Page 8 of That One Heartbreak

She’d be waiting for the day somebody rushed in to fetch her from the library. And her heart couldn’t take it. Not with her son.

“I thought you were going to try out for football,” she said, trying to change the subject.

“I’m no good at football. I’ve never gotten picked for the team.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, his jaw jutting out. “I just want to do something that will make Dad proud.”

Her heart tightened. She stood up and turned to face him. This boy that was turning into a man in front of her eyes. Surely he couldn’t be this old. It felt like only a few months ago when he used to climb into her lap and hold her tight, his little chubby arms wrapped around her neck as he told her he wanted her to marry his daddy.

That he wanted her to be his mom.

And she was. In every way except biology, this boy was hers.

“Your dad would be proud of you,” she told him, her voice tight. “He is proud of you. He’s looking down on you and I know he sees what I see. You’re a kind, strong boy, James Connelly. You take care of your brother and sister and you take care of me. And you get good grades at school. In a couple of years you’ll go off to college and you’ll make us all even prouder.”

“What if I don’t want to go to college?” he asked her. “What if I want to become a firefighter like dad?”

“Dad wanted you to go to college,” she reminded him. “He saved up all that money. He wanted you to have choices, the kind of choices he didn’t have.”

“I have enough choices,” James told her.

“Oh sweetheart.” She smiled softly at him. “It’s a big world out there. And you’ll get to see it all. You’ll meet new people, learn so many things. Visit the places that your dad only dreamed of.” He never wanted James to be stuck in one place. Not like he had been.

“What if I want to stay here with you? You need help with Ethan and Addy.” He lifted a brow. “God only knows how much worse they’ll get when they’re teenagers.”

She wanted to laugh because suddenly her boy sounded so grown up. “I’ll cope,” she told him dryly. “The same way I did when you hit the dreaded thirteen.”

“Yeah, well I was a good kid.”

Reaching out, she cupped his face with her palm. “You still are.”

He grimaced, stepping out of her touch. “If I’m that good, why won’t you let me join the firefighters?”

And they were back tothisagain. He wasn’t letting go. But neither was she.

“Next year,” she promised. “I’ll think about it then.”

James pressed his lips together and nodded, then turned around and walked into the house and Kate let out a long breath.

She’d won the battle. But she’d long since learned that didn’t mean anything with teenagers.

She turned back to the house and recommenced her inspection, because dealing with snakes was so much easier than dealing with her son.

And she had a feeling that this discussion wasn’t over.

The Hartson’s Creek Memorial Library was a low modern brick building a few roads away from the town square. Kate had been working here for the last ten years, only taking time off when she had Ethan and Addy.

It was in the same strip as the police department and town park, and behind it were lush green fields that families came to picnic at in the summer months.

But today wasn’t about families. It was about bracing herself because it was Thursday, and Thursday were Stitch and Snitch days.

Okay, officially the Thursday morning club that met at the library was called the Hartson’s Creek Sewing and Knitting Club, but for as long as she could remember they called themselves Stitch and Snitch.

And the chief snitcher – Mary Cooper – was walking through the double doors, carrying her knitting bag that Kate knew for a fact contained the same sweater she’d been knitting since last November. It was a vermillion color that made Kate blink every time she saw it peeping out of the bag.

Not much stitching went on as far as she could tell.

“Kate, tell me, did you remember to put the chairs out this week?” Mary asked.

Kate took a deep breath and tried not to let her smile falter. “Yes, of course.” She’d forgotten once. Two months ago. And had yet to hear the end of it.

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