Hometown Hero's Redemption

by Jill Kemerer

  “Please tell me you jumped at the chance?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t, Megan. You know I can’t.”

  “I know no such thing. You can. And you should.”

  “Uh, no. I’m not putting myself through it. No more emotionally damaged kids. My heart can’t take it. I’m finally getting back to normal.” If normal included not sleeping well, avoiding any public event and refusing to date any of the men brave enough to ask her out since she’d moved back...

  Her new normal sounded sad. Add a few more felines, and she could be a reclusive cat lady.

  “You love kids. And this is only one kid. It would be perfect. You wouldn’t be trying to find him a foster home or visiting him at a crack house. You’d be heating SpaghettiOs and helping with math problems. Easy.” Megan snapped her fingers.

  Megan always made things sound easy. Unfortunately, Lauren knew better. There were so many factors making the situation impossible. Like the fact that Drew had been a complete jerk to her for years. Sure, he’d seemed caring with Wyatt and had apologized yesterday, but it didn’t guarantee he was a stand-up guy.

  And then there was Wyatt. Withdrawn, emotionally shattered—it was written all over him. She couldn’t be simply a babysitter. She didn’t have it in her. No matter how much she told herself not to grow attached, not to fall in love with the kids, she did. She’d love him. And she’d get hurt. If she took care of Wyatt and made a bad decision, it could send him back to square one.

  “You want to say yes,” Megan said. “I can see it in your eyes.”

  “He was so skinny and small and withdrawn. He was sweet, too. I felt an instant connection.”

  Megan smiled slyly. “And did you feel the connection with his temporary dad?”

  Oh, yeah. When she agreed to meet Drew, she’d been sure she wouldn’t find him attractive at all. His personality in high school had made him unattractive to her. But watching him interact with Wyatt? Seeing the way he pushed and pushed for Wyatt’s sake?

  Made him enticing.

  “Um, I guess a little bit. I mean, I have a pulse, and he looks like...”

  “A hot fireman.”

  “Yeah.” Lauren glanced up as someone headed her way. Phew. Saved by the shift change. “I’m out of here.”

  “I think you should go for it,” Megan said. Lauren grabbed her purse out of the drawer, ignoring her. “If not, consider the tumbling class.”

  She gave Megan a backward wave and walked out, soaking in the afternoon sunshine. Why was she still thinking about Drew’s offer? She wasn’t changing her mind. She’d made her choice.

  She drove to her apartment over the hardware store on Main Street. Maybe Megan was on to something with the tumbling class. Lake Endwell High used to have an elite cheerleading program, but it had been several years since they had won any competitions. Tumbling classes would help, but not enough to get the program back on top.

  What Lake Endwell needed was a boost to its cheerleading program.

  Cheer academies had popped up all over Chicago while she lived there. One of the foster moms she knew owned one, and Lauren had visited it several times. The students came from surrounding school districts, and they traveled all over the country for competitions. Most of them went on to cheer in high school.

  She parked in the lot behind her building. Years of gymnastics and cheerleading qualified her, but she hadn’t choreographed in a long time. And own a business? She wouldn’t know where to begin. While making her way to the back door, she checked her phone for messages.

  Drew stood near the entrance. “I called the fitness place, and Megan Fellows told me you just left. She said I could find you here.”

  I’ll get you back for this, Megan. She plastered a smile on, ignoring the way her heartbeat stampeded at the sight of him. “What can I do for you?”

  “I feel bad about yesterday. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”

  “No need to feel bad or buy me coffee. We’re good. Your conscience can be clear.” She tried to push past him, but his broad shoulders blocked the door. He wore loose-fitting jeans and a dark gray pullover. By the strained look on his face, she’d say she annoyed him. Good.

  “Will you please hear me out?” The words were soft, low. She let out a loud sigh.

  “This isn’t necessary. I hold no ill will against you. I hope you have a wonderful life.” Without me in it.

  “You were never good at lying.” The side of his mouth quirked up, and challenge glinted from his brown eyes.

  “You’re right. I’m not.” Hiking her purse over her shoulder, she tipped her chin up. “I like Wyatt. I’m tempted to help you because of him. But I never worshipped you like the rest of this town did, and I don’t plan on it now. So go ahead and demand your way, but you won’t get it—not from me. All you have to do is walk three steps and you’ll find someone else who’s more than willing to do whatever you ask.”

  He scowled. Maybe she’d gone too far. She hadn’t seen him in years, and it wasn’t his fault her life fell apart, so why was she taking her anger out on him?

  And why was she so angry, anyhow? She’d been keeping it together reasonably well for months.

  “I don’t want anyone to worship me. I’m just a guy. Someone who messed up most of my life.” Drew crossed his arms over his chest. “I admire you for being straight with me. Don’t worry—I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Wait.” She caught his arm. His muscle flexed under her hand. She swiftly pulled back. “I guess one cup of coffee wouldn’t kill me. I know you’re trying to help Wyatt.”

  “The Daily Donut?”

  She shook her head. “Closes at two. Have you been out and about yet since moving back?”

  “No, why?”

