“He’s impossible. That’s what he is.” Shaking her head, she looked at the sky. “I’ll tell you what, Freddie. If I promise to save you if you start drowning, will you stop bitching?”
He nodded. “That’s fair.”
Emily edged closer to me. “Can you really drown in an inch of water?”
“Yes, but it’s very unlikely. Freddie is overreacting.”
“I heard that,” he told me. He leaned down to Emily’s level and held out his hand. “I’m Freddie, also the resident drama king.”
Smiling shyly, Emily took his hand. “Hi.”
“Can you swim?”
“Yes. I swim all the time while Ashley has her swim lessons.”
“Then I need you to stick close to me. Can you do that, sweetheart?”
Emily laughed. “Sure.”
By the time everyone rented their tubes and got situated, I felt like I needed to reapply my sunscreen. It was probably overkill, but I wasn’t taking any chances with my skin.
Jake took the lotion bottle out of my hands. “Let me help you with that.”
“Hurry up,” Ashley said, gesturing to our friends, who were moving toward the river’s entry point.
Katie looked over her shoulder. “Come on, Ashley!” she called. “You can come with us.”
Ashley hurried off, followed by Ben. Emily was staying true to her word and was glued to Freddie’s side. The sight made me smile. We had awesome friends.
Tubing was relaxing. At first, Jake was a little on edge, worried about Emily, but it quickly became clear his worries were unfounded—she had eight adults watching out for her. Freddie, in particular, was smitten with the little girl. Ben—who barely said anything around people he didn’t know—had struck up a conversation with Becca.
I nudged Jake. “Look.”
“She’s in the engineering program, so they have a common interest.”
“Computer engineering?”
Jake shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t know Becca well. She’s the little sister of Carson’s best friend from home.”
“Gotcha.”
When we were done tubing, we set up camp in a field, and the guys started putting together a football game and trying to talk the girls into joining.
“Um, no,” I said. “Have you ever seen me catch a ball? No? Exactly.” I wasn’t going to bring up my air hockey defeat as an example of my lack of sports prowess. I was still a little salty about that.
“I’m in,” Becca said, “but only if Carson is on the other team.”
“Hey!” he protested.
She shrugged. “I’ve seen you play in pickup games before. You play dirty. I need to be on the other team to even it out. Oh, and I want to be quarterback.”
“I’ll play too,” Angie pitched in. “And I don’t want to be on Freddie’s team.”
“What? Why not?” Freddie almost seemed hurt.
“You’re a pro now, as you keep reminding me. I know your weaknesses, so I’ll be able to take you down.”
Freddie widened his eyes. “You can’t use those weaknesses against me in public,” he hissed.
Becca tapped Ben on the shoulder as she stood. “Come on. You can be on my team.”
Ben followed her, and Jake and I exchanged a look. Ben had shown zero interest in sports, but I guessed Becca gave him the motivation he needed.
Jake, Becca, Freddie, and Ben made up the first team, while Carson, Angie, and Wyatt made up the other team. Katie had also respectfully declined to play. Yeah, we’re lame. But whatever. We stayed on the blanket with Emily and Ashley.
Wyatt spun the football in his hands. “Last chance to get in on this.”
Katie leaned back on her elbows. “I’m good. You go ahead.”
While the teams decided on positions, I held out my bottle of sunscreen toward her. “Would you mind?”
“Are you serious? How many times are you going to put this stuff on?”
“Many.”
She took the bottle. “You should invest in the spray kind.”
“I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work as well. Just be grateful you have skin that tans.”
Jake’s team got possession of the ball first. Becca handed it off to Freddie, who took off. When he got near Angie, he started prancing around, teasing her. She slammed into him, her shoulder hitting his stomach. He didn’t go down, but he did stagger back a few feet, surprise in his expression. “Damn, woman. This is supposed to be touch tackle, remember?”
She grinned. “I did touch you.”
