Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero (22 page)

“I remember Mr. Knight from when Harold worked at IFI. He’d just been promoted to his new job in human resources, and everyone was glad. They thought he would be fair and willing to try new things. I also heard he works twenty-four seven. How were you able to persuade him to come to the high school tonight?”

Sadie glanced at the man in question and noticed he was talking with Chris. Her student, who had a big grin on his face, laughed and gave Andrew a high five. “It wasn’t that difficult. I asked. He accepted,” she answered, her gaze still fixed upon Andrew and Chris, deep in conversation.

“Then maybe he isn’t immune to a pretty face. At work it was always strictly business with that man, if the rumors are to be believed.”

Sadie felt the heat of a blush slowly rise on her face. She remembered Jollie’s comments at the bachelor auction and wondered if everyone—at least the women—sat around discussing Andrew Knight. There was an air of vulnerability about him, but he guarded that secret. To the world he presented a confident, controlled facade, which she had glimpsed cracks in.

“I wouldn’t know anything about those rumors.” Sadie waved to one of her students sitting with her whole family.

“They’re coming back to the table. I see Chris has made a new friend. He doesn’t know what the word stranger means.”

That was one of the things Sadie was counting on. Chris probably knew all fifteen hundred students at the high school, if all the greetings he received in the hallways were any indication.

“Miss Spencer, Mr. Knight is gonna come see us.” Chris slipped into his chair.

“When?”

“I told Chris I would try to come see his soccer match next Friday,” Andrew said, setting the drink on the table.

Her eyes widened. “You did?”

“He’s never been to a soccer game.” Chris stopped one of his friends, who was going back to his table. “This is James. He’s one of the goalies.”

James mumbled something, his eyes downcast.

“Mr. Knight’s coming to see us,” Chris announced to James and another student going by.

“Only if I can get away,” Andrew tried to explain, but Chris had already jumped up from the table and left to spread the word.

Sadie sank her teeth into her lower lip to keep from smiling. Andrew didn’t know what to do to stop the rumor of his visit from flying around the restaurant. He started to rise, then shrugged and relaxed in his chair.

“I guess I’d better try to make it.”

She decided to give him an out. “If you can’t make it, they’ll understand. They love playing in front of people, and you’re their newest hero.”

“Hero?”

Sadie nearly laughed out loud at the stunned expression on Andrew’s face. “They’ve been wanting new uniforms for quite some time. Wait till you see their old ones on Friday. That is, if you can come.” She quickly went on to cover the uncomfortable silence. “They’ve been practicing for the past month with their special partners.”

“Special partners?”

“Students in regular education classes. We play unified soccer. Half the team are students who are Special Olympians and the other half are special partners. Everyone has a lot of fun even if we don’t always win.”

Five minutes later, Chris came to the table. “They just called our numbers. I’ll bring our pizzas.”

While standing at the counter waiting for his order, Chris saw a group of high school boys come into Mitchell’s. He greeted each one with a high five. Chris dragged one of the students to the table.

“Mr. Knight, this is Cal. He’s on the team, too. He practices with us.”

“Did you forget our pizzas?” his mother asked, shaking her head as though she were used to this from her son.

Chris smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Before Cal returned to his friends, he said, “Nice meeting you. Chris is excited about the new uniforms. He said you’re buying them for the team.”

“Well, not exactly. IFI is,” Andrew said, taking a large sip of his iced tea.

“That’s great! My dad works for IFI.” Cal joined his friends while Chris carried the first pizza to the table, then retrieved the second one.

The aroma of baking bread and sizzling meats that permeated the restaurant made Sadie’s mouth water. Her stomach rumbled. The minute Chris placed her pizza between her and Andrew, she scooped up a large piece and took a bite.

“I know pizza is mega calories, but nothing beats it,” she said after washing down her food with a sip of her soda.

For the next ten minutes silence prevailed at the table while they all satisfied their hunger. Halfway through her third piece, one of Sadie’s students stopped by the table.

“Miss Spencer, I’ll see ya tomorrow.” The girl threw her arms about Sadie and hugged her. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you, Melissa. You’ve made my day.”

Chris leaned over the table as though imparting a secret. “Melissa always thinks everyone is beautiful. But she’s right about you, Miss Spencer.”

“If I wasn’t blushing before, I’m sure I am now.”

“Yep, you’re a nice shade of red,” Andrew said with a wink. He lifted his glass and downed the rest of his iced tea, his gaze linked to hers the whole time.

