“All right, that wraps up our lesson for today and as a special Thanksgiving treat from me to you, your only homework over the holiday weekend is a take-home quiz.” I tapped on the stack of papers by the door. “Grab a sheet on your way out.”
Several hands popped up.
“Let me save you the trouble, yes, you can use your books, your notes and you can even phone a friend.”
The entire class erupted with laughter just as the bell rang. “See y’all Monday.” The students started stuffing their backpacks and hustling towards the door.
As the room thinned, I sat back down at my desk, flipping open my Spotify app. “Natural” by Imagine Dragons blasted through the speakers as I started looking over the in-class assignments.
“Coach Hamilton?”
I looked up seeing Luke Richman standing in front of me.
“Hey, Luke, what’s up?”
“Can I talk to you about my mom?”
My head bent to meet his eyes as I studied him for a moment. “Sure, is everything okay?”
He ran a hand through his hair and took a seat in the same desk she had during our meeting a few weeks ago. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I never really cared what my mom did, in fact, I told her that I was okay with her dating someone right before all the stuff with the two of you came out.”
I sat quietly, allowing him to collect his thoughts.
“Did you break-up with my mom because you got caught?”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “No, not entirely.”
“What do you mean?”
I tapped my pen to the desk. “Your mom ended it with me because you are the most important person in the world to her. Your happiness means everything to her.”
He dropped his eyes to the floor and let out a sharp breath. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Mom is always putting me first, and it wasn’t fair for me to treat her the way that I did.”
“Luke, we betrayed your trust, and that was wrong. Your relationship with your mom is not something that I want to come between.”
“That’s the thing, Coach. Part of me was really cool with the two of you being together. The other part of me, well, I don’t know how to explain it really.”
I leaned forward, smoothing my tie. “You were blindsided and that can be quite a shock.”
He lifted a shoulder. “The guys have apologized for teasing me about you picking me because of Mom.”
“That’s good to hear. You earned that spot, don’t ever forget that. I’m proud of you, and it was an honor to coach you this season.”
Luke picked up his messenger bag and stood. “Thanks, Coach,” he said, extending his hand to mine.
“You’re welcome.”
He turned for the door and started to walk away, and then he stopped. “Hey listen, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”
“Well, I picked up one of those meals for one at the market and I was going to watch football.”
“No.” He waved his hands in front of him. “Absolutely not, I am not letting you spend the day alone. Come over to my house, Mom is cooking and she makes the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had.”
I pinned him with a sharp stare. “I don’t know, Luke. Things are a little tense between your mom and me, right now. I don’t think she’d be okay with me showing up for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Luke tapped his fingers to my desk. “I won’t take no for an answer. And since you and my mom snuck around behind my back, I think you should do me this one little favor.”
My brows shot up and a grin spread across my face. “Wow, you’re persistent. All right, I’ll be there.”
“Perfect, one o’clock,” he called, over his shoulder. “Don’t be late and bring a bottle of wine.”