Chapter 23
SILAS
Water licked the edge of the dock, swaying in the wake of a passing boat in the distance. I hefted myself up and tossed a faux scowl at Chase, smugly raising his arms in victory.
“I won!”
“Boo,” I grumbled, shaking my wet hair and spraying him liberally.
Chase giggled and did a little dance. Then he flopped onto his towel, shoved a pair of too-big sunglasses on his nose, and propped his hands behind his head.
I spread my towel next to Chase’s and waved to Cooper, Ivy, and her friend Jade, who’d decided not to join our boat-to-shore race.
I tilted my chin skyward and soaked up the idyllic scene of lake and forest and squeals of laughter drifting on the midsummer breeze…
along with the occasional pecking noise of Wood Hollow’s infamous scoundrels.
Chase scrambled to sit up. “It’s hot in the sun. I wish we had ice cream.”
“You always wish we had ice cream.”
“Don’t you?”
I chuckled. “Of course. Put your feet in the water. That’ll help you cool off.”
“Okay.” He took his towel with him. “My feet can’t reach the water. Only my toes. Want to try it?”
I sat beside him, kicking water in his general direction. “Better?”
“Yep! This is the life,” he exclaimed, sounding more like an old man than a nine-year-old.
My lips quirked in amusement, but I agreed with the sentiment. And after a couple of weeks of moody uncertainty, it was nice to see both kids happy and cheerful.
As expected, they hadn’t taken news of their mom’s impending move well.
According to Cooper, the family meeting had been tear-filled, upsetting, and fraught with confusion.
Sarah had explained Frank’s job situation and their dad’s suggestion that staying in Wood Hollow would cause the least amount of friction.
Sarah promised bi-monthly visits, holidays in Burlington, and a family vacation to Disneyland.
In no time at all, they’d be back and the kids could help choose a house for them in Pinecrest.
They weren’t impressed. They’d cried, their mom had cried, and Cooper had stoically assured them all that everything would be okay.
He tried to remain even-keeled and strong for the kids’ sake, but he wasn’t a machine.
No doubt he was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to offer comfort…
not to a parent. However, I’d been the kid who’d gotten shuffled in a divorce, and my folks hadn’t been as accommodating as Cooper and Sarah.
Bottom line…I could talk to Ivy and Chase. Or just hang out.
A wise man told me that being there was all the assurance they needed.
Unfortunately, I was running out of time here. We all knew it and…well…it kinda sucked the fun out of the moment, so no one mentioned it.
Buzz buzz
“Whoa! I thought I left my cell on the boat.” I rummaged through the towel bag, located my phone, and automatically answered. “Ger?”
“There he is! Geez, I almost forgot what you sound like, ya goon. How’s forest life treating you?”
I surveyed the lush landscape of brilliant blues and greens under a glittering sun, and grinned. “It’s great. Love it here.”
“Nice. But you’re gonna love Boston too. Did you find a place?”
I wrinkled my nose. “A place?”
“To live. Christ, Si. You need a house or at least a great condo setup with excellent security. I’ll have a realtor get in touch with you. Listen, I’m still planning on coming to your last flag football game to get some footage and—”
“This isn’t an elite group of NFL hopefuls, Ger. It’s kids having fun, running amok on the field or picking daisies if they’d prefer. I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for.”
Ger scoffed. “Are you kidding? That’s even better. Feel-good vibes make for sweet PR and a great start to your tenure on a new team. You excited?”
“Uh…yeah.” I scratched my nape and glanced down at Chase, who was actively eavesdropping on my conversation. “Hey, I’m at the lake and the reception isn’t great here. We’ll talk later.”
“Better yet, I’ll see you next Saturday. Bye, man.”
I tucked my cell into a pocket of the towel bag and rejoined Chase on the edge of the dock.
“When do you go to Boston?”
“Next week.”
“Oh.” He pushed his sunglasses up his nose. “Do you want to go?”
“I signed a contract. I have to go,” I replied.
“I wish you could stay.”
“Me too.”
He kicked his toe in the water. “Maybe we could visit you.”
“I’ll get you tickets to a game. Best seats in the house,” I promised.
“Cool.” His smile faded slightly. “I think it’s a good thing that me and Ivy are staying here.”
“Oh?”
Chase nodded. “Yeah. Mom has Frank, and they’re all lovey-dovey.
