Page 14 of Under the Lights
She never managed to totally lose track of Chase, though, no matter how distracted she was. She tried to convince herself it was because he was tall, but she felt as if her gaze just naturally homed in on him somehow, as if magically drawn to him.
He looked relaxed and happy as he reconnected with people he’d known his entire life but hadn’t seen in almost a decade and a half. And he looked sexy as hell, too, in faded jeans and an equally well-worn Boston Celtics T-shirt. It didn’t look like he’d forsaken his hometown sports teams while down in New Jersey.
“How’s my best girl?”
Kelly whirled to face her dad, embarrassed to have been caught watching Chase, even though Coach probably had no idea that’s what she’d been doing. “I’m good. And so is the turnout, don’t you think?”
“I’m starting to think you girls might pull this off, after all.”
Byyou girls, he meant her, Jen and Gretchen, even though Eagles Fest was happening thanks to a hell of a lot more than just three people. But it had been Jen, out of affection and concern for the kids, and Kelly—who had the double emotional whammy of caring about the kidsandher dad—who had stood in the parking lot after the town vote slashed the team, and started coming up with a plan. Gretchen had joined them because what one did, they all tended to do. She wasn’t going to let Jen and Kelly take on a project like Eagles Fest alone.
“We only need a few thousand dollars more,” Kelly said. “I think we can do it. We’ll take in a few hundred dollars, at least, this weekend with the sale. Maybe we’ll even hit a thousand if we add in the tollbooth tomorrow.”
“I don’t want you to beat yourself up too much if the money comes up short,” he said, concern deepening the wrinkles around his eyes. “Sometimes the odds are just against you.”
It would break her heart if their efforts to keep the team intact failed, but she gave him a confident smile. “I hope you give better pep talks on the sidelines, Coach.”
He laughed, and the rich sound was like music to her ears. There hadn’t been enough of that lately. “I’m going to go wander around. I’m trying to convince Paul he needs that old canoe over there. You look hot, honey. Go grab a lemonade and find some shade for a while.”
That sounded like a good idea, so she kissed his cheek and headed toward the food and beverage area they’d set up. She should probably have lunch, but the line for burgers and dogs at the grill, which was being manned by the high school principal, was long enough that she’d settle for a drink for now. Later, once the food rush died down, she’d see if they had a hot dog left over.
She took her lemonade to the shade offered by the old covered bridge. A lot of other people had had the same idea, so there was a crowd, and the picnic tables that lined one side were full. Kelly didn’t mind, though. Habit took her to the spot where a massive support beam dropped down at an angle to meet the horizontal bridge structure, which formed a rough-hewn bench of sorts.
She sat and sipped her lemonade, smiling and waving at people who greeted her. Because she’d chosen to sit alone, she was mostly left to herself, which suited her just fine. After a few minutes, she reached her right hand down behind the beam and felt around for the heart she’d carved into the wood as a teenager. Inside were the lettersCandS—for Chase Sanders—though they weren’t carved as deeply as the heart.
She hadn’t dared add her initials because at the time she did it, she hadn’t been able to think of anotherKMin their school off the top of her head, and she didn’t want anybody to ever know the coach’s daughter had a crush on the star running back. The angle had been awkward, making it hard to see as she’d gouged the wood with her knife, but she wanted it to be a secret. There were hearts and initials and a few less savory things carved all over the bridge, but nobody would see her heart unless they already knew it was there. And nobody but Kelly knew. Not even Gretchen and Jen.
And speak of the devil. She drank more of her lemonade and then smiled as Gretchen approached. Her friend worked too hard, trying to keep the family farm in the family, and the genial atmosphere of the day was doing her good. She was even smiling and had a little color in her cheeks, as well as a plastic cup of lemonade in her hand.
“This town loves a yard sale,” Gretchen said, sitting next to her on the beam.
“I think they love poking around in each other’s belongings, secretly judging.”
“No doubt about that. But it’s also a buying frenzy. I think I saw Mrs. Tobin buy back a toaster she donated herself.”
Kelly laughed. “Whatever gets money into the Eagles’ coffers.”
“Hopefully it’ll be a lot. At the rate the sale’s going, there won’t be much left by the end of tomorrow.”
“If you don’t mind storing the remainders,” Kelly said, “I was thinking we could try to drum up some more donations over the next week and have a yard sale table during the street fair. Assuming we’re not down to stuff that would be better off thrown away.”
“I don’t mind at all. And every dollar counts, even if it comes a quarter at a time. Which it is, by the way. We’re going to have a blast coming up with a total.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “You’re doing a really bad job of not watching Chase Sanders, by the way.”
Kelly felt her cheeks get hot. “He’s one of our special guests. I’m just doing my part to make sure he’s having a good time and doesn’t need anything.”
“So Alex Murphy and Sam Leavitt and the other guys will get that same level of attention?”
Not unless they turned her head in a way they never had in high school. She’d always been all about Chase. “Of course.”
“Yeah, right.” Gretchen took a drink of her lemonade as a woman walked by within earshot. “Do we have enough tarps to cover all the tables overnight? Tell me we’re not bringing everything back to the farm and then back out here again in the morning.”
Thankful for the change in subject, Kelly nodded. “We’ll drag some stuff together into tighter groups, especially the furniture, but we should be all set. One of the defensive players has a dad who’s a painter, so he let us borrow his tarps. And between residents who can see the square from their windows and Dylan doing some extra drive-bys around dusk, I don’t think anybody will mess with it.”
“Let’s face it,” Gretchen said. “Our older generations went all out for this. The generation most likely to try to steal something doesn’t want anything out there.”
They talked about the upcoming events for a few minutes before heading their separate ways to see who needed a break or assistance with something. It was tiring, but neither of them would complain. This was the first day of a long two weeks, and the only way to get through it was to keep on pushing.
Kelly was especially careful to keep her mind on the job and her eyes off of Chase.