For the next play, Becca lobbed the ball to Ben, who made a first down. Excitement shone in his eyes, and he slammed the football onto the ground.
I laughed, but Ashley rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t even know that you’re only supposed to do that when you get a touchdown.”
“Be quiet, Ashley,” Emily said. “Woo-hoo! Yay, Ben!”
Jake’s team set up for another play, with Becca as quarterback again. The receivers took off down the field, rushing past Wyatt and Carson. But instead of covering the receivers, Wyatt and Carson went for Becca.
“No!” she shrieked, trying to evade them.
“Get rid of the ball!” Jake called.
But she didn’t seem to hear them. She tucked the ball against her body to protect it. Carson ran full speed at her, picked her up, and threw her over his shoulder. She squirmed, trying to free herself and the ball that was wedged between their bodies.
Carson streaked into the end zone. “Touchdown!” he yelled.
“Is it?” I asked Katie. “I mean, technically, he took the ball into the end zone.”
“But he doesn’t have possession. Becca does.”
“Yeah… I have no clue.”
***
I WATCHED AS Ashley nonchalantly stroked Princess Buttercup, who was purring, and not just an ordinary purr—she sounded like a motorboat with a suped-up engine. What in the ever-loving hell? She didn’t even make that noise for Katie.
Mesmerized, I couldn’t look away as Ashley held her phone higher so Princess Buttercup could snuggle in closer on her lap. Ashley must have felt me staring at her because she looked up. “What?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.” I guessed my sassy cat had found her soul mate in the sassy tween. Since I’d been staying overnight at Jake’s house and Katie spent most of her time at Wyatt’s, I’d started bringing Princess Buttercup so she wouldn’t be alone in the apartment.
I turned my attention back to my tablet. The realization that I’d only been slightly off the mark in thinking I wanted to be a teacher instead of a guidance counselor was bittersweet. There was no way to avoid student teaching in the fall, but I’d come to terms with it. Besides, being bitter about it wouldn’t change it. So onward and upward.
After checking my transcripts, I’d come up with a plan to get a head start on the master’s degree I would need to be a counselor. My tuition was the same whether I took a minimum or maximum course load. Since I only had a handful of required classes left to complete my bachelor’s in education, then there was nothing stopping me from taking grad classes now. Well, one thing might stop me—I had to get permission from the director of the graduate program, but I didn’t anticipate that being an issue.
“Oh, crap,” I muttered as I noticed the time. “Emily!” I called. “We need to go, or we’ll be late for your game.” I closed my laptop and gathered the kids, even Ben. Emily’s team was having a stellar season. So far, they were undefeated, and she’d become superstitious, wanting all of us to attend every game.
Despite worrying about being late, we were actually one of the first ones to the field. Emily craned her neck. “Where’s Jake? He said he’d warm up with me.”
“Um…” I checked my phone to make sure I hadn’t missed a text from him. “He’ll be here.”
Ben grabbed a ball. “Come on, Em. I’ll kick some balls at you.” Ever since Ben’s foray into touch football, he’d become less averse to sports. None of us cared that he was into th
ings other than that, but it was nice to see him kick the ball around with Emily in the yard.
As the minutes ticked down to the start of the game and Emily joined the rest of her team for warm-ups, I kept an eye on the parking lot. When the game was set to start in five minutes, I called Jake to find out where he was but got no answer. I gripped my phone and stared at it, willing Jake to communicate.
Emily looked frantic. “Where is he?” she mouthed.
I couldn’t answer her because I had the same damn question. But he would be there. Even though he’d been late to a few things, he’d always come through. He’ll be here.
***
Jake
I GRUNTED AS I retracted my legs and the plates lowered. Leg day was the worst. As a wide receiver, I did a lot of running, which made leg strength important, so I probably shouldn’t mind it. But nope, I was just like the ninety percent of other guys who hated leg day. The real kick in the ass was that it wasn’t actually leg day. But I was stressed, so I was getting in an extra workout. Official practices with Coach Coyle, the new coach from Texas who held my fate in his hands, started soon.
