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Keylan stood back and watched as six little boys, no more than six or seven years old, played their version of dodgeball. Three girls, roughly the same age as the boys, chased each other on large bouncy balls with handles. They all wore white foundation T-shirts, khaki shorts and tennis shoes, and laughed and played together as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
In the corner of the room Keylan spotted the small, curly-haired boy he’d noticed earlier. He couldn’t have been more than five years old. The boy stood with a ball nearly as big as he was, bouncing it against the wall. It was a game of catch that Keylan remembered playing often himself; only he’d used two basketballs.
Keylan tilted his head and smiled whenever the little boy lost control of the ball and would fall backward on the matted floor. The look of determination on the boy’s face made Keylan’s heart expand and he was filled with a sense of pride for the child whenever he caught the ball and stayed upright.
He walked over to the area where they played, knelt down on one knee and introduced himself to all of the children. The boys that had been tossing the ball back and forth were excited to meet him, as were the three girls. Keylan figured it was more curiosity about his height rather than the acknowledgment of him being a professional basketball player. However, the small boy wouldn’t come anywhere near Keylan. When all the children returned to their games under the watchful eye of Coach Hooper and her assistant, Keylan tried to talk to the little boy. To no avail.
He decided to take another approach. Keylan selected a basketball from the wire basket, laid his back flat on the floor and began tossing the ball he’d selected into the air with both hands. Before long he was joined on the mat by several of the children. Soon, all but the shy boy were on the mat, tossing their balls into the air. He stood back, holding his ball tightly to his chest and watching as Keylan tossed his from one hand to the other.
“Hi, my name is Keylan,” he introduced himself, looking at the little boy while continuing to toss the ball in the air.
The child remained quiet for several moments before finally saying, “I’m Colby.”
“Well, hello, Colby.” Keylan tossed his ball again, keeping his eyes on Colby. “How old are you?”
The little boy held up four fingers.
“He doesn’t talk much. He’s shy,” one of the older boys said.
Keylan caught his ball and sat up. “I see,” he replied before turning to face Colby. “Would you like to play a game? Maybe we can all play a game.” His eyes scanned the faces of the other children.
All the other kids stopped tossing their balls, sat up and gave Keylan their undivided attention. Coach Hooper came over and stood next to the seated children. “What do you have in mind, KJ?” she asked.
Keylan looked at the kids’ curious faces and smiled. “Do you guys know how to play basketball?”
Two of the older boys began rapidly nodding like bobblehead dolls as they raised their hands, singing “I do, I do...” as they jumped up and down.
“Wait a minute. Sit back down, please,” Keylan said.
“Excuse me, KJ, but I’m not sure these kids are ready—”
“Of course they are, for what I have in mind. Trust me.” Keylan gave her a confident smile. “Now, you two—James and David, right?” he asked, hoping he had remembered their names correctly.
They both nodded. “Yep, I’m David.”
“I’m James.”
“Okay, you two will be my assistants.” Both boys clapped. Keylan looked up at Coach Hooper. “I hope you don’t mind a little extra assistance?”
Coach Hooper laughed. “Not at all.”
One of the girls said she wanted to be the cheerleader, while the other two girls insisted that they play. Keylan assured everyone that they could take any role they liked. He turned to Colby. “Do you want to play?”
Before he could respond James said, “He don’t like to play with us...him too little.”
“He like to play by himself,” David added.
Keylan watched as Colby’s eyes scanned the faces of the other kids. He figured Colby was looking for some sort of encouragement from them. “Thank you, boys, but I think he’s just the right size and, if we ask him to play, he just might do it. What do you guys think?” Keylan asked, wanting the group to show some support. Some nodded and others shrugged.
“I happen to think Colby can handle anything you have in mind,” Coach Hooper offered.
“See, Colby, we all think you should play. So, do you want to try? It’s real easy,” Keylan promised. Colby nodded his head slowly as if he really wasn’t sure. “That’s great.”
Keylan stood and all the kids looked up at him in awe; his height really appeared to fascinate them. He was only happy no one seemed afraid of him. Not even Colby, who was now standing mere inches from him, which, for reasons he couldn’t explain, made Keylan smile.
“Coach Hooper, can you please get us five basketballs and three large tubs?”
“Sure.” She walked away with a confused look on her face.
“David, James, can you two please give Coach Hooper a hand?”
