Play Safe (Make the Play #1) (16 page)

Our home phone rarely rings. Mom and I both have cell phones, so no one calls our land line. I’ve often asked Mom why she insists on keeping it. She never has a good answer, yet she never disconnects it either. I think it’s more of a sentimental thing at this point. Our phone number is the same one her parents had. Maybe subconsciously this is Mom’s way of holding on to them.

Therefore, when a piercing ring fills our house late Monday night while I’m doing my homework, alarm bells sound off in my head. I sit still, listening, while Mom answers. Monday is the one day the shop is closed, so she’s home tonight.

“This is Olivia,” Mom says to the phantom caller, and I set down my pencil. “What?” A pause. “Oh, my god.”

I stand, knocking over my English book with the abrupt motion. It lands in the carpet with a loud thud.

“Ok. Thank you,” she says to the caller as I walk down the hallway.

After hanging up, she turns around. I cross my arms over my chest. “What happened?”

She hesitates.

Worry strangles me. “Mom?”

“That was the police. The shop was vandalized.”

“Not again,” I mumble. The floor flies out from beneath me, and I feel like I’m being catapulted back to my childhood. Back to the last time.

Crude words painted in red decorated the front of the shop. Hurtful words. Words meant to inflict pain. Words I didn’t fully understand at my young age. But I knew Mom did by the way her eyes widened as she took them in. The front window was shattered, jagged pieces of glass littering the sidewalk.

I tugged on my mom’s sleeve, wanting to know why. Wanting to know who would do this. When she turned to me her eyes shone, her lips trembling. Emotion welled up inside me, bursting out like a dam that had broken apart. I’d never felt hate before that day. Watching Mom cry filled me with a rage I had never felt before.

And it was that day that I learned the truth about why Mom left Prairie Creek in the first place. I learned the truth about my dad; the truth about my existence, and the destruction it caused in my mom’s life.

It was Maise who told me. Mom gave her permission though. Maybe because she’s the storyteller. But more than likely it was because it was too painful for Mom to relive.

“Do we need to go down to the shop?” I ask Mom now, shaking away the memories of last time. I don’t have time to take the stroll down memory lane right now. I have to be strong for Mom. It’s what I’ve always done.

Sometimes it makes me angry. It shouldn’t be me. It never should’ve been. My dad should be the one looking out for my mom. On nights like this the old feelings of anger and abandonment creep on me. He should be the one to help her, to defend her.

But he’s not here.

I am.

It’s true that I do sometimes forget my role when it comes to her. Not because I don’t know she’s the parent, but because she leans on me a lot. I’ve carried her burdens since before I was old enough to even understand them. I’ve cleaned up her messes. I’ve held her when she cried.

And I’ve had to be strong for her even when I don’t feel like it.

But no matter what, I’ll never let her down. She’s been hurt by too many people. There’s no way I’m adding myself to that list.

So I puff out my chest, ready to be the man once again.

But she surprises me by saying, “No, it’s fine. I know you have a test tomorrow, so why don’t you go back to studying? I just need to make a few phone calls.”

“Are you sure?” My brows furrow.

“Yeah. I’m not going to the shop right now. I’ll let you know if we need to.”

“Okay.” I’m skeptical, but I nod obediently and head back to my room. After sitting down at my desk, I pick up my pencil and stare at my notebook. However, it’s a losing battle. I can’t focus. Mom is on the phone again, but she’s speaking so softly I can’t pick up what she’s saying.

As I listen to her desperate tone, I wonder how many times Mom can deal with this shit. And why now? Why would this happen again after all this time?

As I ponder this, it hits me.
Josh.
This has nothing to do with Mom and her past indiscretions. This has everything to do with Emmy and me. This is my fault. When I chose to go for it with Emmy I didn’t think about anyone else. I didn’t bother to weigh the consequences. I was being selfish, and it was wrong.

Our choice has blown everything up.

Cal’s upset. He still won’t talk to me. In our entire friendship we’ve never gone more than a day or so without talking unless we were on vacation, and never because we were in a fight. Years ago we made a pact that we’d never let a girl get between us, so that’s never been an issue for us. Of course, I never thought I’d fall for his sister. That’s a game changer.

On top of that, Coach is not happy with me. Not since my fight with Josh during practice. Man, I’m just lucky I didn’t get suspended or cut from the team. Even the other guys on the team are wary of me right now. And we’re all worried about the season. With so much animosity among us, we’re all concerned with how well we’ll work together on the field. In the past, our team has been much more cohesive.

But this is the last straw.

How can I continue this relationship knowing it’s hurting my mom? She’s been through so much, and things were finally looking up for her.

A knock on the door startles me. I hear the click of the door as it opens, then the sound of quiet voices talking in rapid succession. One of them is male.
What is going on
? Dropping my pen, it slides off the desk, landing on the floor. Shoving back my chair, I stand up, and in one large stride I’m out of my room. When I round the corner, my mouth drops open.

Mom is standing in the middle of the room being held and comforted by Mr. Easton. He’s whispering words of comfort and stroking her hair.

“What’s he doing here?” I ask, and Mom leaps away from him as if he’s on fire.

“Well…” she peers over at him, biting her lip. “I called him to tell him what’s going on.”

Mr. Easton nods, shoving his hands in the pocket of his khakis. And seriously, who wears khakis. Who is this guy?

“Why did you call him?” I’m confused.

“It was Josh who vandalized the shop,” Mom says.

“I knew it,” I mutter. Then I look at Mr. Easton, narrowing my eyes. “But that still doesn’t explain what he’s doing here.”
And why he was holding you.

“I’m not pressing charges,” Mom says.

“What? Why not?” My pulse quickens.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to make him pay for the damages and clean up everything,” Mr. Easton says.

