21. Paige
Chapter 21
Paige
I t’s looking to be another scorcher of a day, but one I’ve been looking forward to all summer. Well, since Bran taught me a little about cornhole, anyway. The Hawkthorne County cornhole playoffs are being held at the Spitz-Shein Sports Complex. Since Winston needs to be there as The Mighty Swallows’ official mascot, it’s the perfect opportunity to hang out with Bran and see for myself just how hard Swallowers get for cornhole. Bran and I have certainly given the Tit Peepers something to talk about this summer so no better time like the present to show these Tuft Swallowers that he is not the cranky Winston’s hot dad they all think he is. I mean he’s definitely hot as fuck, but cranky? I don’t think so. I see him as a strong survivor of a man who has had to deal with more grief in his short life than most people. He didn’t just lose his sister. He lost the other half of himself. And he lost his parents. His family. His home.
He's so much more than Winston’s hot dad. He’s my friend. My lover. My strength. My partner. He’s everything to me and I am crazy in love with him. After that night last week when he shared Heather’s life with me, I knew I needed to tell him. I needed him to know I love him because I wanted him to feel safe. And maybe I, too, needed to finally say it for myself. Because in the brief time I’ve been in Tuft Swallow, I’ve fallen for Bran. Harder than I could have ever anticipated.
And I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do about that because my time here is quickly running out. Aunt Rosie and Uncle Javan will be back in less than two weeks and then I don’t have a reason to stay. I mean if I could stay in the name of love, I absolutely would, but when I’m out of a job and will technically be out of a home, how is that any kind of responsible adult decision? I refuse to mooch off Bran when I have no prospects for a future here. That’s not fair to him. I stare out the window grasping at straws, trying to come up with any and all ideas I can to be able to stay here rather than try to have a long-distance relationship with two hours between us.
It'll kill me to not be able to see him every day.
To not be able to kiss him. Touch him. Fall asleep next to him.
Maybe Callie or Ro will have some ideas .
“You alright over there?” Bran’s voice brings me back to reality.
“Hmm?”
“You’re quiet.”
“Oh, uh, I was just thinking about cornhole, actually.” I give him my best fake laugh because the last thing I want to talk about is leaving. “So, it’s our team playing the rival team tonight?”
“Yep. The Mighty Swallows versus the Spitz Hollow Spitters.”
“Swallows and Spitters? Seriously? That’s what they’re called?”
He laughs. “Yep.”
“Interesting. And you said there was controversy last year?”
“Hell yeah.” He nods. “We won the championship when the Spitters’ team captain was found to be cheating.”
“Cheating? How the hell do you cheat in cornhole? Magnetic bags or something? Go-go-gadget arms?”
“Nope. First of all, the teams were using these plastic boards which is always weird because most of the time, official cornhole boards are made of wood.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“And secondly, their captain, Zeke Chopra, was spraying the boards with cooking oil.” He chuckles. “Which he probably would’ve gotten away with except the slick field next to the boards took out Mr. Landon and he heard the spray bottles.”
“No shit!” I giggle. “Mr. Landon saved the day?”
“He sure did. Saved Kody Gander’s reputation too. It was a dramatic night, that’s for sure. I have to admit I’m kind of excited to see what unfolds tonight. You never know what you’re going to get when it comes to cornhole playoffs. It can get petty and ruthless.”
“Wow. I can’t wait to watch it all happen! Who knew cornhole could be so dramatic?”
We park the truck in Winston’s special assigned spot and Bran opens the door for him to jump down from his seat. He’s dressed in his special turquoise and orange vest, the Swallowers’ official team colors apparently, and a matching bow tie. I am all smiles as I lean down to give him a kiss on the top of his head.
“You are the handsomest goat I have ever seen, Winston. Such a dapper young man.”
I offer him one of his favorite mints and he responds as if he understood everything I just said. “Maaaaaaaaaaaa.”
Bran attaches the leash to his collar so he doesn’t graze over the field and get in the way of the players. “Alright, young man, let’s go cheer our team to victory.”
Winston, Bran, and I walk into the Spitz-Shein Sports Complex and are dazzled at the amount of team spirit Tuft Swallow has brought to this year’s championship game. Turquoise and orange banners with names in bold white print across each one hang from the stands. I can only guess they are the names of the players, as I only recognize a few of them. Seated beneath the banners is a sea of Swallower fans fashionably dressed in the team’s colors.
“Wow! I’ve never seen so many knitted scarves in the middle of summer in all my life!”
“What do you think the dirty hookers do when they’re together?” Bran winks at me and I beam back at him, squeezing his hand. I think it’s so sweet that he gives back to the community in such a creative way. Not to mention bringing Winston along as the team’s mascot.
