Matt blew the whistle.
Amy bounded backward, taking sweeping strokes, the Sharks’ U.S. swimmer kicking and pulling hard a foot behind her. Amy flipped at the wall and surfaced a body length on the competitor. Spectators on both sides jumped up and cheered for their swimmer.
“Gooo, Amy,” John yelled from his timing position.
Suzie’s heart raced with excitement.
Splitting the surface of the water in long, graceful pulls to the other side of the pool, Amy turned again and came up even farther ahead, finishing first.
John grinned from ear to ear as his niece hopped onto the deck. He left his station, wound through a group of young girls pulling back their hair, flipping water off it, and gave her a hug.
“Uncle John, you’re all wet.”
“I’ll dry. What a swim. I’m so proud of you.” John’s dark eyes sparkled.
Suzie stepped over to them. “Great job, Amy. Thanks for swimming for us.”
A smile lit up Amy’s face. “It was fun.”
The kids on the team rushed to her. Guys shook her hand. Girls high-fived her. Anna hugged her around the knees.
Suzie returned to the starting blocks. The girls’ sixteen-year-old medley relays were in the water. How’d she miss the boys’ backstroke event and the whistles? All the noise.
She’d arranged this relay slowest to fastest. Butterflies danced in her stomach. Oh no, the fourth swimmer, the freestyler, lagged behind the Shark. But wait—only by inches. That wasn’t a Dolphins swim cap. Had she come to help out? Could she pull it off?
“Kick, kick, kick,” Suzie screamed as the girl headed toward the wall.
She out-touched the Shark by her fingertips then grabbed the handles on the starting blocks and pulled herself out of the pool.
Suzie gasped. Amy had swum events almost back to back. Had she even had time to return to the bullpen before the race started? “Great job, Amy!”
Amy breathed fast and hard. “You’re welcome. Miss Ellie came over right after you left and told me to line up for the senior relay. She thought I could pull it off.”
“Thank goodness for both of you.”
Cheers from the parents and squeals from the kids pierced the night as the swimmers raced again and again until they’d finished the medley relays and individual events.
Matt coughed into the microphone. “Ah-hem.” He cleared his throat. “Before we start the freestyle relays, we’ll announce a score. Hold on a second.”
A hush fell over the pool while Matt turned and checked with Elaine. “The end-of-the-meet freestyle relays are always big. Tonight they’re huge. The teams are tied at two hundred ninety-six.”
Suzie strolled to the concession stand for a bottle of water and handed Vic fifty cents.
Mallory strutted over and brushed against her. Tossing her head upward, she slicked back her straight blond hair, a two-carat engagement ring sparkling on her left hand.
Suzie stepped to the side to make room for her amid the customers waiting to be served. “Have some smoked tuna dip or boiled shrimp.”
“Shrimp?” Mallory screeched.
“Nothing short about the Okaloosa Dolphins concession stand.” Suzie smiled big as Mallory surveyed the selections.
Matt blew the whistle then thumped the microphone. “Six-and-under girls’ freestyle relays on the blocks.”
Suzie hurried to the bullpen to help Ellie line up the rest of the kids then charged poolside in time for the six-and-under girls first-place finish.
The whistle blew again, and the six-and-under boys’ relay commenced.
Small splatters from the little kids hit the pool water like raindrops as the Okaloosa Dolphins pulled ahead. With each age group, the splashes grew bigger until water flew fast. Parents on both sides of the pool hollered and screamed as loud as the kids cheering their teammates. Before Suzie knew it, Matt announced the last relay.
“Senior boys’ two-hundred-yard freestyle relay on the blocks.” His voice sounded scratchy.
Only three boys arrived at the Dolphins’ starting block. Suzie’s heart pounded against her chest. “Where’s the fourth leg of our relay?”
Bob raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know. Miss Ellie told us to hurry over here.”
Suzie scanned the pool deck, trying to see through the crowd of children gathered around both starting blocks and the sides of the pool. Anna peered at her with wide, anxious eyes. She could trust Anna. “Go get Miss Ellie. Hurry, but don’t run.”
