Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“I’m pretty sure I told you I ran into Devorah outside the school and gave her a ride because it was raining. She’s going through a lot of shit right now and doesn’t need any of you Crafty Cathys adding your two cents.”
Hayden excused himself and went out to stand on the porch. He glanced at the sky. The clouds were moving fast, and the blue sky showed a lot of promise. He sent a text to Devy: Please tell Maren I’m sorry but it doesn’t look like the rain is going to let up in time for us to get some practice in. Make sure she doubles up on her socks. The grass is going to be wet. I’ll be there shortly to pick you up.
He pocketed his phone and went back into the house, made eye contact with his mom, and shook his head. She meant well, but he truly wanted the locals to forget about what they’d seen and let Devy figure things out on her own. She didn’t need a constant reminder that her husband had had an affair with her best friend and had chosen the same best friend who’d humiliated her on the internet.
“Conor, you about ready?” Hayden yelled up the stairs.
“Yes, but it’s raining.”
“Tryouts are still on. Grab another sweatshirt and extra socks. You’ll be fine.”
Hayden went into the kitchen and prepared Conor’s water bottle. He added ice and then water and then grabbed a couple of bottles from the refrigerator for later. The temperature would rise to a lovely sixty-five, and he didn’t want Conor and Maren to be without some form of hydration. He knew they’d need it with all the running around they were about to do.
When he heard Conor thump onto the floor, Hayden yelled, “Stop jumping off the steps.”
“You used to do it all the time,” Darcy yelled back from the living room.
Hayden gripped the edge of the island and gritted his teeth. His parents babied Conor, which at times he appreciated. He was the parent, however, and there were things he and Sofia had tried to instill in their son. One of them was self-preservation. Jumping off steps was never a good idea.
Conor and his grandma came into the kitchen, both with shit-eating grins on their faces. Hayden shook his head and made a mental note to call the contractor, Link Blackburn, on Monday to see when they could break ground on his new home. Link was a local and had grown up with Hayden. They hadn’t been great friends in high school but were always cordial. Hayden was more than ready to have his own place, somewhere he could parent his son without his mom undermining him.
“Ready?” he asked Conor.
“Yep, Grandpa put my stuff in the truck already.”
“All right, let’s go try out for some baseball.”
Conor hugged his grandma goodbye and followed Hayden outside. He climbed into the back, without Hayden suggesting it.
“Are we still picking Maren up?”
“Yeah, we are.”
“She really kicked my butt at the games last night.”
“You didn’t let her win?” Hayden asked as he drove toward the sheriff’s house.
“What? No way. She’s a beast.”
Hayden glanced in the rearview and watched as Conor’s head bopped to the song coming from the radio. It pleased him how his son was so compassionate toward Maren, especially considering how Conor had lost his mom. Maybe it was good for the kids to be close.
It was definitely a great excuse for Hayden to spend time with Devy. He liked her. Probably more than he should at the moment.
Hayden pulled up to the front of the house and groaned when Sheriff Crowley came down the steps. Knowing he shouldn’t hide from Crow, Hayden put his truck into park and stepped out under the light drizzle to greet the man.
“Sheriff,” Hayden said as he came around the front of his truck. “Working on a Saturday?”
“Just gonna monitor the activity at the park,” he said as he adjusted his duty belt. “I hear your boy is the reason Maren wants to try out today.”
Hayden glanced at his truck and smiled. “Yes, sir. They’ve become fast friends.”
Crow nodded. “She needs all the friends she can get right now.”
“She” could’ve meant Dev or Maren. Hayden took it as both.
The front screen door squeaked as Maren and Devy came out. Maren rushed down the stairs and all but crashed into her grandfather.
“See you at tryouts, Grandpa.”
“Knock ’em dead, slugger,” he said as he gave Maren a hug. When Devorah reached her father, the reception was stilted. Crow started to put his arm around Dev and then stopped. He sighed heavily and then grunted out something that sounded like “Keep your head up.” But Hayden couldn’t be sure.
“I will.” The response from Devorah was clear as day. As soon as she looked at Hayden, she smiled softly and ducked her head.