The Talk of the Town

Chapter Twenty-Six

The house was quiet when Quinton got home. Thankfully. His parents went to bed early and his sister typically went into her room to log on and finish off work.

He went into the kitchen and immediately saw the homemade carrot cake sitting on the counter. He smiled, some of the pain from earlier easing. There was one good thing about having his parents here. His mom loved to cook and bake.

He was cutting a slice when the light in the kitchen turned on. He turned and spotted his dad by the door.

“Damn, boy, you almost gave me a heart attack.” He put a hand over his heart.

Quinton’s lips twitched. “My bad. What are you doing sneaking down here?”

Willie pointed at the cake. “Same thing you’re doing. Your mom is finally asleep, so I figured I’d get another slice of cake.”

Quinton slid the cake across the island. His dad grinned as he picked up the cake slicer and cut a piece.

“I’m glad Mom picked up baking recently,” Quinton said.

“Your mom always loved to bake. She would try to make you and your sister’s birthday cakes. It was the one time she’d splurge at the grocery store and buy real butter.”

“I remember her making birthday cakes, when she had the time.”

Willie settled on one of the chairs around the island. “She had to work more as you got older and stopped baking as much. She didn’t have a lot of time to do what she wanted.” He took a bite of cake.

“You both worked hard to provide for us. I’m glad she has the time to bake now.”

His dad let out a heavy breath. “Seems like we were always working back then. Trying to pay for your sister’s doctor bills and give you both what you needed, but it was never enough.”

Quinton squeezed his dad’s shoulder. “It was enough. We turned out alright.”

Willie chuckled and patted his hand. “You did. All the way to play professional football. We’re proud of you.”

“I know you are. I couldn’t have had a better dad.”

A shadow flashed across his father’s face, before he shook his head and grinned. “Sure you wouldn’t have wanted someone richer?”

“I’m sure. Richer doesn’t mean better. Just look at Khris’s dad.”

His father scowled. “That man is a bastard.”

“So is his son. I saw him tonight. At the bar.”

“How long is he in town for?”

“Just until the end of the week.” The magazine crew was scheduled to leave on Sunday. Khris couldn’t get out of his town fast enough.

Willie nodded and looked satisfied with that answer. “Good.”

Quinton thought about leaving it at that, but he couldn’t hold back the emotions still boiling inside him. “He apologized for what he did. Said he was jealous of me and didn’t know how to react. Why in the hell would he be jealous of me?”

Willie looked down at his cake and pinched off a piece. “People find all kinds of reasons.”

“I know that, but he said he found out something and didn’t know how to deal with it.”

His dad looked up quick, eyes narrowed. “What did he find out?”

Quinton shrugged. “The hell if I know. Whatever he found out has nothing to do with me and it damn sure didn’t give him a reason to take out his problems on me.”

Willie studied him for a second before his shoulders relaxed, and he nodded. “That entire family is full of assholes. His dad is just as bad as he is. Just stay away from them and out of their bullshit.”

“You don’t have to worry about me getting involved with him or their bullshit,” Quinton agreed. “Once he’s gone, I’ll never have to see him again. Even if I come visit you and Mom back home, I can easily avoid his family. They don’t run in our circles.”

Willie grunted. “They sure as hell tried when you made it to the NFL. Acting like their kid hadn’t almost ruined your career. I still can’t believe that.”

“Neither can I.” Quinton remembered his dad calling and saying Mr. Simmons congratulated them when Quinton was drafted and invited them to dinner as if they hadn’t treated them like they were nothing before that.

“You know, me and your mom were thinking about moving.”

Quinton cocked his head. This was the first he’d heard of this. “Really? I thought you liked it there.”

“We did, but now that your grandmother has passed there’s nothing to keep us there. Your sister is ready to move, too.”

“Where are you thinking of moving?”

“Here, to Peachtree Cove.”

Quinton’s eyes widened. “You said Peachtree Cove was too small for you. I thought you’d try to go to Atlanta or somewhere else.”

His dad shook his head. “That was before we found out about Shania. Now we’ve got our son and granddaughter here. There are a lot more reasons to move here than anywhere else. Plus, seeing you work with that high school team, I can tell you’re really becoming a part of this community. We never had that back home. It’s nice to come here and see how much people respect you.”

The people of Peachtree Cove did respect Quinton. At first, they’d respected him because he was a former professional ball player who was in charge of their beloved football team. Now they respected him because of the work he’d done and his involvement in the school. That respect had been earned just like he’d earned everything else in life. The respect had flowed over to his parents when they’d come to the football game or been out in town. He was proud about being able to give them that. Money was one thing, but respect was something else.

“You all really would move here?” He liked the idea of having his parents and sister closer. He had friends here, but there was nothing like having family around. He’d promised himself to never go back home after he graduated. He tried to visit when he could, but he’d missed having his family around him.

“We would move here,” his dad continued. “Shania is great. We’ve only got a few years before she’ll be graduating high school and heading off to college or something. Then we’ll see where life leads us, but we don’t want to miss out on anything. You’d be okay if we moved here?”

Quinton grinned and held up his fist. “I’m okay with that. You just can’t stay here in my house.”

His dad laughed and bumped his fist against Quinton’s. “Are we cramping your style?” He winked.

“I don’t have a style to cramp, but I am used to living alone. Not used to coming out of my room naked and finding my mom in the hallway.” His mom had laughed and shooed him away. Quinton had been mortified.

Willie’s deep laugh echoed in the kitchen. “Your mom knows what parts you got, but I understand. A man likes to have his space. We’ll have to find someplace with room for Shania to visit. You know your mom is ready to spoil her?”

“Mom doesn’t need to spoil Shania.”

“She wants to. She didn’t get the chance to spoil you and your sister growing up. I think now she wants to make up for it. She wanted to get her those shoes she likes.”

Quinton shook his head. “She really doesn’t need to buy Shania gifts.”

“Why not? She’s our grandbaby.” Willie spoke as if that was all the excuse they needed.

“Dad, this isn’t a normal situation. Halle and I just found out about me being her biological dad. We’re still trying to figure out how to make this situation work. You all need to give us some time before you just take over.”

His dad waved off his words. “Just because you didn’t put the baby up in her yourself doesn’t mean that she’s not our granddaughter. Doesn’t mean we can’t treat her like a granddaughter. If you ask me, you’re being too lenient with Halle. Letting her call all the shots. She’s your kid, too.”

“I know, but Halle’s done this alone for nearly fourteen years. It’s going to take some time to get used to having me involved in her life.”

“Yeah, and Shania still sought you out because she wanted a dad.” He pointed a finger at Quinton. “Not some guy to hang around and follow her mom’s orders. She’s your kid. Start acting like it.”

“I’m trying to respect Halle.”

“By letting her tell you what to do? You’re a good guy and you wanted kids one day. Now you’ve got one. Be that girl’s dad and not just her coach. Let us be her grandparents. Halle will be okay.”

His dad stood, now finished with his slice of cake. “Now I’m going to bed. You get some sleep and think about what I said.”