Chapter 10

Owen couldn't stop talking about how amazing the game was even though he only went in at the wide receiver position a few times, and Bryce didn't throw him the ball.

When we got home, I ordered a pizza. When it arrived, I called Owen down for dinner.

Owen grabbed a slice from the box and took a bite out of it. "I like wide receiver. I'm fast, and I can catch. I'll just keep practicing. Do you think Jameson could work with me this weekend?"

"Why don't you sit, and I'll get you a plate," I suggested as I moved toward the cabinet and grabbed plates.

"Can I have a Gatorade?"

"Go for it." When we were seated and I placed a napkin near his plate, I continued, "I don't know if that's a good idea. You don't want the other players thinking you're getting special treatment."

His face pinched. "We were friends before I was on the team."

"You know how some people think."

"You mean Bryce's dad? He's always saying stuff after practice. He wants to make sure Bryce is the starter, and he doesn't like me working as the backup."

I frowned. "Don't you need someone prepared to step up in case he gets hurt?"

"I guess he doesn't plan on Bryce getting hurt."

"Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Will you ask Jameson if he'll work with me? Please."

I couldn't say no to Owen. Not when he was so determined to get better and be a part of the team. "Okay. But don't get your hopes up. He might say no."

"Can you text him now?" Owen said.

"Sometimes you have no patience," I said even as I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Jameson.

Owen was wondering if you'd work with him this weekend. He'd like to improve his running and catching.

Are you sure that's a good idea?

Is there somewhere we could go that no one would see us together?

I have the perfect place.

He sent me a link to the directions, and when I pulled up the map it was the Calloway farm. "Looks like we're going to his Christmas tree farm."

"Yes," Owen said over the mouthful of pizza.

"Chew slowly so you don't choke," I chided, wondering when I'd become my parents. Was I ever fun? I had to be the parent that reminded him to brush his teeth and take showers. Because no one else would.

"When's my weekend with Dad?"

"It was supposed to be this one, but he had to go out of town for work."

"Of course he did."

"I know you're disappointed, but we're going to have a good time this weekend." I couldn't wait to see Jameson on his family's farm. Would he be different than the man I'd gotten to know? There was something about doing it out of sight that was exciting too. Even though this was football practice and nothing else.

"Can I play video games?" Owen asked after he'd demolished three-quarters of the pizza.

"Clear your plate and wash your hands first."

"Woo-hoo," he said as he raced to do it.

I'd have to keep my expectations in check. Going to the farm had nothing to do with me. This was for Owen. I wanted him to get better. I wanted him to have fun on the team. This had nothing to do with me seeing Jameson outside of school and off the football field.

But that felt like a lie.

* * *

On Saturday, I threw on jeans, a flannel checked shirt over a white tank, and boots. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I was going for casual farm girl? I had no idea if I nailed it, but I wanted to look good.

There was not much of a chance that Jameson would be lusting after me in this getup if he wasn't already, but one could hope.

"You ready to go?" Owen asked midmorning.

He usually slept late, then lazed around the house while I reminded him to pick up his things and clean his room. But today, both of us were in good spirits as we gathered our things for the farm.

In the backseat, Owen cradled his football.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the team. Are you friends with anyone?"

Owen frowned. "I'm friends with everyone."

I wanted to push and ask if he'd bonded with anyone in particular. But I didn't want him to know that I worried about him and his social life since we were new to the school.

If anyone on the team found out that Jameson worked with Owen outside of practice, it wouldn't be good. Especially if Bryce's dad found out. We'd just have to be careful.

I pulled up to the farm which was only ten minutes outside of town. There was a wooden sign with evergreens on the front with the words: Pine Valley Farms and then The Calloways. "This is it."

"I don't know if I'd want to live out here."

"There aren't any neighbors close by," I said as my car ambled over the rocky lane. I parked at the main house where Jameson said he'd meet me. There were a couple of trucks, a blue one that said Pine Valley Farms on the door and a black one with gold lettering indicating it was aDepartment of Natural Resources vehicle. Then there was a police cruiser.

"His brothers must be here too," I said as I got out, my nerves kicking into hyperdrive.

As soon as we reached the porch steps, Jameson came outside, smiling wide. "You made it."

I put my arms out to my sides. "We're here."

Jameson jogged down the stairs. "You come ready to play?"

"Yes," Owen said as Jameson motioned toward the open grass area by the house.

The door opened again, and three men came outside.

I walked up the steps to greet them. "I'm Claire, Owen's mother."

The older one with gray hair and a beard said, "I'm Al, Jameson's Dad."

