a few times. When was he on it?
It’s been a few years. He beat out everyone. They stayed married the mandatory one year in order to get the two million dollars. There was a big to-do about it because she came out and admitted it was all a sham.
So he wasn’t any different from the rest of those athletes who let their fame go to their head and think they can do no wrong.
That’s why I hate those shows. None of it’s real. It’s just a ploy to get ratings and make money. He should be ashamed of himself.
Hey, I’d do it for a share of two million dollars.
You probably would. Have you heard from Megan?
She’s with her parents. They talked her into seeing a doctor. Listen, I’ve got to go. We’re about to leave on a two-day mission. I’ll call Jordan when I get back.
Be careful, Devon.
Will do. Love ya, sis.
Julie absently slid the phone back in her pocket, chiding herself for feeling let down by someone she just met. Eric was Jordan’s coach. What he did away from the field was none of her business. She was the one who’d started building this image in her mind of someone who obviously didn’t exist.
******
As she trailed behind Jordan and Eric, Julie wanted to ask the latter if being on that reality show had been worth it. Could any amount of money compensate for losing the respect of so many people? Didn’t he understand that falling in love should be a magical experience? Not a game played for material gain. Some people waited their whole lives for it. It might be more understandable if he needed the money, but that obviously wasn’t true in his case. Didn’t he care about the fans he’d disappointed? Or did he only care about himself?
Fingers snapped in front of her face.
“Miss Evans! Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said coolly, not liking that he’d caught her daydreaming.
Eric waved a hand toward the pavilion. “Can we have our meeting here? I’d like to get out of the sun.”
His face and arms were covered in a sheen of perspiration, something that should have detracted from his good looks instead of enhancing them. “You look exhausted,” she said before she could stop herself.
“I thought baseball was demanding; that’s nothing to mowing people’s grass.”
“You do the actual work?” she asked in surprise.
His dark brows soared above his sunglasses. “My brother and I do all the work.” After they sat down, he handed her a dark blue binder. “This is for you.”
Julie opened the notebook and examined the neatly organized contents. “Did you do all this?”
He nodded. “I wanted to make it easy for you. The first item we need to take care of is the uniforms. I’ve got the info for everyone except Jordan. If you can fill his stuff in, I’ll drop it by Watson’s tomorrow.”
She took the pen he held out to
her.
“What are the uniforms going to look like?” Jordan asked.
“Gray pants, navy blue shirts, and hats.”
“Cool. Are you still thinking about a pool party?”
“We have to talk to the team mom about that.”
“Aunt Julie, you don’t mind us having a pool party, do you?”
She didn’t know how she felt about it. Finding out about Eric had somehow changed everything though she couldn’t have said exactly why. Playing for time, she asked, “When were you thinking about doing it?”
“Two weeks from today. I’ll provide the food and drinks. All I really need is some help setting up. If you and Jordan could come a little early, we can knock that out in no time. I thought it would be good to get the boys away from the field and let them get to know each other.”
“It’s a great idea,” she admitted somewhat grudgingly, still not looking at him.
Eric looked at her bent head thoughtfully. “If you can’t do it, I can ask one of the other parents to help me. This isn’t technically a team mom duty.”
She raised her head and met his eyes. “I don’t mind doing it.”
“Great. Now, the next item is the concession stand sign-up. We need eight people for each shift listed on that form. You can either call the parents or talk to them at the next practice. You’ll find a list in there with the name of each player, his parents and their contact numbers. The sign-up sheet for the concession stand needs to be turned in by next Friday. That brings us to the after-game snacks. The parents usually take turns providing something for the kids to eat and drink after the games. If we don’t get enough people to cover all the games, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll start calling tomorrow. Not all the parents come to the practices.”
“Once we get the uniforms, we’ll set up a time to meet so that everyone can try them on. That way if we need to get replacements, we can do it quickly. They take the team pictures on opening day. I don’t have a time for that yet. I do know that we’re scheduled to play at one, so I imagine our picture time will be early.”
“Who are we playing first, Coach Gibson?”
Eric smiled at Jordan. “The team that won district last year: the Pirates. They only lost a few players. Playing them right away will be a great opportunity for us to see where we are and what we need to work on.”
“Did you coach last year?”
“No, but I came up here and watched.”
“Scouting the competition?” asked Julie, smiling faintly.
Eric laughed. “I guess I was. After playing for so many years, it’s second nature to look for strengths and weaknesses. I’m going to email everyone a practice schedule tomorrow. If we need to cancel because of rain or whatever, I’ll ask you to help me call everyone. It goes faster that way. Other than that, your job will be to come and enjoy the games like everyone else.”
Julie closed the notebook. “That’s not much at all. You did most of the work for me.”
“I don’t like imposing on anyone’s time. I know how precious it is.”
Why did he have to say things like that? It made it hard not to like him. “It’s nice of you to volunteer so much of your own time.”
“I love the game of baseball, and I want to see kids like Jordan grow to love it, too.”
“Was it hard to walk away?” Another question she hadn’t meant to ask.
His smile faltered. “It was the second worst day of my life.”
“What was the worst day of your life, Coach Gibson?” Jordan asked.
Eric’s glance fell to the table. “The day my mother died,” he said softly.
“My mom died when I was five,” Jordan whispered, his voice thick with tears.
