Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Tisha scraped another shovelful of mud off the linoleum inside the community center, her muscles aching but determined.
She carted it out the front door and dumped it into the plastic bin Tom had left outside.
Sunlight peeked through mottled gray clouds, illuminating the chaos surrounding Redemption.
The sounds of life filtered through the air: lively conversation, the consistent beep beep beep of heavy equipment backing up.
Redemption would slowly rebuild, but first they all had water damage and mud—so much mud—to remove.
Sadie sat on a canvas camping chair nearby, Ollie in her lap as she read one of Jennifer’s old Baby-Sitters Club books. Squinting, Sadie glanced at Tisha. “How much longer?”
“Not too much, sweetie,” Tisha replied, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. “It’s almost time to go watch Brody and Ethan’s basketball game.”
“Yay!” Sadie’s eyes sparkled, her excitement bubbling over. “I drew Brody a picture. It’s in the car. Except I want it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, that’s very sweet.” Tisha smiled. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”
Just then, Megan picked her way across the parking lot, her expression brightening the dreary scene. She wore an old Redemption High sweatshirt over leggings and rubber boots, her hair pulled back haphazardly.
“Hey there,” Megan greeted, holding a cardboard box in her hands. “Do you have a minute? I want to show you something.”
“Sure. I wouldn’t mind taking a break from mud removal,” Tisha said, leaning her shovel against the wall.
“I know, right?” Megan wrinkled her nose. “It’s gross and a little smelly.”
“You’re not wrong.” Tisha swiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt.
“Miss Megan,” Sadie said. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I have a couple of things I want to share with you girls. First for you, Sadie.” Megan set the box on top of a plastic crate nearby and opened the flaps. “I was wondering if you might like to wear a shirt I wore when I was your age. It says Redemption Pirates.”
“Oh, that’s cute,” Sadie said.
“Sometimes people wear the names of their favorite teams on their shirts when they go to the games and cheer, right? What do you think?”
“Sure! Can I put it on now, Mama?”
“Of course,” Tisha said, smiling as Sadie put her book on the chair beside Ollie, then tugged the T-shirt over her head. It fell past her hips but looked adorable with her red leggings and layered over her white long-sleeve shirt.
“Hey, we almost match!” Sadie beamed at Megan.
“And for you, Tisha.” Megan’s eyes lit up, her voice animated. “You are not going to believe this! I was in the attic putting some stuff away, and I came across this box. I wanted to make sure there weren’t any pictures getting damaged, and I found this instead.”
The smell of wool and leather filled the air as Megan pulled out a varsity letterman jacket, holding it up with pride.
“Oh wow.” Tisha clasped her hand to her mouth as she took in the sight. Pins and special icons were attached to the letter R, and when she turned it around, she saw McGuire stitched in bold letters. “This must be Ethan’s.”
“It is. I was wondering if you would like to wear it to the game today,” Megan said, her tone earnest.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Tisha hesitated, an internal battle raging. “Seems kind of extra.”
“Well, sometimes my brother needs people to show him that they are for him. Do you know what I mean? I think you guys are adorable together. And I know Brody’s team is just little kids playing rec-league basketball, but like everything Ethan does, he takes it very seriously.
I wish you could have seen his face when he looked for you after Brody made that basket. ”
“How do you know he was looking for me?” Tisha asked, her pulse quickening at the thought.
“Because I’m his little sister and I know things,” Megan replied with a wink.
Tisha laughed, the tension in her chest easing just a bit. “All right. I’ll put it on.”
“Okay, and you’ll do it, right? You’ll wear it to the game?” Megan pressed, her excitement infectious.
“Of course.”
“And don’t forget, the game starts at two. We moved it to the high school gym.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you there.” Megan picked her way across the muddy parking lot, the empty box wedged against her hip.
Tisha grabbed her shovel again, but her focus was elsewhere now. Did Ethan need her to wear that jacket? Would it mean that much to him?
“Mom, are we going to eat lunch soon?”
“Yes, I’ve got ham-and-cheese sandwiches and chips, and we’ve got lots of pie,” Tisha said, pointing toward the small cooler she’d packed.
“That is a nice jacket. Mr. Ethan will be happy to see you wear it,” Sadie said, her innocent insight stirring emotions within Tisha.
Tisha smiled, warmth spreading through her. “I think you’re right.”
She meant what she had said to Ethan; she was ready to move forward.
Chase was her past, and she wanted very much for Ethan to be her future.
This was her declaration, a public gesture of affection that she needed to make—not just for Ethan, but for herself and for Sadie.
As she stood there, the jacket heavy in her hands, Tisha felt a surge of hope.
Today would be different. Today, she would embrace her future.
Wow, this place was packed.
Ethan stood at the end of the bench, the familiar smells of hot dogs and popcorn wafting from the concession stand, taking him right back to his high school days when he played in this very gym.
But he couldn’t get distracted. They were down by four points with only two minutes left in the first half.
The kids were playing hard. Brody was happy to be there, which was already a win.
And Sierra—Ethan’s little powerhouse—had taken control of the game.
What a feisty point guard she had turned out to be as she dribbled down the court.
“Let’s go, Ninja Narwhals!” he called out, his heart racing.
Wait. He heard a familiar voice and glanced over his shoulder.
Tisha sat with his family in the bleachers.
His breath caught. Was she wearing his high school varsity jacket?