"It's so nice to meet you. You raised a good man. He's so good with the kids."

He rocked back on his heels. "I was impressed with his coaching the other night."

Another one of his brothers put out his hand. "Wes Calloway. His brother."

"Teddy. I'm the oldest."

I shook their hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"Have a seat. I'll grab some apple cider." Al rushed back inside, and I took a seat in one of the chairs where I could see Jameson talking to Owen.

"How did you two meet again?" Teddy asked.

"Owen was cooking and caused a fire. Jameson was the firefighter who responded to the call."

Teddy nodded. "That's right. I remember now."

I had a feeling Teddy knew exactly who I was. He was testing me to see if I'd say anything different. "Are you the police officer?"

"How could you tell?" Teddy asked as he leaned casually on the railing.

Wes stood off to the side, looking bemused.

"The questioning." There was also his demeanor. His stance was rigid and his gaze alert.

Teddy's lips twitched. "I like to know who my little brother's hanging out with."

I arched a brow. "He's not so little anymore."

Teddy dipped his head slightly. "So he keeps saying."

"You promised you'd stop saying that," Wes reminded him.

Teddy waved him off. "It's my job to give him a hard time. Especially if he brings a woman home."

I flushed. "Oh, we're not dating. He's just helping Owen."

Teddy gave me an assessing look, then finally nodded.

"We're just friends." Why was I still talking?

"He seems happier since he's been coaching. I wasn't sure if it was you?" Teddy continued.

"I think he enjoys what he does. I'm positive it has nothing to do with me."

The look Teddy gave me said he didn't believe anything I was saying.

"Nothing happened between me and Jameson." I could say that honestly. What I wanted to happen and what was reality were two very different things.

Teddy seemed to accept that statement. "I'm going to play some football."

When he was gone, Wes said, "He's just protective of his siblings."

"Jameson doesn't need it." It was funny because Jameson was protective of me and Owen. He didn't need his older brother looking out for him.

Wes nodded. "I think you're right."

Silence fell between us while we watched Teddy throw the ball to Owen. Jameson was playing defense.

Then Wes stood. "Jameson's a good guy. You should give him a chance."

"I think you're seeing something that isn't there. Jameson isn't interested in me."

Wes's lips curled upward. "Are you sure about that?"

My heart was beating rapidly. There was a moment where I thought he might be physically attracted to me. But I suspected my recent divorce and the fact that I had a child was a deterrent.

Wes yelled something to Jameson about being slow.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between the brothers. They might give each other a hard time, but it was clear they loved each other.

Now that there were four people playing, they fell into two on two. The entire time Owen was grinning. He didn't have any siblings or any uncles. He was enjoying this time with the Calloway men.

A few minutes later, Al came outside with apple cider, iced tea, and cookies. "Sorry it took me so long. I knew I had cookies somewhere. I just couldn't find them."

I reached for the glass of iced tea, grateful for something to soothe my dry throat. "You didn't need to bring them out."

He raised a brow. "If your boy is anything like mine, these will be gone as soon as he sees them."

I laughed. "You might be right."

Al sat next to me in the companion rocker and nodded toward the box. "Get some before they're gone."

I popped a chocolate cookie in my mouth. "These are good. I haven't had them in a while."

"I have to hide them from the boys, or they'll be gone. The only problem is that I hide them too well. Then I can't find them."

Jameson's dad was nice.

Al looked over at me. "You from around here?"

"Grew up in the area. My parents still live here."

"You have any siblings? Are they as crazy as my boys?"

I loved how he called them my boys even though they were grown men. "No siblings. It's just me and Owen and my parents."

"I suppose you'll spend Thanksgiving with them."

I shook my head. "They surprised me by planning a trip this year to Hawaii." Whenever I thought about spending the holiday alone, my chest tightened.

"You're welcome here. My daughter Daphne is a great cook, and we usually have some of the meal catered. Last year, Cole bought us the entire dinner. It was his way of apologizing to the family."

"That's a nice apology."

"It sure was. But I only needed to see how much my granddaughter Izzy loved him."

"That's what Jameson said."

Al leaned forward. "He told you about Cole and Daphne?"

"He loves his sister and wanted her to be happy. I think they're close, being the two youngest."

"They both lived on the farm together. Daphne was in the house for the first few years of Izzy's life. Then she moved into the cottage. Jameson has been in the apartment above the garage since he was eighteen."

"I bet you loved having your kids close." As much as I wanted Owen to be independent, it would be hard to let him go when it was time.

