Page 21 of Under the Lights
Chase turned and saw a man he didn’t recognize at first coming toward him across the yard. Then the guy smiled and there was no doubt who he was.
It was Phil Parson, first champion kicker for the Stewart Mills Eagles. He had a hell of a lot less hair and a few more pounds, but the same goofy smile that made him look drunk even though he rarely touched alcohol.
“Philly!” Chase walked over and shook Phil’s hand. “How the hell are you? And where have you been?”
“Mexico, believe it or not. The wife and I left the kids with her mom for a week since we never had a honeymoon. Second day she got so sick I can’t even describe it.”
“Feel free not to try.”
“Ended up paying an ungodly amount to stay an extra day and even at that, the plane ride home was iffy. So I put her to bed and go get the kids because their grandma’s had enough of them. I tell them to leave their mother be while I bring their bags in from the car, but they haven’t seen her in a week, so I go upstairs and they’re all snuggled together in my bed.”
Chase didn’t need a map to see where that was going. “Oh, no.”
“Yeah. All three kids. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to leave a woman alone with sick kids to go have a beer with an old friend.”
“But now you’re back and ready to kick, right?”
“Well, I’m back.” Phil grimaced. “As for kicking, I groan when I bend over to tie my shoes, and the last thing I kicked was a flat tire on my wife’s minivan.”
Chase laughed. “We were counting on you to win this game for us.”
“Hell, I was hoping you’d just keep running it into the end zone. Anybody else here yet?”
“No. They’re coming in...” Chase had to stop and think about what day it was. “Today’s Wednesday, so the day after tomorrow. I’m going to spend the day helping to build stuff for the street fair, and the lucky bastards will miss most of that. I’m going to talk them into dinner, though, before everybody heads off to wherever they’re boarding for the week. Briscoe’s not coming in until the middle of next week, I think. You in?”
“Hell yeah, I’m in!” Phil paused. “Probably. I should ask the wife. And I’ve gotta stop by Deck’s place, so I’ll ask him.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I’m going to head out. Geri’s waiting for the stuff on the shopping list she gave me.” He gave the goofy smile again. “It’s good to see you, Sanders.”
“You, too, Philly.”
Once the kicker was gone, Chase closed the door to the shed and went inside to see how the lemonade was coming along. Ithadbeen good to see Phil. And it would be even better to see the rest of them. Once they were all back together, he’d have work to do and guys to talk to, and that would put an end to having time to think about Kelly McDonnell.
—
Kelly got a discouraging call from dispatch shortly after dark. Two teenagers—one male and one female—were having an argument on the covered bridge and it seemed to be escalating. She didn’t bother with the lights and sirens, but parked on the cracked, weed-riddled asphalt that had been the mill’s parking lot and walked over.
It was quiet, and for a moment she thought they’d left. But then she saw a figure sitting on the picnic table and realized only one of them had left. She stepped onto the bridge, knowing the sound of her boots on the wood would signal her approach.
He turned and she saw it was Hunter Cass. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Kelly stepped up onto the bench so she could sit next to him on top of the picnic table. He didn’t say anything, so she let the silence ride for a bit.
“Molly and I had a fight,” he said after a couple of minutes of fidgeting.
“I hear it got a little loud,” she said. “Just yelling, right?”
“Yeah. I swear.”
She knew him well enough to believe that, but she’d had to ask, anyway. “You want to talk about it?”
When he didn’t say no, but only shrugged one shoulder, she waited him out. He wasn’t shy about pushing people away or being a jerk, so it was obvious he was ready to confide in somebody. The air had cooled when the sun went down, and the mosquitoes weren’t too bad, so she didn’t mind sitting on the bridge, listening to the crickets sing.
Finally, he cracked. “I guess there are these charm bracelet things or something that all the girls want, and I told her I couldn’t afford one and she got mad. And then she started talking about how much she hates this town and nobody has money to do anything fun anymore since the last mill closed. And how she can’t even shop unless her grandparents send her gift cards. And I got mad because at least both of her parents still have jobs, you know?”
Kelly wished Jen were there instead of her. She’d probably know just what to say. “I know things are rough right now, but that makes it even more important to lean on each other. Sometimes being in a relationship means letting the other person vent, even when you have your own troubles.”
“You being an expert on relationships and all.”