Carson emerged from the locker room with wet hair. “Jake, you’re still here?”
“Just getting another set in.”
“Dude. Go home. You’re going to overdo it.”
“Nah.” But he was probably right. After he left, I wiped down the machine I’d been using and headed to the locker room to get my stuff. I normally waited to shower at home if I was going straight there, but I vaguely remembered thinking I would have to shower there because Emily—oh shit. I checked the time on my phone and noticed I had two missed calls from Rachel and a text.
Where are you? Emily’s game is at halftime.
I grabbed my bag and sprinted to the parking lot. As long as I didn’t hit too many red lights, I could make it in time for the last quarter. By the time I made it to the field, though, the players were already slapping hands with the opposing team. Shit. I’d missed the whole damn thing and for no goddamn reason. I’d been too caught up in my head, worrying about Coach Coyle, to pay attention to the time.
“Where were you?” Ashley asked as I walked up. Ben was already waiting in Rachel’s car.
I shot her a dirty look, and she rolled her eyes and went back to scrolling through her phone. I felt bad enough without Ashley adding to it.
“Is Emily upset?” I asked Rachel.
“Probably. Sorry, Jake, but I won’t lie to you about it. What happened?”
Though her tone was gentler than Ashley’s, I still felt like I was being judged, and maybe rightfully so. But damn it, there was just so goddamn much to keep track of.
“Nothing,” I muttered. “I fucked up.” I didn’t want to talk about it. I already felt like a thoughtless asshole. So while we waited for Emily’s coach to finish his after-game talk, I took a cue from Ashley and scrolled through my phone. There was an email from Ben’s school. Fuck. What now? I scanned it and was relieved that it was no big deal—just an orientation for new students. I forwarded it to Rachel.
“Hey, Ben has an orientation or something. I sent you the info.”
Nodding, she pulled up the email on her phone. “It’s for parents and guardians too. Do you want me to add it to your calendar?”
I’d given her access to the online family calendar at the beginning of the summer so she would always know what was going on and could add things as needed, like this fucking game. For whatever good that did. I’m such a dipshit.
“I guess. Sure.”
She cocked her head. “You are planning to go, right?”
I checked the date and time. “It conflicts with training. Can’t you go?”
“Um, no. It’s for guardians. You need to be there.”
“I can’t. It’s during the day, so you’ll have to do it. You’ll be watching the kids anyway.” I was getting annoyed. The whole point of me paying her was so that she could handle shit like that.
Rachel gave me a look that seemed half pitying and half you’re a moron. “That’s not how this works. I’m not Ben’s guardian, Jake. You are. And you’ll be the one handling all the school-year stuff, so you need to know what the deal is.”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and crossed my arms, refusing to look at her. “Fine.” But it wasn’t fine. I couldn’t afford to skip any football things this close to the start of the season. Apparently, I had no choice, which was irritating, especially because Rachel was much better at handling these sorts of things. Ben would be better served with her there anyway, which maybe was part of the problem. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the incoming headache.
The soccer team put their hands in for their final team cheer. Most of the players ran in the direction of their parents, but Emily took her time retrieving her water bottle from the bench. She hadn’t even looked in my direction, but I got the feeling she knew I was there. The last thing I ever wanted to do was let down this little girl, but that didn’t change the fact that I had.
“Go ahead and take Ash and Ben home,” I told Rachel. “I need to talk to Emily.”
CHAPTER 21
Jake
I ONLY MANAGED to make it five days without letting someone down.
“What?” Ashley wailed, making me cringe. “What do you mean you won’t be there?”
“I can’t miss the final exam,” I explained. “It’s not like missing a regular class. The exam is twenty-five percent of my grade. Trust me, I’d much rather watch you swim than take an exam.” Ashley’s swim class was coming to an end, and they were having a mock swim meet to show off everything they’d learned. I was honestly surprised she was still as enthusiastic about swimming as she had been at the beginning of the summer. Perhaps I hadn’t given her enough credit. Though with the tantrum she was throwing, it was hard to remember that.
