Take a Chance

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “No one in my family’s ever gone to college before. He doesn’t care what the name of the institution is.”

  “So all you’re really worried about is Kurt?”

  “Yeah.” He closed his eyes then opened them. “I mean, no. Kurt’s already said he wasn’t upset about that B.”

  Feeling like she’d at last made some progress, she kissed his cheek again. “I could be wrong, but I think maybe everything’s going to be okay if all those dreams don’t come true.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, his expression turbulent before it cleared. Then, to her surprise, he pulled her toward him and kissed her hard. “Thank you.”

  She giggled. “You’re welcome.”

  Footsteps, sounding like they belonged to a giant, started on the steps. “Kayla, I’m coming down to check on you,” her mother called out.

  She scurried off his lap just as her mother poked her head in the room. “You two behaving yourselves?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied, sounding almost innocent.

  Kayla couldn’t help but smile when her mother eyed her closely. “We’re just watching TV, Mom. That’s it.”

  After her mother nodded and walked back upstairs, Kayla dissolved into laughter. “Oh, Sam. I swear she thought we’d been doing nothing down here but making out.”

  He smirked as he slipped his arm around her. “It’d be a real shame if you got a talkin’-to later when all we did was chat about my future. Come here, Kayla.”

  When he kissed her again, it was long and sweet. Almost as perfect as their talk had been.

  CHAPTER 26

  FROM LES LARKE’S

  TIPS FOR BEGINNING POKER PLAYERS:

  Take frequent breaks.

  It was amazing how many people Emily knew in the coffee shop line. After teasing a couple of her juniors and sidestepping an impromptu conference with the parent of one of her seniors who was taking an independent study, she spied Sam Holland with Kayla.

  They were sitting at a back table and sharing some kind of frozen concoction that no doubt had about a thousand calories. After longingly eyeing the drink for a moment, she allowed herself to watch them. Oh, but they were cute together! It honestly looked like a bomb could have gone off in the place and neither of them would notice.

  They were so young and had any number of challenges ahead of them, but a part of her hoped that they would be one of those couples who stayed together no matter what. The kind who would be fifty or sixty years old one day and tell people about how they’d been high school sweethearts.

  “Here’s your skinny vanilla latte, Miss Springer.”

  Realizing that Jeremy had been trying to get her attention for a couple of seconds already, Emily took her drink from him. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime,” he said with a smirk.

  She was just about to walk out when she saw that Sam must’ve gone to the bathroom, because he was no longer sitting at the table and Kayla was looking straight at her. Emily walked over, hoping the girl hadn’t noticed her watching them. “Hi, Kayla. How are you this afternoon?”

  She smiled. “Good. Sam and I are about to go to the movies. My mom gave me some money to take him out for a change.”

  “That was nice of her.”

  “I told Mom she didn’t have to, but Mom said that I should accept and not worry about paying her back, ’cause you never know what the future will bring.”

  “That sounds like something a mom would say,” Emily teased. “But good advice, too.”

  Turning her head, Kayla watched for Sam. When she was satisfied he wasn’t around, she nodded. “I thought so, too. Sam seems so perfect, I sometimes forget that he’s got problems, too. Mom reminded me that his problems might not be mine but are still important.”

  Feeling like Kayla’s mom might as well have been talking directly to her, Emily felt her composure slip. She’d been so focused on her pain, she’d forgotten that Kurt’s worries about his involvement with her had been very real. He hadn’t been playing a game with her, he’d been needing her support. Then, later, when he’d apologized and tried to make amends, she hadn’t let him, minimizing his words and actions again.

  Darn it, she knew better!

  Kayla was looking at her with a worried expression. “Miss Springer, did I say something wrong?”

  “Not at all.” She shook her head. “I just remembered that there was something I needed to do.” Seeing that Sam was on his way back, Emily stepped toward the door. “I better go do it. Have fun at the movies.”

  Still looking puzzled, Kayla nodded. “Okay.”

  Emily hurried out the door before she had to say anything to Sam. As she got to her car, she realized that she hadn’t lied. She absolutely did have something she needed to do—forgive Kurt Holland and move forward.

  ***

  “This here is Kurt Holland,” Troy said. “He just moved here from West Virginia. We grew up together. He’s good people.”

  The fifth—or maybe the fifteenth—guy Troy had introduced him to stuck out his hand. “Good to meet you. I’m Cal. Welcome to Bridgeport.”

  “Thanks,” Kurt said. “Glad to be here.”

  “What do you do?” Cal asked.

  And so it began again. Kurt briefly shared about his lawn business, pulled out a business card, and listened to Cal talk about his job, wife, and kids. Troy added to the conversation from time to time, easily illustrating that he was just as good at working a room as he was running the football down the field.

  A couple minutes later, Cal shook his hand again. After promising to give Kurt a call soon about hiring his company to do some snow removal in the winter, he walked to his wife’s side.

  When it was just the two of them again, Troy looked pleased. “I’m real glad we ran into Cal, Kurt. He’s got a lot of connections around Bridgeport. Shoot, all around Cincinnati, too. He’s going to be a good guy to know.”