  Tapping her chin, she realized he had no idea what was about to hit him. “Then let’s skip the coffee and go to City Park.”

  “Isn’t there another coffeehouse in town?”

  “You’re missing the point. When word hits around here you moved back, you’re going to be bombarded.”

  He grimaced. Had he paled? “City Park it is.”

  Drew Gannon, scared? She’d never thought he could surprise her, but never was a long time. Why wouldn’t Mr. Hometown Hero have made the rounds when he arrived?

  “Give me a minute to drop off my purse.” Maybe a little chat in City Park wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  * * *

  Drew strode next to Lauren along the sidewalk. If he was going to have any chance at getting her to help Wyatt, he needed to show her he’d changed. This would probably be his only shot. She smelled fresh, the exact same way she looked. He’d always thought she belonged on a California beach. All-American, pure sunshine.

  But the sunshine had sharpened to lightning over the years—she certainly hadn’t held back with her opinion a minute ago. The way she’d put him in his place had shocked him at first. But, oddly enough, he liked her even more because of it.

  He’d dated too many women who had their own agendas. He couldn’t remember any of them saying exactly what was on their minds.

  How long had it been since he’d been on a date?

  Five years? Six?

  “Where’s Wyatt, by the way?” She easily kept pace with him.

  “School. His first day. I’m picking him up at three thirty.”

  “School already? You don’t waste time, do you?”

  “I wasted enough time when I was younger. I don’t see the point in waiting when something has to be done.”

  “What do you mean?” They reached the last store on the street. A quarter mile and they’d be at the park.

  “You know how I was in high school?” He didn’t glance at her, not wanting to see how she viewed him. He could guess well enough. “I thought I was somebody. Didn’t work hard
at anything but football, and by senior year I wasn’t even giving that my all. I believed my hype. Thought I was special.”

  “Well, everyone around here agreed, so you probably were.” Her dry tone made his lips twitch.

  Keep it serious. Show her you mean this.

  “I was unprepared for college. I actually thought the coaches were going to fawn over me the way it was here, not that you would know what I mean...”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Yeah. I guess you would, but I had no clue. I got to college and was a nobody. Third-string quarterback. For the first time in my life, everyone around me was as talented—more talented—than I was.”

  “I hope you don’t expect me to feel sorry for you.”

  He shot her a look. There was the megawatt smile he’d missed. He chuckled.

  “I had it coming. I struggled at practices, and instead of working harder and giving it my all, I complained about the coaches. Told everyone they didn’t like me. That I deserved to be a starter.” He gestured to the park entrance, and they headed toward the gazebo. “Do you know how many snaps I took in games?”

  She made a face and shrugged. “None?”

  “Two.” He almost shuddered. “None would have been better. I threw two interceptions. The sum total of my freshman year stats. Two plays. Two interceptions. I gained weight, lost muscle, didn’t attend a team meeting. And I was so dumb, I was actually shocked—and I mean shocked—when I was cut from the team. No more scholarship. No more college.”

  “I’m sorry, Drew. I didn’t know all that.”

  “Well, you’re the only one from this town who didn’t. I have my doubts about moving back.”

  She hopped up on a picnic table and perched on the top, facing the water. Seagulls landed in the distance, and two ladies power walked on the bike trail. The unmistakable smell of the lake filled the air.

  “Why did you come back?” Lauren pushed her hair to the side of her neck. The LE Fitness lime-green T-shirt she wore under a black formfitting warm-up jacket hugged her slender body. He liked the way it looked on her.

  “Chase asked me to. He wanted Wyatt to grow up in a healthier environment, away from the reporters and the private school full of kids with wealthy parents. He always joked I was the most normal person he knew. He wanted normalcy for Wyatt.”

  “You? Normal? Debatable.” She leaned back, resting her hands on the table, and grinned. Understanding knitted between them. The peace of the lapping waves nearby mellowed his senses.

  “You gave me the ten-second version on the phone, but what really happened to Wyatt’s mom? And how did you become his guardian?” Lauren crossed one leg over the other and faced him.

  “It’s kind of a long story.”

  She propped her elbow on her knee. “I’ve got all afternoon.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Where to start? “Chase and I met in college. We were roommates. We had a lot in common, liked the football lifestyle. The girls, the parties, the accolades.”

  She snorted. He opened his hands as if to say, This is what you get.

  “Chase was more grounded than I was. The guy was pure talent. And he worked his tail off to be the best. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I would have followed his example.”

  “Yet he’s in jail, and here you are.” The words were barely audible.

  “True. Anyway, he’s my best friend. I refused to come back to Lake Endwell after getting kicked out of college. And even if I could have afforded out-of-state tuition, I had no desire to continue. I was bitter. Worked at a gas station, shared an apartment with a group of potheads. I couldn’t face life without football. Couldn’t face my parents. Certainly couldn’t face my old buddies from home.”

  “Some of them would have been supportive. There are some good people here.”

