A Heart of Little Faith by Jennifer Wilck

Author:Jennifer Wilck [Wilck, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: New York, Single Mom, Disability, Damaged Hero, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Jennifer Wilck
Published: 2018-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

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Lily and Claire strode hand-in-hand into the gymnasium and then sat on the bleachers. Young male chatter echoed off the walls of the empty gymnasium and combined with the clack of Lily’s heels and the rubbery squeak of Claire’s sneakers. Fourteen boys on the basketball court, approximately eleven years old, surrounded Gideon. As the boys backed away, he took the ball, dribbled it halfway across the court, and passed it to one of the boys. The smack, smack, pat of the bouncing ball reverberated through the gym, and Claire’s wide eyes followed the ball in time to its beat.

“That’s Gideon’s special basketball chair, Mom. I saw it when I ate dinner at his apartment. It works better than his other chair,” Claire announced proudly. She pointed to him. He moved with an athletic grace different from his usual spare movements. With his center of gravity lower to the ground, he moved faster, spun quicker and handled the ball with a rhythm that made Lily forget about his chair.

“So is he their basketball teacher?” Claire’s question drew Lily’s attention away from Gideon and she swallowed.

“He’s the coach. He practices with these kids after school. They’re a team.”

“What’s the team going to do?” Her eyes were glued to Gideon as he scored and the boys cheered. The acrid odor of sweat drifted toward Lily and Claire. They crinkled their noses.

“They’ll play against other teams.”

The boys continued to practice. Although they were the only ones in the stands, no one noticed them. Fourteen pairs of eyes shifted from Gideon’s face to his hands and back again as he demonstrated a technique or joined in the scrimmage. His low tone instructed more effectively than any shouts could have; his large hands guided smaller ones as he corrected their position or posture; his smile encouraged them better than any bribe or reward. Lily leaned forward, captivated as much as Claire or the boys, and wished she were on the receiving end of his concentration. His focus on her, his hands roaming her body…she began to sweat and blinked away the fantasy.

Gideon saw them, and Lily swore the sun shone brighter into the gymnasium. Pleasure created parentheses on either side of his mouth and he waved. Lily could almost feel the heat and waved back.

“Can I go see them, Mommy?” Claire shot up and only Lily’s outstretched arm prevented her from rushing down the bleachers and onto the court.

“Wait until they finish, okay? We don’t want to disturb them.” Her fingers brushed the soft cotton jersey fabric of Claire’s shirt as she rubbed her daughter’s back to ease the disappointment.

A sudden commotion on the court made Lily whip around and see one of the boys fall down. He screamed and held his leg. Gideon raced over, climbed out of his chair and examined him. Lily raced down the bleachers.

“Where’s it hurt, Michael?” he soothed.

“My leg. My leg hurts!” Gideon lifted the pant leg. A lump protruded from his shin. The other boys crowded around Michael and Gideon, their faces pale.

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