“I’m not talking to you!” I speak through gritted teeth. “Mom.” My gaze locks on hers.

“There’s more going on here than you known about.” Her tone falters.

“Josh is going through a lot right now with the divorce and everything,” Mr. Easton adds.

“Divorce?” My body goes hot.

“My wife and I split up.”

“Mom,” I repeat, although it appears to be pointless. Directing my questions to her doesn’t seem to deter Mr. Easton from chiming in. “What’s going on?”

She moves closer to Mr. Easton, and my insides churn.
Oh, hell no
. This is not happening. “Don’t you dare tell me you two are together.” I shake my head as if a simple shake of my head can undo this.

“We didn’t mean for it to happen,” Mom says.

“I don’t get it,” I snap. “He treated you like crap when we first moved here. His family practically ran you out of town.”

“That was a long time ago. He was angry.” I can’t believe she’s defending him.

“Listen,” Mr. Easton says. “I know this is confusing. But your mom and I were very much in love. We were high school sweethearts.”

“I know all this.” I groan. “I know the whole stupid story. Maise told me years ago about how you and Mom were engaged when she went away to college. And how she had an affair with her professor and that’s how she got pregnant with me. I also know that when you found out, you broke up with her and spread rumors about her all over town.”

“I was young, and I was hurt,” Mr. Easton says.

“She had no one. My dad abandoned her, you abandoned her. She was left alone with no one in the world.”

“I wasn’t alone.” Mom gives me a pointed look. “I had you.”

I know she means it as a compliment, but it doesn’t feel that way. It never has. I’m the reason my mom’s life blew up. Rationally I know it was because of her choice, but my existence was the catalyst. If she had never gotten pregnant, she could have chosen whether or not to tell people about my dad. However, once I came into the picture, she had no choice.

“I made a lot of mistakes back then,” Mr. Easton continues. “The biggest one was running right into another relationship.”

“But you got married, had a family,” I point out.

“Yeah, but I also never stopped loving your mom,” he says. “It’s ultimately why my marriage failed.”

“Dan and I have known each other since we were kids. We’ve loved each other almost our entire lives. Love like that doesn’t just go away, no matter how much you try to keep it buried.”

“But then why not stay together in the first place?” I look pointedly at Mr. Easton.

“I almost did stay with her,” Mr. Easton confesses. “The summer your mom was pregnant with you she came home. I was already with Heather, but I went to see your mom. Told her I still loved her, but I just wasn’t sure I could get past the betrayal. We were trying to work through some issues when Heather found out. And that’s when the harassment really started. Heather spread all kinds of rumors about your mom, and since the town already knew about the affair, they believed them. Only your mom thought I was the one spreading the rumors. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was Heather spreading them at the time. I didn’t find out until years later, and that’s when my marriage really began falling apart.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, ultimately your mom was so hurt by the way the town treated her that she left. Went back to Sacramento, told me she wanted nothing to do with me or anyone in Prairie Creek.” He glances at my mom, an apology in his eyes. “I never should’ve let you go. I should’ve fought harder. I guess I was just so hurt, so angry. And it was easier for me to hate you than it was for me to love you. It was a mistake. One I’ve paid for ever since”

“I know,” Mom says softly. Then she turns her gaze toward me. “I understand why Heather and Josh have been so angry, and I’m sorry I didn’t explain it sooner. But Dan and I needed to work through our issues alone. We needed to make sure we were ready to commit to each other for good this time.”

I feel sick. “I can’t listen to this anymore.” Anger pulsates through my veins, and there’s no running from it. I’m so mad, I’m shaking.

“Chris, don’t do anything stupid,” she warns. “I heard about practice this week.”

A bitter laugh escapes through my lips, and I shake my head.
Is she for real?

“What are you gonna do?” She presses.

“None of your damn business,” I snap. If she’s going to keep things from me, then I can do the same. “God, it’s bad enough that you kept this from me, but you also lied.”

Confusion fills her eyes.

Really? “When I caught you with him at the store, remember? You told me he was just there buying something for his mom.”

She sighs. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready to tell you. I know you’d act like this.”

Screw her. Screw him. Screw it all.
Storming back down the hallway, I race into my room, snatch up my keys and jacket. Then I tear out of the house. Mom is hollering, begging me to come back, but I ignore her. After slamming the door shut, I hurry down the walkway.

I almost jump in my car, but then think better of it. I’m too angry to drive. A walk is exactly what I need. I need time to myself to clear my head. Besides, my adrenaline is pumping through me at such a rapid rate, I could stand to work off some of the extra energy. Cold air stings my skin, so I shove my sleeves into my jacket and pull it tight around my body. With clipped strides I make my way down the street. Darkness circles me, and I welcome it.

I pass houses, lights glowing from their windows, and I find my thoughts drifting again to my dad. When I was younger I used to fantasize about what it would be like if he was in my life. Would he read to me at night? Would he join Mom and me when we played games? Would he play catch with me in the yard? Would he attend my baseball games?

But as I got older, I realized how pointless it was to think about it. Imagining it didn’t change things. My dad has never wanted anything to do with me, and no amount of wishful thinking will change that.

I shove my hands into the pockets of my jacket and keep walking. When I set out, I didn’t have a destination in mind. However, when I arrive at Mom’s shop it seems like the likely place to end up. The word WHORE is painted in bold red letters across the window. I blow out a breath, my stomach clenching.

Josh is such an ass.

Before I found out about Mom and Mr. Easton dating again, I would’ve assumed this was meant to get at me. However, now I know better. This is a targeted attack on my mom. This is his twisted way of protecting his family. Of honoring his own mom. It doesn’t make it any better though. I still want to drive my fist through his face again.