Chapter 13 Weston
Weston
When I’d set out to fix the porch, I had no idea it would be with Cutter. Until I saw him walking toward me, asking him to help had never crossed my mind.
I was glad it had.
“I’ve never built anything,” he said after he’d gone in and changed his clothes. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“I’ll teach you.” I handed him the measuring tape and laughed.
We were both in for a treat. This was how my dad had taught me to build.
Our first build was a birdhouse. I had won a kit at some fundraiser and wanted to give it to my mom for Mother’s Day.
Only, I’d never used a hammer, so my dad taught me.
Our next project was a doghouse. From there, I would do odds and ends around the house, but nothing major.
We walked to the porch, where his grandma and sister sat in the rocking chair.
“Hi, Coach,” Nova said happily.
“Hey, Nova.”
“Cutter, can I play with that thing?” she asked, pointing to the tape measure.
“Later,” he said. “I’ll measure you and write your height on the wall.”
Nova beamed.
“Do you need us to move?” Carmela asked.
“No, ma’am. For right now, you’ll be okay.”
Carmela had introduced herself as soon as I came back from the hardware store. I learned she was Antonia’s mom, but the kids referred to her as their grandma. There was a story there, I was sure, but it was none of my business.
Facing the porch, I pointed to the boards that needed to be replaced. Some were rotted, while others had split down the middle.
“What we’re going to do is replace the damaged ones to prevent any injuries or further deterioration.”
“Where did you learn how to do this?”
I pointed to the first board we were going to replace and had Cutter put the tape measure down. We stretched it across the board and wrote the measurements on a sheet of paper.
“My dad,” I told him. “He was in construction and taught me how to repair most things. I’m not sure I could build anything substantial, but repairs I can do.”
“Huh, I figured you played baseball every day.”
“I did.” I huffed. “After. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything my dad did for me,” I said as we walked toward the makeshift workstation I’d set up.
“But he was strict and rode my ass. I didn’t have a lot of freedom as a teen.
Work and baseball, on top of keeping straight A’s because my parents couldn’t afford to send me to college without a scholarship. ”
“But you were drafted right out of high school?”
I nodded and showed Cutter the rumpled sheet of paper with the measurements and then demonstrated how to measure the numbers out on the new board. Once it was marked, we went over how to properly use the saw.
“Being drafted out of high school isn’t always the best or smartest thing for a naive eighteen-year-old.”
“Really? Isn’t that like a dream come true?”
“Sure is, and the money is nice, until it’s all broken down for you, and you realize how much you have to pay an agent, taxes, rent, and living expenses. Then you see that your mid-six-figure deal isn’t a lot when it comes down to it.”
I added, “And on the other end, you have a scholarship to a top-notch college, which means a guaranteed education and some life skills, all for the price of playing the game you love.”
“You chose college?”
“I did, for the first three years. At the end of my junior year, I was drafted again. This time around, I went higher in the draft and had a much better contract.”
“So you won regardless.”
I nodded again. “I did. My parents were happy, and so was my wife.”
Cutter’s mouth dropped open. “You’re married? How come Mrs. Schmidt isn’t at our games?”
This was what happened when I got carried away in a conversation. I’d never had any intention of telling him about my wife or that part of my life. People tended to define you by your marriage and subsequent divorce, which was something I didn’t want to happen.
“My ex-wife lives in New York.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t be. Here, put these on.” I handed Cutter a pair of safety glasses and asked him to recite the safety rules on the saw. He did so effectively.
“Okay, are you ready to cut?”
He nodded but looked apprehensive.
“Do you want me to show you?”
“No, I think I got it.”
I put my safety glasses on and nodded for him to continue. Step by step, he followed the instructions I’d taught him. When the saw went effortlessly through the wood, I applauded.
“Nice cut.”
“Thanks. That was sort of fun.”
I patted him on the back. “Now for the really fun part. We need to pull up the old one and pray the brackets underneath are stable and don’t need to be replaced.”
“Because that would be hard?”
“And time-consuming.” I didn’t want to tell him I was concerned about his mom’s mobility. While she could walk today, with her diagnosis, which Carmela had filled me in on, who knew how long it would be until her legs gave out on her?
“Now, we’re going to lift that board,” I said as I picked up the crowbar. “Normally, we’d dismantle everything.”
“But not today.”
“Nope.” I held the crowbar up. “Do you want to do this part?” If I were in his shoes, I would absolutely want to do some damage to whatever I could.
“Yeah, for sure.”
“Don’t break the window, Cutter,” Nova said from her perch on Carmela’s lap.
“Ha ha,” he said as he stuck his tongue out at her.
I gave him a short lesson and let him go to work on getting the board up while I measured a few more.
Once he had it up, we pulled old nails, and I checked the bracket for any wood rot.
With everything looking and feeling solid, we hammered the new board in place.
“It doesn’t match,” Nova pointed out.
“Nope, we’ll stain it to match in a few days.”
“Grandma, you like to paint. Are you going to do it?” Nova asked Carmela.
“Yes, of course,” Carmela said. “You can help me.”
I looked up in time to see Nova nod excitedly.
Board by board, Cutter and I cut and replaced the damaged boards.
At least no one would fall through any rotted boards, which I was proud of, but mostly, being able to teach Cutter how to measure, use the table saw, and build something with his hands made me feel like I had a different purpose in his life.
