Mrs. Moretti coached the first game back after Christmas, the Saturday before school would start up again. She said Gramps had called her the day before and told her that he wouldn’t be able to make it back for the game.

“Did he say where he was calling from?” Lucas said.

“He did not,” she said.

“Did he say when he might be back?” Lucas said.

She shook her head. “So you and your mom still haven’t spoken to him?”

Now Lucas shook his head. “Have the people on the board decided what to do about him when he does come back, if he does?”

“Nothing has changed,” she said. “They want to talk to him before they make up their minds.”

They were ten minutes from the start of their game against the Harkness Pelicans. Lucas had just taken his last warm-up shot, making one last three-pointer before he came over to the bench. The rest of the guys were still out there, including Ryan, who was at least talking to Lucas for the first time in over a week. Lucas could still feel some attitude from him. But they had a game to play. And to win.

Mrs. Moretti came over and sat down next to Lucas as he drank some Gatorade.

“I need you to be my assistant coach today,” she said.

“You don’t need me to do anything but play,” he said.

She grinned. “I need a little more than that,” she said. “Nobody knows this team better than you do, maybe with the exception of the coach who’s not here today.”

“You’re here,” Lucas said. “You got this.”

“They used to call me a coach on the floor back in the day,” she said. “But it’s different when you’re out there. So you see anything today you think we should be doing, you tell me, okay?”

Lucas grinned and bumped her some fist.

When Ryan got back to the bench he said, “What was all that between you and my mom?”

“She was just making me promise to throw you the ball every chance I get,” Lucas said.

“She’s always telling me she has a brilliant basketball mind,” Ryan said. “That’s just more proof of it.”

Lucas nodded at him. “We good?” he said.

Ryan made a gesture with his hand that seemed to take in the whole gym, or maybe the day.

“We’re always good in here,” he said.