  “Sounds like it. Thanks again for introducing me to everyone.”

  “No need for thanks. They’re going to be glad to know you.” Just as he looked about ready to take Kurt over to some more people, his phone buzzed. Scanning it quickly, he frowned. “Sorry, Bud. I’ve got to go. That’s my sister Jennifer. I told Nick I’d take her home when she got tired.”

  Kurt knew Jennifer was in the middle of her second trimester with her first baby. Her husband, Nick, had gone to college with Troy. After they’d married, they’d decided to join Troy in Bridgeport since Troy and Jennifer’s parents had moved to Florida when they retired.

  “Tell her hey,” Kurt said.

  Troy smiled. “Will do. I’ll introduce you to Nick one day soon. He wants to join the club. You’re gonna like him. He’s a good guy.”

  As Kurt watched Troy walk away, he was reminded how different his life would be if he hadn’t played ball with him back in high school. Troy had been a good friend back when they were teenagers, and he’d gone above and beyond simple friendship with everything he’d done for Kurt and Sam since. Kurt hoped he’d be able to repay him one day.

  After Troy disappeared in the crowd, Kurt scanned the rest of the park. It looked like Kid Fest was a roaring success. There had to be almost a thousand people milling around the area. Fifteen to twenty booths were set up along the perimeters. Some were fancy with professionally designed signs, programs, and swag items to give away. Other booths were obviously made by children. Their posters were hand drawn and the kids and moms manning the booths had homemade snacks.

  But it all fit together. The enthusiasm, the way everyone was working together. The obvious pride that everyone had in their community.

  And it hit him then that he was a part of it. He’d spent three hours with Troy at the football clinic. Over and over, he’d shown little guys how to grasp the ball and throw a pass. It had been obvious that a couple of the boys had simply wanted to be around so
me men who were paying attention to them.

  No matter what happened with Sam or his father or his business, Kurt felt that he’d already accomplished something pretty incredible. He’d begun to make a place for himself in Bridgeport. In spite of all his doubts, he was putting down roots.

  Feeling better about himself and what he’d done, he started for his truck. Sam was going to be at the fair either with Kayla or with his friends, so he was going to take advantage of the time to be by himself for a while.

  Mentally running a grocery list in his head, he decided to make himself a couple of cheeseburgers on the grill. Maybe buy a bag of french fries and have those, too.

  Then he saw the literacy tent. About a dozen preschoolers were surrounding Emily Springer, who was sitting on a fold-out chair and reading a picture book to them.

  Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had on a soft-looking ivory colored sweater, faded jeans, and a pair of fuzzy Uggs. She looked so sweet. So cute in the midst of all those little kids … and so happy.

  Unable to stop himself, he walked over to join the group. Crossing his hands over his chest, he stood to the side, grinning when Emily made each of the characters sound unique … and full-out laughing when she pointed to the rhinoceros on the page and let out a loud roar.

  Obviously distracted by his laugh, she paused and scanned the crowd. She smiled more brightly when she spotted him.

  Kurt breathed a sigh of relief, pleased that things were better between them. When the book was finished, all the kids scrambled to their feet and crowded around her.

  “Kurt, do you feel like helping?” she called out.

  Suddenly sitting by himself had no appeal whatsoever. “Absolutely.” He smiled down at the sea of tiny faces staring back at him. “What do you need me to do?”

  “It’s time to do my favorite activity … pass out books!”

  The kids cheered. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning at the little four- or five-year-old girl standing by his side. He leaned down. “Do you like books?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Me, too,” he said. “Let’s go see what Miss Emily has for you.”

  In reply, the little girl held out her hand. After a moment, he realized that she was waiting for him to hold her hand. Touched by how trusting she was, Kurt gently clasped it and let her lead him to where Emily and her girlfriend Campbell were now pulling books out of cardboard boxes and giving one to each child.

  “Hey, Kurt!” Campbell called out.

  “Hey. What do you need me to do?”

  “Open boxes.”

  “I’m on it.” He opened the box she pointed to, carefully set it on top of the plastic fold-out table, then turned to the women again. “Anything else?”

  The women exchanged amused glances. “Uh, yeah.”

  “What? Oh,” he said as soon as he saw another eight boxes tucked over to the side. “All these, too?”

  “If you don’t mind,” Emily said as she walked to his side. All the children she’d been reading to had already taken their books and walked to their parents’ sides. “I’ve got another four groups coming and Campbell is about to head out.”

  “I really am sorry about this,” Campbell said. “If I hadn’t promised my sister I’d watch her game, I’d stay.”

  Emily waved off a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Go!”

  As Campbell trotted off, Kurt stepped closer. “Who’s coming to help you?”

  Emily smiled. “You, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t. So, help with the boxes?”

  “And, maybe read out loud a little bit too? The little ones would love to hear a big guy like you read one of their favorites.”

  She wasn’t asking for much, though for a second, it sure felt like she was. He didn’t have experience with kids. Hell, he’d practically ignored his brother when Sam was that small.

