Page 104 of Recipe for Rivals

“I have to hand it to you. Most people are afraid of the gossip in this town.”

She seemed to think about this. “I guess if I have nothing to hide, I don’t really care what people say about me.”

That was healthy. Or maybe her dissociation was the healthy part. Either way, I liked that I didn’t have to hide.

The high school gymnasium was crawling with people by the time we got there. Tables were set in a U formation, holding all the auction items with clipboards for people to write down their bids. My seniors were behind the food table, helping people purchase drinks and concessions. Roy was right outside the doors setting up a photo-op with his longhorn, Steve. Bounce houses with entrance fees lined the lawn.

It was a family event, and there were many avenues to raise the money we needed to send our boys to camp.

Coach Henry stood near the risers, hands in his pockets. “Brody didn’t come with you?” he asked, looking past me. “Oh, howdy, Nova.”

“Hello,” she said, stepping close to my side. She didn’t touch me, but the energy buzzing between us was palpable. Neither of our bodies had forgotten the moment we’d shared on my back deck.

I did a sweep of the gym, but didn’t see Brody. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen him when we were setting up, either. “Did he come earlier?”

“Not that I saw. I called his grandma an hour ago, but she didn’t answer.”

Uneasiness settled in my gut. Brody had been my number two guy ever since we’d caught him after he’d snuck into the high school gym. He’d worked hard for this fundraiser, and he was planning to be here.

“I’ll try his phone first,” I said. “If he doesn’t answer, I’ll try to reach Patty at Pleasant Gardens. She’s there in the evenings pretty often.”

“Okay.” Henry frowned. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Neither did I.

“What can I do?” Nova asked, pinching the elbow of my sleeve.

“Right now, just try to enjoy yourself. It could be nothing. I’ll check in with his grandma to make sure he’s okay, then we can go bid on a sunset tractor drive.”

“Someone’s offering that up?” she asked, tucking her chin slightly in disbelief.

Teasing Nova was a sport. She was so smart, it was hard to get her sometimes. But her ignorance in our country ways helped. “No, but I can make it happen if you’re interested.”

Nova laughed, the sound rich and sweet. “I’ll go see what they have.”

She didn’t laugh often enough, in my opinion. Getting to hear that sound was like catching a glimpse of the aurora borealis. Magical. I watched her walk through the crowds of people,greeting Flora, then continuing to mosey on to the long tables. She was walking down the line, reading the placards with concentration.

She would be fine alone for five minutes while I made a phone call, but I still didn’t want to leave the room, to leave her sight. I wanted to be around her always, and getting to spend time with her tonight had been a glimpse into what the future could look like, one where I wasn’t alone. The sounds of kids running around or Nova baking to fill my house. Of having someone else to cook for. To smell a roast in the crock pot and know I didn’t have to portion it into lunches for the entire week. To sit on the back porch watching the sunset while kids jumped on the trampoline, trying to rocket launch each other.

I yearned for it.

“Hey, man,” Tucker said, walking my way and holding June’s hand. “Dad’s already got a line for pictures with Steve.”

I clapped him on the back. Steve was always a success. “That alone will bring in enough money to send at least a few of these boys to camp.”

June put her arm around Tucker’s waist, pressing into his side. “Do you think you’ll hit your goal?”

“It’ll be tight, but it’s possible. A parent donated the bounce houses without rental fees, so I hope that closes the gap.” I shrugged. “We won’t know until we add up all the bids. Hopefully everyone is feeling mighty generous.”

“I’ll bet they are,” June said. “These folks love their football.”

Henry’s idea of having the teams wearing uniforms and working all the tables was a great idea. Get the boys in front of their eyes.

“Gracie Mae is coming,” June continued. “Maybe when it’s all cleaned up, we can go out?—”

“I brought someone tonight.”

They both blinked at me. Tucker didn’t seem as surprised asJune. Time to be blunt with them. What had Nova said? If I can’t tell people how I really feel, can I consider them my close friends? Well, I’d already told Tucker multiple times and he understood, but June and I still needed to cross that barrier.

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