Page 63 of Maverick

I shake my head, amazed at my brother's ability to charm women of any age. "He's always been good at that. Landing on his feet, no matter the situation."

Nan snorts. "More like landing on his back, from the looks of it." She turns to me, her expression turning serious. "You keep an eye on him, you hear? Those women may look sweet, but they're cougars through and through. He doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

I raise an eyebrow, glancing back at Nick. He's now sitting up, the ice pack forgotten as he gestures animatedly, clearly telling some sort of story. The women are hanging on his every word, their laughter ringing out across the gym.

"I don't know, Nan. He looks like he's handling himself just fine."

She gives me a look. "Trust me, honey. I know a thing or two about cougars. They may seem harmless, but they'll eat a young buck like him alive."

Laughing at that mental image, I reassure her, "I'll keep an eye on him, I promise. But I think he can take care of himself. He's a big boy."

Nan just shakes her head, a knowing smile on her face. "Famous last words," she mutters.

We watch as Nick stands up, wincing slightly as he adjusts the ice pack. The women flutter around him, offering their arms for support. He accepts graciously, flashing them a winning smile as they help him limp off the court.

Jonas joins us, his own plate of cinnamon buns in hand. "Looks like Nick's made some new friends," he observes dryly.

"How many of those have you had," I ask, staring down at the massive, sweet smelling chunk of heaven.

Jonas just shrugs, taking a big bite of his pastry. "I've lost count."

As he brings the treat down to the plate, I stomp on his foot. His grip loosens, and I take the opportunity to snatch it out of his hand. Other than a glare, he doesn't react.

"He's just going to let you take it like that?" Nan asks, hands on hips as Jonas walks away.

"He's full," I say, taking another big bite. "You heard him. He said he lost track of how many. That means he's just eating because they're good, not because he actually has room to fit it in. So, I took it."

"And if he wasn't full? You would have left him to it?"

"No. I would have still taken it, but I would have had to fight a hell of a lot harder."

"Huh," she says looking up at me. "I'm seeing that boys are very different from girls."

"In lots of ways."

Laughing, she shakes her head. "My daughter was a good kid. Polite, well mannered. Listened well. She wasn't a bit of trouble." Her nose wrinkles. "At least I didn't think she was. But I missed a lot of what she was doing. I don't know if Patty was just good at hiding the things she was doing, or if I was just blind to it. At least you boys are up front about your shenanigans."

"Cadence ended up with you…" I let it trail off. Other than the fact that her Nan raised her, I don't know much about Cadence's childhood.

Nan sighs, and with one more glance at my brothers, both surrounded by white-haired women, moves out of the gym. She settles into a little sitting area and waves me into the other seat. "Once Patty graduated high school, she took off. We thought she had all these plans for her future. She talked about college, and wanting to be a teacher. And then a few mornings after graduation, she came down with her bags packed, kissed me on the cheek, and she was gone. Poof, just like that.” She shakes her head. “We'd get a postcard here and there, but she only called once. I was upset, and tried to convince her she was throwing her life away. I didn't understand why she changed so drastically. It wasn't until later that I started learning about the things she was doing, and the people she was spending time with."

"How did you find out?"

"People started to talk. At church. Old teachers. Friends of hers who stayed in town. It painted a picture that I didn't much like." She crosses her legs, the toe of her white sneaker bobbing as she continues. "I wasn't the strictest mom. George and I were so happy to have her that we spoiled her a little bit. We tried for a long time to have a baby, and we knew there wouldn't be any others, so Patty was it for us. She got all our love and attention, and I never regretted a minute of it. But maybe we loved her so much, we were blind to the fact that she was drinking, and lying to us about where she was. And spending time with boys."

"How long before you saw her again?"

Her hand smooths the hem of her shirt. "She showed up three years later, looking like a different person. Her hair was stringy, she'd lost weight she didn't need to lose. I knew right away what was going on. So did my George. He was a policeman, you know. On the force here for forty years. He dealt with addiction every day on the job."

She shakes her head and presses her lips together before continuing. "She said she wanted help, so that's what we did. We got her into one of those treatment places. And it seemed to work. She did the program, and she settled back into the house with us. She even talked about college again. Then one day we woke up, and she was gone. The next time she came back, she had a three-month-old baby."

"Cadence," I say quietly.

"Cadence," she echoes. "Patty stayed for a few days, but it was clear that she was struggling to take care of her. So she asked…" she winces, biting off her words. "That's not true, she didn't ask. She told us that she planned to give Cadence up. George and I had fallen in love with her, and we just couldn't imagine letting her go. So we said we'd take her. Patty stuck around long enough to sign guardianship paperwork, then she was gone."

"That must have been tough, ending up parents all over again."

"Tough?" she says with a snort. "I fell asleep in the grocery store parking lot. Twice. That child was allergic to sleep. It's like she didn't want to miss anything, and as long as someone was holding her, she was happy. She'd sob when you put her to bed, then she was pure sunshine when you came back in the room. She's been like that her whole life. Sunshine, through and through, even when she was naughty."

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