  “You’re going to do fine, Kurt. Don’t worry so much.”

  Her sweet tone, combined with her belief in him, settled his nerves—and made him realize that he actually had been worried about being good enough. Where had that come from?

  He held out a hand. “Bring it on. I’m ready.”

  “Have you read Dr. Seuss before?”

  “What? Like The Cat in the Hat?”

  “Exactly like The Cat in the Hat,” she said, handing him a blue hardcover book that brought back long-forgotten memories of sitting in a circle in kindergarten and listening with wide eyes while Miss Jefferson read the story with a thick West Virginian accent.

  Feeling almost like he was in a daze, he sat down in the chair and smiled at the group of five little boys and girls sitting in front of him. “Y’all like Dr. Seuss?” he asked.

  Two of them nodded. One little boy with a crew cut, bandage on his elbow, and a Star Wars action figure in his hand stared at him skeptically. “I’ve never heard of ’em.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat,” he replied as he opened the cover. He cleared his throat and spoke the words that were so familiar they fit almost like a good pair of comfortable socks. “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.”

  One of the little girls in a blue knit dress giggled and leaned closer. He looked at her and winked, and flipped the page. Three more little guys came over to join them.

  And standing off to the side with a group of parents, Emily gazed at him like he’d done something brilliant.

  He hadn’t. But he was starting to hope that she would think he had.

  CHAPTER 27

  FROM LES LARKE’S

  TIPS FOR BEGINNING POKER PLAYERS:

  Don’t wear sunglasses while playing.

  You look like an idiot and it doesn’t help anyway.

  “Your boyfriend seems like a good guy, Miss Springer,” Nancy Moore, one of her high school student’s mothers, said. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone seriously.”

  “This relationship is pretty new.” She figured that was a safer statement than relaying the fact that her dating life really wasn’t any of her students’ parents’ business.

  “If he’s visiting you here and reading to a group of preschoolers, I’m guessing he’s serious. Men don’t do those things unless they are.”

  “You think so?” she asked before thinking the better of it.

  “I know so.” Nancy tilted her head to one side. “I know it’s none of my business, but you sound skeptical. Are you?”

  “No. Not at all. Well, maybe.” Thinking of Danny, she said, “Sometimes, no matter how much I want to forget a past relationship, the problems that I had with him keep haunting me.”

  “I can see that,” Nancy said, her expression concerned. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’ll tell you something that’s always helped me.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s something my grandmother always said.” Looking a bit dreamy, she continued. “New shoes are for people who go out walking.”

  Emily thought that was both obvious and a bit condescending. “Ah.”

  Nancy laughed. “I know. It’s not that great of a saying—unless it’s from your grandmother. That said, I’ve always liked it. I’ve taken it to mean that it’s better to take a walk and experience something new than to sit still and keep everything nice and neat.”

  She smiled again as she patted Emily’s arm. “You don’t need to say a thing, dear. Like I said, it might not mean a thing to you. And if it doesn’t? Well, that’s quite all right. Looks like your man is finishing up. I’ll go see if I can help match up preschoolers and parents. I tell you, sometimes I think their parents need a little guidance, too!”

  Before she realized she was doing it, Emily glanced down at her shoes. Darn. They were awfully neat. Not a scratch or a mark on them.

  And that was how she’d been living
her life. Safe and sure. Tentative. Predictable. So afraid of making mistakes. So afraid of getting hurt again.

  Looking at Kurt, who was tentatively hugging a preschooler with one hand and still clutching that book with the other, she felt a new surge of warmth pass through her. Kurt Holland really was her new pair of shoes. Yes, they were currently giving her a couple of blisters and weren’t entirely comfortable. But they were nicer than anything she’d had before. And that said a lot.

  “Did I do okay?” Kurt asked as he strode up.

  “You did great,” she said as she wrapped a hand around his arm. “Thank you again. I know this isn’t your wheelhouse.”

  “It was fun.” His voice lowered. “When I first sat down, one of the little boys blurted that he would rather be playing his Xbox. But by the time Thing One and Thing Two appeared, he was laughing along with everyone else.”

  “I used to call that a magic moment when I was a student teacher.”

  As he usually did, Kurt was looking at her directly, like what she had to say actually mattered to him. “What do you call it now?”

  She felt a little shiver run through her. “Rare. High school kids don’t get too excited about books all that much. Even though I’m trying my best to make it so.”

  “Sam seems to think otherwise.”

  “Sam is an anomaly.”

  “Would you make fun of me if I admitted I have no idea what that means?”

  Trying not to smile, she shook her head. “I just meant he’s unusual. A little different than the average high school senior. Sam’s pretty special, Kurt.”

  His expression softened. “I know now isn’t the time, but I want to talk to you about everything, Em.”

  “Everything?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. Sam. Your tutoring. Me and my idiot ways. You and how you’re feeling.” He lowered his voice. “Can we do that?”

  Thinking of those shoes again, Emily nodded. “I’ll be done here in about two hours. I could stop by your house then …”

  “How about I stay here with you and then we’ll head back to my house together?”