Page 139 of Dark and Dangerous

She simply shakes her head, walking away with Levi’s flowers still in her hands. Her dad replaces her just inside the door. “What’s up?”

I hold the ball up. “You down?”

I didn’t come here to play ball with Shawn, and I think he knows that because all he’s done for the past five minutes is watch me shoot three-pointers, then fetch the ball to throw back at me.

I sink a shot from close to half-court, and Shawn murmurs, “Nice,” before throwing the ball back. I catch it, but don’t go for another. Instead, I hold it to my side, my mind spinning, trying to work through the fog to get to the point—the reason I came here. “You’ve done a tour of Texas Tech, right?”

“Sure have,” Shawn answers proudly. “Harley was a sophomore when they invited us. He got a full ride.”

I nod, even though I already knew this. “It’s a good school, right?”

“It is. Great basketball program.” He eyes me a moment. “Why do you ask?”

“Because they called.”

He falters a beat, hesitant to ask, “With good news?”

I shrug, dribble the ball lazily toward the basket, and sink a lay-up.

“Jace,” Shawn says, and I retrieve the ball before facing him. “Why don’t we sit down?” He motions toward the patio furniture that used to be on the front porch. Now that Harlow’s mom isn’t around, I’ve seen them spending more and more time out in the backyard. He sits down at the table and gestures for me to join him. I do as he suggests, even though I’d feel more comfortable playing while I talk. “So, they called?” he pushes.

I drop the ball on the ground, but roll it around with my feet. It feels better to at least be touching it. “They’ve been interested in me since my freshman year,” I start. “But they wanted me to commit earlier, and my coach—he suggested I wait, so I did. They ended up getting another kid from Ohio, and we’re similar players, so… Anyway, that kid got arrested, and now he has to do time, and so they called when they realized I’m not enrolled anywhere… and they offered me the spot.”

“Jace, that’s amazing! And Lubbock’s less than three hours away!” he beams.

Itisamazing, but it’s also complicated. “It’s, uh…”

Shawn’s smile slowly slips as he takes in my reaction. “How long have you been sitting on this?”

“Four days,” I tell him. “I got the phone call while I was talking to a doctor at my grandpa’s rehab center. It was the day Harlow came with me to visit him. I don’t know if you knew that or not…”

“Yeah, she mentioned it,” he says. “I assume they want an answer soon?”

“Within two days.”

“And…?”

“And my grandpa comes home from rehab in five.”

“Got it.” Shawn sighs, his eyes downcast. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What was the plan before everything happened with your grandpa?”

“I mean, initially, my plan was to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. The moment that diploma hit my hand, I was gone. Sleep in my van while I traveled to wherever I’d end up for college.”

“And what was it prior to Texas Tech calling?”

“I was going to take a year off, do what I could to help get my grandpa right. I’d still go to combines or whatever I needed, then try again next year. The thing is… there’s still a hell of a lot of testing and treatment he needs to undergo and just…helpthat he needs. He can’t really be left alone right now, and I can’t just up and leave him.” I shift in my seat, discomfort mixed with uncertainty swarming inside me. “I don’t really want to go this route, at least not right now, but I looked up assisted living places, and even called a few. The wait times to get him into a decent one are insane. There’s no way I’d get him in before I had to leave, and even then, like I said… he took care of me when I needed him, and I feel like it’s only right that I do the same.”

“Those are two very different situations, though,” Shawn states.

“I know.” I shrug. “But it still doesn’tfeelright.”

“I get that.”

Silence stretches between us while I gather my thoughts, try to line them all up until they make sense. They never do. I heave out a sigh, look at a man who clearly cares about me—for no other reason than he can. And so he does. “You got any advice?”

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