Lisa quickly answered to try to put Celeste at ease and also to avoid an awkward conversation. “We had a tournament there, and guess what. We won and Emily made the All-Tournament team.”
The color started returning to Celeste’s face, and she noticeably relaxed a little bit. “That’s fantastic news. Congratulations and I’ll be sure to congratulate Emily in class later.”
Celeste didn’t mention that she was also in Las Vegas, so Lisa didn’t bring it up. “I came by to see how Emily was doing in your class. Is she still keeping up?”
“Oh, yes, she’s doing great. She’s pulling an A-minus right now, and if she does well on her final next week, she should finish with an A or A-minus.”
“That’s great. I was worried there for a while, but she’s a really hard worker so I’m proud of her for stepping it up.”
A few moments of silence sat between them, and Lisa didn’t know what else to say. All Lisa knew was that she wanted a little more time to be in Celeste’s presence.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?” Lisa inwardly cringed. That wasn’t supposed to happen. That’s not what she wanted to say. She didn’t need to be taking any time away from her coaching, but she panicked in an effort to stay for a few minutes longer and that was what she came up with. Geez. Way to be cool, Tobias.
“I’d like that, but would you mind if we kept it platonic? You see, I dated a woman I worked with and it didn’t end well, but I like you and I’d like to be friends.”
Lisa felt relief and disappointment all at once, and she didn’t know how to react exactly so she just smiled. “Yes, of course. I’d like to be friends with you too. Who couldn’t use more friends?” Now Lisa was just sounding like a dork. She tried to recover. “I don’t have many friends here besides Athena. Not anyone I associate with. It’ll be nice to have someone else to hang out with from time to time.”
“Oh, good. I’ve wanted to ask you if you wanted to do something with me, but I didn’t know how to ask without it sounding like a date or something.” Celeste gave a small uncomfortable laugh. Now things were just starting to get weird. Time to shut it down.
“Great.” Lisa stood to leave. “Is there any night that doesn’t work? We have a game Thursday night, but every other night I’m free.”
“How about Friday? I’m done with classes that day by four. Invite Athena. Since she’s also a colleague, I’d like to get to know her too.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later this week with details.”
“Wonderful. And, Coach? Congratulations on the tournament.”
Lisa scuffed her shoe on the floor and thanked her in an aw-shucks sort of way.
When Lisa left her office, Celeste looked up to the ceiling and let out a deep breath. That was an interesting conversation. She’d been so happy to see Lisa when she’d arrived. But when Lisa said she’d been in Las Vegas at the same time Celeste had been there, she’d felt herself begin to panic. What if she’d seen Celeste perform? God, she would’ve been mortified if Lisa’d seen her dressed in her costume. It was one thing to dress like that and perform in front of strangers but quite another to do it in front of her colleagues. Now that she thought about it, maybe it was Lisa she saw in the restaurant the first night she was there. But Lisa didn’t mention the pole competition so Celeste felt herself relax. Besides, Lisa was probably too busy with her team to do anything extracurricular.
She was looking forward to having dinner with Lisa and Athena, and getting to know them better. She’d felt like it was a safe idea to have an extra person as a buffer so she was glad that Lisa agreed to the idea. Maybe Olivia would like to go as well. Olivia had mentioned over the weekend that her husband would be on a business trip this coming week. She picked up the phone and dialed Olivia’s extension.
“Hey, Carl is out of town this week, right? Would you like to have dinner with the coaches from the women’s basketball team?”
“If you tell me how this came to be arranged.”
“It’s no big deal. Lisa asked me to dinner, we agreed to do it as friends, and I told her to invite her assistant coach. I thought it would be less awkward to have four of us instead of three.”
“No, what would be less awkward is for the assistant coach and me not to be intruding on your date with the coach.”
“It’s not a date. How many times do I have to tell you that I won’t date anyone I work with again?”
