Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
NOAH
Last night’s basketball practice has given me a fresh sense of rightness regarding taking this job in Elk Lake.
I had started to despair that my decision to leave Chicago was the worst thing I could have done.
But now, there might really be something here for me.
Seeing the boys’ spark of competitiveness last night has really given me something to hold on to.
“Mr. Riley,” the principal’s voice booms as loudly as ever across the entrance to the school. “How’s our basketball team?”
I take three long strides until I’m standing right in front of him. “Better than they’ve ever been.”
His grin spreads across the expanse of his wide face. “Excellent!”
Before he can walk away, I add, “But only because they practiced against the girls last night. They had to work hard not to be shown up.”
Johnathan’s face crinkles in confusion. “What girls were they practicing against? We don’t have a girls’ team.”
“The girls I told you about yesterday,” I remind him. “The girls that want a team.”
“Ah, yes. Well, we still don’t have a coach for them.”
“Allie Rogers is coming in to talk to you today,” I remind him. “She’s the one I recommended for the English teacher job.”
“Good, good! I’d like to fill that position ASAP.”
“She also played basketball here at Elk Lake High back in the day. She coached the girls last night.”
Jamming his hands deeply into his pockets, Johnathan asks, “Did the girls take a horrible beating?”
For the life of me I can’t figure out why this man is so resistant to a girls’ basketball team. We’ve had them in the past and they’ve done well. “They beat the boys by two points,” I tell him.
The look of surprise on his face could be a meme for a super strong laxative taking effect at an inopportune moment. Seriously, the man looks like he’s about to explode. “They did? Well, how about that!”
“The boys played harder than I’ve seen, which makes me optimistic they can improve.” I’m not ready to promise they’ll be contenders for any important wins, but last night was certainly a step up from where they’ve been.
“You say Allie’s coming in today?” It seems that he might finally be getting on board with giving the girls an equal opportunity.
“That’s what she told me.”
“Would you mind being part of the interview process?” he asks me.
Being that I recommended Allie for the job and now have more faith than ever that she’s right for it, I tell him, “I’d love to. Just call me when she gets here.”
I head into the gym after Johnathan walks away.
My class is already there so I blow my whistle before instructing them to start warming up.
When the freshmen are running around the court, Leah Flynn breaks ranks and jogs over to me.
“Hey, Coach,” she says expectantly like she’s waiting to hear some good news.
“Leah,” I say. “Nice job last night.”
“Thank you.”
After a few beats, I ask, “Is there something you need?”
“Are we going to get a team or not?” she demands.
“I don’t know yet. But I’m working on it.”
“You mean with Miss Rogers? We really liked her.”
I like her too, but I don’t tell Leah that. Instead, I say, “She’s coming in to interview for Mrs. Bailey’s job today. We’ll see how that goes.”
Leah jumps up and down like I just told her that she’d been drafted by a division one university. “That’s great! Then I’d have her for English and basketball!”
I watch as she runs back to join the rest of the class. Allie has made quite an impression, which after last night’s game appears to be well-earned. The girls were already good, but having an encouraging coach is make or break for how well a team performs in competition.
The rest of the day flies by and at three o’clock the office calls over the intercom, “Mr. Riley to the front office.”
I practically skip there like a schoolgirl. I see Allie before she sees me, and I stop dead in my tracks. She looks so happy and hopeful, I almost don’t recognize her as the same person who was in my upstairs hallway yesterday.
“Allie!” I call out as I approach her. When she turns her head in my direction, I ask, “You excited?”
Her expression shifts from surprise to pure sweetness. “I don’t have the job yet, Noah.”
Mr. Cooke walks out of his office and veers toward us. “Allie Rogers!” he gushes enthusiastically. “It’s been at least a decade since I’ve laid eyes on you. How are you?”
Sticking her hand out to shake his, Allie tells him, “I’m good, Mr. Cooke. How are you?”
“It’s Johnathan now,” he booms. “Why don’t we go sit in my office and have a chat?”
Allie turns to me as though to say goodbye, but I follow along. Leaning in, I whisper, “Johnathan asked me to join your meeting.”
Her head tilts as a look of curiosity crosses her features.