Both boys jumped up and ran behind Coach Hooper.
Keylan turned to the little cheerleader who was standing, practicing, and asked, “You sure you don’t want to play?”
“I’m sure,” she sang, shaking her imaginary pompoms.
David and James returned, both holding one side of a big blue tub with two basketballs inside. Coach Hooper was following behind them, holding the other two tubs. Keylan ran to offer assistance. The three tubs were placed in the center of the court ten feet apart. Keylan lined up three children in front of each bucket, approximately forty feet away from the bucket. Colby stood at the front of his line.
“Here’s what you’re going to do. Wait, how many of you know how to dribble a basketball? Hold up your hands.” Every hand flew up except Colby’s. “With one hand,” Keylan specified, bouncing the ball with his right hand.
Several hands lowered.
“Okay, everyone put your hands down. Before we do anything, I want you to practice dribbling.” He held a basketball in his left hand and raised his right. “You’ll use your fingertips to control the ball as you bounce it.” Keylan walked around, showing each child his technique.
“Nice job,” Coach Hooper cheered.
Keylan looked over his shoulders. “Thanks, Coach Hooper. I’ve done this a time or two. Do you have a whistle I can borrow?”
“Sure, you can have mine,” she offered, smiling as she removed the whistle that hung around her neck and handed it to him.
“Thank you,” he said. The corner of his mouth rose. Keylan was just as excited about the game he was about to teach the kids as he would be when he played himself. “Please toss me a couple more basketballs.”
Keylan caught the additional balls before turning his attention back to the kids. “Now, you’ll all practice dribbling...” he started to explain as he handed each child at the head of the line a ball “...until you hear me blow the whistle. When you do, pass the ball to the person behind you so everyone will have a chance to practice. Everyone understand?”
“Yes,” they all said in unison.
“Ready.” Keylan blew the whistle. “Go.”
The first three children started bouncing their balls, two with their right hand and one with his left. Keylan smiled as he walked up to each child, offering assistance on their form.
Colby was the only one that didn’t need assistance; his focus and ball handling surprised Keylan. But the bigger surprise was the connection he’d made with the child. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly but he knew there was something special about the boy. “Good job, Colby.” The boy smiled but kept his eyes on the ball as he continued to bounce it. After two rounds of practice, Keylan blew his whistle.
“Looks like we’re ready to go. Here’s how the game is played.” Keylan picked up a ball and demonstrated. “You’ll dribble the ball down to the tubs. Go as fast as you can while controlling it. Circle the tub and dribble back. Hand the ball to the next person in line and they’ll do the same. The first team back wins. Does everyone understand?”
“Yes,” all the kids replied—everyone except Colby.
“Here we go.” Keylan brought the whistle to his mouth.
“My team will win,” the boy declared loudly and with a confident smile.
* * *
Mia sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen, reading the same paragraph she’d read three times within the last forty-five minutes and still couldn’t comprehend. Her mind kept traveling to the extremely sexy but annoying man with his perfectly trimmed goatee and a smile that did crazy things to her body. She shook her head. Mia still couldn’t believe she had been so rude to the boss’s nephew. “Stop it.” Mia removed her eyeglasses, placed them on the desk and rubbed her eyes.
“Talking to yourself again, boss lady?” Sandra asked, walking into the office carrying two large cups of tea. “Time for a break...sweet tea with lemon.” She handed Mia a cup and a straw.
“Thanks, and I told you to stop calling me that,” she reminded, accepting the drink. Mia placed the straw in the cup and took a big pull. “Mmm, that’s good.”
Sandra took one of the seats in front of her desk. “So...” She took a drink of her tea, staring at Mia.
“So what?”
“You know what. What’s up with you and Mister Tall, Sexy and I’d Do Anything He Wants?” she asked, her eyebrows dancing.
Mia scowled. “Nothing’s up. He’s here for community service hours. That’s it.”
“If you ask me—”
“I didn’t,” she said, placing her tea on a coaster near her computer. “Now, where are we with finalizing the contract with the toy company? Their commitment to donating a hundred bikes is a critical part of our giveaway.”
“Okay, I’ll drop it, but you’ll have to tell me where we are with the contract.”
“Excuse me?” Mia’s brows snapped together.
“You’re the one still reviewing the contract,” she noted, pointing at Mia’s computer.
