Page 14 of The Cannon
“Thank you, sir.”
“What about your family? I know you were in foster care, but where do you hail from?”
I take a sip before I begin my story.
“Fort Worth. I lived there until I went into foster care at two.”
His eyes soften and I see a barely perceptible shake of his head.
“That’s rough. What about your folks?”
“I never knew my father. My mother was an addict. She overdosed. But I hesitate to say that because she loved me I know. It just got away from her.”
It was so long ago, but saying those words still affects me. I have to consciously hold back my emotions.
“Was your foster family loving?”
“Which one? I was in eight by the time I was seventeen.”
“How hard that must have been.”
“I never knew if I was going to find a lighthouse or a storm.”
He rolls the words around. Kind eyes say they settle in his heart.
“The hard part was never holding on to anything. Not my pillow, or classmates. Not my pets. At any moment I could lose everything. And I did. Many times.”
Shit, I think he’s tearing up. Why am I going on about my shitty childhood?
The Colonel rubs against my leg and whines for a pet. I’m happy to oblige.
“Hey, buddy. You remind me of a dog I once knew. Oscar Meyer.”
“Never have seen The Colonel take to someone that fast,” Boone says. “He’s Grandpa’s dog.”
We sit in silence, watching the hummingbirds and bees looking for the right flower. Feeling the sun on our faces. It’s peaceful here. I’d never leave this place if it were mine.
Out across the rolling lawn, coming through the trees, Bristol and the doctor appear. I may be in A Fib because my heart skips a beat. Boone’s watching me watch his daughter.
“I don’t think she’s really interested in him.”
Okay, that surprises me, but I welcome the information.
“Good.”
We let the conversation fade. My focus is on Bristol. How she walks and talks, how her hand moves a stray curl away from that beautiful face. And as she gets closer, how her gaze meets mine.
Chapter 4
Bristol
It doesn’t take a psychic to feel the undercurrent here at the dinner table. I feel like we’re all reading the same book, but everyone is on a different page. They’re chapters ahead of me.
I’d invited Raul to dinner. Good thing he couldn’t stay. At the last minute he had to go to the hospital for an emergency bypass. For about a month he’d been pressing me to let him in my life more. And why I’m not sure.
Our relationship is clearly defined. We like each other, there’s a certain amount of chemistry and we understand our time parameters. Not every man likes being with a woman whose schedule is so all-consuming. But for two doctors it works.
I guess that’s why I finally asked him to come today. Just so he’d quit talking about it. After that night we met Sawyer, he became more attentive. He hated that the new pitcher was clearly trying to get my attention. When he saw him here today he was actually pissed. I could read it all over his face.
