Marsh was swamped with the basketball team and his classes. Thanksgiving had come and gone, and the Christmas break was less than two weeks away. He was ready for a few days to catch up on correcting homework, and more opportunities to see Karissa.
The team was doing well. They hadn’t lost a game yet and had some of the strongest players Marsh had ever worked with. This was their year for a state championship. Marsh didn’t say it out loud, afraid it would be bad luck, but he worked the boys even harder, pushing them into top shape and recognizing their improvements.
As he watched at practice, scrutinizing every move, making notes on what they needed to work on next and where the weak spots were, he let his eyes fall on each of the players for a moment. Chris hadn’t gotten caught drinking again, and his grades were more than acceptable, but he seemed to have pulled back from some of the other boys and wasn't responding as openly to the assistant coach.
Mike Menendez was quick on his feet and one of the least selfish players Marsh had ever worked with. He was fast to save a shot that didn’t make it and toss it to someone better positioned to hit the hoop. His last weekly grade report showed he was keeping up. Of all the kids on his team, Marsh thought that Mike had come the furthest and had the best likelihood of not just college hoops but possibly a pro career as well.
Connor Travis was only a junior, 6’3”, quick and agile, and one of their best scorers. He also had a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, and while he didn’t give Marsh any lip, his eyes spoke volumes of his bitterness. He was the student Marsh worried about most.
Thankfully, those players with whom Marsh had been unable to connect seemed to have found a friend in his assistant coach Rex, who really understood the kids and pushed them to be their best. He had been a great player in his college days and had a lot of potential as a coach. He would be an excellent replacement someday when Marsh was ready for a break—which wouldn’t be any time soon.
With a blow of his whistle, Marsh called an end to the practice. He reminded the boys of their earlier curfew because of the next night’s game and sent them to the showers. Rex crossed the court to him and grinned. Marsh felt ready to crash in exhaustion, but Rex seemed eager and energetic still; it was incredible.
“What do you think, Marsh?”
“Good practice. We need to work on Jerry’s jump shot though.” He spoke of another senior, one who had made some improvement this season already but still wasn’t one of the shining stars on the team. That was fine by Marsh’s calculation; Jerry was dependable and had a knack of always being in the right place. That counted for a lot. “Some of the other players could use some practice on that too. We need to hit that at next practice.”
“Chris could use some help at the top of the key. I’m going to work with him some over the holiday,” Rex said.
“Great.” Marsh grabbed the mesh bag with all of the practice balls in it and headed for the storage room. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
Rex laughed. “You’re just getting to be an old man. Either that or you’ve had too many late nights with your girlfriend lately.”
The thought of Karissa brought a smile to Marsh’s mouth, but he shook his head. He’d been biding his time since he told her that he was interested in her. She was definitely warming up, but he wanted to give her time to get used to the idea first. And he’d been insanely busy.
“Unfortunately not," Marsh admitted. "I’ve been working on my house. I want to get started on the kitchen over the holidays.”
“You’ve got more ambition than me.” Rex slapped him on the shoulder. “If that’s it for tonight, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yeah.” Marsh was too distracted with thoughts of tracking down Karissa that night. He’d let her think about his words long enough. Time to take action, and he had the perfect plan in mind.
***
Karissa paged out an ambulance, state trooper, and rescue truck to respond to an accident on the winding mountain road. It was snowing and she hated sending people out of their beds to respond in weather like this, but someone had to do it. She was just glad she got to stay warm and dry in her little dispatcher cave.
The bell at the front of the building buzzed and she peered at the monitor, smiling when she saw Marsh’s grinning face gazing at the camera. She pushed the button to talk to him, “Yes, can I help you?”
“I brought frozen yogurt, because on a night like this, nothing hits the spot like something cold.” He held up two cups of yogurt from the convenience store down the road.
The ambulance announced it was leaving the shed, and Karissa acknowledged their radio traffic and listed the current time for the recording. She pushed the button releasing the lock on the front door and told Marsh to come through.