“Come on, Celeste. Lisa is nothing like Jackie, and I can tell just by the first time I saw her when she took us for a walk around campus. I never did like Jackie, and I could’ve told you from day one that she wouldn’t be good for you.”
“Well, why didn’t you? You could’ve saved me from a lot of embarrassment.”
“You didn’t ask for my opinion. I try never to give my friends unsolicited advice.”
“Now you tell me.” Celeste chuckled to lighten things up and let Olivia know she was kidding. Sort of. “So, go with us to dinner, then you can give me an honest opinion of Lisa. Doesn’t mean I’m going to date her, but I’ll listen to your opinion.”
“Whatever. Fine, I’ll go to dinner with you.”
“Great, I’ll call Lisa and let her know, and I’ll call you back with the when and where.”
Celeste hung up and felt a little more relief creep into her. Having her best friend there with her would make her feel more comfortable. Olivia had always been great in social situations. Although Lisa and Celeste agreed to have this dinner as a platonic event, Celeste still had a small fluttering in her stomach. After all, Lisa was very handsome and Celeste was definitely attracted to her, but that didn’t mean she would act on it.
* * *
Lisa was sitting at her desk drafting some recruiting letters when she looked up and saw Emily standing in the doorway fiddling with her backpack straps, not looking like her recently confident self.
“What’s up, Logan?”
“Um, can I talk to you, Coach?”
“Always. Come in and close the door.”
Emily took off her bulky backpack, and she flopped into the chair. She looked at Lisa and started crying. Lisa got up from behind her desk and took a seat in the chair next to Emily.
“What’s going on, Logan? How can I help you?”
Emily wiped her eyes and took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths. “I’m gay.”
Is that all? I thought she was in some sort of trouble, but given her background, I need to handle this carefully. “Thank you for telling me. That was very brave of you to come out to me.”
“Are you mad, Coach? Do you hate me?”
“Just the opposite, kiddo. I’m so proud of you for having the courage to come out. I know how scary that is.”
“You do?”
“Yes, Logan, I do. When did you realize you were a lesbian?”
“Last year.” Emily went on to tell Lisa about the girl she dated last year.
That’s why her grades were so bad last spring.
“It took me all summer to get over her, but I couldn’t even talk to my parents or sister about it. It was the longest three months ever.”
Emily came from a conservative religious family and Lisa could only imagine how they’d react to Emily’s discovery.
“So, your family doesn’t know?”
“No. You and Professor Bouchard are the only ones that know.”
“You told Professor Bouchard? What did she say?” This must be what Celeste was talking about when she referred to Emily’s personal problems.
“She was great. She said I could always talk to her if I needed to. She’s the one who encouraged me to tell you. She said you’d be understanding, and she was right. I think she’s the best professor or teacher I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad she’s been there for you. Just so you know, Coach Chang and I will always be here for you too, Emily. Do any of your teammates know?”
Emily shook her head. “I haven’t said anything, but they probably know or think it.”
“Coming out is your decision, kiddo. Athena and I won’t tell anyone so whenever you’re comfortable, you can tell them when you want to. Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah, Coach. I’m a lot better now that you know and that you don’t hate me.”
Lisa smiled and put her arm around Emily’s shoulders. “I could never hate you, Emily. I really appreciate you trusting me with this. Remember, you can talk to me about anything. My door is always open.”
“Thanks, Coach.” Emily gave Lisa a quick hug before putting on her backpack. “I’ll see you in a few hours for the game.”
Once Emily left, Lisa sat back in her chair and grinned at the thought that Celeste encouraged Emily to tell Lisa. She’d have to thank her for that.
* * *
Celeste walked down the bleachers just as the players were being announced. She took a seat on the hardwood bench about six rows up from the floor. That would give her a better view of the game, and if she was being honest, a better view of Lisa. A few students a little farther down said hello to her. When they said her name, Lisa turned around and looked pleased to see Celeste. She smiled and gave a little wave before returning her attention to the team.
