Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I was more than relieved to see Caleb with a faint scratch from his mask on his face and weary eyes, but blessedly in one piece. Get used to it, Capo. If everything went the way I hoped, I’d be worrying about Caleb for a long time to come. Not that he seemed to care about any such plans of mine at the moment.
Caleb greeted everyone as he took his seat, me included. However, his eyes slid right over me, no lingering look or meaningful sly smile tonight.
“Excellent work today, Scotty.” Angel’s tone was extra peppy, undoubtedly due to the large amount of funds the parent club was about to announce at the meeting.
“It was fun.” Scotty gave another of those rare but welcome smiles. “John and I raced to see who could plant more fall annuals.”
“Look at you having fun gardening,” Caleb teased. “Next, you’ll be bringing home some houseplants.”
“Maybe.” Scotty shrugged. “Plants don’t bug me about the dishwasher.”
“Hey, now.” Caleb undoubtedly would have said more, but Coach Willard started the meeting.
Leaning heavily on his cane, Coach Willard handed out copies of the finalized schedule of games and practices and reviewed team rules. Most families were returning from previous seasons, so the code of conduct reminders passed with only a few questions. A couple of parents took issue with new district-wide rules about signs, noisemakers, and heckling, but the meeting moved along with Angel reporting on the fundraising success and upcoming efforts, including pumpkin sales.
“My pumpkin can beat your pumpkin.” Scotty leaned back to nudge John, and Cosmo snort-laughed loud enough to earn a look from his mother.
As Angel took her seat, Coach stood up again, frowning deeply. “There have been a lot of rumors lately.”
Near me, Caleb inhaled sharply before glancing over at me. I shook my head subtly before Coach continued.
“Seems folks have been on about my health and ability to coach. And trust me, no one is happier than my Beverly that I’m announcing I’m bringing Tony Capo on board as my right-hand man and assistant. And come next year, my hope is that the school board appoints him as my successor.”
Coach Willard paused as much shuffling and murmuring took place around the room. I wasn’t surprised by the announcement or the reactions, but my pulse started to rev as Coach motioned at me. “Tony would like to say a few words.”
As I stood, I risked a glance at Caleb, who appeared stricken, a WTF meme-worthy face with wide eyes, slumping shoulders, and a slack jaw. Not giving him a heads-up had been a deliberate choice because I didn’t want to second-guess my decision. I hoped I could later make amends and alleviate his despair, but right then, all I could do was plunge ahead.
“Hi. I’m Tony Capo. A lot of you know me as Cosmo’s uncle,” I said to much laughter. “But I’m also an alumnus of Mount Hope High. We had a little success my senior year.” That got another round of smiles and nods. “And Coach will never take the credit, but he’s why I graduated. Not to put too fine a point on it, but he saved my life.”
Coach Willard shifted in his seat, looking distinctly uncomfortable at the praise. Too bad. I was going to tell my story.
“Things were rough at home. Really rough.” I glanced at Angel, who gave me a tight nod. “Coach and Beverly sent me home with food more than once. Football and the team were my safe place, and through Coach, I learned discipline, self-respect, and the importance of teamwork. This served me well in my twenty-year career as an Army Ranger. My hope is to be that same guiding influence for the next generation. There’s no replacing Coach, of course, and we’ll all have to learn and grow together. I hope to earn all of your trust and support, but there are a few other things you should know about me.”
I paused to take a breath. Next to me, Angel offered an encouraging smile, but Caleb stared stonily down at the floor. God, I hoped I wasn’t ruining every last chance I had with him. No choice but to go for broke with my next play.
“Like many service personnel, I’m dealing with the after-effects of years of deployments. Loud noises bug me, and I’ve already warned the team that getting a celebratory bath from the drink cooler is one of my worst nightmares.” That got a few nervous twitters. “It’s not easy to talk about mental health, but I figure if I want the kids to be able to talk about their well-being, I better be open about mine. Working with the team this summer has helped tremendously.”
My face heated like someone had turned the lights way up. Indeed, every eyeball in the room seemed fixed on me, Caleb included as he’d finally raised his gaze. And he didn’t look quite so murderous. Little positives to cling to.