Page 637 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“You’ve got all the elements,” Chuck said.

“What do you think about Kendall’s team?” Emma asked.

“I think he’s great.” Sydney laughed and squeezed Kendall’s arm. “Oh—I mean, I think it’s great.” Everyone except Jessica laughed.

Chuck leaned forward. “Ken, do you remember that time we played Bessemer for the state championship?”

A slow grin stole over Kendall’s face as Chuck continued. “The score was tied, fourteen to fourteen, and we were in double overtime. And there were only ten seconds left.” Chuck let out a low whistle. “Right down to the wire, and then Willy kicked that beautiful field goal, smack down the middle. We beat ’em seventeen to fourteen. I’ll never forget it.”

“No, the score was sixteen to thirteen,” Sydney blurted.

All eyes at the table whipped around to Sydney. Kendall spoke first. “She’s right.” He looked thoughtful. “How did you know that?”

It had just come out. Sydney wished she could crawl under the table. She knew her face was beaming like a neon light. “Do you think y’all are the only ones who talk about football? I hear the guys at the mill talking about it all the time.” She knew her explanation sounded flimsy, but it was the best she could come up with at that moment.

“Well, what a coincidence,” Jessica purred and rolled her eyes at the rest of the group. “Our little debutant is just full of surprises.”

Sydney stared numbly at her plate.

19

“WISDOM EXCELLETH FOLLY, AS FAR AS LIGHT EXCELLETH DARKNESS.”—ECCLESIASTES 2:13

Abittersweet feeling settled over Stella as she listened to her granddaughter talk. Sydney was so much like Avery. Having her here was like having a part of Avery back, but it also made her keenly aware of his absence. Stella sank deeper into the sofa and took a long sip of herbal tea. Sydney’s visits had grown more frequent over the past few weeks, and Stella found herself looking forward to them.

She tried to put her finger on what was bothering her. A change had occurred in her granddaughter over the past few weeks, and Stella wasn’t sure why. Sydney had learned from Judith how to appear as cool as a cucumber on the outside, but Stella knew that she had too much Avery in her to keep up that façade for long. Tension was boiling inside her like a pressure cooker. But then, Sydney had been like that since the first day she stepped back into Stella’s life. Sydney’s tension was mounting. That was the difference. Stella didn’t know how much more Sydney could take before she exploded.

Sydney told Stella about her dead-end visit with Harriet Crawford and how frustrating it had been. She told her about the accident in the kiln and how Sean had let her take all the blame.Then she told her about visiting Cecil Prichard in the nursing home.

“Tell me more about Sean O’Conner,” Stella said.

Sydney laughed humorlessly. “Oh, he’s smart, witty, handsome as sin, and mean as a pit bull. I think that about sums it up.”

“It sounds like he keeps you on your toes.”

“That’s putting it mildly. I never know where I stand with Sean. One minute he’s appearing out of thin air to rescue me, and the next he’s hanging me out to dry.”

Stella chuckled. “Sounds like a typical man.”

“Things would be so much better if he would just stay out of my way.”

Stella didn’t miss much. She guessed that Sydney must have some feelings for Sean or she wouldn’t have such a strong reaction to him. Countless times, she’d seen Avery react the very same way whenever he would have a disagreement with Susan. Stella steered Sydney in another direction. “Tell me more about that other young man—the one you’re dating.”

Sydney’s countenance lightened. “Kendall?”

Stella nodded.

“He’s everything Sean isn’t—nice, cute, sweet.”

Stella frowned. “Sounds like you’re describing a pet. And you really like him?”

“We have fun together. And he’s very—comfortable.”

Stella set her cup on the coffee table. “Comfortable?”

“It just feels right when I’m with him. Having said that, there’s another part of Kendall that I’m having a hard time figuring out. He doesn’t express his feelings very well. I always wonder what he’s thinking. He grew up in a completely different world than I did.”

“A world that was stolen from you?” Stella watched Sydney’s eyes widen.

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