Callie spots us from the field and jogs over to say hi to Winston. She’s low-key obsessed and I think it’s adorable because in reality, who isn’t obsessed with Mr. Winston?
“Aww, Winston you look so handsome in your bowtie and vest buddy!” She pets him right between his horns. “If only you had matching pantaloons to go with them!”
“No,” Bran says with a shake of his head and a very straight face.
“But—”
“No.”
Her shoulders drop but she’s still smiling. “Aww come on, plea?—”
“Fuck no.”
“We’ll call you Winston’s hot dad!” she offers.
“You already do that.”
Callie winks at me and wrinkles her nose at Bran before bending down to Winston and loudly whispering in his ear, “Don’t worry buddy. I’ll keep trying.” She stands up and gives me a high five, her eyes bouncing between Bran and me with an ornery smile. “Nice to see you here, Paige.”
“Thanks! I’m excited to watch you guys play. Good luck out there.”
“Thanks. Kodi thinks we’ve got a great chance this year. And with Zeke Chapra no longer the team captain of the Spitters, hopefully we’ll get through the night without too much drama.”
“Wouldn’t that be a shocker?” Bran scoffs, amused.
For a moment Callie seems a bit taken aback and I have no idea why until she looks at him and then looks at me, her eyes growing three sizes bigger. I nearly choke on my laugh because she’s obviously never heard Bran say more than one or two words at a time. She eventually leans over to me and murmurs, “Girl…we should talk later.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I wink at her and she smiles. She waves and rejoins the team while Bran and I take a seat in the front row of the stands where Winston is stationed.
Before the game officially starts, I watch confused as the team walks over to a cooler on their side of the field, each of them pulling a beer from inside. They toast together chanting something I can’t quite hear.
“Wait, they’re allowed to drink during the game?”
“Oh yeah. Of course. What else are you going to do while you throw a corn sack into a wooden hole?” He shrugs when my jaw drops in shock. “It’s just a community game. Nothing super professional. But it’s what our town has and we’re all here to support it.”
We watch as Kandi hands out her partner assignments and then the announcer introduces both teams. The crowd cheers on both sides of the field but the Tuft Swallow side is undoubtedly the loudest group of fans here. I have to admit, being in and around the small-town team spirit, it’s definitely a vibe I could get used to. What a way to spend a summer evening.
At the end of the first round, we’re behind by one point but our fans are not letting the score get us down. The team looks great tonight. They look focused and most importantly, they look like they’re having fun. Mr. Landon is up against Zeke Chopra who holds up his bag getting ready to make his toss. He brings his arm back just as Bran cups his mouth and shouts, “HEY CHOPRA! YOU LOOK LIKE YOU EAT BANANAS WITH THE PEEL ON!”
My eyes bulge and the crowd around us laughs and cheers as Zeke is caught off guard and misses his shot.
I elbow Bran completely amused by his heckling of the asshole who apparently cheated last season. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you said that!”
“He deserves it,” Bran says with an easy shrug. “Watch I’ll do it again. The trick is to wait until he’s just about to make the toss.” He watches Zeke’s arm start to swing and then shouts, “HEY CHOPRA! YOUR MOTHER NEVER PUT YOUR ARTWORK ON THE FRIDGE AND IT SHOWS!”
Zeke’s arm swings way too strong and his sack flies right off the board.
The crowd around us cheers again and this time I’m not sure if it’s because of what Bran said or more because he actually said it out loud. To many of these folks, it’s the first time they’ve heard him speak at all. Listening back behind us, there are definitely whispers not only of Bran talking but also about him being here hand in hand with me.
“Aww. That’s a sad sack,” I mutter to Bran who cackles next to me.
“Sad sack indeed. But see? I told you before, one of the biggest mistakes someone can make in this game is trying to throw a line drive at the board. It never works and most of the time it’ll bounce or fall right off the board just like his did.”
I squeeze his bicep and smile up at him. “You’re so wise, Bran. Perhaps you should be the Spitters’ coach.”
He snorts. “Never. I’m a Swallower through and through.”
The corner of my mouth turns up and I scoff out a quiet laugh. “That’s what she said.”
Bran gives me a humored side-eye and then leans down to kiss my lips. “If my dirty girl wants to swallow, that could be arranged you know.”
“Oh, I’m well aware,” I answer with a chuckle. “Maybe tonight will be your lucky night.”
Either way it’s a win-win for me.