  “You’re probably right, but I couldn’t handle it. I’d gone from being the hero to a nobody. Chase was the one who kept me going for two years. He told me I was better than that. Helped me realize I could do something with my life besides football. He fronted the money for me to take classes to be a firefighter and an EMT. A few years later I decided to continue my training and become a paramedic. It was brutal. I almost quit. Chase didn’t let me.”

  “Sounds like a great guy.”

  “He is.” Drew leaned forward, his clasped hands dangling between his knees. “He met Missy while I was working at the gas station. She was gorgeous, and she liked to party. That was all Chase looked for in a girl. At the time it was all I looked for, too. They fought a lot, but they’d make up just as quickly. She got pregnant his junior year. Moved to Chicago with him when he got drafted. They never married. She left when Wyatt was two, taking him with her, and the next year Chase was traded and moved to Detroit.”

  “Did she move, too?”

  “No. Not then, anyway. If she would have, things might not have spiraled out of control the way they did. She found a new boyfriend, Len, who also became her drug supplier. When Chase realized how addicted she’d become, he fought for full custody of Wyatt—and he won. From that point on, I was a big part of Wyatt’s life.”

  “How so?”

  “I’d gotten a job in Dearborn the year before. When Chase gained custody of Wyatt, I transferred to a fire station closer to them. He was on the road or training for over half the year. He hired a part-time babysitter, but I stayed at his house whenever he was traveling. I had my own apartment the rest of the time. Wyatt has no living grandparents. That’s why the courts appointed me to be Wyatt’s guardian.”

  “So you’ve been helping take care of Wyatt for years?” She tilted her head.

  “When Chase couldn’t.”

  “That’s actually a good situation for Wyatt. He’s comfortable with you and doesn’t have to learn a new routine.”

  “Living here will be a new routine for us both. I hope his first day is going okay.”

  “I do, too. Kids make friends easy at his age. I’m sure he’ll fit right in.”

  Drew gazed out at the water. “I don’t know. He’s too quiet. And he never used to be shy.”

  “Losing your parents will do that to you.” She rubbed her upper arms although it wasn’t cold. “You still haven’t told me what happened.”

  He hated discussing it. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t memorized the details. Once he opened his mouth, he knew he’d be able to tell her the facts in a detached voice. If only his insides wouldn’t twist and cry out at the senselessness of it all. Missy hadn’t deserved to die, and his best friend shouldn’t be in jail.

  “Over a year ago, Missy went to rehab and, once out, decided a change of scene would help her stay clean. She moved to Detroit to be in Wyatt’s life. She and Chase reconnected, were even dating again. On a hot day in August, Len showed up at her apartment. They fought. He choked her to death.” He cleared his throat to dislodge the lump forming. “It changed Chase. He became obsessed when Len skipped bail. He hired a private investigator, and when they located Len, he went there to confront him. No one knows exactly what happened, but Chase drove over Len with his truck.”

  “He didn’t kill him, though?”

  “Broke his leg.” He rubbed his chin. “Chase was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder. Len is serving a life sentence in prison for first-degree murder.”

  Drew glanced at Lauren to see her reaction. “Is that the saddest story you’ve ever heard?”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s not.”

  “That’s pretty heartless.”

  “Is it?” She stood, shaking her legs out. “Work in the inner city of Chicago for eight years. You’ll see worse.”

  He rose, too, shoving his hands in his pockets. Logically he knew awful things happened every day all over the world, but they hadn’t touched him the way Chase and Missy d
id. His own line of work put him face-to-face with horror on an ongoing basis. While he cared about the people he helped who had been in accidents and fires, he didn’t love them the way he did his friends, so their tragedies didn’t feel as devastating. He probably should feel guilty about that, but he didn’t.

  “Let’s go walk along the lake.” He took her by the elbow, directing her to the lakeside path. “Tell me about Chicago.”

  She strolled beside him. “I’m trying to forget.”

  “What do you want to forget?”

  “It’s kind of hard to forget if I talk about it.” She acted lighthearted, but the tiny furrow in her forehead revealed the truth. Whatever had happened must have affected her deeply.

  “You got me there.” He wouldn’t push her.

  “Yeah, well my do-gooding days are over.”

  He cringed, remembering the way he and his friends had taunted her. How she’d walk down the school halls with her spine so straight it looked like it would snap. They’d thought she was stuck-up, but he knew better now. She’d been protecting herself from them.

  Why had he been so clueless? So thoughtless? So mean?

  “I hope that’s not true,” he said. “The world needs more people like you.”

  She snorted. “Not even close. I was so naive. Thought I could make a difference. I tried. I really did try.”

  “I’m sure you made a big difference in a lot of people’s lives.”

  She quickened her pace, and he sped to keep up with her. “I’d get kids placed in a foster home, and the next month they’d be removed at the foster parents’ request. They needed stability, but did they get it? Or I’d try to get kids out of an unhealthy, neglect-filled home, but the parent would find a way to work the system.”

  “Some of the cases you worked on must have turned out well.”

  “Some did. The last one, though... I couldn’t do it anymore. Those kids meant too much to me. I always got in too deep emotionally.”

  “It’s better to be emotionally invested than to be apathetic. When you don’t care about other people, you only really care about yourself. Trust me. I know.”