Chapter 5 #2
“See you.” Tisha breathed a sigh of relief as Ethan jogged to catch up with Brody. “Wow, that was unexpected.”
Nodding, Luke palmed the back of his neck as he stared after his brother.
She caught another glimpse of Ethan’s strong profile as he stopped under the portico outside. Then he turned and met her gaze through the glass front doors.
Yikes. She quickly averted her eyes and gave Sadie’s art a closer look.
She’d used crayons to draw an airplane flying in the sky with a rainbow overhead and a blue lake below.
Chase would’ve loved it. Tisha swallowed back the lump in her throat.
Oh, how she missed her husband. Missed being a complete family.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she smiled at Sadie.
“This is beautiful, sweet pea. You’re quite the artist.”
Sadie beamed up at her, clearly proud of her creation. “Thank you, Mama. I love drawing.”
Tisha turned her attention back to Luke, who watched her with a knowing expression.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Yeah. This move is a much bigger adjustment than I expected, I guess.”
“We’re glad you’re back. Redemption missed having you around.”
“I appreciate the warm welcome,” Tisha said. “It’s going to take some time to settle in, but I’m hopeful things will work out here.”
“Mama, I’m hungry,” Sadie said. “Can we go soon?”
“In a minute.” Tisha threaded her fingers through Sadie’s. “I’m almost finished speaking with Mr. Luke.”
Luke’s phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and dismissed the call. “Change is never easy, especially with everything you’ve been through. But you and Sadie will find your place here. And who knows? Maybe getting involved with the festival will help you settle in quicker.”
“Hope so.” Still, her lingering sorrow over losing Chase collided with her encounter with Ethan. Guilt washed over her. How could she miss her husband so much but then get caught staring at some guy’s jawline?
Luke’s phone rang again, and he excused himself to take the call. Yeah, okay, so she couldn’t pretend the pull toward Ethan didn’t exist. But that didn’t mean she had to act on it. Because the very last thing she needed was to fall in love with somebody else. And hello—definitely not a pilot.
Maybe getting involved in the festival would be a good distraction, a way to channel her energy into something positive. Maybe it could be a chance to connect with the community and find a sense of belonging in Redemption.
Ethan dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car door.
Did he just catch Tisha checking him out?
Or was it all in his head? Not that it mattered.
Because Brody and Sadie mixed about as well as oil and water.
Minus the rare moment of peace when they’d collaborated on the puzzle.
Plus, he didn’t have the emotional capacity to handle someone who was so cheerful.
Though he had to admit, her homemade pie was quite tasty, with its flaky crust and golden topping bursting with—jambleberries?
Was that what she’d called them? Were those even a thing?
His stomach growled, and he pushed thoughts of Tisha and pie aside.
He had to put Brody first. Had to stay focused on being a great dad and making up for years of working so much.
Because he’d let Adeline shoulder far more than her fair share of the parenting responsibilities.
Now was not the time to let someone new—like a pretty blonde with a gorgeous smile—distract him.
Thick wet flakes fell from a gray sky and clung to Brody’s eyelashes. “Dad, look.” He pointed toward a bunch of kids at the edge of the church parking lot, yelling and laughing as they launched snowballs at each other. “Can I play?”
Ethan hesitated. “Are you sure? How many snowball fights have you been in before?”
“None, but it looks fun.” Brody handed him his art and two other papers from his church class. Ethan took them and quickly slid them onto the Suburban’s dashboard.
“Can I? Please?” Brody hopped up and down. “Promise I won’t cry if I get hurt.”
Oof. That stung. Since when did Brody think it wasn’t okay to cry? Add that to his long list of things he’d mismanaged as a parent.
The metallic smell of winter mixed with the pungent odor of exhaust from cars idling wafted toward them, a far cry from the coconut-scented sunscreen and salty humid air they’d left behind in Florida.
Ethan surveyed the group of kids again. They were probably close to Brody’s age. But they’d all bundled up in thick winter coats, hats, and gloves. Brody had put his coat on before they’d left the church, but he had forgotten his hat back at the resort.
Shoot. A deep ache spread through his chest, squeezing like a vise. Adeline would have made sure they had everything they needed. But she wasn’t here anymore, and Ethan had to figure things out on his own.
“Okay,” he said. “But you have to wear your gloves, and you have to keep them on the whole time.”
“I will. They’re right here.” Brody’s face lit up as he tugged his gloves from his coat pockets, then shoved them onto his hands.