The announcer welcomed the crowd to the game, and when he introduced each player, they did a cute greeting with a high-five, elbow bump, hand shake, and a little hop. Celeste had no idea why each player did that and had their own unique greeting, but it was certainly entertaining.
The game started and Glassell University quickly scored. The next time down the court, Emily passed it to a player who nearly missed it because she was pulling her hair tighter in her ponytail.
Lisa screamed out, “Novac, stop messing with your damn hair!” Probably everyone in the gym heard her because there was a lot of laughter.
The player yelled back, “Sorry, Coach,” which brought on even more laughter. Lisa turned around and faced the crowd, running her fingers through her hair, looking frustrated and amused all at once.
Oh, no. Celeste could find herself in a little bit of trouble. Lisa looked adorable, and it gave Celeste a little tingle. No, I’m not going there. Lisa and I are friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be. She was able to put that thought in the back of her mind. And she was mostly successful. Every once in a while, Lisa would yell out to a player to run a certain play, yell at the referee for making a bad call, yell at a player for being careless and turning the ball over, and stomping her foot on the floor in frustration. Celeste was discovering that she liked the fired-up Lisa with her red face in a scowl and her hands on her hips. Something about that turned Celeste on, and a thought popped in her head, certainly uninvited, and she wondered if Lisa was that intense during sex. Stop, Celeste. You’re never going to find out.
Celeste had been tempted to leave at halftime of the game so she wouldn’t torture herself anymore by paying a little too close attention to Lisa, but she really did enjoy watching the team play. She felt like she was learning more about the game itself. She also liked supporting Emily. She’d realized that Glassell University was a lot different from her previous college and that the student-athletes did work hard in the classroom. Sure, their respective sports might have helped pay their way through college, but they needed to work hard in the classroom and get good grades in order to stay in school and continue to play. Celeste now felt ashamed that she assumed all college athletes were the same. In fact, she’d realized a very small percentage of the student-athlete population was looking for a free pass in school. She’d seen firsthand how hard Emily had worked to pull up her grade. It hadn’t been right that she let a few dishonest coaches at her previous university ruin the whole lot.
Celeste waved back to Emily when the team came back into the gym to warm up before the start of the second half. Then Athena waved to her. Celeste laughed and wondered if the whole team would follow suit. They didn’t, thankfully. The buzzer rang and the team and coaches transformed from a group that had looked light-hearted and goofy to a group that was on a mission to win.
The second half flew by. The opposing team had gotten to within five points toward the end of the third quarter, but the entire fourth quarter belonged to GU. Emily Logan had been especially impressive. Making a few steals, hitting four three-pointers, and commanding her team to a win. Celeste smiled to herself. That was Emily’s team. Her teammates followed her into battle and listened to everything she said. Now that Celeste had gotten to know her a little more, she was impressed with her hard work and determination. She was going to be very successful in whatever she chose to do in life.
After the game finished and the teams congratulated each other, Lisa got Celeste’s attention and called her down. Celeste took great care walking down the bleachers in her four-inch heels. She could do some serious damage if she fell down the steps.
“Hi. Thanks for coming to the game.” Lisa leaned closer and lowered her voice. “And thanks for encouraging Emily to talk to me. She came to see me this afternoon and told me that she’s a lesbian.”
“My pleasure. Was she okay?”
“Yes. She was nervous, but we had a good talk and everything is good.”
Celeste nodded and smiled. “I’m glad.”
Athena came over and said hello. “I’m looking forward to dinner tomorrow night.”
Celeste smiled at them both. “Yes, I am too. Did you decide on a place yet?”
Lisa nodded. “How about Rutabagorz near campus?”
“Perfect. I love that place.”
Lisa looked pleased that Celeste liked their food and that she’d made the right choice. “Great. Athena and I will meet you and Olivia there around seven if that’s okay. We could probably make it a little earlier, but practice is late tomorrow and doesn’t end until six.”
