You Don't Know..What you Don't Know

Chapter Thirty One: Summer

The rest of the weekend was consumed by volunteering at church. Our parish was hosting the annual Greek basketball tournament, bringing teams from Greek Orthodox churches all over the East Coast. Mom and Dad were coaching our girls' team, and even without me, they had a talented group.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail and slipped back into my Adidas warmups. It was going to be a long day of basketball. There would be time to change before the dance that night. Until then, I was basically free labor.

We arrived at the church before sunrise. Mom and Dad disappeared to gather the team, hand out pep talks, and prepare for the opening game. Jim and I headed for the scorer's table on the stage, where we'd spend most of the day running the clock and scoreboard.

As teams began filing into the gym, the building filled with the familiar mix of bouncing basketballs, whistles, and loud Greek families greeting one another.

I spotted the Baltimore team and wandered over to say hello to Ed, the coach and director from the Center. He was talking to someone standing just behind him. When he stepped aside, my jaw nearly hit the floor.

Torri.

He simply winked.

Holy crap.

A little warning would have been nice.

I walked toward him, trying not to smile too much.

"I see you found a ride," I said, thinking back to our conversation the night before.

So much for him being drunk and flirting over the phone. The Baltimore team had arrived last night. That sneaky jerk had been completely sober.

"You weren't planning on coming to Baltimore anytime soon," he said with a grin. "Ed needed another coach, so I volunteered. Such a hardship—riding a bus full of girls all the way here just to see the most beautiful girl in the world."

He finished with another shameless wink.

"You here alone?" I asked cautiously.

My cousins didn't usually play basketball, but that didn't mean they hadn't made the trip.

"Believe it or not, all we have to do this weekend is avoid God and your brother."

I laughed.

"You realize we're standing in a church when you say things like that?"

"I do." He leaned a little closer. "And you have the perfect seat today. Front and center on that stage. Makes it much easier for me to stare at you."

"You're impossible." I folded my arms. "I still can't believe you played me last night. You're lucky I'm talking to you."

"I don't have to talk to you." His smile turned mischievous. "There are plenty of ways to enjoy being around you without saying a word."

My lip pushed into an exaggerated pout.

"And stop doing that," he whispered. "We're in church, Tia."

"Oh, you're hilarious..."

Before I could think of another comeback, Jim walked over and shook Torri's hand.

"Tia, we need to get upstairs. First game's about to start."

I gave Torri a quick wave before following Jim to the scorer's table.

The day disappeared into a blur of basketball.

Games started, ended, and started again. I barely climbed down from the stage except to grab lunch. Between running the scoreboard, keeping the clock, and organizing scores, there was always something to do.