grazed piles of paper on his desk, looking for a spot to land—but kept flickering past him instead. What was it about him? The smile? Seemed his facial muscles naturally formed one, a nice one, as he talked. And the straight teeth definitely enhanced the smile. Was she weird for finding straight teeth attractive?
She checked herself, moving her eyes around the room. He hadn’t put anything on the walls yet. No pictures on the desk. The view from his window was the parking lot. So . . . back to the piles of paper . . . Maybe it’s his eyes . . .
“Really sorry about that.” Marcus recradled the phone. “I know you don’t have much time. But let me start this off properly.” He stood, hand extended. “Good morning, Coach Willoughby.”
She stood as well, noting the formality. It was part of the culture at the school to be sure. But having interacted with him at school for almost two months, she found herself wondering what his less formal side was like.
“Good morning, Mr. Maxwell. And no problem.” She added as she sat, “But I can probably save some time if you’re about to ask me to reconsider and keep my position here.”
He had a curious look. “And if I am? What would you say?”
“I’d say, ‘Sorry, I’m still leaving.’”
“Okay. Well, that’s not my question . . . not exactly.” He paused. “I want to know if you’ll consider another position here.”
Now Charley was curious. “What position?”
“Head volleyball coach.”
“What?” She scooted forward. “Coach Nelson is leaving?”
“It happened quickly,” Marcus said. “You know her husband’s been out of work. He got a great offer from a Dallas company, and turns out Coach Nelson has friends who run a club volleyball team down there that makes it to nationals every year. She’s excited to coach for them.”
“And so . . . you’re asking me to take over as head coach? I’ve only had two years’ experience.”
“But you played Division I volleyball, you know this program, and you’re a natural instructor.” Marcus clasped his hands. “You also have a love for the sport, which is huge.”
How did he know all that about her?
He smiled. “And in case you’re wondering, it’s my job to know who’s got talent in the building. I’ve not only heard great things about you, I’ve watched you work with those girls this summer. The fact that you still wanted to do the clinic after you resigned at the end of the school year tells me you have a love.”
Charley sat back, letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe this.”
“Can’t believe what?”
She looked up, realizing she’d said it out loud. “It’s nothing. Just . . . hard sometimes, trying to figure out what God wants me to do.” Her gaze moved to the pile of papers again as she took all of this in.
“I’ve had some experience with that myself recently,” he said. “Can’t say I figured it all out, but I landed here in Hope Springs, so I hope I got that part right.” He shrugged a little. “What are you grappling with? That is, if you don’t mind sharing.”
“I don’t mind,” Charley said. “In a nutshell, I returned to Hope Springs after college only because of the guy I grew up dating. We got engaged, broke up this spring, and I figured now was my chance to spread my wings and do something different. Might sound weird, but I want to be part of something God is doing. So I decided to give up my teaching job and look for a ministry position, or maybe something missions oriented.” She took a breath. “But I haven’t found anything. And with this offer, I’m confused again.”
Marcus nodded. “Mind if I ask a couple questions?”
“Shoot.”
“And we can be real about God and faith and all that?”
Charley smiled. “So . . . you’re a believer too?”
He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a thin, leatherbound Bible. “With all my heart.”
Her own skipped a little. Maybe that’s what it was about him. “Cool. And yes, we can be really real.”
“Okay then,” he said. “I’m assuming you were praying about what God wanted you to do?”
“Definitely.”
“And you felt strongly that He wanted you to quit this job?”
Charley thought about that. “I felt strongly that I wanted my life to take a different direction, to be more mindful of my purpose. I want to make a difference, you know?”
“Absolutely,” Marcus said. “That’s awesome. But what I’m trying to understand is, did God lay