And sometimes, when they don’t think we can hear, they talk about having other kids.
They don’t need us as much. But Dad does.
He has you now, but when you go, he’ll be alone and he works too much, so…
I guess we’ll keep him company. And maybe you can come back someday. ”
It wasn’t an eloquent speech but delivered in the undiluted matter-of-fact point-of-view of a nine-year-old, it packed a powerful punch. They fucking saw the whole damn picture—their mom, dad, and…me.
“Yeah.” I swallowed around a lump in my throat. “I’d like that.”
We kicked at the water and stared at the horizon. Chase probably looked like my mini-me in his sunglasses and his uber relaxed pose. The thought made me smile…and it made me want to cry.
Fuck me. I didn’t want to go.
Days slipped by in a flurry of barbecues, lakeside jogs, hikes in the forest, and a couple of jaunts to explore Elmwood, Pinecrest, and Fallbrook.
The kids were with their mom a lot, which gave Cooper and me more time alone.
I found myself memorizing odd details—the smell of his sheets, his coffee mug next to mine, the sound of his laughter, and the crinkly lines at his eyes.
I could take photos of the lake, the forest, the house, the kids, the friends I’d met, but some things didn’t translate. And maybe it was supposed to be that way.
It was a bittersweet thought, and I had a lot of those lately. I didn’t like endings.
The final flag football game was gearing up to be a big community event—sort of like kick-off day, without the deejay.
The funny thing was…no one had any real skills to demonstrate.
They still dropped the ball, ran so slow a ninety-year-old with a cane could un-Velcro their flags, and don’t get me started on strategy.
They couldn’t collectively stick to a play to save their lives. And yet…we’d had a blast.
I was going to miss the science info-dumps, rogue games of tag, and the quirky segues.
I was going to miss Dex and the other volunteer coaches.
This was a world away from training camp with professional athletes who were primed and ready to kick ass and take no prisoners on the field.
It was wholesome and life-affirming, I was sad it was over.
I was also a little irked at having to share this with my agent.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Ger, but this place was real to me, and I didn’t love the idea of turning it into a PR stunt.
“Silas, can we get another shot of you with the team?” A photographer asked, herding me toward the middle of the group. “Thanks! Look this way, kids. Say cheese!”
Ger shoved his hands into his pockets, grinning from ear to ear in his designer casual wear, his expensive watch glinting in the midday sun.
His flight had arrived last night, but he’d opted to stay in Burlington and make the drive to the Four Forest area this morning.
We’d met for lunch and discussed my itinerary for the next week.
Not that there was much to discuss. I was leaving tomorrow, bright and early.
I had a hotel lined up in Boston, a meeting on Monday, and at some point, I needed to find somewhere to live before training camp started.
Ger knew all that, but the PR move also gave him a chance to check on me and possibly make sure I made it to Boston.
“This is awesome, man. I can’t believe how freaking cool this is,” he gushed.
“I told you so.”
“And these kids love you.”
I tossed a football in the air and shrugged. “What can I say? I’m lovable.”
“Yeah, right.” Ger snorted. “So…who is she? Introduce me.”
She? It took a second for me to interpret his meaning. I spotted Cooper at the fringe of the crowd and as always, my heart flipped in my chest.
“It’s not like that,” I lied.
Ger furrowed his brow. “You sure? That wasn’t the impression. Well…that’s okay, man. Probably for the best. Boston’s calling. You ready?”
“I guess so.”
Ger’s gaze caught on Dex and stayed there for a beat. “Mmm. Good. Uh…hey, I don’t know if Alli contacted you, but I heard she’s supposed to be in Boston with Liam for a Trilogy Alpha Team event and—”
“I know.”
“Are you going to see her? No worries either way, but it’ll go in the good press column for sure.”
I scoffed. “Do you ever stop working?”
Ger seemed taken aback for a beat, but he answered quickly and probably truthfully. “Nope.”
“You should come here sometime—go hiking, do some bird-watching. Good for the soul.” I clapped his shoulder and walked away to say my good-byes to the parents and kids.
A camera followed me from group to group. I smiled, took a million pics, and secretly wished life was simpler. I would have liked nothing more than to meet Coop at his truck and drive home…to the house by the lake.
But this sideshow with the paparazzi was a sign of things to come. A sign of things that had no place in Wood Hollow.