Miriam nodded. “Thanks again.”
“Of course.” She smiled tightly at Miriam and then sent an appreciative glance at Silas. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I think we’re good,” he said, taking a side step toward Miriam. His arm brushed against hers. “But thanks.”
The secretary’s smile fell as her eyes went to wear Silas and Miriam arms touched. She nodded and said, “Mrs. Johnson should be letting you in soon.” Then she turned and walked back in the direction they’d all just come.
Once she was out of sight, Miriam took a step back and put some distance between her and Silas. She cleared her throat and jerked her chin at the books. “So, what did you bring?”
Silas looked down at the stack in his hands and started reading the titles. They were all silly books that Miriam was sure the kids would enjoy. When he’d gone through them all, he looked up at her. “Do you want to take turns reading?”
She laughed. “They don’t want to hear a community outreach manager read. They want the professional athlete.”
“But you’re just as important to the team.” His face was serious.
How many times had Silas said those exact words to her? He always made her feel like she was vital to the Storm—vital to Silas. Those words always made her feel important, now Miriam didn’t know how to respond.
Thankfully the door to the class swung open, and Mrs. Johnson took that moment to invite them into her room. Two dozen children were sitting on a colorful carpet in the middle of the room as Miriam followed Silas inside.
“Class, this is Silas Jenkins. He’s a professional soccer player right here in Waterfront.” The kids looked up at Silas with wide eyes and awestruck smiles. “He’s come visit us today to tell us a little bit about his team and to read to you. Isn’t that nice?”
The kids responded with shy yeses and nods.
“Mr. Jenkins, I’ll let you take it away.” Mrs. Johnson clapped loudly as Silas stood in front of the kids.
When the teacher was sure the class’ attention was focused on their guest, she retreated to her desk and started scribbling on papers with a red pen.
Silas looked between Miriam and the teacher who had already busied herself with grading papers. “I’m really excited to be here to tell you more about the Storm. But before I do that, I’d like to introduce you to my special friend, Miriam Taylor.” He held his hand out at Miriam.
She forced a smile at his introduction. At most meet and greets, she melted into the background, allowing the players to shine. She was used to it. She was happy with it. But Silas must have felt she was somehow slighted because he started talking about how important a community outreach manager was to the team.
“I get to play soccer for my job. That sounds like a lot of fun, right?”
The kids all cheered.
“Well, that job wouldn’t even be possible without Miriam. She’s the one who goes out into the community, to places like your school, and tells people about the Storm. She’s got one of the most important jobs on the whole team because she’s the one who makes sure that the fans are in the stands.”
A boy in the back raised his hand.
Silas pointed at him. “Yes?”
“But nobody wants to go if there aren’t players to watch.”
Miriam felt the corners of her mouth lift into a small smile. Silas thought he was going to go into a classroom of seven- and eight-year-olds and teach them about the nuances of being part of a professional sports organization, and this little boy was schooling him. She watched Silas eagerly to see his response.
Silas didn’t miss a beat. “You’re right. But you need both.” He paused and pressed his lip to his fingers. “Have you ever played on a see-saw?”
Most of the kids answered that they had.
“It’s like that. You can’t play by yourself. You need two people to balance it out. It’s the same with the Storm. You need the players and you need the office staff. When they come together, it makes for something really amazing.”
A girl in the front spoke without raising her hand. “Until one stops playing and gets off. Then you fall hard on your butt, and it really hurts.”
“You’re right,” Miriam said to the girl before turning her gaze to Silas. “It really hurts when someone leaves without giving you a chance to brace yourself. Then it’s really hard to trust that person not to do it again.”
Even little girls knew how painful it was to have someone drop you without warning, and she hoped that the girl in the front row with the bright, rosy cheeks never knew a heartache like Miriam.
An uncomfortable silence that even the kids picked up on filled the room. The class stared at Silas and Miriam waiting for them to say something else—to do something else.
Silas quickly held up the stack of books that he’d brought in. “Here, why don’t we start reading.”
Miriam walked over to the side of the class and leaned against the wall as Silas sat down in a small chair in front of the children. He didn’t ask if she wanted to read with him, somehow knowing that she wouldn’t be able to after the turn that the conversation had taken.
Silas set all the books but one beside him and lifted the first one. “This story is about a girl who wants to be an astronaut.”
“Girls can’t be astronauts,” a boy in the back said.
Silas laughed. “Of course they can. Girls can do anything. Besides, we already have female astronauts in space. This girl dreams of being just like them.”
He opened the book and used a high-pitch voice for the main character causing a bunch of the kids to giggle. When Silas finished reading the first page, he stopped and made sure
