Page 88 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 28

Chloe

I paused outsideof Tanner’s room as we were getting ready to leave for practice, and I found him sitting on the edge of his bed, leaving a message for Jack.

“Hey, Jack. The coach is going to give us our schedule tonight after practice, so I’ll let you know when my first game is. I hope you call me back soon. Bye…Oh, this is Tanner.”

My little boy’s voice sounded so sad. His normally fun, sweet personality was nowhere to be found. It worried me, especially with Brogan coming over later.

The last thing I wanted to do was upset my son with opening up a can of worms that would complicate his life even more. Our conversation wasn’t going to be easy, but I couldn’t deny Brogan any longer.

I leaned against the doorjamb and crossed my arms. “Hey buddy, are you almost ready?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.”

Normally he was a ball of energy, but these past few days he’s been exceptionally quiet.

“Are you still upset that we didn’t get to go to the beach yesterday?”

He sniffed, fighting back a tear. “Why did Jack leave without saying goodbye, and why did you come back looking so upset?”

I smiled and pretended that this whole situation didn’t bother me, no matter how much I was breaking apart inside. I’ve called Jack, and left dozens of messages, but he hasn’t returned a single one. He had every right to be upset with me, but there was no excuse for taking things out on an innocent little boy.

“I told you, I had something that I had to take care of, and Jack needed to get home. I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”

“Whatever.” He jumped off his bed without another word and walked over to the closet to change into his practice uniform. Once he was dressed, he threw his bag over his shoulder and sulked the entire car ride. I tried to keep the mood light by telling him a corny joke and playing his favorite music, but nothing worked. He knew that something was off between Jack and me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to make him feel better. I felt like the worst mother in the world.

Tanner’s practice let out a few minutes early. Normally, that would have made me happy, but I was hoping to stretch this night out as long as possible. I was nervous and had no idea how the conversation was going to play out. Having a shitty night’s sleep last night didn’t help either.

Brogan rose from his folding chair and dusted off his jeans. He was wearing a Nike baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, a black Under Armour shirt and black Converse Chuck Taylors. He was trying to blend in, but even dressed down, Brogan Hayes still attracted attention. It seemed like every female at practice noticed him.

There were a few media outlets that had gotten wind of our story, so there was quite a bit of chatter going through our small little town. I was concerned that him coming here would draw too much attention, but thankfully everyone has left us alone.

The practice was over, and Tanner approached me as he came walking through the infield grass. Brogan stood tall, his eyes blinking rapidly. He looked absolutely petrified.

“Hey,” I hesitated slightly and took his bag from his shoulder. “You looked great out there.”

He squinted his eyes in the sun. “Thanks.” He peeked over at Brogan, giving him a wary look. “Aren’t you the guy from my mom’s work yesterday?”

Brogan swallowed nervously. His eyes were locked on mine. “Yeah, I hope it’s okay that I’m here. I told your mom I wanted to watch your practice. I used to play in high school. You got a pretty strong left arm. I was a lefty too.”

“My coach said it will work to my advantage.”

Brogan chuckled. “It sure will. I can give you a few pointers sometime if you’d like?”

I sucked in a breath. This was something Jack and Tanner did together, and it would crush Brogan if he turned him down.

I quickly grabbed his hand before he could say anything. “That’s awfully nice of you. Maybe you guys could talk more about baseball after dessert. I have Tanner’s favorite homemade ice cream cake sitting in the freezer. Why don’t we head back to the house, before it gets too late.”

Brogan nodded his head while I led Tanner through the park.

Thankfully, it was a short ride to my house, and Brogan drove separately, giving me the space I needed.

Tanner turned his game off and unbuckled his seat belt when we turned in the driveway. Brogan pulled his rental in behind me.

Tanner swerved his head when he noticed the black Ford pickup truck. He gave me an annoyed look. “How do you know that guy?”

I pulled the keys out of the ignition and shoved them in my purse. “I told you earlier. He’s a friend from college.”

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