Antonia had asked me to be there for him, and if this was one of the ways I could, then so be it. I’d rebuild the entire house if that was what it took.
At some point, she’d come outside and sat next to her mom, with Nova now on her lap. I tried not to watch her, especially knowing she had a boyfriend. Any attraction I felt needed to subside because nothing would ever come from it, except the pang in my heart at knowing she wasn’t available.
When it came time for us to work where the rockers were, I was relieved when Cutter asked Antonia and Carmela to move. For some reason, the thought of having to talk to Antonia put a lump in my throat. Pretty asinine when I thought about it. We’d spoken before without any issues.
“Do you want to have dinner with us tonight?” Cutter’s question pulled me from my thoughts. “Toni is getting us pizza.”
“Um . . .”
“I know my mom can’t pay you for this work, so this would be like a payment.”
I nodded and accepted his invitation. The last thing I wanted was for Cutter or Miriam to think they owed me anything. As soon as I said I would join his family for dinner, he went over to Toni. He looked excited while talking to her, even though I tried not to stare.
“Everything okay?” I asked when he came back.
“Yep. Eleni is coming for dinner, too, so I was just giving Toni an update.”
“If you need me to go get the pizza, let me know.”
“Coach, you’ve done a lot. Toni will get it.”
“Okay, this is the last one, I think.” I handed the board to Cutter. “Once we get this one nailed down, we’ll check the others, mark them, and then do them next weekend, weather permitting.”
“We have a game on Saturday,” he reminded me.
“Sunday it is then.”
Antonia had taken Nova into the house and came back out with her purse over her shoulder.
“Be right back, Mom,” she hollered and then walked toward us.
“I’m going to get the pizza,” she said. “I also ordered two large salads and cheesy bread, and I’ll pick up a couple of bottles of soda. Anything else?”
I looked from Antonia to Cutter. We both shook our heads. “I think that about covers it.”
“Thanks, Toni,” Cutter said.
“Yes, thank you.”
She held my gaze for a second and then looked away. As much as I wanted to watch her walk to her car, I refrained. I was going to need a good night out with the guys to get over this infatuation.
Cutter and I finished, and I told him to go in and clean up while I took care of everything outside.
I knew exactly how much he would freak out if he didn’t look his best for Eleni.
When I was his age, I had Brianna, who was always dressed up for school or anytime she’d come over to my house.
She made me feel like I needed to look the same, but I couldn’t bring myself to dress like I was going to work.
I think, in my senior year of high school, I wore sweatpants to school every day.
Antonia pulled back into the driveway just as I was closing the tailgate of my truck. I walked to the car and waited for her to shut it off before I opened her door.
“Thank you.” She smiled. Her eyes held mine for a long beat, and my knees threatened to buckle.
“My pleasure.” Antonia moved to the side and opened the back door. I shut the driver’s side and held my hands out for the food. “Smells good.”
“Gio’s has such amazing food. It’s my favorite.”
“You’ve had it before?”
Antonia nodded. “Usually, every time I’m here.”
I looked to the sky and pursed my lips. “Why did I think this was your first time here?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I was here during Christmas, but when I do come, it’s usually for a weekend, and we tend to stay in.”
“Ah, makes sense. Honestly, I’m either at home or school, especially during the season.”
She smiled kindly, as in one of those “Cool stories but leave me alone” gestures. Antonia walked ahead of me, which allowed me to roll my eyes. Hard. Was I trying to flirt? I didn’t even know, except I shouldn’t flirt because she was off limits.
“Dinner!” Antonia yelled as we walked in. I followed her to the kitchen, where Nova, Carmela, and Miriam were putting out plates, bowls, and glasses.
The doorbell rang, and Cutter yelled that he would get it before thundering down the stairs to the front door. Seconds later, Eleni came into the kitchen.
“Hey, Mr. Schmidt.”
“Eleni, it’s nice to see you.”
This was one of the things I didn’t like about living in a small town: It was hard to escape the students. But on the other hand, I was happy to be with the Vaughns. It was hard to find balance sometimes.
I set the pizza boxes down on the counter, opening each one, and then I stepped back and watched this family.
What surprised me the most was Cutter. He guided his mom to sit and then brought her a plate of food.
She cupped his cheek, and I thought she was going to kiss him but instead said, “I’m not an invalid yet. ”
Miriam laughed, but the rest of us didn’t. Antonia muttered a string of obscenities. Cutter stared at his mom and shook his head. Maybe in this case, laughter was the best medicine.
Cutter caught me watching him. I smiled and wanted to tell him how proud I was of him, but that would be for another day.
Antonia approached and handed me a plate. “You’re eating, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you for what you did out there.”
“It was really nothing.”
Antonia looked around the busy kitchen and then back at me.
“No, it was everything. Watching you teach Cutter was important. He doesn’t know it now, but someday, he will, and he’ll appreciate how patient you were with him.
So, thank you. Like I said, he does need a role model, and Miri really values your relationship with him. ”
She put her hand on my forearm and rested it there for a moment.
Our gazes met, and we smiled at each other longer than what acquaintances would do.
Her hand dropped slowly, brushing the side of my pants.
I wasn’t sure if she realized what she’d done or if I was thinking too deeply, but she inhaled and then stepped to the boxes of pizza.
“Coach, you gonna eat?”
Once again, Cutter’s voice brought me back to reality and the family before me. They all looked happy despite everything that was going on.