Page 125 of The Apple Tree

He was pitching baseballs at the dunk tank with his good arm, and on his second attempt, he hit the target, and my dad fell into the water.

I laughed.

“Coming, Eve?” Drew pulled me toward the starting line.

“Uh … sure.” I stood next to him while he tied our legs together.

When Kelley Ross yelled, “GO!” Drew and I took off running.

It wasn’t our first three-legged race. We were town champions. A well-oiled machine. However, after crossing the finish line way ahead of everyone else, Drew tripped, or he seemed to because the next thing I knew, he was on the ground with me on top of him.

“I miss you,” he said with a huge grin, our faces a few inches apart.

“I don’t know how I feel about my star player trying to run with his leg tied to someone else. Reckless behavior like this could end your football career before it starts.”

I rolled off Drew when I heard Kyle’s voice, my hands quickly untying our legs.

“Jeez, Coach, we were having a moment,” Drew said jokingly.

But when I jumped to my feet and looked at Kyle, his scowl didn’t convey humor.

“Eve Jacobson, you should see if your mom needs help, check on Cookie Monster, say a prayer …” A little evil resided in Kyle’s eyes.

I held his gaze for a long moment, a silent standoff.

He jerked his head. “Run along.”

Run along?

That was something one said to a child. I wasn’t a child. I was thewomanwho had been making his meals, bathing him, taking care of his son, sewing a costume, and working a full-time job. How dare he tell me torun along.

“Trouble in paradise?” Erin asked as I pulled a container of apples out from under the food table to refill the tray while she rinsed out paintbrushes at the table next to me. Since she was artsy, she volunteered to do face paintings.

“Coach Collins likes to treat me like a child when he’s jealous of a seventeen-year-old.”

“I have to pee!” Josh ran up to me and pulled on my hand. “I’m stuck.” He reached for his buttons.

“Oh, dear. Let me?—”

“Nooo …” he grabbed his crotch.

I pulled the costume down his body, but he’d already wet himself.

“My costume,” he said with a quivering lower lip and big tears.

“Oh, buddy. I’m sorry. Let’s get you cleaned up.” I looked around for Kyle.

He was talking to some of the players’ parents, so I led Josh into the church. It was dimly lit because Dad only had it open for people to use the restrooms.

“Now w-we have to g-go,” Josh said, sniffling.

“Yes, but we’ll do something fun to make up for it. Okay?”

“What? I wanted t-to play g-games.”

I closed the restroom door, helped him out of his soiled clothes, washed him off, and then pulled off my hoodie and put it on him. It nearly reached his ankles.

“Listen, sweet boy.” I lowered before him and cradled his face, wiping his tears with my thumbs. “I’m going to wash your costume tonight. Then tomorrow, we’ll do something extra special. Okay?”

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