Page 140 of Always Meant for You
I step forward. “Ladies, we could use your help. And in exchange, Cal would be more than happy to take a photo with you.”
He spins toward me. “I would?”
“Yes,” I say, smiling at the Cougar Moms. “You’d be delighted. Delighted to spend some time with our new friends.”
He exhales and musters a timid grin. “I’m absolutely thrilled.”
The ladies erupt into hoots and cheers.
Kathy leans in toward me. “What do you need, honey?”
I pass her the canister of pens and motion for Cal to show her the box. “The passport cards are missing a letterP. If your kids could help us add it to the top, changing assports to passports, we’d be grateful.”
One of the moms squints at the card. “I RSVP’d for this. This is the Eat Elverna Farmers’ Market, right?”
“That’s the one,” I confirm. “And it starts soon.”
The moms form a loose huddle, voices dropping to a murmur. From the glances tossed toward Cal, they may be discussing how best to organize the kids or possibly how to smuggle him out of town in the back of a minivan. It’s hard to tell.
“Mabel,” Cal says under his breath.
I touch his elbow. “Let them work their magic.”
Kathy straightens her visor. “We’ll help. Cougar moms, let’s do this!”
They break into action, coordinating with efficiency. Kathy takes Shaun’s whistle, lifts it with a dramatic flourish, and blows. The sharp trill slices the air, and every child on the field freezes.
“All Cougars to the bleachers!” the woman calls. “We’re practicing the letterPbefore the game starts. If you want to play, you’ve got toPfirst.”
She looks Cal up and down, then slips her arm through his. “And you’re coming with me, handsome.”
Before I can blink, she’s pulling him toward the benches as if she won him in a charity auction.
The kids swarm around her. The Cougar moms move with astonishing speed. Pens pass from hand to hand. Sheets spread out. Children dive in, concentrating hard.
Cal peers back at me, desperation in his expression. His lips form a single word: “Help.”
“A few more minutes,” I mouth back.
I glance at Shaun. “He’ll be okay, right?”
The man stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Say a prayer if you’re the praying type.”
I chuckle.
Shaun rocks on his heels. “We’ve been hearing good things about Elverna. About what you’re doing here.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
He nods toward the field. “Feels different in town today. Something in the air.”
He’s right.
“The town is coming together. I only recently started working with them. There’s been a lot of groundwork laid over the past few years, but I have to agree with you. It does feel different. More optimistic, I’d say.”
Shaun surveys the children, bent over, pens in their hands. “I agree. It was tough times when the factory closed, and then the soil started turning from years of pesticide use. My grandparents lost their farm. My uncle lost his job. That kind of pain ripples through people. A town like this doesn’t always bounce back.”
I can feel the heartbreak in his words. “This town is trying to turn things around. They’re trying with everything they’ve got.”