She grinned. “Which clashes with my maroon shirt.”

“Oh, no, Miss Spencer, you look great. I like what you’re wearing.” Chris waved to another student across the room. He rose and tossed down his paper napkin. “Mom, I’ll be over there.”

Chris left, threading his way through the crowded dining room. Sadie chuckled. “And people ask me why I teach students with special needs. They’re absolutely great for the ego.”

“I’m beginning to get the picture.” Andrew watched Chris for a moment before continuing. “Is there anyone he doesn’t know?”

“Not at Cimarron High.”

“I can attest to that. Our phone is constantly ringing. Thank goodness I don’t have a life outside the home or I would never hear from them.” Amanda gathered her purse and stood. “I’d better pull Chris away. Tomorrow is a school day, and it will take him at least an hour to calm down after your news, Mr. Knight. Thank you for the donation.” Amanda held out her hand, and Andrew shook it.

“I’m glad IFI could help.”

While Chris’s mother made her way across the restaurant to get her son, Sadie finished her pizza, suddenly not sure what to say to Andrew. She surveyed her few students who were still eating with their families and friends. Their open, guileless faces confirmed her reason for teaching in the first place.

“Because I want this pilot program to work, I want to run this by Mr. Wilson. If we’re going to do this project with your school, I want to do it right.”

What would her students say if she followed Melissa’s lead and threw her arms around Andrew? She refrained from doing that, but she could feel her whole face beaming with a smile.

“Don’t say anything. It’s not official, Sadie.”

“Not a word from this mouth until you tell me I can.”

“Now that’s an intriguing idea.”

“Let me rephrase that. Not a word from this mouth about the project until you tell me I can. Is that better?”

“No, I like it the other way.” His eyes danced with a twinkle.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think
the
Andrew Knight is teasing me. I didn’t think you had a playful bone in your body.”

“I have my moments. And speaking of time—”

“We were?” Sadie couldn’t help asking, knowing where the conversation was leading.

“I need to leave. I still have some work to do tonight. I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You don’t have to. This isn’t a date.”

“Still, I’ll walk you to your car.”

The firmness underlying his words reminded her again of the control the man exhibited. He wasn’t used to people denying him anything. He definitely needed his cage rattled.

“Okay,” she said slowly, trying to decide what to do. “I need to say good-night to my students who are still here.”

“Fine.” A wariness crept into his voice as he watched her push back her chair.

Sadie made the rounds of her five students and their families left at Mitchell’s, refusing to look toward the table where she’d had dinner with Andrew. If she caught his hard gaze, she’d probably lose her nerve to teach him a point.

She held Melissa’s baby sister for a few minutes, contorting her face into silly expressions to get the child to laugh. She took an extra moment to go over the plans for the soccer tournament the following week with Kevin’s mother. By the time she returned to the table twenty minutes had passed. She expected to see Andrew fuming or gone, but he sat calmly, bent over his paper napkin, writing some notes on it.

“I didn’t think you had it in you,” Sadie said, standing over him.

He peered up, surprised to see her. “What?”

“The patience to wait.”

“I have a lot of talents you probably aren’t aware of. When you travel as much as I do, you learn real quickly, if you want to keep your sanity intact, ways to occupy your time when you’re unexpectedly delayed.”

She laughed. “Touché.”

He arched one of his dark eyebrows. “Were we having a contest?”

“I think you know very well we were.”

In one fluid movement he rose. “Who won?”

“I think we both made our point.”

“You don’t like someone telling you what to do, and I am capable of going with the flow when I need to. Not such a hopeless case, am I?”

“I never said that.” She winked and turned to leave.

Before she had a chance to thrust the restaurant door open, Andrew stepped around her and held it for her. She hurried into the cool night air, glad for its refreshing crispness.

At her car he lounged against the front fender and crossed his arms over his chest. Sadie paused, her hand on the handle, aware she couldn’t very well drive away with him leaning against her Honda.

“I thought you had to get back to work.”

“I do. I wanted to stop for a moment and—what was it you said? Smell the roses.”

“I think you enjoy teasing me.”

“It’s hard to resist when you make it so much fun.”

“I didn’t know that word was in your vocabulary.”

“You know, if I wasn’t such a laid-back kind of guy I would take offense at your constant insistence I don’t know how to have a good time.”

She almost said, “Prove it,” but suppressed the words.