“Seven is fine. We’ll see you both there. And again, great job tonight.”
Lisa and Athena gathered their things and went to meet with the team.
“Are you sure you want me crashing your dinner tomorrow night? I feel a little weird.”
“I told you, Athena, it’s a friendly dinner amongst colleagues. It was Celeste’s idea to invite you and her friend. It’s totally fine.”
“All right, pal. If you say so. It was nice of her to come to the game. What did she say when you told her we saw her in Las Vegas?”
“I didn’t tell her and you’re not going to either. I get the feeling she didn’t want me to know, otherwise she would have told me when I told her we’d been in Vegas at the same time. She seems to keep things close to her vest. She’s not very forthcoming about personal things, but she’s starting to open up a little each time we see each other.”
“Okay, I won’t say anything, but I don’t think it’s anything for her to be embarrassed about. She did a great job.”
“Agreed, buddy, but we’re not going to bring it up.”
They opened the door to the team’s meeting room and found the ladies dancing and letting loose. They quieted down when they saw Lisa and gave her their attention.
“Great job, team. We’re getting better with each game. Logan, great defense and shooting tonight.” The team cheered and whooped it up. “Mac, outstanding rebounding.” More cheers. “Novac, nice game when you weren’t messing with your hair.” The team busted out in laughter, including Novac.
“Sorry, Coach. Won’t happen again.”
“Okay, ladies, bring it in. Remember, practice starts at four tomorrow so be in the training room by three to get your ankles taped.” They all reached in and put their hands together and shouted “team.” They cheered then scattered to the training room and locker room.
Lisa loved how hard this team worked in practice, games, and in the classroom, but they also knew how to let loose and have a good time. Lisa felt this was one of the best teams she’d ever coached.
Chapter Thirteen
Celeste parked about a block away from the restaurant, and she and Olivia exited the car. The streets of Old Town had been decorated for the holidays for the past two weeks,
but this was the first time Celeste had been able to appreciate them. There was red, green, silver, and gold garland wrapped around the street posts and different Happy Holiday signs on each side of the street. In the small park at the center of the traffic circle, there was a humongous Christmas tree decorated in lights and ornaments, and also giant decorative nutcrackers scattered about. Maybe after dinner, she could talk the ladies into taking a stroll over to the park to see the decorations up close.
They approached Lisa and Athena standing in front of the restaurant. Athena was dressed casually with jeans, a gray hoodie sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. She looked like she was dressed to have dinner with friends. Lisa, on the other hand, was dressed like she was going on a date, and Celeste couldn’t help but feel a little thrill. Did Lisa dress that nice when she went out with friends, or did she dress up a little more for Celeste? Lisa was wearing nice dark blue jeans, a deep red button-down shirt, a black leather jacket, and black loafers. Celeste had seen Lisa dress nice before, but this was a different look from what Celeste was used to. Lisa looked gorgeous, and Celeste was disappointed once again that they worked together. If Lisa didn’t work for Glassell University and Celeste had met Lisa at a random get-together or social function, she definitely would’ve loved dating Lisa.
Celeste and Olivia reached Lisa and Athena, and there was an awkward moment where she didn’t know if she should hug or shake hands with Lisa, or just do nothing except say hello. Instead, she introduced Olivia to Lisa and Athena, they shook hands, then they all went inside. The restaurant was fairly busy since it was a Friday night, but they managed to get a back corner table away from the noise. Lisa, like a true gentlewoman, held out the chairs for Celeste and Olivia to be seated, then draped her jacket over her chair before sitting down. Celeste caught Olivia’s side glance as Lisa was holding out their chairs, and she knew there would be a conversation about that later. If Celeste could read Olivia’s mind, she would’ve said, “Are you kidding me? If you don’t go out with her, I may leave Carl and go out with her myself.”
Taking a Shot at Love Page 10