Page 18 of Home Town Advantage
I continue. “When they were eighteen, my brother enlisted in the Marines in hopes of saving money to go to college for architecture.” I smile at the memory. “He was designing things for as long as I can remember. Vance left to play football in college. My brother’s forever girlfriend, Maddie, stayed in town to help on her parents’ small ranch. I come from a town where most don’t go to college. My brother wanted to get engaged before he left, but Maddie refused. I thought it was weird, but I sort of respected that she wanted to wait until his four years were done. When he reenlisted for another four years, she was livid, and they broke up. But eventually, they got back together when he was home visiting. As you know, Vance became a big star in that time period.”
I take a long gulp of my coffee. “A month before his final deployment was supposed to end, Finn was granted a leave of absence to come home for a brief visit for my basketball senior night. It was then that he told us he agreed to a six-month extension. We were upset about it, but he said the military was throwing too much money his way to turn it down. That he would then be in a financial position to buy Maddie a nice engagement ring, start college, and still afford a place for them to live.”
Tears fill my eyes. “Three months later, he was killed in the line of duty. He should have been home already. Ifhe didn’t agree to that extension, he’d still be alive. It was a dark time for my family, but our shining light was Maddie walking into his funeral visibly pregnant. We were so damn happy that we’d have a piece of my brother. I think it kept my parents going on the days shortly after he died, when they struggled to put one foot in front of the other. At the end of that summer, I left for college. I don’t know if you remember, but I started college in California.”
Palmer nods. “I remember. At the time, you were a year ahead of me.”
I offer a small smile. “Right. I was only a month or so in when my mother called that Maddie was in labor. It was ten weeks too early. We were freaking out that the baby couldn’t survive. I immediately got on a plane. By the time I landed, the baby was born. She was ten pounds.” I hang my head. “Full term.”
Palmer and Kennedy look confused. Kennedy asks, “What does that mean?”
I swallow. “It means the baby wasn’t conceived when my brother visited. Prior to that, he hadn’t been home in nearly two years. The baby very obviously wasn’t his. She cheated on him.”
Palmer gasps as she places her hand over her mouth. “Oh, how horrible for you and your family.” She places her other hand over mine. “I’m so sorry for what you went through.”
Kennedy has a stoic look on her face. “This story gets worse, doesn’t it?”
I nod. “It does. Those few weeks were a blur. It was like we lost my brother all over again. It eventually came out that Vance fathered the little girl. My brother’s best friend slept with his fiancée. Apparently, it was a drunken mistake, but that doesn’t really matter. It was a shock to all. Maddie was barely remorseful. Vance bought a huge house for her and their daughter, but he never sees them. You’ve never heard of Vance having a daughter, right?”
Kennedy shakes her head. “No. Never.”
“Right. The asshole doesn’t even acknowledge his own daughter. I’m sure it’s because he doesn’t want the PR hit from sleeping with his best friend’s girlfriend. He’s kind of ostracized from our hometown now. He rarely visits his own parents. An occasional pop-in for a holiday, but that’s it. He basically paid for it to go away and not tarnish his perfect all-American image.”
Kennedy mumbles, “What an asshole.”
I wipe my tears. I can’t believe I have any left after last night.
Palmer pinches her eyebrows. “What happened to you? You never went back to California.”
“I was a mess for many months. I dropped out of school and moped around the house, occasionally helping my father in his business.” I shake my head. “I was a lost soul. The will to play ball had left my body. My parents were too fucked up at the time to push me to do anything. It was like three zombies coexisting.”
“What changed?” Palmer asks.
“A few months later, maybe in January or February, a Marine buddy of my brother’s showed up at our front door. They had already sent us his personal belongings, but apparently a letter had been entrusted to his friend, and he was instructed by my brother to deliver it in person if he passed, which is why it wasn’t with his original stuff. It was a letter addressed to me.” The tears start up again. “My brother knew if something happened to him, I’d lose my way. It was his final wish for me to keep playing. To achieve my dream of playing professional basketball. It was the kick in the ass I needed, but I didn’t want to go back to California. It suddenly felt so far from home. I called the coach at the University of Montana. She was more than happy to have me. She had been trying to recruit me since I was ten. I enrolled the following fall and got back on track. All thanks to my brother’s words from the grave. I carry that letter with me everywhere. It’s in my wallet. It helps me through the tough times.”
They both have tears in their eyes. Kennedy sniffles. “Isuddenly feel the need to call my little brother. We’re not very close. I’m a shitty sister.”
“Don’t take him for granted,” I plead. “You never know what could happen.”
She nods. “I won’t. Thanks for sharing this with us. Now I understand how you felt last night.” Her face turns cold. “And now we’re going to have a lot of fun fucking with golden boy Vance McCaffrey.”
FIVE
VANCE
I’m at my agent, Tanner Montgomery’s, house. He hosts a monthly poker game for some of his longtime local clients, the ones he considers friends. It includes Daylen and me from the Camels, and Cruz “Cheetah” Gonzales, Layton Lancaster, and Trey DePaul from the Philly Cougars. Cheetah and Trey are still playing ball, but Layton retired last year after a gruesome injury in a World Series game. He’s now on the coaching staff of both the Cougars and Anacondas. His wife, Arizona Abbott, plays for the Anacondas.
Tanner has a high-end man cave in his basement and always has a ton of food and drinks for us. I consider this group among my closest friends in the world, but Tanner and Daylen are the only ones who know my full past. Tanner has worked hard through the years to keep things under wraps, per my request.
Everyone has arrived except Cheetah. He texted that he was running late.
I ask Layton, “How’s the wedding planning coming?”
He already eloped with Arizona, but they’re having a bigwedding for family and friends this fall after her season is over. I believe Daylen has termed it aperformative wedding. They’re doing it during our bye week so Daylen and I can be there.
He smiles widely. “It’s awesome. I can’t wait. She’s changed my life for the better.”
Layton was the biggest playboy around for years. Seeing him like this is shocking, but in a good way.