“Oh...” Mia glanced over her shoulder and looked at her computer. Is that what that is? “I guess I forgot.”
“I bet you did.” Sandra smirked and drained the last of her drink. “I’ll wait.” She placed her empty cup on the edge of Mia’s desk and sat back with her arms folded.
Mia turned to fully face her computer. She put her glasses on and quickly read through the paragraphs on the screen. “Looks good.” Mia hit a few keys before pushing the send button. “I just sent the electronically signed version back to you. Please send it out right away.”
“I’m on it, boss lady.” Mia glared at her. “Sorry.” Sandra stood, picked up her cup and turned to leave.
“Sandra, can you wait a minute?” Mia removed her glasses. She picked up her pen and started tapping it on the top of her desk.
Sandra stood in front of Mia’s desk. “What’s up?”
“Do you know how things are going?”
Sandra frowned. “With what?”
“You know what—Keylan and Coach Wanda’s class.”
Sandra’s frown deepened. “KJ’s not with Coach Wanda’s class. He’s with Coach Hooper’s class in the small gym. He’s helping out with ball time.”
“What!” Mia yelled, getting to her feet. She rounded her desk, heading out the door and down the hall.
Chapter 3 (#uf3978852-afe2-546c-b4e5-dc8ad14ec10a)
Mia stood just inside the doorway of the small gym, blinking to clear tears from her eyes. She wasn’t sure if what she was seeing and hearing was real. “What’s up?” Sandra asked, trying to catch her breath. “You ran out of the office so fast, I—”
Mia held up her index finger to stop her friend from speaking. Sandra turned toward the sounds and sights that held Mia’s attention. “Are they playing some kind of basketball game?” she asked, her eyebrows standing at attention.
“Looks that way,” Mia replied, slowly nodding. “Colby is actually talking to the other children.”
“Talking? It looks like he’s cheering his team on. I thought Coach Hooper said these guys weren’t ready for organized sports yet.”
“She did. I guess she was wrong...so was I, for that matter,” Mia admitted.
“Yes!” both women screamed, jumping up and down as they watched the last child on Colby’s team finish the task before anyone else, winning the game. Everyone cheered with excitement, even those children who were not on the winning team. Mia and Sandra walked over to where the children had gathered around Keylan. Sandra started giving high-fives to all the children. “That was great, you guys,” Mia said, smiling at all the excited faces staring up at her.
Colby ran over to Mia and threw his arms around her waist. “Mommy, I won.”
Mia knelt down and gave Colby a big hug as she fought back a fresh batch of tears. “I see that.” She kissed him on the forehead. “I’m so proud of my little man.”
Colby gave his mother another hug and a toothy grin before returning to his friends, who were now standing next to Coach Hooper and Sandra. “So Colby’s your son.”
Mia rose, wiped at her tears and looked up at Keylan. “Yes, he is.”
Keylan stood with his feet slightly apart, rolling a basketball between his hands. “What are you doing with these kids?”
“Playing basketball.” Keylan looked over his shoulder at the kids, who were now dribbling balls all over the court, and smirked. “Our version of it, anyway. Colby...that’s a great kid you got there.”
“Thank you.” Mia wrapped her arms around her waist. It was either a protective gesture or a nervous habit that she’d given up trying to break a long time ago. Keylan’s kind words and the excitement radiating from his body at playing with the kids had her heart doing flips. Not to mention the way the rest of her body was responding to his nearness. “You were supposed to be helping with the older kids.”
“I know, but when I passed by this gym and saw these guys, something drew me in.”
“They can have that effect on people,” she said, smiling.
Keylan gave Mia a half smile. “Do you mind if I—?”
“Key...lan,” Colby sang. “Key...lan.”
“Looks like I’m being summoned. Can we pick this up later when I’m done?”
“Key...lan,” Colby yelled, jumping up and down.
Mia’s eyes widened. She had never seen her son respond to anything or anyone in such a way.
“Demanding little dude. I guess he gets it from you,” he said with a sneer.
“He’s usually shy around strangers. Loud noises, inanimate objects that move or too much commotion makes him nervous...freaks him out.” Mia wondered if she looked as confused as she felt.
“Maybe it’s just me. Until later,” Keylan called over his shoulder, returning to Colby and the other children.
“Looks like Colby’s made a big new friend,” Sandra said, coming to stand next to Mia.
