Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

DUSTY

The crew had gone to Gigi’s for breakfast once our shift ended this morning, but I drove straight to Pleasant Gardens instead. I’d gotten a call last night that Grandpa had been trying to walk across the street to the McDonalds. He’d had it in his head that we were going to meet for lunch—at three in the morning. Waiting four hours until my shift ended to go see him was brutal, especially when we got a call about a man’s arm getting stuck in a pipe only an hour before I was off duty.

But it all worked out, we got the guy’s arm free, and I was on my way to see my grandpa.

By the time I reached his room, he was in the shower. I sat in the facility living room on a stiff armchair and waited for him to finish getting ready for the day, staring at the indistinctive painting of a bowl of fruit on the opposite wall. It was undoubtedly someone’s attempt at creating a homey atmosphere. There were always a handful of residents hanging around here, and now was no exception.

Grandpa left his room using his walker, and I met up with him in the hallway on the way to breakfast. “Getting a late start? ”

He glanced at me and, for the briefest moment, I thought he didn’t know who I was. Then he pushed into the dining room and toward his regular table. “Did you bring me a new puzzle?”

Relief sluiced through me. “We haven’t finished the cowboy cats yet, Gramps.” I helped him sit and took a chair next to him. The thick smell of breakfast sausage and antiseptic filled the room.

He eyed the place setting in front of me. “That isn’t yours.”

“Should I wait for you in the rec room?”

“You’d better. I don’t want John accusing us of dirtying his fork.” Grandpa shook his balding head, the fluorescent lights shining off his scalp. “He’s loony. Thinks everyone’s out to get him.”

This coming from a man who had been trying to get lunch in the middle of the night, but I swallowed my retort and pushed away from the table. I was just thrilled he didn’t seem any worse than normal. Last night was a blip. “Take your time. I have all day.”

My phone started ringing when I walked toward the rec room, so I let myself outside to answer it. “Hey, Tuck.”

“You busy?”

“Just in Beeler.”

“Pleasant Gardens?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“How’s your grandpa?”

I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “He had a bad night. Lots of confusion. But now he seems perfectly normal.”

Tucker sighed. “I’m sorry, man. It’s all those UT games. You’ve got to stop letting him watch the reruns.”

A grin spread over my lips. I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “The Longhorns are probably the only thing keeping him sane.”

“And the Cowboys? ”

“You know he bleeds blue and silver.” The air was cold out here, so I slipped my hand into my jacket pocket. “What’s up?”

“Not trying to rope you into auctioning yourself off for a date or anything, don’t worry.”

I chuckled. I’d done that to him last year, but it had worked out all right for him.

“My dad had an idea for your auction,” Tucker said. “He offered to bring Steve.”

“His steer?”

“Yeah. He thought you could use him for a photo op. Let people sit on Steve for five bucks or something like that. You know they rake in money doing that in the Stockyards.”

“We aren’t the Stockyards, though. Anyone can go to your dad’s house and he’d let them have a photo.”

“Well, you don’t have to do it. He didn’t have anything to donate, so he came up with that.”

As one of the town’s school bus drivers, Tucker’s dad knew most of the kids fairly well. He was also Henry’s brother-in-law, so it was no surprise he wanted to do something to help the football team. “It’s a good idea,” I finally said. “I’ll call him later, and we can work out the logistics. Think Jack would build us some steps or something to make mounting easier?”

“I can do that,” Tucker said. “Jack’s pretty busy with the inn right now. Have you asked him for anything? I bet he has something lying around.” Jack had renovated the entire inn, flipping it and turning it into an amazing little bed and breakfast with his new wife. He also restored furniture on the side.

“He’s donating a free night’s stay,” I said.

There was silence for a minute before Tucker responded. “You should stop in Baker Books sometime this week. June is happy to put together a gift basket.”

My stomach tightened. “Your family has given us enough already. ”

“My family makes up half the town, so if you cut off Fletcher donations now, you won’t get much else.”

True. But I still felt awkward around June, and I didn’t want to accept a basket from her. She knew I hadn’t loved the idea of her returning to Tucker’s life. It worried me. I didn’t want to have to pick his shattered heart off the ground again if she decided to leave a second time. I kept those thoughts to myself instead of showing them on my face when I was around her.

My silence stretched, so Tucker filled it. “Let her help, man. You guys won’t fix things if you stay weird around her.”

“I know,” I muttered. “I’m trying.”

“Want to come over? It’s been a while since we roped.”

“I’ve got practice for my little flag footballers later. Maybe next week.”

“Just let me know when you’re free. And Dusty?”

“Yeah?”

“Just go to June’s store and pick up the books, man,” he said, slightly lowering his voice.

I swallowed a sigh. “Okay.”

We hung up the phone and I leaned back, looking up at the golden arches across the street and imagining Grandpa following them like a yellow glowing beacon in the middle of a dark, quiet world.

I rubbed my tired eyes and turned to go back inside.

One of my favorite things in the world was watching eight- and nine-year-olds run for a ball with all their might, faces flopping in the wind like a dog with its head out a car window. It was part of the reason I helped coach in the flag football league. Really I would take any excuse to be involved with the sport that had given me my love of the game. As a new kid in town with parents who had left for a better, childless world, I had been kind of a punk, even at four years old. But Grandpa put me in flag football when I turned five and it gave me something to focus my energy on.

