Chapter 2
MEMORY LANE
Farrah rebounded the ball after Jayce missed his shot, dribbled back to the foul line, faked to his right, then shot off her left foot to the swishing sound of all net again.
“That’s another for me,” she said, laughing, and bounced the ball to him.
Jayce was dribbling down low, forcing her to crouch like him. She swung in with her left arm to steal the ball, but she was only teasing.
He laughed, and his brown eyes lit up over the enjoyment of this walk down memory lane as much as hers.
More like a run than a walk, and damn it all, it was exactly what she needed in her life.
A man to make her feel like a kid again. To have her laughing like she once remembered while doing something she loved as a teen and didn’t get the chance to do anymore.
Not like this. When she played with Archer, she held back, but with Jayce, she went full on.
Though she was positive he was going light on her, and she didn’t want that.
He moved to the right, she countered it, he shifted to the left, she blocked him. “You’re playing hard,” he said.
“That’s the way we always did it,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows, her hat back on her head to keep her hair out of her face. “Just seeing if I’ve still got it. You’re not going to let me win in front of my son, are you? Because I don’t want that.”
The smile never left his handsome face as he backed up two feet and jumped up and sent the ball to the backboard where it hit perfectly to land through the net for three points.
“Now why would I do that?”
“Come on, Mom. You can beat him.”
They went back and forth for twenty minutes, the lead changing after every possession. If one missed, the other did, if one scored, the other did.
“How high are we going?” he asked. “You and I could be here all night if we keep this up.”
“Most fun I’ve had in ages,” she said. “But I think Archer is getting bored.” She looked over at her son as Jayce sent the ball back to her.
Jayce turned to see Archer sitting on the bench watching them, then looking down at his sneakers and back up.
“Why don’t we call it a draw and let your son play? We are tied now anyway.”
“Are you sure? I know how much you like to win.”
“No more than you, but I’m good with it. We can have a few games of HORSE.”
“He’d like that,” she said. “Thanks.”
Farrah held her hand up for him to slap it. The heat of his palm touching hers again sent flames through her body as it’d done when they were teens.
They’d never had sex, though she knew he wanted to. She wasn’t ready and he didn’t pressure her.
She’d had this fear in her head that she was losing her heart to him and wanting him to be her first, but she also knew he was leaving for college.
No way their relationship would have lasted that first year; she knew it as well as him. They both talked about experiencing life and enjoying their time away from home.
She wouldn’t tie him to her when she felt as if she wanted to do the same.
As much as it hurt, it was the right thing to do in her eyes. Let him be as free as her and remain friends the rest of their senior year.
Seemed it worked.
“Join us, Archer,” Jayce said. “You get first shot.”
“Sweet,” Archer said, jumping off the bench and running toward them and snatching the ball out of Jayce’s hand.
Her son went to the free throw line, his favorite shot, took it and banked it off the backboard. She went next, made the shot, then Jayce.
They kept the shots somewhat easy while Archer was in, but once he was out, it was back down to her and Jayce again.
Each had one more shot left to miss and lose.
She went all the way to the left side, his weak spot, hers too. Got right on the edge of the court and sent it sailing, all net, did a fist pump on the Hail Mary shot she’d put in, then laughed and pointed, “There you go.”
Archer was jumping up and down and hooting and hollering over that shot.
Jayce dribbled a few times, jumped up with his perfect form, hit the rim and off it went, out of the court on a high bounce.
“You won, Mom. You won.”
“Nice game,” Jayce said, coming back over and giving her a fist pump.
“Thanks. You too. That was fun.”
“I’m hungry, Mom,” Archer said.
She looked at her watch and saw it was one thirty. Crap. She’d promised her son lunch over an hour ago.
“Sorry, bud. Time got away from me. You should have said something.”
“Let me treat you to lunch,” Jayce said. “Both of you. Loser buys.”
“I’m sure you’ve got other things to do,” she said.
“Nope. Just sitting here pondering my life. I’d rather have some company since there isn’t much else to do other than chat with my parents. I see them enough.”
“Are you living at home?”
His face flushed some over that question. “It’s short term. I’ve only been back two weeks. I’m not some deadbeat in their thirties still living at home, though it probably looks it. Being unemployed and all.”
It was the smirk on his face. “I’m positive you could work at your parents’ business if you really wanted to.”
He sighed. “That’s what I’m being asked to do.”
“Like in high school.”
She remembered he had wanted to make a name for himself. Not be looked at or thought of as the other McCarthy son.
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong—my parents are good about it. I’m not hurting for money, don’t think that. It’s just figuring out what to do and where to go. No reason to be signing a lease until I get that set. My condo is under contract to sell in a few weeks.”
“You’re really not going back to Charlotte,” she said. That was interesting. She’d bet he could get any number of jobs there if he wanted. Unless he was thinking of going to another professional sporting team.
Best not to ask.
This was one meeting and lunch if she accepted.
She wanted to accept because she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit what a great time the past hour had been.
Hot and sweaty, filled with fun and laughter, her son’s excitement radiating beside her. It was all a reminder that life still existed beyond work and the endless weight of responsibility. That joy could be simple. That she was allowed to feel it too.
“No reason to go back,” he said. “I did what I set out to and now it’s time for another path.”
She nodded. It wasn’t as if there was anything she could add to that. She didn’t know him well enough anymore.
“Then why don’t we get some lunch so I can feed Archer. The kid has a third leg he hides all the food in.”
“Do not,” her son said and let out a warm giggle that always lit her chest up with happiness.
Much more than it had when she was married to Archer’s father who couldn’t stand noise in the house, let alone be bothered to play with his son.
“It feels that way when the grocery bill gets higher each week with all the food you toss in it,” she said, reaching for Archer and trying to tickle him. He skirted away and hid behind Jayce on her.
As much as she wanted to give chase like she always did, that would put her too close to the hottie in front of her.
Best to avoid temptation.
“Then let’s fill your belly,” Jayce said. “What do you want?”
“Burgers and fries,” Archer said.
“Always,” she said. “The kid should be a cow with as much beef as he wants.”
“Real men eat beef,” Jayce said, snickering. “That’s what we always told my mom.”
“See, Mom,” Archer said. “Jayce gets it. I just like it better than chicken, but Mom makes me eat everything.”
“A well-rounded diet is good for everyone,” she said primly.
Archer was walking ahead of them. “It hurt you to say that, didn’t it? Because I remember the girl who’d rather eat candy than anything else.”
“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to her lips. “Don’t say that too loudly.”
He laughed at her antics. He always did. It was nice to feel relaxed enough to let them out.
“My car is in another lot,” he said, pointing his thumb in the other direction.
“Archer,” she said. “Jayce’s car isn’t by ours. Where do you want to go to lunch so he can meet us there?”
“Bull City,” Archer said. “You know that.”
“He’s got a favorite as you can see.”
“It’s one of mine too,” Jayce said. “I’ll meet you two there.”
Jayce turned and jogged away, her eyes on his back, dropping to his ass in the jeans he was wearing. Loose enough on him to move while playing and not giving her much of an idea of what his body could look like underneath.
He was bigger than she remembered. Grew more handsome into a man with a rough growth of beard. His hair wasn’t fussy, but it was styled. Had a bit of product in it also.
Nothing that she would say was fancy, but definitely not the roll-out-of-bed-and-go type she tended to end up with.
If not them, then it was the scholarly type.
She was over men, she reminded herself, and wondered why she was putting so much thought into Jayce’s appearance.