She turned back and handled the phone call from another motorist who passed the accident, then talked with the fire truck, trooper, and two deputies who radioed in that they were on their way. She buzzed Marsh through two more doors while she spoke with the driver, who was hanging upside down by his seatbelt in the car, and relayed information to the emergency workers.
When Marsh reached the room she was in, he stood looking a little unsure about what to do, so Karissa motioned to a chair as she spoke to the driver, soothing him as best she could and reassuring him that help was on the way. Her pulse beat in her fingers with worry when he said he felt light-headed and was afraid he’d pass out. A dozen things could be wrong, and she couldn’t do anything about it.
Karissa accepted the frozen yogurt Marsh passed her and was grateful when she saw it was chocolate. After this, she could definitely use some chocolate.
One of the deputies arrived on scene and she ended the call with the motorist.
She handled a few more radio calls, then picked up the spoon and sampled the treat. “So good,” she said when she swallowed.
“Do you want me to leave? You seem kind of busy,” Marsh said, looking nervous and a little uncomfortable.
“Wait, I’m almost done.” She had another taste or two of the yogurt while she got through the radio traffic of the rescue crew all arriving on scene. They would report in again when they left, but she should have a few minutes to talk before then.
Karissa settled back in her seat and swiveled to Marsh. “Thanks for the frozen yogurt. Sorry about all of that.”
“No, it was interesting. I’ve never been in here, but Trent said you wouldn’t get in trouble if I came by to see you.” He referenced a deputy who lived in Hank’s apartment building.
“This is my home-sweet-home away from home.” She gestured to the dark room featuring another dispatch desk, a coffee pot, and a bathroom on one end. A bank of four monitors was stretched in front of her with various reporting programs pulled up for her reference.
“Do you mind telling me what everything is?” Marsh asked.
Grateful for something not-personal to talk about when she felt awkward—ridiculously so from the memory of their last discussion—she picked up the topic with alacrity. She explained the various programs she used, looked up a license plate and driver’s license for someone that one of the deputies had pulled over, explained how the system of pagers worked for each of the emergency departments, and sent a quick note via messenger to Trent for Marsh.
“You talked like this place is usually pretty boring,” he said. “But there’s a lot to keep track of.”
“It has its moments.” She scraped out the end of her yogurt and tossed the cup. She wanted to blame the cold treat for the chills she felt but knew it was actually nerves causing the problem. Despite the officers working in the jail just through the wall, she and Marsh were very much alone again. “How was practice tonight? Big game tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, the boys are nervous. Heck, I’m nervous. This is a tough team. If we can beat them, we’ve got a shot at taking region and placing well at state. We just need to stay focused.” His lips twisted slightly and he looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, don’t get me started or you might end up listening to a really boring monologue about my team. That seems to happen all the time now.”
“I don’t mind. I like basketball, in case you’ve forgotten.” She’d rarely missed a game when she was in school. “And I’m interested in this year’s team. It seems like you have a talented group of kids.”
“You should come out sometime, bring Paul. We can always use more people in the stands.”
“Cheering on the coach?” she teased.
“I was thinking for the team, but the coach wouldn’t mind your support, either.” He reached out and took her hand. “I have a rare Saturday free this week. We’re supposed to get several inches of snow on Friday. Bring Paul and join me for some inner tubing on Saturday.”
She hadn’t been sledding in years. “Tubing? Isn’t that on the naughty list for your boys?”
He grinned. “Sure, but I’m not playing the games, they are. I get to do things they aren’t allowed to do. Like stay up late the night before a game talking to a beautiful woman and do fun stuff that’s against the rules.”
Karissa fought to keep her smile under control. “Sweet talker.”
“Is that a yes?”
Karissa considered how tired she would be after working the night before but nodded. “Sounds like fun. Can we make it afternoon?”
“I’ll pick you up around two; we can play in the snow for a few hours, then catch dinner.” Marsh stood to leave.
“Good luck at the game tomorrow. I’ll listen on the radio.”
“Thanks. See you Saturday.” He zipped his coat and gave her a wink before heading out the door.
A deputy checked in again and Karissa took down a driver’s license number for him, smiling at the little flutter of excitement in her chest.