Page 58 of Everlasting Promises

Since nobody’s setting up in this area, I’m going to assume I’m in the right spot, so I grab some cones and place them in a grid. The parents and kids watch me with uncertainty until one boy grows brave enough to approach me.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Ben. I’m taking Coach Shane’s place for the day,” I tell him, offering a friendly smile. “What’s your name?”

He folds his arms across his chest with a huff. “Ronald. Where’s Coach Shane?”

I stop what I’m doing and give Ronald my full attention. “I’ll explain where he is and why I’m here once everyone arrives. That way, I only have to say it once. Okay?”

He dips his chin. “Who’s your kid on the team?”

I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t have a kid on the team, but I’m Evan’s friend.”

Ronald huffs again like it’s an Olympic sport and rolls his eyes. “He’s a bully.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “I find that hard to believe.”

“He pushed me over for no good reason. He’s a bully. I don’t care if you don’t believe me,” he snaps.

Well, this isn’t a good start. I didn’t anticipate dealing with team politics this afternoon, but I guess it’s inevitable with any sports team. Satisfied that I’m aware of Evan’s flaw, he spins on his heel and returns to his mom.

When I glance up, a flash of red catches my eye in the parking lot. I look more closely, and some of the tension I was holding across my shoulders dissipates. I’m used to being in unfamiliar territory with work, but this is different. This is important, and I want to make a good impression.

I watch them park and climb out of the car. Evan runs toward me, while Hope follows behind at a steady pace after grabbing a camping chair out of her trunk. She’s so damn beautiful with the afternoon sun behind her, making her hair look like goldenhoney. Her tight denim jeans hug her slender thighs, and her baby blue sweater perfectly complements the color of her eyes.

“Hey, Ben. Sorry we’re late,” Evan says, stopping in front of me. “We stopped at the hospital to check on Shane.”

I grip his shoulder and squeeze it gently. “That’s okay. How’s he doing?”

Hope joins us after setting up her chair on the sideline. “He’s gonna be okay. Thankfully.” The relief on her face is unmistakable.

They both care about Shane, which is completely understandable with their connection. Once again, it makes me wonder if there was ever anything more than friendship between Hope and Shane. I dismiss the idea in the same breath. There’s no way Hope would have gone there. Six years later, and she’s still not ready to consider a relationship with anyone other than her husband.

“I’m not sure how long he’ll be out of action, though.”

“That’s okay. We’ll play it week by week. I’m happy to help if I’m not working.” The other kids gather around us, and I nod my head to the team. “Do you guys want to explain what’s going on? It’s probably better coming from you.”

Hope nods. “Sure.”

I clap my hands loudly. “Can everyone gather around, please? We’d like to have a quick chat before we start today.”

The kids and parents move in close, and Hope explains what happened to Shane. Immediately, one mom decides to organize a collection so the team can buy him a card and a gift. They all seem to have a lot of respect for the guy, and I hope I get to meet him at some point.

Practice went off without a hitch—mostly.That is, until Ronald took the opportunity to prove his earlier point about Evan being a bully. Ronald provoked Evan until he pushed him over. And while I don’t condone Evan’s behavior, he was clearly defending himself. Ronald didn’t appreciate it when Evan pointed out that I’m a cop and told him I’dinvestigatethe incident and file a police report. The kid soon fessed up and apologized for his errant behavior.

Other than that, I think the session went well, and if I have to help again, I’m pretty sure I’ll do even better next time. I would imagine it’ll take some time for Shane to be back on his feet. Though, I know army guys are pretty tough, particularly those in the Rangers. The guy didn’t let a bomb blast keep him down; I doubt a rattler’s gonna stop him.

The boys collect all of our equipment, and store it in the shed, which is busy as adults—wearing soccer gear—collect larger posts and nets to set up for their games.

“One day, I’ll play on the grown up team,” Evan tells me as he puffs out his chest.

“Yeah?” I confirm as we make our way over to Hope, who’s waiting at the edge of the parking lot.

“Yeah. They play when it’s dark. I wanna play for theMonday Knights. Those guys are really cool.” We stop at Hope and my stomach sinks, knowing they’ll go home to their place and I’ll go home to mine. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was until I started spending time with them. Rex is great company, but I miss regular human contact that’s not part of my job. “Mom, can Ben come over for dinner?”

I try to keep the relief filling my veins from showing on my face when I steal a look at Hope to wait for her answer.

Her gaze lifts to mine, and a slow smile teases at her lips. “I was going to invite him over,” she says to Evan, keeping her eyes locked with mine—the aquamarine looking darker beneath the twilight. “Would you like to join us for dinner? I made Shepherd’s pie.”

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