“Well hey there, gorgeous! Fancy seeing you here.”
Joie’s jaw drops open in delighted surprise. “What are you doing here?”
I saunter over, really wanting to kiss her, but knowing that’s not possible right here, right now. Instead, I admire how little wisps of her hair blow in the breeze. Good god, I’ve turned into a love-sick sap.
“I’m headed over to the administration building. Thought you might need an escort.”
She narrows her eyes at me playfully. “Need one? No. But I would love the company.”
“Noted.”
We begin a slow meander toward the orange brick science building, me giving half-hearted waves when random students greet me. We’re in no rush. She’ll make it to class with plenty of time, and I’m avoiding my destination anyway.
“How was your lit class?” I ask.
She immediately scoffs. “The class itself is fine. It’s Mia I have the most trouble with.”
“Mia?”
“Chatty Cathy.”
“Ah,” I chuckle. “She’s still chatty?”
Joie’s head falls back like she’s begging the heavens above for mercy. “I know she’s young. I know she’s immature. But if she could just shut up for one minute, that would be great. I really don’t need to be kicked out of this class because she has no filter. I mean literally. None. There is no shutoff valve.”
“You won’t be kicked out,” I reassure her.
“Oh yeah? How do you know, Mister Smarty Pants?” She bumps me with her shoulder, which does nothing at all to knock me off balance. She, however, loses her step. I grab her by the arm, steadying her. “You’d be surprised how much a student’s reputation precedes them in the world of academia.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Oh yeah? Even you know about the famous Mia?”
“Know all about her. And not because she’s a partier, but because she’s not the only chatty one. You should see an entire university’s worth of professors at an open bar Christmas party.”
She laughs, which makes me happy. I love that she’s so lighthearted and free. Joie doesn’t worry about the same crap most people stress over. She has no interest in keeping up with the Joneses. She just wants a good life filled with good people.
“I want to thank you, Jack,” she says, turning serious. I look at her quizzically even though I suspect I know what she’s talking about. “For convincing Isaac to make amends.”
“Bah,” I say, dismissing her claims. “I had nothing to do with it. He was getting ready to come around all on his own.”
“He may have been getting ready to, but I know you were the push he needed.” I don’t bother telling her it was actually a locker room brawl and an ass chewing by Hank that shook him out of his hissy fit. Some things a mother doesn’t need to worry about. And I know her. She’ll worry. She may have handled Stevens like the adult he is, but she’s still Isaac’s mom. If she’s anything like mine was, she’ll never stop worrying about her child. “Anyway, just know it’s all sorted out and in a weird way, we sort of have his blessing now. Although he and Brian both may have threatened to kick your butt if you ever hurt me.”
“Anderson, too?” I need to have a little talk to these ass wipes.
Joie giggles at I what I assume is an agitated look I’m sporting. “Relax. I think it’s sweet they plan to fight for my honor if you don’t.”
I give her a look that makes her giggle again. Yes, she has a point, but I’ll never admit to it. They’ve become far too comfortable with talking shit in front of my girlfriend. I may have to add some drills, where they play the role of the tackle dummy. We were going to do it anyway, but they don’t have to know that. Might as use the extra conditioning to my benefit.
“What time are you done tonight?” I ask when we finally reach the front of the science building.
“Um, my last class ends at three, so I’ll probably leave around six after I study for a bit. Why?”
I cock one eyebrow at her. “Are you expecting Stevens at home tonight?”
She smirks back at me, knowing what I’m getting at. “Even if I was, he doesn’t plan on barging into my bedroom again. Ever.”
“Does that mean you’re up for company?”
“Always,” she says and turns away to walk up the stairs.
I know she’s about to be late, but I can’t help myself when I yell, “Hey Joie?” She turns to look at me, one knee bent having stopped mid climb. It makes her hip pop out and her ass look amazing. “When you see Anderson today, don’t ask him about his lip, okay?”
“Brian?” she asks quizzically. “What happened to his lip?”
“Trust me.” I raise my hands up in front of me as I walk backward. “You don’t want to know.”
“That wasn’t nice, Jack Pride,” she calls after me. “Now I want to know.”
I wave over my shoulder and chuckle to myself. Now I’m off the hook from having to tell her about Stevens’s meltdown, and Anderson is on it. Serves that little punk right. But he’s still doing the drills.
