Page 1 of Wanting Happily Ever After

ChapterOne

It was hot.The kind of hot that made sitting on metal bleachers, shoulder to shoulder with dozens of other parents, a special kind of torture, especially when what you should be doing was sitting in the shade by the river with your feet in the water and a cold drink in your hand. But that wasn’t an option for Sarah Lewis, not with her six-year-old daughter, Rory, running down the length of the soccer field, her teammates and friends next to her, long braids streaming behind her as she moved as fast as she could toward the goal.

For the life of her, Sarah could not imagine how any of them had so much energy on such a hot July afternoon, but none of the kids looked nearly as wilted as the parents. And if they could do it…she stood and cheered as loud as she could as Rory kicked the ball toward the net. There was no way the ball would go in. It was headed straight to the center of the goal…and the opposing team’s goalie, who looked to be at least twice the size of the rest of the team. She’d easily be able to stop it. Sarah clutched her hands together and mentally prepared herself for Rory’s disappointment.

The ball moved, almost in slow motion. The goalie made her move. She opened her arms and jumped…right over the ball. Before anyone even realized what had happened, the ball was in the net and the referee blew the whistle, making it official.

Sarah exchanged glances with two of the other parents, Myrna and Jocelyn, on either side of her. The other mothers shook their heads in disbelief for a moment before leaping up and cheering. The team had just won! The Glacier Falls Grizzlies were going to play in the championship game!

Both the kids on the field and the parents and spectators in the stands erupted in cheers and screaming. Sarah watched as the realization of what had just happened hit her daughter. Rory’s six-year-old face transformed. She dropped her hands momentarily to her knees. Her head dangled for a moment before she looked up, lifted her arms in the air, and let out a whoop of joy.

“She did it. She really did it.” She shook her head and laughed at herself. After all, it was just a summer league child’s soccer game, but she couldn’t contain her excitement. It was a big deal to Rory, which meant it was a big deal to her.

“She did awesome!” Jocelyn wrapped her in a quick hug. “The girls played so well this season.”

Sarah nodded and her gaze traveled across the field to where the team had met in a quick huddle to cheer their opposition and go shake hands. Her eyes landed on the coach, towering above his little players, a ball cap on his head to shield him from the sun, a matching red jersey, with “Coach” emblazoned on the back, right under “Birchwood,” the name of the team’s corporate sponsor—and the head coach’s restaurant. Brody Morris held his ever-present clipboard in hand, and used it as a prop to wave in the air as the girls ran through their three cheers and went to shake hands with the other team. A fluttering sensation landed in her stomach when he turned toward her and raised his free hand in a small wave. A sensation that was happening more and more frequently lately. After all, hewasvery good-looking. Especially when he was playing the role of super coach.

“He’s the best coach we’ve ever had,” Myrna said, distracting her from staring at Brody.

“He really stepped up,” someone else said.

“We’re pretty lucky that you’re dating Brody Morris, Sarah.”

Her stomach fell, the flutterings squashed as Sarah whipped around to see who’d spoken. Audrey Hill smiled sweetly at Sarah, but there was nothing sweet intended by the comment, and they both knew it.

“We’re not dating.” Sarah hated that she even had to say something, particularly to Audrey. But if she didn’t say anything, the rumors would start. And knowing Audrey, in less than twenty-four hours, the entire town would have heard that Sarah and Brody were not only a hot couple, but that they were expecting twins and moving in together, or something equally ludicrous. It didn’t even matter if it wasn’t based in truth; Audrey had a special gift of starting trouble. Trouble that, for whatever reason, she liked to aim in Sarah’s direction.

It didn’t help that Audrey’s little girl, Clara, was Rory’s favorite playmate.

“Well, you sure spend a lot of time together,” Audrey continued, her voice carefully measured. “So if that’s not dating, I don’t know what is.”

Sarah came up with a hundred different comebacks, but ultimately, shook her head and decided not to say anything. Audrey Hill wasn’t worth it. Instead, she turned away, and looked straight at Byron Smith, single dad of Annie, one of Rory’s teammates. He smiled kindly, as if to offer support, but Sarah couldn’t help but think there was more behind his smile.

Byron had asked her out on more than one occasion and every time, Sarah had come up with an excuse. It wasn’t that Byron wasn’t a nice man. He really was. But…it was always something. At first, it was because she just wasn’t ready to date. And then, after a while…there was Brody. She hadn’t lied to Audrey; they really weren’t dating. They were friends. Best friends. And even if she did get that ridiculous fluttering feeling in her gut when he was around, it didn’t matter because Brody would never be more than a friend. She valued him in her life too much for that. No way was she going to screw things up by dating. Even if she was open to that—which she wasn’t.

She snuck a glance over to where Brody was gathering up the equipment on the sidelines and her stomach fluttered again.

No.

She wasn’t going there. And definitely not with Brody.

Sarah knew she was her own worst enemy when it came to overthinking the situation, but she couldn’t help it.

Thankfully, Rory saved her from any further thinking on the subject and chose that moment to holler up at her. “Mom! Did you see that, Mom?”

“I sure did, kiddo!” Without another look at anyone, Sarah gathered up her bag and made her way down the bleachers toward her daughter. She picked her up and squeezed her. “You were awesome. The game-winning goal! Wow.”

“Wow indeed.” Sarah’s father, Ed Walker, appeared and Rory clambered into his arms. “Good job, Rory. I’m so proud of you.”

“I didn’t know you were here, Dad.”

With a kiss on her head, Ed put his granddaughter down and she ran off to sit with her team in the shade of a tree to eat orange slices and celebrate their win. “I got here right after the second half started,” he said. “Sorry I was late. I lost track of time in the garage.”

Her dad had always been a putterer, with more projects than Sarah could keep straight. He still worked as Glacier Falls’ fire chief, but more and more, Sarah could see that what he really wanted to focus on were his countless projects. And his granddaughter. Ed was a grade-A grandfather. He never missed an important date, but more importantly, he never missed anything Rory thought was important.

“Do you think she noticed I was late?” Ed looked with concern to the little girl, who didn’t look as if she had a care in the world.

“You were here for the most important part and that’s all that matters.” She gave her dad a quick hug. “Thanks for coming. It means the world, Dad.”

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