"It was nice, especially after their mother died. I think they were worried about me. But it's time for them to move on and live their lives."

"Jameson was talking about building a house on the farm."

"We have the cottage, but I think he needs something bigger. Especially if he wants a family."

"You think that's what he wants?" I shouldn't be talking to his father about this. I had no reason to be interested, but I was.

"Jameson has the biggest heart of all my kids. I can't imagine him not having kids of his own."

I felt like I was getting a glimpse into Jameson, one I desperately wanted.

"It worries me that he hasn't brought home a serious girlfriend. I wonder if it's the constant ribbing between the brothers. The other ones don't care about it, but I think he worries about what his brothers think of him. I wish he wouldn't. He should do his own thing."

"He's forging his own path and doing a spectacular job." Why was I so protective of Jameson? We weren't anything. Yet I felt like I should stand up for him in front of his father.

Al's gaze settled on me. "I'm proud of all my kids. When Alison died, it was hard to see past it. How would we move on? How would I raise seven kids on my own? The one saving grace was that Fiona and Teddy were adults. They had their mother for eighteen, nineteen years, but the others? They'd feel the loss more. I hated that for them. Nothing can replace a mother."

"I'm sure," I murmured, my heart aching for the Calloway family. "That must have been difficult."

"Alison was the heart of this family. I was sure I'd let everyone down."

"You didn't. Look how they've turned out." I nodded toward Jameson, who threw the ball at Wes. Teddy tackled him, and they rolled around on the ground arguing about tackle versus flag football rules.

"I promise I raised them to be better than this."

I laughed. "You can feel the love when you're around them. I'd say you've done a remarkable job."

Al grinned. "You have too."

"You don't even know me."

"You're raising that boy by yourself? Ain't nothing more impressive than a single mother. I watched Daphne with Izzy. Even though she had us, it's not the same as the father being involved in her life."

"Oh, I was with Eric up until recently. He's still around."

"He couldn't have been a good father, or you wouldn't have left him."

"He wasn't present. He loves work and being busy. He doesn't much care about coming home to have dinner with his family." In that moment, I knew Jameson was nothing like Eric. If he had a family of his own, he'd be present and attentive.

"You'll be okay."

I felt relief course through my body. "I needed to hear that."

"You will be. You're a strong woman, and you know what you want."

He fell silent for a few minutes, and I added, "You know there's nothing going on between me and your son. We're just friends."

"Yeah?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the guys playing football. "Well, it's good to have lots of friends in life."

I smiled. "I think so too."

Just then, Owen ran over to us, his hair hanging over his face. He pushed it back, sweat clinging to his forehead. "Jameson said we could go for a walk in the fields. Can we?"

"You should see our Christmas trees before they're picked over," Al said with pride.

"I'd love to." The farm itself was beautiful. From the porch, I could see the rolling hills, the rows of trees, and even a small pond. I hadn't felt so relaxed in forever. There was something peaceful about being here.

"We have to tag the trees this week. We can show Owen how we do that," Jameson said as he dropped onto the top step of the porch.

Teddy grabbed a glass of apple cider and drained it. "That hit the spot. Thanks, Dad."

"You'd better get that walk in before they need to head home," Al said gruffly.

"You're coming, right?" Owen asked me.

I stood. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."

Owen walked with Wes and Teddy.

Jameson stepped into line with me. "It's a bit of a walk to the field with our best trees for this season. It's a good thing you wore boots."

"You help out on the farm in addition to your other jobs?" I asked Jameson, wanting to know more about his family.

"We all help out when we can."

I loved the idea of Owen hanging out with the Calloway men. They would be a good influence for him. Plus, it wouldn't hurt for him to get an idea of what work is, learning responsibility.

"When Owen volunteers, he could prepare the trees and secure them on top of the cars, check out customers, or even help people find their tree and cut it down."

"I don't think I'm ready for him to wield a saw."

"We can start him with securing the trees then. And work up to more. Only if you're okay with it. I don't want you to think we're taking advantage of you."

"Would it be a volunteer position?"

"We can't afford to pay right now, and the kids can earn service hours by working here. We've worked it out with the local schools."

"I think volunteer work would be good for him. He could learn hard work and responsibility."

Jameson grinned. "I think so too."

"He sees his father working, but it's to earn more money to buy more things. I don't know that it's the message I want Owen to have."

"We'll be a good influence on him. I promise."

"I know you will be. Your brothers seem great."

Jameson puffed his chest out. "Not better than me."

"Not better than you." I laughed and hooked my arm with his. "You're my favorite Calloway."