“And remember, Grandma and Grandpa are making lunch, so we can’t stay long.”
“Okay! Tell me when it’s time to go!” Brody yelled over his shoulder, then raced toward one of the other boys.
Shaking his head, Ethan laughed, then found his own gray knit hat on the front seat and pulled it on.
The art Brody had drawn caught his attention.
Ethan peeked at the paper. Brody had drawn the ocean, vibrant waves crashing around stick figures surfing.
A family of three stood on the beach next to a chair, and as Ethan squinted, he could make out an umbrella, bright against the otherwise muted colors of sand Brody had scribbled.
Wow. He must really miss Florida. And being a family.
He swallowed hard, then pushed the drawing back onto the dash and slammed the door.
They’d have to talk about that. Later. Shivering, he tugged his hat down around his ears.
There wasn’t any point in standing here in the snow, getting cold, and feeling sorry for himself though.
He walked toward the building, where he’d be sheltered by the church’s portico but could still keep an eye on the snowball fight.
Ethan glanced back over his shoulder. Brody had no trouble joining in; he scooped up some snow, formed it into a ball, and launched it at the kids, who’d divided into two teams.
“Boy, he has a good arm, doesn’t he?”
Ethan turned to see a familiar face from the basketball rec-league tryouts. Grant? Greg? He’d been one of the guys helping out with the kids.
“I’m Grant Stephens, by the way. I have a seven-year-old son who’s probably in school with yours. You sure he doesn’t want to play basketball?”
“Nice to see you again, Grant.” Ethan looked back toward Brody, who’d taken a snowball to the shoulder but still had a smile on his face. “I would love for him to play basketball, but he’s made it pretty clear he’s not interested.”
“How about you? You sure you don’t want to coach?”
Ethan stuffed his cold hands into his coat pockets, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “I do want to coach, actually. Something I always hoped I’d be able to do after I retired from active duty. But that’s off the table now that I’m a single dad.”
“Well, we’ve got a roster full of kids who need a coach.” Grant smiled. “You’d be a huge asset to the league.”
“Here’s the thing: I would need space for Brody on my team, even if he doesn’t want to play. I can’t just foist him off on my parents or my siblings every time I need to be at the gym.”
He’d already done way too much of that. Brody’s struggles at school might only get worse if Ethan didn’t do something. Soon.
Grant nodded. “Makes sense. We automatically put kids on the same team their parents are coaching. So you can bring him to practice with you, even if he just sits on the sidelines and does his homework.”
“Appreciate it.” A flicker of hope ignited. “This is low-key, right? We focus on fundamentals and teamwork?”
Laughing, Grant clapped him on the shoulder. “C’mon, Clutch. This is a basketball town, remember? When has it ever been low-key?”
Ethan’s stomach clenched and he looked over at Brody.
He pegged an older boy in the shoulder with a snowball, then high-fived the kid next to him.
Three seconds later, they all stood in the snow, the battle delayed.
Brody tipped his head back and caught a snowflake on his tongue.
So maybe he needed to spend more time around kids his own age.
“All right. I’ll coach,” Ethan said. “Should I reach out to Derek and Tammy?”
“Nope, I’ll take care of it.” Grant pulled out his phone. “Let me get your number and email address.”
As they exchanged contact information, Ethan felt a swell of anticipation. It would be great to be back on the court, teaching little kids about the sport he’d loved for nearly his whole life.
“Oh, wait, one more thing,” Grant continued, pulling Ethan from his thoughts. “The all-alumni scrimmage is coming up. We’ve timed it with the festival since there’ll be more people back in town. What do you say? You wanna play?”
“Sure.” Ethan opened the calendar app on his phone. “Remind me of the date again?”
“February sixteenth. I’ll send you everything you need to coach in the rec league. Game schedule, waiver, how to complete your background check,” he said. “And if you think of anybody else who wants to play in the alumni scrimmage, let me know.”
“Yep. Got it.” Ethan put his phone away. “See you later.”
Just then, the church door opened again and Luke stepped out. “Hey, man. I didn’t know you were still here.”
Ethan pointed to Brody.
“Ah.” Luke nodded. “Kid’s pretty good for someone who didn’t grow up playing in the snow.”
“Yeah. That’s what Grant just said. Sometimes he just latches on to things, you know? Wish he’d show the same enthusiasm for basketball.”