Julie couldn’t speak for the lump in her throat. That was the first time she’d heard Jordan mention his mother.
“Then you understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
Jordan nodded and impatiently wiped away the moisture in his eyes.
Eric reached over and put his hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Don’t be ashamed of showing emotion. A man who can’t be moved isn’t much of a man.” He took his hand away and sat back. “I don’t know about you two, but I’ve had enough of this place for one day. I’m going to go home, take a shower, and watch some baseball.”
“I wish I could. Aunt Julie only gets one sports channel.”
Eric heard the wistful note in Jordan’s voice. Before he could talk himself out of such a rash move, he said, “You can watch the game with me at my house.”
Jordan’s face cleared and his eyes got big. “Could I, Aunt Julie? It’s not a school night.”
Why did Eric keep doing nice things like this? Was he trying to make her crazy? Whether he realized it or not, he was forcing her into the uncomfortable position of either accepting favors from someone she didn’t approve of or disappointing someone she cared about. On this particular day, her devotion to Jordan outweighed her doubts about Eric.
“I don’t see why not.” She glanced at Eric. “What time should I drop him off?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll pick him up around six-thirty.” He stood up and lifted the heavy equipment bag as if it contained feathers instead of helmets, bats and baseballs. As they walked to the parking lot, he said, “Miss Evans, I’m not sure if I made this clear, but you’re welcome to join us.”
“Jordan would probably prefer to have you to himself.”
“I don’t mind, Aunt Julie. You’re not like most girls who talk and giggle all the time.”
“There can be no higher praise given to any woman,” Eric replied with a twinkle in his eyes.
Julie ignored the twinkle. He could probably produce it at will. He’d had lots of practice on that reality show. “I’ll think about it.”
“We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed, won’t we, Jordan?”
******
Julie spent the drive home going through a list of all the things she could do with a few hours alone. She hadn’t had an evening to herself since Jordan’s arrival. Why would she even consider giving that up to be in the company of someone who stood for everything that was wrong with the sports world? That last was a stretch, but she couldn’t help it. She had started to believe he was different. Why was that? What did it matter?
She sent Jordan to take a shower and slumped down on the couch. In all her dealings with Eric, he’d been kind, generous and considerate. How could he be the same person who did something so blatantly deceitful? Maybe there was more to his story, some mitigating circumstance that would explain everything or at least make his actions more understandable.
The bathroom door opened, allowing a wave of steam to escape. A smile lit her face. Jordan must really be excited about getting to watch the game with Eric. He usually had to be dragged out of the shower.
Maybe she should go with Jordan tonight. If nothing else, it might help her solve the mystery of Eric Gibson. And then she could put him out of her mind, once and for all.
It was impossible to tell what Eric thought about her change of mind. His, “I’m glad you decided to come,” was courteous and nothing more. He directed his conversation during the short drive to his house almost exclusively to Jordan. They were laughing at something they’d heard on one of the sports talk shows when he pulled up to an elaborate gate stretched across a wide driveway and attached on either side to a tall, brick wall.
“Why do you have a gate in front of your house, Coach?”
Eric punched in a code and then turned to answer Jordan. “People are curious about me. Some of them are fans, and some of them just want a good story for their magazine. Before I had the gate, people were coming up to the house at all hours. They weren’t doing it to be mean; but when I’m sitting around in my boxers eating popcorn, I don’t want someone watching me through the window.”
Jordan laughed loudly at that. “Did that really happen?”
Eric glanced at Julie, wondering if he should hav
e kept that particular story to himself. “Yes, it did. The person was a reporter. I’m afraid I wasn’t too friendly. I scared the poor girl to death.”
“What did you do?”
“I ran after her. I wanted to ask her not to publish the pictures she’d taken.”
“In your boxers?” Julie asked dryly.
“Let’s just say that wasn’t one of my better decisions. The video of that little episode made it on YouTube.”
He drove through the gate and followed a winding driveway. Within a few minutes, the house came into view. It wasn’t the pretentious mansion Julie had been expecting though it was larger than the average home. The brick on the two-story structure was an attractive slate gray mixed with off-white. Like many homes in the South, it boasted a porch. The oversized pots of red and pink flowers sitting among the tan wicker chairs and tables gave it a homey, welcoming feel. Prepared to dislike it, Julie found herself feeling the opposite.
“Wow, Coach Gibson. Do you live here all by yourself?”
“Yeah, but my brother makes sure I don’t get too lonely.” He saw Julie’s startled glance and went on. “Matt lives here half the time. We keep all the equipment for the landscape company in those garages on your right.” Eric got out and came around to open Julie’s door.
As they approached the house, she said, “I think I like the porch best of all.”
“It was at the top of my list of must-haves when I met with the architect. I come out here in the evenings with my sweet tea and watch the sun go down. The only problem is trying to keep Delilah from chasing the rabbits and squirrels.”
“Who’s Delilah?” asked Jordan.
“My dog. She gets excited very easily, but don’t worry, she only weighs about six pounds. She can’t do much damage.”
The thought of a man this size owning a small dog named Delilah made Julie smile. It didn’t exactly fit his image.
As soon as the key slid into the lock, the barking started. Eric opened the door a few inches and waited. A dark snout pushed through. “Back, Delilah.” The snout disappeared, but the barking continued. He opened the door wider and out she came, running in circles around their feet.
Team Mom: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 1) Page 4