“Okay.”
Anna darted off, her little feet taking short, fast steps as though they had motors on them until she reached the bullpen.
Matt blew the whistle.
Suzie waved her hand toward the water as the Sharks’ first swimmer dove in. “Somebody dive. Now.”
“We only have three swimmers.” Bob’s eyes widened.
“Get in that pool. We’ll find the fourth one if we have to run him out of the bathroom or off the bleachers. Swim fast. You’re already behind.”
Bob dove in, surfaced, and gulped air. Then he put his head down, kicked, and pulled all the way across the pool before taking another breath. He flipped at the wall and emerged at the feet of the Sharks swimmer.
“Gooo, Bob!” the six-and-unders yelled.
Suzie placed her hand on Jay’s shoulder. “Get ready.”
Jay scratched his head. “Who’s the fourth swimmer?”
“We don’t know yet. That’s not your problem. As soon as Bob taps the wall, dive in and swim for your life.”
Bob touched and Jay dove over the top of him.
Melissa showed up with her cousin, Louie. “He can’t swim very good, but he’s sixteen. He’s on the list Mama gave you for the referees.” Melissa peered down at her feet. “In case we needed him for a relay.” She mumbled as though she hoped Louie wouldn’t hear her.
Judging from the fear dancing in Louie’s wide green eyes, Suzie would say he was too focused on the task at hand to listen to Melissa.
“I can do freestyle, sort of.” His voice quivered.
“Can you dive?”
“No ma’am.”
Suzie patted him on the back. “That’s all right. We’re proud you came. You’ll be our third racer. Just jump in the pool and start swimming as best you can. Remember two things to avoid a disqualification. Don’t stand up and walk on the bottom in shallow water, and be sure to touch the wall on the other side before you come back. Also, tap it here when you finish. Stand here.” Suzie bent down and touched the starting block. A slow swim beat no swim.
Louie stepped up and peered down as Jay swam toward the wall, his feet moving like electric paddles.
He touched, and Louie jumped in. He took slow, determined strokes with his arms more to the side than forward, holding his head above water, and slapping with his hands. He wasn’t going to gain on the Shark, but the ref wouldn’t disqualify him for sloppy execution.
Melissa and Anna practically fell in the pool, leaning over screaming, “Go! Go faster!” as though their cheers could propel him.
Then Melissa yelled, “Hurry up, Louie. We’re going to lose.”
Suzie tapped her on the shoulder. “You and Anna go to the other side and stand at the end of this lane. As Louie swims close, holler, ‘Touch the wall.’”
Bob twisted his towel. “Go man, go.”
Jay patted his foot.
The Dolphin parents stood, their necks stretched forward, their eyes following Louie.
Louie approached the other end. Anna and Melissa shouted, “Touch the wall. Touch the wall.”
Suzie held her breath. He touched it, and she exhaled. She directed her gaze at Jay and Bob. “Do you guys want to do a little coaching?”
Their eyes lit up. “Sure.”
“Follow Louie along the side of the pool and repeat, ‘Keep swimming. Keep swimming.’ Don’t stop telling him until he touches here.” Suzie pointed at the lane where she stood.
“Okay.” The boys scurried over and kept
pace along the pool deck beside Louie. “Keep swimming. Keep swimming.”
Soon the parents chanted. “Keep swimming. Keep swimming.”
Someone in the crowd chimed in. “Atta boy. Go Louie!”
Suzie’s heart pounded against her chest as Louie swam like molasses pouring out of a jar, while the Sharks fourth swimmer dove in. She put her hand in the water and patted the wall. “Good job. Keep swimming. Touch here.”
Louie touched and Nate, John’s nephew, dove over his head, water spattering the pool deck. His quick strokes electrified his lane. He’d sped three-fourths of the way down the pool and gained on the Shark by the time Louie climbed out.
A thunderous roar arose from swimmers and parents on both teams as Nate and the competitor flipped into the first turn and surfaced inches apart. They charged toward the wall, their arms rotating like propellers. They turned and headed home, neck and neck, water spewing from them like fountains.