She grinned and waved with both hands. He couldn’t help but smile back, nodding in approval before shifting his focus back to the game.
Good thing he was paying attention, too, because Sierra passed Brody the ball. “Brody, shoot!” she urged. “You can do it! Shoot, Brody, shoot!”
The kids on the bench clapped and yelled, their energy infectious. Brody glanced at his dad, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
“You’ve got this. You can do it,” Ethan called out. The clock ticked down as Brody took a deep breath, launching a gorgeous jump shot that sailed through the air.
“Come on, come on,” Ethan said.
But the ball clanged off the front of the rim.
“Oh, unlucky, unlucky.” Ethan clapped his hands.
The scoreboard buzzed, signaling the end of the first half.
“All right, bring it in, bring it in.” Nicholas motioned for them all to move down to the end of the bench. “Great job, team.”
Brody slumped into a chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “I missed.”
“Hey.” Ethan sank down in front of him, placing both hands on Brody’s knees. “No big deal, man. It’s okay. You’ll get it next time. Super proud of you.”
Brody bit his lip, disappointment evident.
Ethan caught Tisha’s eye again. Her smile, the way her face glowed in the gym lights, and the way she pointed to his jacket made him smile back. Man, she looked good.
Ethan hung back, letting Nicholas give the kids pointers. He handed out water, listening patiently to their commentary, including little Jet’s insistence that he needed to sub in for a three-pointer.
“That’s the spirit, my man.” Ethan ruffled the kid’s sweaty hair. “I bet you’ve got a three in you.”
The kid was the smallest on the team but perhaps the most enthusiastic. “Sub me in, Coach, please!”
Ethan and Nicholas exchanged glances. “Good plan. Be smart about the shots you take.”
As time ticked on, both teams traded leads back and forth. Folks must have put their disaster-relief efforts on hold to attend this game because Ethan had never seen a gym this full for a rec-league basketball game featuring second graders.
He tried to stay focused, but he couldn’t shake the thought of Tisha in that jacket.
“Come on, Brody, shoot!” Sierra passed him the ball again.
Ethan had spent so much time daydreaming that he hadn’t realized the clock was winding down.
They were down by one. Brody managed to dribble toward the basket, but the other team had a tall kid down low, waving his hands in the air.
Brody executed a clever little turn, dribbling back out.
“Come on, come on, you’ve got this,” Ethan whispered, clenching a towel with both hands. “Take the shot, pal.”
With the clock ticking down from five, Brody flung up a wild shot. The ball swished through the net. “That’s the way!”
The buzzer rang—they’d won!
Ethan ran onto the court and swept Brody into his arms, twirling him around in a circle as if they’d just won state. “I am so proud of you!”
Brody flung his arms around Ethan’s neck, and Ethan reveled in the joy radiating from him. “That was awesome, Dad!”
Ethan didn’t want to let him go, but they needed to show good sportsmanship and shake the other team’s hands. “Come on, pal, line up. Tell everybody good job, okay?”
The kids lined up, slapping hands. Ethan shook the other coaches’ hands.
“Way to go, Clutch! Your kid’s got your sweet shot.”
He laughed. “I don’t know about that. He’s still young yet.”
They herded the kids off the court. One of the moms had brought granola bars and tangerines.
The kids settled down, all chatting about who had the best shoes.
Honestly, Ethan couldn’t get their pep talk over with fast enough.
He reminded them about their next practice, encouraged them to help their parents with cleanup, and promised to see them soon.
When he finished, Tisha waited at the edge of the court, her eyes sparkling. “Great game,” she said, giving Brody a high five. “That was a beautiful shot, my man.”
“Thanks,” Brody said, looking around for the hoodie he’d discarded.
“Nice jacket,” Ethan remarked, nodding toward Tisha.
“Thanks. Megan brought it over. She thought I might want to wear it.”
“Huh. Never thought you’d be the kind of girl to wear a guy’s letterman jacket.”
Her brows sailed upward. “Well, that depends. Are we a couple?”
“What kind of question is that? We are absolutely a couple.”
“Well, I only wear the jackets of my favorite players.” She tilted her head, a teasing smile on her lips.
“If I’m your boyfriend, then you can only have one favorite player.”
“I was kind of hoping this said Clutch.” She tried to look over her shoulder. “I’m pretty happy to wear something that says McGuire though.”
His mouth ran dry, his skin flushed. What he wouldn’t give to sweep her into his arms and kiss her senseless right there.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
“I’ll behave,” he said, his gaze drifting to her lips. “For now.”
“You are a rule follower after all, right?”
Sighing, he laced his fingers through hers. “Come on, let’s go find a closet somewhere.”
“No, we can’t,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “Seriously, Ethan, I’m super proud of you. I know you were hesitant to coach, but you and Brody were a joy to watch.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“How will you celebrate the big win?” She looked around, probably making sure Sadie hadn’t gone far. Ethan spotted her sitting on the bleachers, speaking with a girl from her class at school.
“Good question. I’ll leave that up to Brody.” Ethan shook his head. “I still can’t believe we won.”
“What a sweet bonus that Brody made that winning basket.”
Pride coursed through him. It had been a leap of faith to take on coaching the Ninja Narwhals, but watching the kids—especially Brody—grow and improve with each game had been its own reward. And having Tisha there, finally, supporting them made it all the more special.