Accelerating my pace, I head to the administration building. My appointment is in five minutes, and I don’t want to be late. Even though I wouldn’t mind not going at all.
When I got the call from Human Resources about thirty minutes ago, I was shocked, to say the least. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I should have seen this coming. I’m dating a student. Not only that, I’m dating the mother of a scholarship recipient. As innocent as it is, I’m sure there are red flags all over this situation. I’m less surprised by the need to call me in, and more surprised that it took this long.
Taking the stairs two at a time to the second floor, I reach Patty Strause’s door right on time. Before I can knock, she calls for me to come in.
Patty has been a fixture of Flinton State University for as long as anyone can remember. She’s well past retirement age, but swears she’s going to outlast us all. With her sharp-as-a-tack hearing and quick wit, I don’t doubt it. But her ability to keep up with all the changing human resource laws is what has me running scared right about now, too. If I’ve done something wrong, she’ll know and there won’t be any way to talk myself out of it if she thinks it puts the university at risk in any way.
“Have a seat.” She gestures to the red chair in front of her desk. Briefly, I wish Hank would splurge for some fancy chairs like this. But then I remember how sweaty we get on a daily basis and realize a cloth chair, no matter how comfortable, would eventually smell like funk. We have enough of that already.
Turning from her computer, she faces me, placing a small recording device on the desk. This does not look good for me at all.
“Thanks for coming in on such short notice. I want to get this over and done with so we can all move on.”
My heart rate ratchets up a notch. “Move on? Why are we moving on?”
She waves me off like I’m being ridiculous. “It’s a figure of speech. You can relax.”
I take a deep breath and sit back in the chair. “Okay. So why am I here?”
She leans her arms on the desk, hands clasped in front of her. “Because it’s come to my attention that you’re dating a student. And now I get to investigate.”
“Shit,” I mumble as I rub my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Randy Whitman called?”
She bobbles her head side to side. “As well as a few other rumblings I’ve been hearing lately.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“So you knew it was a violation of university policy when you began dating her?”
“Yes. No. I don’t really know.” I shake my head to try and clear myself of the confusion and sudden fear I have that I’m going to have to choose between my job and my girlfriend. Neither is one I want to give up for the other. “I assumed that policy was more about professors dating students or coaches dating players.”
She stares at me for a few seconds, like she’s trying to make a decision. Then she speaks. “Between you and me, and completely off the record, I agree with you.”
I feel my eyes widen as she waves me off again, clearly not impressed by my reaction.
“That policy was put in place years ago and was for the exact intensions you mentioned. We didn’t want anyone to be able to use their position of authority to manipulate the young adults they were in charge of. In contrast, we didn’t want the young adults to be able to ruin the reputation of the people in charge of them. It was a quick and easy solution.”
“Wait, you were here when that policy went into place?”
She looks at me like I’m not the brightest bulb. “Of course I was. It was my idea. Preventative measures if you will. But back then, colleges were run more like high schools. Coaches did double duty and taught in the classroom. Things have come a long way, and clearly, not all our policies have kept up.”
“So then why am I here?”
She gives me a look that reminds me of the cat that ate the canary. “Because you found a loophole. I like it when people find loopholes. It means I get to fill them. So we’re going to clear the air before anyone even cries foul.”
“You mean Whitman wasn’t pissed?”
“Angry? No.” She grabs a piece of paper off the printer and places it in front of her. “Curious about what it could mean for the program? Yes.”
I don’t really know what she’s getting at, but at this point, I don’t have to. I just have to go along with whatever she’s talking about and pray my job and my relationship come out of this fully intact. I watch as she reaches over and presses the record button on the small tape player. Once it’s rolling, she begins the inquisition.
“I’m speaking with Jack Pride, Assistant Football Coach for the Flinton State University Vikings. Jack, can you please verify that the information I have just provided is correct.”
I furrow my eyebrows for a second but then shrug. This isn’t my rodeo, so I’ll just have to go along with it. “Yes. That is correct.”
“And you are currently dating Joie Stevens, a student at Flinton State University. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct. However,” I add, “I think it’s worth noting, she’s not a regular student.” I expect Patty to be angry about the addition to my answer. Instead, she nods, like she’s encouraging me to continue. “She’s a forty-two-year-old non-traditional student, who I have no authority over whatsoever.”