Suzie’s nerves bounced inside like Mexican jumping beans. “Go, Nate.” She bent over, stared at the wall to see the touch, and nearly bonked John on the head.
He timed the Shark but kept glancing at Nate. The Shark and Nate tapped the wall fingertips apart. John mashed the button. He looked at Suzie. “Did Nate pull it out? Who touched first?”
The Shark parent timing Nate peered at John with his eyebrows knitted. “I hate to say it, but I think your guy did.”
Losing was never easy. Suzie couldn’t help but sympathize. “Your swimmer did great. He’s fantastic. If we won, it’s not by much.”
The times showed Nate winning by one one-hundredths of a second. The line judges gave it to Nate too.
The Dolphins parents clapped.
Nate smiled, but Louie stood with his head lowered. “Thanks for helping us out,” Suzie said.
He gazed at her with sad green eyes. “If the Dolphins lose, it’s all because of me.”
“No, Louie. If the Dolphins win, it’s all because of you.”
He tilted his head. “How? All I did was swim on one relay, and I didn’t do a very good job of it.”
“Your relay won. If we hadn’t put that race in the water, we would have gotten zero points, and the other team would have earned seven. We had an entry because you were brave enough to swim for us even if this sport isn’t your thing. Now that’s team spirit.”
Louie straightened his slumped shoulders and held up his chin.
Suzie hugged him. “Some of our contributions in life may seem small to us, but they aren’t little at all if they help someone or they’re what’s needed to propel someone or something to greatness.”
Louie tilted his head and peered at her with eyes that reminded her of a puppy’s questioning look. “Hmm.” He smiled. “Good to know.”
“Listen. I think Matt’s going to give the score.”
“The Clear Springs Sharks, three hundred fifty-six. The Okaloosa Dolphins, three hundred sixty-eight.”
Suzie winked at Louie. “See there. We won because of you.”
The Dolphins parents clapped loudly. The kids cheered and jumped up and down, hugging one another. Many of the children rushed to Louie and thanked him for swimming.
Bob high-fived him. “Hey man, thanks for helping us. Can you come next week?”
Louie’s eyes snapped wide. “Yeah, probably.”
Mallory marched to the refs. What was she up to? She pursed her mouth and sashayed with the fiftyish guy to Suzie.
The ref held up his clipboard. “Mallory wants to make sure all of the Okaloosa Dolphins are registered, especially those not wearing team suits. Do I have the names of every late entry?”
Suzie’s blood boiled. Now Mallory accused her of being dishonest and tried to disqualify some of the Dolphins swimmers—a poor last-ditch effort to reverse the win. “Yes, sir. I called the county and added Nate and Amy Green to our roster before the meet and spoke with you about Melissa’s relatives.”
The fiftyish man peered at Mallory. “Nice try.” He directed his gaze at Suzie. “Congratulations. It was a fine, well-run meet.”
Gratitude for a perceptive ref rushed through Suzie. “Thank you.” She swallowed her disgust for Mallory and extended her hand to her. “Great meet, Mallory. You have some talented swimmers.” You just don’t know how to do a lineup, or did you assume your swimmers were so great they’d win without your fielding every relay?
Wrinkles creased Mallory’s brow. “We have four older U.S. swimmers and two younger ones. I don’t know how you won, but it was a good meet.”
“Yeah. It was close. Good luck next week.”
Mallory stomped off.
Matt approached Suzie as she gathered her papers and clipboard. Friendliness sparkled in his dark eyes. “You’re an impressive coach. That was a fantastic meet. I have to be honest. I couldn’t help but notice the talent on the other team. I don’t know how you did it.”
“Just doing my job.” With the help of divine intervention, bringing in all those talented swimmers. Suzie twirled away from Matt, headed to the bullpen, gathered the lineup sheet, and picked up trash.
He followed. “I’ll clean up too.” He snatched up several paper plates.
Suzie moved to another area away from him and grabbed plastic cups.
Ellie walked up to her. “I’ll pack any leftover food, refrigerate it, and bring it for the kids to eat tomorrow after practice.”
“What a neat idea. Thank you.”
