18. Axel
18
AXEL
F riday arrived at last, and Axel jogged up the steps of Eden’s porch, feeling pleased about the evening he had planned.
The week had passed in slow motion for him, though some good things had happened. He’d picked up more kids biking on the way to school every morning, and it was actually kind of fun to feel like the Pied Piper leading them all on a tour of town, and then off to school.
And he began each day at Eden’s house, drinking in a glimpse of her happy, sleepy face as she hugged Jack goodbye with her soft, fluffy bathrobe over her work outfit, which was beyond adorable.
He’d even taken to coming up to say hello in her classroom before heading down to the gymnasium in the mornings, too.
What will I do when the unit on flag football is over?
He hoped they would be working on the football club together, and he would still get to see some of the kids regularly. But that was far from a done deal .
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Eden opened it right away and stepped out into the clear winter night.
“Hi,” she said shyly, her blue eyes sparkling.
“Hey,” he replied, trying not to let his eyes slide up and down her body. She looked so pretty in a soft sweater over a long wool skirt with boots underneath. He wished he could just kiss her right here and now.
Earn it, he reminded himself. Show her you’re a gentleman.
“I’ll just grab my coat,” she said over her shoulder as she popped back inside.
He noticed the boxes of lights on the porch table and wondered if she needed help hanging them. Come to think of it, he didn’t see a tree in the window either—though maybe it was set up in one of the rooms in back. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.
“Where are we headed?” she asked him when she came back out.
“It’s a surprise,” he told her as he led her to his truck.
Her eyebrows lifted as he began driving, and she smiled, looking delighted.
His heart surged at having put that smile on her face.
“Not a big surprise or anything,” he warned her. “Just a nice meal, like I promised you.”
“If it’s anything like last time, you’re going to knock it out of the park,” she told him.
“I guess I owe Caleb one, huh?” he said, chuckling.
“That was really special,” she agreed.
There was a half-second of silence and he felt her nerves trying to get the best of her .
“How was your day?” he asked, knowing that any nervousness she felt would be gone in a heartbeat once she started talking about her students. “Did your kids behave?”
Eden laughed and immediately launched into a funny story about some of the feedback her kids had given each other on their story drafts. And that made him think about something great they had done in gym class, and so the conversation bounced back and forth easily.
Is this what it would be like to be married?
He hadn’t meant to have that thought. All she had asked of him when she agreed he could take her out was that they take things slowly, and he was already getting them hitched in his mind.
But he was having a hard time not envisioning them at a supper table with Jack, or on a car trip, or even just the two of them sitting on rockers on the porch decades from now, counting stars.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” she asked suddenly.
They had been driving out of town for a few minutes. But they were right on track.
“I know it’s a bit of a hike, but we’re almost there,” he assured her. “And just to put it out there, I’ve never been, but I’ve heard good things.”
“So mysterious,” she said with a smile.
He signaled and pulled into a shopping center a few minutes later, cursing himself for choosing a place that looked so unromantic. Hopefully, the food was good enough to make up for it .
“Thai food,” she breathed as soon as he pulled into a great parking spot right up front.
“You mentioned that you liked it,” he said gruffly.
“I love it,” she told him. “Thank you so much for this. I didn’t know when I’d ever have it again.”
“Well, now you can have it whenever you want,” he said, smiling down at her happy face.
He pulled open the door, expecting bells over it to jingle and for them to choose a seat in an over-lit cafeteria style eatery. He’d been to the little diner that used to be in this spot once or twice after away games.
But what greeted them now was incredible. The old vinyl flooring was gone, replaced with finished wood. And instead of a drop-tile ceiling with softly whining fluorescent lights, globe lights had been hung among a thicket of brightly colored artificial flowers that made the space feel almost like they were about to have dinner in an enchanted wood, or a magical flower shop.
“Wow,” Eden murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Welcome,” a lady in a pink suit said, striding toward them with menus in hand. “Did you have a reservation?”
“Yes, thank you,” Axel said. “Williams, party of two.”
“Please follow me,” the lady said, leading them past the other tables.
He gestured for Eden to go first and couldn’t resist placing his hand on the small of her back when she obeyed.
Can’t have any other guy here thinking the prettiest girl in the place is available …
“Here we are,” the hostess said, leading them to a table in the back with a little extra space around it.