His chuckle floated on the light breeze. “You’re too easy to read. I’m just going to have to show you I can have a fun time, like the next guy.”

“Oh?” Her doubt drenched that one word.

He shoved away from the fender and straightened, his large presence looming before her and exuding power. “Let’s make a deal. If I come to the soccer match, you have to go out with me that evening. I’ll show you what I like to do the rare times I do kick back and relax.”

“Will you have an answer about the work project by then?”

His chuckles evolved into laughter. “Persistent, aren’t you? Yes, I should. What do you say, Sadie? Do you dare find out what I think is fun?”

“I thought the date I bid on was your idea of a fun date.”

“Oh, no, far from it. Now, the change in plans to New Orleans was closer to the truth.”

Fascinated, against her better judgment, she nodded. “But I have to warn you that I’m usually pretty exhausted after one of these tournaments.”

“I’ll keep that in mind while planning our date.” Andrew gripped the handle and opened her car door. “Till Friday, Sadie.”

She slid behind the steering wheel and clasped the cold plastic so tightly her hands ached. What was he up to?

If he hadn’t tied it to him coming to the tournament, she could have said no. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t say no to his invitation no matter how it was issued. This man intrigued her more than she cared to acknowledge. She was sure if she was around him that could change. After all, he was much too domineering and commanding for her. She’d lived with her father’s demands. There was no way she would ever become involved with a man who wouldn’t allow her to be herself.

S
adie didn’t have to turn around to know that Andrew had finally arrived at the beginning of the last game of the tournament. She seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to him. She felt his gaze upon her even before she glanced to see him strolling across the field toward her.

In a three-piece navy blue suit, Andrew looked out of place, and yet he didn’t. She suspected it wouldn’t make any difference what clothes he wore. He had an air of confidence about him that announced to the world he set his own rules, and that wearing business attire to a soccer match was perfectly acceptable.

A roar from the stands pulled Sadie’s attention to the game unfolding without her coaching. Kevin dribbled toward the opposing team’s goal, came to a halt and swung his foot toward the ball. He missed. An opponent stole the ball and headed toward Chris, Cimarron High’s goalie.

“Chris, you can stop it,” Sadie shouted, moving down the line toward him. “Cal, set the defense up.”

When the Tulsa team made a shot at their goal, Sadie held her breath while Chris dove toward the ball and landed on top of it. The parents and benched teammates stood, yelling their excitement.

Sadie clapped and cheered, pumping her arm into the air. “I knew you could do it.”

“If you don’t watch out you won’t have a voice left.” Andrew positioned himself next to her with his hands in his pants’ pockets.

“I usually don’t. It’s a good thing these games are on Friday. It gives me two days to get my voice back. I’m an interactive coach.”

“I can see that.”

“What I see is that you made it—barely.”

“Would you believe that a meeting at work held me up?”

“Yes. Thirty more minutes, and all bets would have been off.” Sadie noticed her team had lined up on the field for the kickoff, and she hadn’t even realized it. “Go sit down and let me concentrate on the game.”

“Do I fluster you, Sadie?”

She rolled her eyes skyward. “You’re a distraction—an unwanted distraction.”

“I think you wounded my male ego.”

“Go.” She waved him toward the stands and then focused her attention on the game proceeding without her.

Distraction was an understatement, Sadie decided at the half as her team was running off the field. Thank goodness they were playing well without the benefit of her coaching, because she couldn’t seem to concentrate.

“Get water, everyone,” Sadie called to her players. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Andrew strolling toward her. “You all are doing a great job. We’re ahead by two goals.”
No thanks to me,
she added silently, beads of perspiration popping out on her upper lip.

She removed her white hat and fanned her face. This was worse than the time her parents came to see her coach a game. She felt the pressure weighing her down and wished she had discouraged Andrew from coming. He stopped next to her.

With his usual big grin, Chris approached Andrew. “I’m glad you came. We’re winning! Did you see me stop that goal?”

“That was perfect,” Andrew said.

At hearing the word perfect, Sadie cringed. “You need to get some water. The game will be starting soon.”

“Can I play forward? I want to score.”

“Change places with James.”

Chris ran off to get some water and sit between two high school girls who had accompanied the team as cheerleaders. Sadie shook her head, amazed at the ease Chris had conversing with anyone. If he got the job at IFI, he would do fine.

“Any word about the work project?” she asked, needing to put business between her and Andrew.

“It’s a go. When do you want to start the program?”

“As soon as possible.”