“No. Thank you. You’re enriching these kids’ lives.” Ellie waved her arm toward Matt, even though his back was to them. “He might be worth a second chance, if he changed his attitude.”
Shock hit Suzie like a board someone swung at her. “How did you know?”
“Matt and I go way back. He told me how much he liked you and what a shame it was you aren’t well.” She raised her eyebrows. “You look fine to me. Whatever it is, I’m sure the Lord will take care of it.”
How dare Matt discuss her with Ellie! Was smoke coming out her ears? “I told him about my problem in confidence. I didn’t say that, but I assumed he’d know.”
“Please don’t be aggravated with him. He mentioned it out of concern. Basically, Matt’s a good guy.”
“I’m sure he is.” The sarcasm inside Suzie spewed out with her words.
Ellie glanced down then looked up with guilt showing in her eyes. “I’ll collect the food.” She ambled toward the concession stand.
Someone touched Suzie’s arm, and she jumped. Matt. Her stomach knotted. What did he want? She yearned to tell him how angry his betrayal had made her, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure whether anger or hurt bothered her more. The two of them seemed to run together. She needed to maintain peace in the business association. That’s the only one they’d ever have, so what did it matter? Did Ellie leave because she didn’t want to get in the middle of a brouhaha between Matt and her? “Yes. What do you need?” More harshness spilled out than she’d intended in her voice.
Matt peered at her with pleading eyes. “You. I want to apologize for acting like a jerk.”
Did Matt mean he needed her? How silly. He must’ve realized he’d been rude and wanted to make sure she stayed to coach the team. Some people would say anything to get what they wanted. It would be bad for the children to switch coaches mid-season, even if he could find someone else. She hoped that was what he meant, because if he referred to the relationship, or whatever they’d had, he could forget it. No one would ever hurt her again because of this illness. No one else would toy with her feelings as Carson and Matt had, only to reject her because she was sick. “No problem.” Suzie started to walk away.
Matt pulled her toward him.
“Let go of my arm, please.” Remaining civil required every ounce of strength she had, but she needed this job.
“Please forgive me. I’m not making excuses, but you look great, uh…healthy. Finding out you’re ill shocked me. I needed a little while to process it.”
“Good. I’m glad you’ve come to term
s with it. It’s a relief to know I won’t be fired.”
“Of course you won’t be fired. We’re fortunate to have you. You’re even more talented than your credentials indicate. The kids and parents adore you.”
“I like them too.” Suzie looked around the pool. Matt couldn’t accept her illness. Wanted nothing to do with her outside of work because of it. Why was he torturing her with flattery? She screamed inside and wanted to run as far away from him as she could, but that wasn’t going to happen. The best she could do was stay around him as little as possible and maintain a friendly work relationship. “Thanks for helping me clean up and for the tips about the articles.”
Matt scratched his head. “I meant to tell you. Some parents at the Destin Community Club were amazed by the number of points the Dolphins scored at the first meet. They wanted to know if you’d give their kids private lessons on Saturday mornings. I told them it would be twenty-five dollars for thirty minutes.”
Hopefulness where Suzie expected to find none landed on her like sunbeams, a big smile erupting. Visions of the outlet store popped in her head. “I’d love to. Do I need to call someone?”
“No. I’ll give them your phone number, if that’s all right.”
“It’s fine. Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.” Suzie stepped toward the parking lot.
Matt followed. “Wait.”
How cruel was he? Well, he had just done a good thing for her. She stopped.
“Please. Can’t you forgive me and allow me a second chance?”
“Of course I forgive you. Not one of us is perfect. I might feel the same way if I were in your shoes, so don’t worry about it.” Geez, he’s the one who hurt her, and she had to soothe his guilt.
Matt grinned big. “So, you’ll go out with me tomorrow night.”
Suzie couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d pulled a snake out of his pocket. Words escaped her as all the anguish she’d endured going out with him in the first place devoured every corner of her mind. She’d made a mistake opening her heart once after Carson broke it. She’d learned her lesson. Until she got well, if she got well, she intended to never date again. “No.”
Barely Above Water Page 19