Patty smiles conspiratorially at me and continues, “Jack, when you began dating Ms. Stevens, were you aware of university policy that prohibits faculty from dating students.” I look up her and see her nodding her head at me, like she’s encouraging me to agree with her statement. So I take a chance.
“Yes.”
A thumb’s up is flashed my direction. Now I’m thoroughly confused, but I trust her.
“When you began dating, did you think it was a direct violation of the aforementioned policy?” She shakes her head at me. Now I know she’s guiding me through this, and I feel myself relax into the questioning.
“No,” I say. “Because I do not, and will not, ever have any authority over her. I did not believe it would be in violation of that policy.”
Another thumbs up my direction.
“When did you first meet Joie Stevens?”
I chuckle, eliciting a frown from Patty, which immediately dries up any laughter. Patty can be scary if she wants to be.
“I believe it was the first day of class.”
I stop, expecting another question, but Patty moves her finger in a circle, telling me to continue.
“I was on my way to speak to the advisor of one of our players who isn’t doing so hot academically. I was looking at my phone and I ran into her.”
“Like ran over her?”
“Yep.” I chuckle at the memory. “Her bag flew open and spilled everything everywhere. So I helped her gather her things and gave her directions to her next class. Didn’t see her again for another week.”
“What happened the next week?”
I clear my throat and rub my neck. “I’m almost ashamed to admit, I ran into her a second time.”
For the first time since I’ve met her, Patty looks somewhat stunned by my admission. “You . . . you ran into her again?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t my finest moment.”
Patty shakes her head, trying to refocus, and looks at her notes. I assume it’s a list of questions to make sure she doesn’t forget anything. Even though we both know she won’t. “Let’s go back to the first time you, well, ran into her. At that time, did you know her son, Isaac, was a scholarship recipient on your football team?”
My automatic reaction is to grimace, but Patty waves it off, the look on her face indicating I need to stop thinking so hard and just answer the damn question. She really uses her hands a lot when she talks. Or when she’s not talking, as is the case right now.
“No. I had no idea.”
“And when did you find out?”
“The night of the booster’s fundraising gala.”
“And tell me how you found out.”
I close my eyes tight, hating the memory, but realizing that whole debacle might be my saving grace in this situation.
“I put two and two together when she showed up as her son’s date.” Patty leans her head toward me so I’ll continue. “And then I, uh . . . I accused her of being a stalker, and she sort of put me in my place.”
Patty’s jaw drops open, just for a split second. I know she’s silently judging me for that whole situation. Truthfully, I still judge myself for it.
“I’m actually quite ashamed of the whole thing,” I continue, looking at Patty and recognizing the look of victory on her face. My clusterfuck is what makes this whole situation seem less shady, which works to our advantage. “At first, I was upset she hadn’t told me, but we worked it out. It was basically a miscommunication.”
Patty reaches over and pauses the tape recorder. “You really accused her of being a stalker?”
This time, she doesn’t react when I chuckle. “Remember when that crazy woman used to show up in the stadium screaming at Matthews about how much she loved him and she’d never let him go.”
“I couldn’t forget that if I tried.” I believe her. Patty had to be directly involved in that mess, which ended up in a lot of paperwork and stress for everyone involved.
“Hank and I had been talking about it right before I ran into Joie at the gala.”
“Ran into her . . .?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “Ran into her a third time.”
Patty shakes her head at me. “You need to start paying better attention. I would expect a football coach to be fancier on his feet than the next guy.”
“Hey, I never let her fall down,” I defend. “I always caught her.”
Patty quirks an eyebrow at me. “Enough chit chat. Let’s get this done.” Turning the tape recorder back on, she begins her line of questioning again. “You can understand why it’s hard for anyone to believe you didn’t know she was the mother of one of your players for that long.”
This is the question that has plagued me for months. And Hank. And my sister. And pretty much anyone who knows the story. How did I not know? All the puzzle pieces were right there in front of me, and I never put it together. So I give her the only answer I’ve been able to come up with.