At the end of the third round, the score is tied at eighteen and the Spitters toss first. If one of their players sinks their bag into the hole on their first toss, they win the game. Otherwise, the play moves to us. A newer guy I don’t recognize but who has tossed several times already is playing for the Spitters’ last round. He seems younger than most on his team with blonde shaggy hair and relatively fit build. Zeke gives him a pat on the back as he makes his way to the board and picks up his sacks. On our side the player Kody chose to play against the new kid is…
“What the hell? Mr. Landon?” I gawk. “Kody’s going to try to win this game with Mr. Landon’s toss?”
“Looks that way. What is she thinking? The man is a walking catastrophe.”
“Well, you did say he helped the team win last year.”
“Yeah but that was on account of his ears, not his sack tossing skills.”
“She must know something we don’t,” I add “Or maybe it’s just good juju to put him up there for the win two years in a row.”
The crowd seems to suck in a deep breath, holding it together as we watch the Spitters take their toss. The blonde guy studies his projection for a moment and lifts his arm to toss.
“MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.” Winston bleats loudly and pulls away from me, his leash flying out of my hand.
“Winston!”
Distracted by Winston’s scream, blonde guy shouts back, “Someone get that horny freak off the field!”
Bran stands up, his face red, but I yank him back down just as Callie stands up and thrusts her pelvis in the Spitters’ general direction.
“Sorry! So sorry! I just can’t help it! Cornhole makes me horny!”
“Yeah, me too!” Ro says when she stands and mimics Callie’s movements. “Sorry if you’re having trouble finding the hole.”
Callie laughs. “Yeah! You just need more experience. That’s all. Shoot your best shot, little buddy!”
Blondie shakes his head annoyed with Callie and Ro but the rest of us cheer for our quick-witted teammates.
Nobody disses our beloved Winston and gets away with it. The kid gets his sack to land just an inch or so away from the hole on the board, scoring only one point for the Spitters. Clearly pissed off he throws his hands up in frustration. The Spitters are now at nineteen.
“Aww that’s too bad,” Callie calls out to him as she pets Winston. “Better luck next time, kid.”
“As long as Mr. Landon does the same, we’re still in the game,” Bran murmurs beside me. His grip on my hand is strong and when I glance over at him, he’s biting his fingernail.”
“Relax, Bran. It’s just a game.”
“It’s the championship game. It’s the game we won on a technicality last year. I just want to see our team win it honestly.”
Judy Woodcock starts clapping a few rows up from where we are.
“Come on Leonard! You can do it! LEO-NARD! LEO-NARD! LEO-NARD!” She gets the home side to start chanting for Mr. Landon as he steps up to his board. He shakes his leg as if something is bothering him and from the bottom of his pant leg tumbles a small handful of those striped peppermint candies Winston loves so much. He shoves a hand in his pocket and makes a gesture to his team about there being a hole.
“It’s okay Mr. Landon!” Kody shouts. “We’ll fix it. Just make your toss. You’ve got this!”
Mr. Landon focuses on his shot but from behind him, Winston notices his favorite striped snacks laying on the ground.
“MAAAAAAAA”
No!!! No, no, no, no, no!
The chaos all happens at once and I swear it all happens in slow motion.
Winston making a run for the candies.
Callie losing her grip on Winston’s leash.
Kody’s brows rising so high they nearly fly off her face.
The entire team standing up off the bench to reach Winston.
And Leonard Landon swinging his arm back to throw his sack.
He takes a step back and Winston is right behind him trying to get to those fallen candies. Mr. Landon trips and starts to fall backwards causing the sack in his hand to launch from his hand.
The crowd does a collective gasp as the sack goes flying and Mr. Landon lands on his ass right where Winston is picking up the last of his favorite mints from the ground.
“Fuuuuuck! I can’t watch!” Bran groans, his hands covering his eyes, but I see the whole thing. Including when the sack comes back down from the sky and sinks right into the hole of the board.
“HOLY SHIT WE WON!” I shout as the crowd goes wild. The team rushes to Mr. Landon, picking him up and hugging him in celebration of their championship win. Everyone around us is on their feet jumping up and down and applauding a magnificent game. I pull Bran’s hand from his face and his mouth falls open in shock.
“We won?”
Beaming back at him, I nod excitedly. “We totally won!”
“Holy shit!” He throws his arms around me and lifts me from the ground, swinging me around, and then crashes his lips to mine. His hands fall to my face as he slows and lowers me back down, sliding against his body. When I open my eyes again the pride in his eyes…the pure joy, it’s not like anything I’ve seen before. “They did it. They really fucking did it!”
His love for this town and the people in it is evident. These people are his friends. And though he doesn’t say it in so many words, he cares deeply for each and every one of them.
“They so did.” I kiss him one more time and then squeeze his hand. “Come on, let’s go give the team our congratulations.”