“That’s what I thought you would say. I need you to meet with the person in charge of the mail room. I cleared a time Monday afternoon. We’ll meet with Mrs. Lawson in my office at four o’clock, if that’s okay with you.”

Thank you, Lord. With Your help this will work.
“I’ll be there. When can I tell Chris and his mother?”

“When we’ve worked out the details with Mrs. Lawson.”

“But—” She clamped her mouth shut on the protest. She wanted to shout her good news to the whole world, but she would wait.

“For this to work you’ll need to sell Mrs. Lawson on the idea.”

“Yes, of course. May I ask one more favor?”

“You do know how to push a guy.”

“Will you or Mrs. Lawson interview Chris for the job? I want him to experience the whole process, starting with filling out an application.”

“I will, but he’ll also talk with Mrs. Lawson.”

Andrew’s gaze strayed to the young man in question, who was smiling at the pretty girl next to him as though he were the cat who had swallowed the canary. “I have to warn you, Mrs. Lawson is rather stern. She runs a tight department and doesn’t tolerate any playing around.”

“Chris will adjust,” Sadie said with more conviction than she felt. Chris always did best with a person who was nurturing and easygoing. She had a lot riding on how well Chris did, but she would never let him know that.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the start of the second half. Her team lined up, positioned to accept the kickoff.

“Do I have to sit in the stands? I promise I won’t say anything to distract you.”

She didn’t think that was possible, but that wasn’t his problem. He couldn’t help it if she was attracted to him. “Fine,” she answered, and glanced toward him. A mistake, she discovered when her gaze was trapped by the warmth in his eyes and the humor in his expression.

She missed the first few plays of the second half. Forcing herself to look away from Andrew and toward the field, she determinedly ignored the man next to her—for all of ten minutes. When Chris broke loose from the pack with the ball, Andrew’s cheers sounded above everyone else’s. He headed down the line as Chris headed for the opponent’s goal.

“Shoot,” Andrew called when Chris had a clear shot on the goal.

The twenty-year-old brought his foot back and sailed the ball through the air. It whizzed by the goalie’s head and into the net. Sadie jumped up and down, and before she knew it, she was being crushed against Andrew, whose enthusiasm matched hers.

Then suddenly he realized he held her and she realized she held him. They broke apart. A flush crept up her face. “I—I—” She stammered and couldn’t form a coherent sentence. She turned away, shaken and flustered.

“I think I’ll sit in the stands,” Andrew said, as stunned as she was.

With a quick glance, she saw him settle next to one of her students, Melissa, who proceeded to chatter. It took a few seconds for him to wipe the amazement from his expression and fix on what Melissa was saying to him. Then the team manager, Tina, joined in the conversation. Sadie knew he would be occupied with those two. He would have to focus hard to understand Tina and even then would probably only understand a word or two. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

She relaxed and riveted her full attention on the last few minutes of the game. A member of the Tulsa team dribbled toward James, who crouched low, his arms out to the sides as though he were going to bearhug his opponent. The girl punched the ball past James, who watched it bounce into the net, still perfectly poised. He fell to his knees and bent over. He remained like that even as the teams lined up to kick off. The referee blew his whistle, announcing the game was over.

While everyone formed a line to shake the Tulsa team’s hands, Sadie heaved a sigh and walked onto the field to retrieve James. She knelt next to him, placing her hand on his hunched back.

“We won. You need to congratulate the other team on a good game.”

“I miss. I miss.” James mumbled and pounded the dirt, tears streaming down his face.

Sadie captured his hands and held them, forcing him to look at her. “It’s okay. Remember it’s not if you win or lose but how you play the game. You played a good game, James.” Sadie stood and extended her hand. “Come on. I need to say a few words to the other coach. Will you come with me?”

James sniffed and clasped her hand. “No like goalie.”

After talking to the Tulsa coach, Sadie walked with James to the sidelines where the rest of the team was drinking water and high-fiving each other. She searched the crowd for Andrew and found him still sandwiched between Melissa and Tina, both talking to him at the same time, Tina waving her hands as she tried to pantomime what she was trying to tell him. He whipped his attention between the two girls, but Sadie saw the dazed look in his eyes. Taking pity on him, she headed toward them.

“Tina, as our team manager you need to get our practice balls. Melissa, please help her so we can leave right after the awards presentation.”

The pair hopped up and hurried to do their jobs. Sadie sat next to Andrew, suddenly tired, her throat parched.