Once we get into the principal’s office, Johnathan sits on his big black chair behind his desk and motions for us to take the two seats across from it. When we’re settled, he tells Allie, “Noah is a big fan of yours.”
She side-eyes me briefly before responding, “That’s very nice to hear. We had fun last night watching the girls and boys play basketball.”
“Basketball isn’t my biggest priority, Allie,” he says.
While he’s made this abundantly clear, I still have the urge to reach out and smack the side of his head. Basketball might not be his priority, but having a sport can make or break a kid’s high school career. It can also be the deciding factor on whether or not they get to go to college.
“I graduated college Phi Beta Kappa with an English major,” Allie tells him.
“That’s very impressive, but without a license I can’t hire you full time. In fact, even to substitute we’d have to file for a special permit.” So much for my thinking she could sub without credentials.
“How long does a special permit take?” Allie asks nervously.
Johnathan answers, “It shouldn’t take long. We’ve posted the job and have yet to get any applicants, so I can file for emergency coverage.”
“I thought you just found out that Trish was leaving,” I interject. “How long have you had the job posted?”
Johnathan smiles somewhat deviously. “Two days, but I can fudge my way around that if Miss Rogers is the right candidate.”
“And how will you know if I’m the right candidate?” Allie asks.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” Johnathan’s laughter reverberates around the room.
“So you’re offering her the job?” I ask, looking for clarification.
He trains his gaze on Allie. “I can’t pay you what I could if you were certified, but I can offer enough extra that if you take on coaching the girls in basketball, I can get you pretty darn close to Trish’s salary.” Finally, Johnathan is addressing the girls having their own team.
“What do you say, Allie?” I ask her. “Are you interested?”
She looks between me and the principal. “Don’t you have any other questions to ask me before offering me the job?”
“You’re a hometown girl with a degree. What more do I need to know?” Johnathan replies.
Allie snort/giggles before shaking her head. “I could think of a thousand things you might want to know, but honestly, Mr. Cooke, if you want me, I’m yours.”
“Johnathan,” he reminds her.
“Johnathan,” she repeats.
The principal points to me. “Noah will take you to meet Trish. She’ll give you a tour of her room and a rundown of your responsibilities.”
“Just like that?” Allie seems to be having a hard time grasping the ease with which she’s being offered employment.
“Just like that,” Johnathan assures her.
“I’ll leave the girls’ basketball team up to you.
” Standing up, he tells her, “I should have contracts for you to sign in a few days.” Then he pushes a note pad across his desk along with a pen and adds, “Write down your phone number and I’ll give you a call when everything’s ready. ”
Allie follows orders while asking, “When should I plan on starting?”
“Monday of next week,” he says.
“Can I start basketball practices before then?” she wants to know.
Johnathan nods his head. “I don’t see why not. Just work out the gym schedule with Noah here.”
Allie and I both get up and I lead the way out of the principal’s domain. Once we’re out of the office entirely, I turn to Allie. “Welcome back to Elk Lake High.”
With a look of astonishment on her face, she says, “How in the world could it be that easy to get a job here?”
“It’s Elk Lake,” I remind her. “We’re not exactly a thriving metropolis.”
“True, but still. That was fast.”
“Almost like it was meant to be, huh?”
Once again Allie honors me with a smile that as my grandmother used to say is enough to melt my butter. “How do I go about putting out a notice for girls’ basketball tryouts?” she wants to know.
“I’ll take care of that,” I assure her. “When do you want to have them?”
“I’d do it today if I could, but being that school is already over, how about tomorrow?”
“How about Friday? That gives the girls a couple days to plan.”
With a sharp nod of her head, Allie agrees. “I can do Friday. And Noah, thank you. I appreciate you bringing this opportunity to my door.”
Looking down at her, I have the strongest urge to reach out and take her hands in mine, but I don’t. Allie is skittish and not ready for anything other than friendship, so I simply tell her, “I think Elk Lake High is the winner here. We’re happy to have you onboard.”
How is it that the woman standing before me is Lorelai’s pesky little friend from childhood?
This Allie is smart and beautiful and if I’m not careful I might just lose my heart to her.
I realize that I sound like a character out of a Victorian romance novel, which is not at all my way.
There’s just something about Allie Rogers that is unlike any woman I’ve met before.