“It just didn’t click.” Patty cocks her head in my direction as if saying Ya think? “I’m responsible for coaching seventy-five players a year for the last decade. I don’t talk to Isaac Stevens every day. I talk to him when I’m working with the offensive line. And I don’t call any of them by their first names. It gets too confusing when we have a dozen Jasons and Ryans. And never once in the entire time I’ve coached college football have I ever met a student who doubles as a football mom. Ever. So my mind didn’t go there.”
Patty nods slowly like my explanation has some merit.
“Plus, I may have taken one too many hits to the head way back when I wore a helmet.”
The scolding look she shoots me has me regretting my lame attempt at a joke. Clearing my throat of my sudden discomfort, I wait for her next question.
“Has your relationship with Joie Stevens influenced your on-field relationship with her son in any way?”
I open my mouth, then close it. I’m not sure how to answer. Finally I pull myself together. “Yes and no.” Patty raises another eyebrow at me. At this point, I’m pretty sure that’s her answer for just about anything during this inquisition. “Yes, in that I know on a more personal level when something is bothering him, so I have been able to remind him to get his head in the game. But no, in that I’ve threatened to bench him several times in the last couple of months if he doesn’t get his ass in gear so he doesn’t hurt himself.”
Patty nods, seemingly pleased at my answer. We continue with the questioning for another fifteen minutes or so, her nodding when she feels confident in my answers, and shaking her head if she needs me to downplay something. It’s clear she’s guiding me to give her the right answers, but I don’t care. If it allows me to keep the two most important things in my life, I’ll do whatever it takes.
Finally, the tape recorder is turned off and Patty sits back in her chair. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I cock my head and purse my lips. “I was just asked to prove I haven’t taken advantage of a poor single mom whose son is in my program. Hard? No. Brutal? Maybe.”
Patty smiles at me. “After everything you’ve told me, I have a hard time believing Joie Stevens could ever be taken advantage of.”
She’s got me there. “Yeah. She’s pretty great. She put her whole life on hold to raise her son, so it’s kind of fun seeing her go for her own dreams now, ya know?”
Patty just stares at me, lost in her own thoughts. It’s a little disconcerting. She’s such a bulldog in the boardroom, and she’s my mother’s age, so she demands respect. But having her just stare . . . what do I do in a situation like this? I’m not sure so I wait it out until she finally speaks. “I’ve always liked you, Jack.”
“Thank you,” I say with way more confidence than I feel. I have no idea where she’s going with this.
“And I always liked Sheila.”
Ah. Now I see. I think. Really this conversation could go any which way, but I understand better how she got lost in her thoughts. Besides Hank, Patty was the only other person who I worked closely with to make sure all our needs were covered during my sabbatical before Sheila died. That whole time frame is such a blur, I forgot she was an integral part in making sure we had everything we needed, financially and with our medical insurance. In hindsight, she went above and beyond what most HR departments would do in that situation.
I don’t speak, just let Patty get out whatever she needs to say.
“But I’ve always hoped that you would find someone special again,” she says gently. It’s a stark contrast from the blunt way she normally speaks. “This Joie Stevens must be a really amazing woman to have captured your attention.”
I can’t help but nod my agreement. “She is. She really is. She’s so different from Sheila, and yet, in the ways that are important, she’s so much the same. Did you know she wants to work with the boosters to re-implement a Thanksgiving dinner for our athletes that are stuck here over the holidays.”
Patty flashes a huge smile, bigger than I think I’ve ever seen on her face before, clearly pleased with this news. “Just make sure she goes by the books. Just in case someone gets their panties in a twist.”
“I will. I’ve already hooked her up with Renee to make sure it’s done right.”
“Good man,” she says, and I watch as casual acquaintance Patty turns back into Human Resources Director Patty. “Well. Thank you for stopping by and answering all my questions. I feel better knowing we’re being pro-active.”
Recognizing my cue to leave, I stand up out of the most comfortable chair I’ll probably sit in for a while. “Thanks, Patty. I really appreciate you helping me out with this.”
“It’s my job.” She turns to face her computer again. I’ve officially been dismissed.
Before I reach the door, however, she speaks.
“Hey, Jack.” I turn to face her. “I’m really glad you found her. Don’t screw it up again.”
I bark a laugh because, no, I did not see that one coming. I salute her and walk out the door, closing it quietly behind me. I feel strangely victorious. Not only do I get to keep my girlfriend, I get to keep my job. I can’t ask for much more than that.