Page 10 of A Better Place

“Maybe I’ll see you at the game tonight,” I tell her, hoping to ease the awkwardness.

She tilts her head to the side in confusion.

“Jack plays, right? You said your son was Jack?”

“Oh! Right. Yeah. He plays. I’ll be there.”

“Great! Have a great afternoon, Ms. Hanson.”

“You too, James,” she says, her eyes softening a bit, some of the discomfort falling away.

I walk out of the classroom, confused at so many things.

Why has this woman been able to capture my attention in such a short amount of time?

Why is she so distant?

The most confusing question, why I care so much that she was distant.

I hear a car pull into the garage and know it’s Barrett and Tess. I got a few funny texts from Tess telling me they were on their way home from their week away at the cabin hideaway, something they desperately needed, and I don’t want to hear about, knowing that part of the reason they got away was for some long overdue marital time. At least that’s what I deciphered from the texts, anyway, which are the best thing ever.

Before I even get the words out to tell the kids their parents are home, Grady, Maggie and Harper, three of their four children, are making a b-line toward the garage door, shoving me out of the way. Grady pulls the door open, and all three of them stand in the doorway, impatiently waiting to greet their parents.

Grady is a senior at Liberty High and star of their football team. He works his ass off every single day and won’t let himself become distracted from his end goal, playing college ball and getting a scholarship. His older brother, Cole, who is a sophomore in college and plans to go to medical school after graduation, played football too, but never wanted what Grady does.

A few weeks ago, Grady was at a party and his best friend Bri was being harassed by some punk. Grady didn’t like it too much, so he stepped in, which resulted in Tess and Barrett getting the chance to pick him up at the Liberty Police Department. No charges were filed against him, thankfully, but he did end up having to miss a couple of games. This night was just one of the many reasons Tess and Barrett needed time away.

Maggie is a sophomore at Liberty High and keeps Tess, Barrett and Grady on their toes. Grady doesn’t have a lick of patience for her growing up and makes sure everyone knows not to touch her. Or date her.

“Mommy! You’re home! It’s been nearly years!” Harper shouts in what Tess calls her dramatic flair.

Tess carefully picks her up and holds her close. “Hi, baby girl. How ya doing?”

“I’m so great! Uncle James had lunch with us at school today! And guess what?”

“What?!” Tess asks her mimicking Harper’s dramatic expression.

“He. Brought. Subway!”

“No. Way!” Tess is such a goof. Her kids tend to bring it out in her, but she’s really just that way.

“Uh-huh! A ham sandwich, some apples, and a cookie, and it was in one of those awesome bags!”

“Well, sounds like Uncle James scored some major points!”

“How’d you know that? He scored like a hundred points playing soccer at recess after lunch!”

“He did, huh?” Tess laughs. I doubt that this surprises her. I admit that I’m still very much like a big kid.

“Yeah huh! I asked Ms. Hanson if he could stay, and she said he could if he wanted to, and he said he wouldn’t miss it for the world!” She’s shouting everything she’s saying, her voice full of excitement.

“I just bet he didn’t say no to Ms. Hanson,” I hear Barrett mutter.

Uh-oh.

I know exactly where this is headed, and by the gleam in Tess’s eyes, I’m going to be grilled the second the kids are out of earshot.

I stand back and watch as the kids continue to talk to their parents, everyone happy to see each other and to be able to briefly catch up in person again. Grady tells his parents he has exciting news and as much as I feel bad for spilling his secret, I stand by it.

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