I was on my way to Heritage Park where our practices were held when I noticed a familiar teenager walking a beat-up bike down Main Street. I slowed my truck and rolled down the window, an idea forming in my head. “Brody.”

The kid looked up at me, a nasty blue bruise spread over his cheekbone. My jaw tightened. I knew he ran with a tougher crowd, but I didn’t like seeing bruises that couldn’t be explained on the field.

“Yes, sir?” he asked.

“You busy?”

He was wary.

“My co-coach can’t make it tonight, and I’ve got to wrangle a bunch of kids at practice. Want to help?”

He still didn’t seem totally sold on the idea. “Will you pay me?”

“No, but I’ll buy you dinner after.”

This seemed good enough for him. He swung his leg over the bike.

“Heritage Park,” I told him. “See you there.”

The school had strict rules about driving kids around, and I didn’t blame them. I just hoped Brody would come to the practice and not choose to blow it off.

I pulled into the park and hopped out of the truck, moving to get the bag of flags, cones, and footballs from the bed. We still used the Pee-Wee sized balls, but Jake wanted to start working with the regular balls toward the end of our season. Our boys were right on the cusp, so I could see why he wanted to introduce the larger balls before next year, when they’d be forced to move up.

It took a few minutes to set up for practice. Kids started arriving and playing on the field, racing each other to the trees and back. I liked them getting their wiggles out first thing, and it also counted as a sneaky warmup.

I checked the time on my phone and slid it back in my pocket, raising my gaze to see Nova Walker coming toward me, holding Ben’s hand. My immediate reaction was more excited than it should have been, that eagerness when you see someone you want to talk to coming your way.

It didn’t seem like Nova shared my excitement, given the way her steps slowed when she noticed me. Her ponytail swung as she walked, and she wore a thick sweatshirt over yoga pants and sneakers. There was something very cozy about everything she wore, whether it was in the diner or running around town.

She leaned down to say something to Ben, but he shrugged.

“Howdy,” I called, giving them a wave. Immediately I regretted it. I should have tried something a city girl wouldn’t find weird.

“There’s Pete!” Ben said, trying to run away.

“Wait.” Nova tugged on his hand. “We don’t know if this—that is, where’s his dad?”

“Jake couldn’t make it tonight.” Everything clicked into place. When Jake had mentioned a new kid was joining the team who would need direction and probably a lot of teaching, it didn’t occur to me it would be Ben. “He told me about a newcomer. Have you signed all the waivers online?”

“Yes,” she said, releasing her hold on her son. He took off like a rocket toward Pete and a few other kids who were trying to climb a tree on the far side of the field. The waivers here were important.

“Anything I need to do?” she asked.

“Be back to pick him up in an hour.”

She looked past me, watching Ben nervously, then leveled an intense look at me with her dark brown eyes. “He doesn’t know the first thing about football, Dusty. I tried to explain some of it, but I’m just as ignorant, so I don’t know if I was helpful or made things worse.”

Brody rolled in on his bike then, his wary eyes scanning the field. I let out a breath, relieved he’d chosen to show up. He started toward us, and I closed the distance with purposeful steps. “Don’t worry, Ms. Walker. Brody here will be Ben’s personal coach.” I clapped him on the shoulder. He gave her a fleeting smile.

“Which one’s he?” Brody asked.

“Red shirt climbing trees,” I said, pointing.

Brody nodded. Nova looked uncertain.

I hoped to put her worries to rest. “It’s just until Ben’s comfortable in the game. Brody, round everyone up and start a stretch routine.”

Brody looked equally uncertain, and I had to swallow the impulse to do it alongside him. I’d seen him lead the high school team. Judging by the bend in his shoulders, though, he needed the reminder that he was good at it. I lifted my eyebrows.

“Yes, coach.” Brody jogged off.

“Am I allowed to stay and watch?” Nova asked.

“Of course. Most parents drop the kids and run, but a few will bring chairs and hang out, though it’s a little cold for that right now. You’re welcome at any of our practices.”

She nodded, but that groove between her eyebrows remained.

I took a small step toward her, lowering my voice. “He won’t get hurt in flag football, you know. The waiver is just to cover everyone’s butts.”

“I’m not worried about that.” She chewed on her lip, her eyes scanning the group of boys now circled around Brody and doing their warmup stretch routine. “We’ve had a lot of changes lately, and I just think this is a lot for Ben. He’d be embarrassed if he knew I was telling you this, but he’s never been interested in sports. He’s a LEGO and Star Wars kid.”

“He can be both,” I said gently. LEGOs were never my thing, but I understood his appreciation for Star Wars . “Flag is fun. It’s a good way to get kids outside playing a game and interacting with their peers, but it’s also a solid introduction to teamwork and developing obedience and listening skills. It’s not just football, Nova. I think he’s going to like it.”

She peered at me, the worry on her brow shifting to interest. “Okay. I’ll let you do your job. Sorry for bringing all the anxiety to your doorstep. I’ve never really been a worrier, but it’s all I seem to do these days.”

“It’s all good,” I said, and I meant it. I flashed her a smile. “We’ll see you after practice.”

She walked back to her car, a very practical Toyota Highlander, and settled in the front seat. I noticed Alice sitting beside her with a tablet, the screen lighting up her face. I shot them a reassuring smile and crossed the field toward my team.

I had a feeling it was going to be incredibly difficult to focus for the next hour.