You and me, this Friday night, at the Sweetkiss Creek High School football game. Sound good?
Her reply is almost instant.
Sounds great! How should I dress?
Casual, but it’s homecoming, so, you know, maybe a little special.
Awww. I never went to my own homecoming…so this will be perfect.
I pause, her words giving me an idea.
I’m helping coach on the sidelines for this last game before I head out. I’d love for you to be there.
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. xo
Her response makes me grin so wide, it feels like my face might split in two.
Everything’s coming together.
TWENTY
Bex
The night sky is a deep indigo, dotted with stars that peek through the thin veil of clouds, casting a soft glow over the Sweetkiss Creek High School football field. The bright stadium lights flood the field, cutting through the cool autumn air and illuminating a sea of fans.
As I throw my car into park, I stop and take a moment to scan the lot. Austin had said he’d meet me here, but when he called to tell me this, I was a bit out of it since I was waking up from a nap in my nice and warm home, thanks to my fixed heating unit, snuggled with my new dog on the floor.
Don’t judge me because I went out and bought one of those dog beds big enough for me and Harley. Just don’t.
Swarms of people mill about the parking lot, and even more stand in groups dotting the hillside around the high school stadium on this special night. A huge banner erected over the field in colors of red and black, what must be the school colors, announces it’s “Sweetkiss Creek High School Homecoming.” Somewhere nearby the school marching band plays and the smell of sugar and fried food assaults my senses and reminds me of being on the main course of a carnival.
As I step out of my car and hear the familiar roar of the crowd in the distance, I can’t help but feel a thrill of anticipation. Even though I’ve been to many football games in my time, I’d never made it to a homecoming game. It’s not that I wasn’t into it, I just wasn’t into the dance and all of the other traditions around the whole pomp and circumstance of it all. So, I’d never bothered with the game at that time of year. Why go if I wasn’t going to the dance, too, right?
As I walk toward the entrance, the irony that I spot Mrs. Rosenblatt making her way down the path with another older woman doesn’t pass me by. With a cheeky grin, I make my way over to her, and Mrs. Rosenblatt waves enthusiastically in my direction. I wave back, squinting to see who she’s with.
“Evening, Bex!” Mrs. Rosenblatt calls out, her voice carrying over the crowd.
“Hi, Mrs. Rosenblatt! How are you?” I ask as I navigate the throng over to the pair. “Out supporting the team for homecoming?”
“It’s our alma mater, you bet we are,” she says as she gestures to the familiar woman beside her. “Bex, you know Pearl, right? She’s also a tenant of the Porter boys. The one who had that little...incident with the fire in her kitchen a few months back.”
“I do.” Pearl gives me a sheepish smile, and I return it, nodding in recognition. “Nice to see you again, Pearl. Thanks again for that beautiful bouquet of flowers. I’m glad everything turned out okay after the excitement.”
Pearl chuckles softly. “Oh, just a little kitchen mishap.”
“Something about the two of you,” I say, grinning. “Between fires in kitchens and the smell of sangria in your bathroom, I sometimes wonder if you’re running a speakeasy out of the Porter brothers’ apartments.”
Mrs. Rosenblatt gasps dramatically as she gives me a conspiratorial wink. “Now, Bex, that’s a secret we might just have to keep, isn’t it?”
The thought of these two running a black market for booze and good times almost makes me spit with laughter. It’s a visual I’ll never get rid of. “Well, if you are, I hope you’re getting good business.”
“Never a dull moment, that’s for sure,” Pearl adds with a twinkle in her eye.
“I saw Austin down at the field earlier,” Mrs. Rosenblatt says. “So it was him I’ve been seeing here all those times?”
I nod. “He’s lending a hand and coaching from the sidelines tonight.”
“Even more exciting,” she says as Pearl bobs her head in agreement. “We both saw him play when he was growing up. It’s exciting to have been on the proverbial sidelines ourselves and watched his career, and to see where he is now.”