“I think Tina was trying to tell me about going to the ballet in Tulsa.”

“She did, last weekend. She tells anyone who will listen. It left quite an impression on her.”

“Well, Melissa wasn’t going to let her hog the conversation so she started in on telling me about her camping trip last summer.”

“Melissa and Tina are best friends, but they’re competitive when it comes to getting someone’s full attention. When Tina first came to my class, she didn’t speak a word. Now I have a hard time keeping her quiet. I love it, even if I can only understand every third or fourth word.”

“You don’t understand her? I was worried maybe it was just me. Melissa didn’t seem to have much trouble understanding Tina.”

Sadie laughed. “Yeah, they sometimes complete each other’s sentences.”

Andrew rose. “I’ll pick you up tonight at six. Wear something casual.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret.”

Sadie pushed to her feet. “You know I don’t like surprises or secrets. I thought I made that clear in New Orleans.”

“Yep, crystal clear. But you aren’t gonna find out from me. You’re just gonna have to wait. I know you have lots of patience. I’ve seen you with your students.” His pressed lips and smug expression underscored his intention to keep their destination a secret.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” Sadie said, starting for the shelter at the park where the awards ceremony would be held.

“Yes, actually I am having fun.” He fell into step next to her.

“I have to warn you I’m pretty tired.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “Your plans don’t involve a lot of exertion, do they?”

“Well, that depends on what you call exertion. You’ll just have to wait and see.” With a cocky smile and a salute, Andrew headed for his car.

Sadie peered at Andrew as he negotiated the streets of Tulsa, amazed that he even owned a pair of jeans, let alone a faded, worn pair that obviously meant he hadn’t gone out and bought the jeans that day.

At a stoplight he turned his attention—and charm—on her. His face lit with a smile, and he looked every inch a relaxed man. The classical music playing and the comfortable temperature of the warm autumn night lent further soothing strokes to the evening. Then why was she wound as tight as—

Her eyes grew round as Andrew pulled into the parking lot of an amusement park. The large roller coaster loomed before them, and lots of lights sparkled in the darkening night.

She riveted her gaze to his face. “This is your idea of fun?”

“In some people’s books fun and amusement are synonyms.”

“But not yours!” Her voice rose, and later—when she was thinking and acting rationally—she would attribute it to exhaustion. She loved amusement parks. He couldn’t. It was necessary they didn’t have anything else in common. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to fight her attraction to this man. “When was the last time you went to an amusement park?”

He smiled a bit too smugly. “Last summer.”

“Last summer! How long did you stay?”

“Several days.”

“Really?” She knew Andrew Knight was a complex man, but his answer emphasized it even more.

His eyes gleamed. “Really.”

She searched her mind frantically for an explanation that would fit with her image of Andrew. “Why did you go? I thought you never took a vacation.”

He pinned her with his penetrating gaze. “It was a business trip.”

“I knew it!” Sadie said, relieved that her image was still intact. “That’s an unusual place for a business trip.”

“Theme parks serve food. It’s perfectly logical when you work for a food company.”

“Yes, logical,” she murmured, the world righting itself. “Back to my original question. When was the last time you were at an amusement park for fun?”

“When I was nine. I used to love to go. I haven’t been to one since my family died.”

Her heart expanded, and any triumph she felt that she’d figured him out vanished. She shifted so she could face him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

He pressed his fingers to her lips. “Shh. This is a night of fun. I thought it was about time that I recaptured some of my youth and I couldn’t think of anyone I would like better to share it with.”

She beamed, her exhaustion completely gone. “Then by all means let’s head for the midway. I haven’t had cotton candy in ages.”

Hand in hand they walked to the ticket booth, and Andrew paid for them to get in. Inside, the scents of popcorn and hot dogs drifted to Sadie as the sounds of bells, clangs and laughter punctuated the air.

“What do you want to ride first?” Andrew asked, looking up and down the long midway.

“You pick. I come to the amusement park at least once a year.”

“By yourself?”

“No. Usually with my students. That way I have an excuse for acting like a kid and going on every ride there is.”

“Nothing makes you sick?”

She patted her stomach. “Tough as nails. Coated in iron.”

“Well, in that case let’s do the Ferris wheel first.”

From the gleam in his eyes she had expected him to ride the most challenging one first. “Ferris wheel?”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. We’ll work our way up. Before the evening is over you’ll be thoroughly spun, twisted and twirled until you won’t know which way is up or down.”