Page 6 of Home Safe

“Why would you think you shouldn’t be excited?” I gently prod.

Jason finally meets my eyes. “It’s just . . . it was my dad who always loved baseball. He watched all the games. The Crowns were his team. When he had good days, he’d sometimes take me outside to play catch.” Jason pauses, and my heart breaks into tiny pieces at his angst. “Isn’t it a little bit unfair for me to get to go to this camp when he’s, you know . . .”

As Jason’s thought trails off, I don’t immediately jump in to pick it up. I’ve learned to tread carefully the handful of times that Jason has brought up anything about his dad. I never quite know if Jason’s going to be defensive of his father’s efforts or upset about his failings.

After a beat, I try to toe the line between the two reactions. “You know, I think your dad would probably be happy for you to get to have this chance to meet a real baseball player. And you genuinely love baseball. You’re always spouting off stats and facts about the teams. This isyourpassion, not only his.”

As much as it pains me to acknowledge.I don’t add that final thought.

Jason’s eyes glimmer, and he nods solemnly. “Itismy passion. You’re right.”

Breathing a sigh of relief that I didn’t make things worse, I squeeze his shoulder. “So what do you say we get you changed and ready to go?We might be a few minutes late, but I’m sure that won’t be a big deal.”I sure hope it’s not a big deal.

Thankfully, Jason gets ready in record time. While he brushes his teeth, I check over the details that Sandra forwarded to me. The kids will receive brand-new baseball gear as a part of the camp, which saved me from having to make a trip to the sporting goods store.

The Kansas City Crowns stadium and indoor training facility sits near the Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kansas. It’s only about a fifteen-minute drive from my townhouse in Shawnee, but I lean into my Kansas City driving habits and push the speed limit to get there in ten.

We make good time, but we’re still about ten minutes late to the check-in. I hope they’re lenient—I don’t think Jason could handle the disappointment of missing this camp now.

Rushing through the parking lot, we enter the practice facility through the designated door. The lobby is quiet, but I see a petite young woman with pink highlights streaking her blonde hair still sitting behind a table.

“Excuse me, is this where we check in for the baseball camp?” I ask her.

She looks up with a bright smile. Her eyes dance the line between green and blue, and they light up as she greets us.

“Hey! You must be Jason! My name is Samantha, but you can call me Sam or Sammi if you want. I was hoping you were still coming,” she tells him as she comes around to the front of the table. “I don’t want you to miss out on anything, so I’ll take you back to join the crew and then come out and finish your registration. That sound okay?”

Jason grins at her, then turns to quickly give me a hug. “See you later!” he says before following Samantha down a hallway.

“Have fun!” I call after him. Samantha indicates that she’ll be right back. I lean against the table and take a deep breath. I’d been so focused on getting Jason ready for today that I didn’t even consider how I would spend my free time. I haven’t had even an hour to myself since he moved in. A wave of eagerness washes over me, quickly followed by a wave of guilt that I would be looking forward to time away from Jason.

I’m saved from the pool of guilt by Samantha’s voice as she walks back into the lobby.

“I have to tell you—that hair style istotallyworking for you. The blunt bob, the effortless waves, the just-above-the-shoulder length, the full curtain bangs. Fabulous,” Samantha declares, making a chef’s kiss motion with her fingers.

Laughing, I run a hand through my hair. “Goodness, thank you! What do I need to do to check Jason in?”

“I have some forms for you to sign,” Samantha replies. “Are you his case worker or his current foster parent?”

“Oh, I’m his mom. Or, um, I mean, I’m going to be his mom. I was one of his teachers. I mean, I still am. Geez, I need to learn how to answer this question,” I stammer. Clearing my throat, I explain, “Jason is with me as a kinship placement for now until our trial period is over and the adoption can be finalized. So, however you want to summarize that on the form.”

Samantha smiles. “No problem. You sign here on the liability forms, and I’ll make sure it gets notated correctly.” She pauses, then asks, “Would Jason potentially be picked up from camp by any other individual? Your husband or boyfriend or anyone?”

My cheeks flush. “Oh, no. I’m single mothering. That sounded weird. It’s only me. No one else would be picking him up.” Samantha’s eyes seem to glimmer, but I’m probably imagining things in the midst of my fluster. “Thank you for letting him come in even though we were late. I swear to you that I am usually very punctual. We had a bit of a rough morning.”

Her eyes soften now. “Not a problem at all. We totally understand those rough patches. And I apologize—I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh! Right! I’m Danae Collins,” I say, reaching my hand out to shake hers. “Do you prefer to be called Samantha?” I ask, indicating toward her name tag.

“Like I told Jason, I answer to any variation of the name—Samantha, Sam, Sammi. No one’s ever tried ‘Mantha’ before, but I’d probably respond nonetheless,” she says, and I laugh. “What are you going to do with your free time today, Danae?”

“I was just thinking about that while you were taking Jason back. I haven’t had any time to myself for the past month. I can’t decide if I should be productive and catch up on all the tasks that I’ve neglected, or if I should go sit at a coffee shop and read. I suppose I’ll have time tomorrow, too, but Friday I have to go back to work for our professional development day.”

“Then you should be productive today so that tomorrow you can completely relax, guilt-free,” Samantha says with confidence.

“You might be on to something there,” I agree. “I promise I won’t be late picking Jason up. Three o’clock, right?”

Samantha nods. “You got it. And don’t worry! I’ll keep an extra eye on him.”

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