Page 70 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

“Um, hi, Teresa.”

“Hi.” The older woman gave her a big smile. “I have something for you. I was going to bring it to the shop but someone stopped by the house and I didn’t get a chance to get there before you left.”

Randi straightened. “You have something for me?”

Teresa nodded and pulled a wrapped rectangle out of her big purse. She handed it to Randi, but when Randi tried to take it, Teresa kept hold of it.

“Do you love my son?” Teresa asked.

Randi didn’t answer right away. She took a deep breath, wet her lips. Breathed again. But then she couldn’t help it. She missed him, she was angry with him, she was hurt. But she couldn’t deny how she felt.

“Yes.”

“Good.” Teresa let go of the package.

Randi knew what it was immediately. It was a book. “Um, is this from Nolan?”

Teresa nodded.

Randi swallowed.Thebook. The reason he’d pushed her away. “I don’t—”

“Just look at it.”

Randi lifted her eyes to Teresa’s. “I love him. But I don’t know if things will work out.”

“I know. And going back to San Antonio was a crappy thing to do. If it’s any consolation, it might be the first crappy thing he’s ever done.”

Randi actually laughed at that. Of course Teresa thought that. But Randi had to admit she might have a point. “I’m not sure that I’m consoled knowing that I’m the reason he was crappy for the first time.”

Teresa smiled. “I know how that sounds.”

Randi just nodded, her gaze dropping to the wrapped book. Even without looking at it, the book was making her heart pound and her stomach twist.

“I really think you want to see this,” Teresa said, her voice gentler now.

She was going to unwrap it. If nothing else, because Teresa Winters had started opening up in the past month—she smiled at people when she passed them on the street, she’d actually skipped the last Chamber of Commerce meeting, and rumor had it that she’d started a book club, inviting a few other women her age over for coffee and book talk, and even baking for them. Their first selection had been Nolan’s first book, of course, but they had since readEat, Pray, Loveand a couple of romances.

So Randi would look at the book because Teresa had brought it to her.

But damn, she didn’t want to.

She’d seen the cover for the book on Amazon and had teared up. The photo was of the Titans field at night, taken through the uprights, with the tall lights shining brightly.Uprightwas already selling well in the pre-order period, and when she’d read the first few pages that they showed online, she’d had a hard time breathing. The dedication readTo Coach. Because no one writes books about guys who play it safe.

Finally she took a deep breath and ripped the wrapping paper off.

But it wasn’t the book Nolan had written about Coach Carr in her hands.

This book was also by Nolan. It also featured a photo of the Titans field, but this one had the players huddled up in the center of the field, the stands full of their fans behind them.

It was calledThe Boys of Fall.

Randi looked up at Teresa. “What is this?”

“His other book.”

“Otherbook?”

“He wrote it at the same time he was finishingUpright. He’s self-publishing this one. And that is the first copy. It goes on sale tomorrow.”

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