There was a burbling fountain surrounded by potted palms nearby. And colorful paper lanterns hung between the flowers on the ceiling.
“This is so pretty,” Eden said.
“I’m glad you like it,” he told her, pulling out her chair. “I hope the food is as nice as the ambiance.”
“Do you like Thai food?” she asked him, her eyes sparkling.
“Never had it,” he had to admit. “But I’m looking forward to it. Jack said it was chicken and noodles, right?”
“That and plenty more, but yes,” she said. “I think you’ll love it.”
“Why don’t you order for us,” he suggested.
“Really?” she asked. Her eyes were dancing and she looked completely delighted.
“Of course,” he said. “You know more about this food.”
“Okay,” she said excitedly. “Is there anything you dislike or that doesn’t agree with you? Allergies?”
“Nope,” he said with a smile. “Just keep in mind I’m a big eater, so whatever you think I’ll like, get twice as much as you think I’ll need.”
She began scanning the menu eagerly and nodding to herself.
When a waiter came to greet them, she talked with him for a few minutes and asked questions, then placed their orders, including beverages.
“I hope you’ll like what I chose,” she said, looking a little worried after the waiter had gone .
His heart ached at the expression on her face. Eden wasn’t a worrywart. This was her past haunting her, making her think her choices wouldn’t measure up to his expectations.
It clearly wasn’t just Jack who had never been allowed to feel that he measured up. He fought back the urge to growl and pace at the thought of it.
“It’s a meal with you, Eden,” he told her carefully, making sure to look right in her eyes so she could see he meant it. “I’m going to love it no matter what it is. And besides, it’s smells really good in here.”
That won him a big smile.
Another waiter came up to fill their water glasses. His eyes lit up when he saw Axel.
“Hey, I remember you,” he said with a warm smile. “Axel Williams. That was an amazing play back in the day. You guys did a Philly Special before it was called a Philly Special. I was at that game.”
“No way,” Axel said, offering the man his hand.
The waiter placed the water pitcher down on the table and shook his hand energetically.
“Nice to see you around again, Axel,” he said, looking really pleased.
He poured them each a glass of water before heading back toward the front of the restaurant.
“Is that weird?” Eden asked suddenly.
“Is what weird?” he asked her.
“That everyone wants to talk to you about something that happened so long ago?” she asked.
“Oh,” he said, surprised. “No, no, that’s something the whole county was proud of. ”
She nodded and smiled, but he winced a little, feeling egotistical for the way he had said it.
“I can’t really think of how to explain it,” he went on, doing his best. “But when people mention that play, it’s like they’re telling me I’m still part of the community, even though I’ve been away so long—they remember that I was part of that game.”
“Were you scared?” she asked, leaning forward.
“When?” he asked, trying to keep up.
“When they called the play,” she said. “Did you feel ready?”
“I mean, yes and no,” he told her. “We had tried it a couple of times in practice, of course. Coach knew about a college team that had already pulled it off, so we weren’t the first. But I wasn’t sure about throwing.”
“Yeah, it looked like you were really concentrating,” she said, nodding. Then her blue eyes widened as if she realized she had given herself away.
He pictured his bookish schoolteacher bent over her laptop screen to watch him play football and had to smile.
“So, you found Eddie Hefflin’s mom’s video,” he teased her. “Did you like the part where Frank spills his soda?”
“Yes, we watched it a few times,” she admitted, looking down as her cheeks flushed pink. “It’s a shame there’s not a better video.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, tickled. “Why?”
“It was impressive,” she admitted, peeking up at him with a little smile .
“How do you feel about Jack playing one day?” he asked her.
Football was a tough sport, and she was the protective type. If she’d watched that video, then she’d seen some teenagers tackling each other enthusiastically, while the adults in the bleachers screamed like animals.
“I like the way you talk to them about what it means to be part of a team,” she said thoughtfully. “I think that’s really good for him—for any kid.”
Pride warmed Axel’s chest and he let himself soak it in just for a second. That wasn’t at all what he’d expected her to say.
He wasn’t experienced with kids. But Eden was a real teacher, and she thought he was doing a good job—and not just with all the kids in general, but with Jack.
It meant a lot.
And it made him wonder how much more he could do.