Chapter 3 #3
“What do you mean, what happened? Dude, my kid can’t read.”
Aaron’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“That’s why he called her the wrong name. He can’t read.”
“All right. Pieces are starting to fall into place, but hold up. That doesn’t mean you two can get out of this.”
“Why not? We didn’t do anything wrong.”
Aaron made the shot and passed him the ball. “We have to think big picture, friend. These kids have to learn to work out their conflict instead of getting suspended. And you and Mrs. Binford can be adults about this and show each other that you can resolve your differences too.”
Ethan rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. The eye-rolling tells me that you need some work.”
He bit back a snide comment, then launched a jump shot from the top of the key. The ball clanged off the front of the rim. Bummer.
Aaron chased down the ball, then sank an effortless shot. He grinned. “Show me what you’ve got, Clutch.”
Ethan mimicked Aaron’s position on the court, then shot the ball. It clanged off the rim again. Aaron lunged and grabbed it before it rolled across the room.
“You’ve got a P and an I there, my guy,” Aaron said. “I know you don’t like to lose. Lost your touch?”
Ethan glared at him. “Hardly.”
Aaron took the ball to the hoop for an easy layup. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did you figure out that Brody couldn’t read?”
“I asked him.”
“You didn’t have any idea?” Aaron frowned. “You strike me as a hands-on dad.”
“Because I have to be.” Ethan grabbed the rebound and made a layup.
Finally.
“To be honest I wasn’t around much until I retired from the Coast Guard. My wife’s been gone a little over a year. She handled everything, and I do mean everything, when it came to Brody.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry about your wife. What was her name?”
“Adeline.”
Aaron held the ball in both hands, then nodded. “I bet she was a great mom.”
“Yeah, she was.”
“Well.” Aaron bounced the ball once. “You’re here, you’ve got a whole community around you and your incredible family, so we need to work together—not only to get Brody back on track but to get you to work through your big feelings.”
Um, no thank you.
“What do you say, Clutch? You in? You willing to make this right? Show your son what it means to restore a broken relationship?”
Ethan sighed. “All right, I’m in. I’m sorry for how I walked out of your office today. That wasn’t right, and I set a bad example for Brody.”
“Apology accepted.” Aaron grinned, then stepped back and launched the basketball from behind the three-point line. The ball sailed through the air, then swished through the net. “Now, if you want to win, you’ll need to make this next one.”
“Why’d you have to nail a three?” Ethan groaned. He hadn’t hit one of those all night.
“Game’s on the line.” Aaron retrieved the ball that had just swished through the net. Again.
“Yeah, well, that’s not all that’s on the line.”
Ethan stepped into the spot Aaron had just vacated, double-checked to make sure his toes were behind the line, and shot the ball toward the rim like he’d done thousands of times. It hit the front of the rim and bounced off.
“Yes!” Aaron pumped his fist in the air, then taunted Ethan with a ridiculous victory dance. “That’s P-I-G for you, my friend.”
“Your lame dance is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Sorry, I know it’s not right to gloat. I’m glad Brody wasn’t here to see that.”
“Facts.” Ethan took a bottle of water from the cooler he’d loaded earlier and handed it to Aaron.
“Clutch, would now be a good time to ask you if you’re interested in coaching basketball?”
“What? No. Why would you ask me that?”
Aaron twisted the cap off the bottle. “Because you’re a legend around here. Or have you forgotten?”
“Some legend.” Ethan scoffed. “I missed a basket at the worst possible time.”
The plastic crinkled in Aaron’s hand as he took a sip. “We learn our best lessons when we have the courage to bounce back from our failures.”
“I feel like that should be a poster on the wall behind your desk.”
“Have you always been this mouthy?” Aaron gave him a playful shove. “The reason I’m recruiting you to coach is the winter rec league for basketball starts up soon. I saw Brody nail that shot, so—”
“Breaking news. He told me he doesn’t like basketball.”
“Well, it’d be a great way for you both to do something together.”
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t want to do. If he’s struggling in school, mandatory after-school activities aren’t the way to go.”
Aaron shrugged. “But maybe he’ll come around. You’d be coaching a co-ed team—boys and girls. One practice session plus one game a week—low commitment. It’s about sportsmanship and working on basic skills.”
“How about our big feelings?” Ethan teased. “Will we work on those too?”
Aaron gave him a look. “Don’t mock me. This is a serious offer.”
Ethan ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll think about it, because I certainly owe you one.”
“No, you don’t owe me anything.” Aaron shook his head. “You’re an incredible athlete, Ethan. You’ve had a fantastic career. I know how much Redemption meant to you. I’m just here as your friend and former teammate, offering you a second chance to make things right.”
Except that coaching a sport Brody didn’t want to play seemed like the worst way to right any of his past wrongs. What if this backfired and drove them even further apart?