Sighing, I told myself to cut her a break. Even though she was acting like a brat, I couldn’t fault her for wanting me to attend her event.
She stared at me, like she was trying to determine if she could believe me. “Fine,” she huffed. “But you’ll be there, right, Rachel?”
“Of course.” She playfully poked Ashley on the arm. “I’m driving you, remember? And I’ll film it for Jake, okay?”
“I guess.” She skulked off to her room, probably to sulk. I felt bad because I hadn’t made it to a single one of her swim practices, but I hadn’t even realized until now that she’d wanted me to go. I’d taken her I’m too cool for you attitude as reality instead of realizing it was just a front. Christ. Tween girls were more confusing than… No comparison I could make would do them justice.
At least Ben was easy. We’d taken him out for a steak dinner on his birthday, and I’d gotten him the expensive-ass laptop he’d wanted. Now it was rare for him to emerge from his room at all. A parent would probably be worried about that, but I was just relieved that there was at least one person in this family I wasn’t letting down. I’d made it to Emily’s last two games, but I was late to the championship game and missed the whole first quarter. That time, it hadn’t been my fault—I was at a meeting for a group project due in one of my classes. Group projects sucked anyway, but the people I’d been partnered with couldn’t make up their damn minds about anything. Then, because I was a jock, one of the girls got it in her head that I was a flaming idiot and did everything in her power to keep me from doing anything important. I should have shaken it off and just let them do all the work, but besides the fact that it pissed me off, I wasn’t a freeloader.
I was ready for summer semester to be over. Except the fall semester would be even more complicated. Though my course load would be easier, football would be more intense. Emily had had a sneezing fit the other day, which made me wonder what I would do if she or Ashley got sick and had to stay home from school. Obviously, they couldn’t stay home alone. I remembered my parents taking days off work to stay with me when I was sick as a kid. Unless my dad had had meetings on his schedule, he was the
one who would stay because he could work from home. Since my mom had been a teacher, it had been a lot more complicated for her to call out sick. That was just one more thing I hadn’t thought about until now, and the anticipation of dealing with the inevitable illnesses stressed me out.
I pulled Rachel against me. “Thank God for you,” I whispered into her hair. She pulled back and tilted her face up for a kiss. As my lips touched hers, all my worries faded away. I was able to breathe.
“Oh!” she said suddenly, pulling away. “I almost forgot. I left the information for the fall soccer season on the fridge. Emily said she wants to play.”
“Awesome.” I rubbed my hands over my face. I was glad Emily was staying involved in sports because they’d obviously had a positive impact on my life, and I wanted the same for her. But for selfish reasons, I wished she didn’t want to play. It was just one more demand on my time. “We’ll have to work out the fall schedule.”
Rachel’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You know, with all the kids’ activities and stuff.”
She stepped away. “Um… I’ll be student teaching, and I’m taking classes two nights a week.”
“What?”
“I told you about it, remember? There are two evening classes I can take to get a head start on my master’s degree.”
That sounded vaguely familiar. “Well, fuck.”
Rachel flinched.
I sighed. “Sorry. I guess I just assumed you’d be able to help like you are now.”
She took a moment to respond. “I need to take those classes. I don’t want to take on more student loan debt, and this is a way for me to get a jump start on my master’s. I don’t want to have to teach longer than I have to.”
The conversation we’d had was crystallizing in my mind. She’d already told me all of that, and she was having to repeat it all to me, which made me feel like a jackass.
“I know. I guess I just didn’t think about what that meant for me. And shit. If you’re student teaching, you won’t be able to get Emily off the bus.” There was the old saying about those who assume make asses out of “u” and “me,” but I was the only ass in this situation.
Fair Catch Page 20