Page 24 of Mending Fences
A hand clamped down on Mandy’s shoulder. Mandy didn’t need to look to know it was Coach Robb. “Well, Mandy, I see you managed to make time in your busy schedule to leave your computer.”
Mandy tried to brush the hand off her shoulder. She opened her mouth to respond, but Daniel’s voice filled the space. “I believe Miss Fowler is uncomfortable with your manhandling. You should return to your table.”
Coach Robb never retreated—on the field or off. Mandy tried again to remove his hand as she made introductions. “Coach Robb, this is Daniel Crawford.”
“You only go for the rich, nerdy type? Don’t know what you are missing.” The hand squeezed her shoulder before its owner stalked off.
“Sorry about that.” Mandy grimaced as she lifted her glass to her mouth.
“Boyfriend?”
Mandy nearly spewed the sip of water she’d just taken. “Only in his imagination, along with every other woman he sees.”
“He asked you out for tonight?”
“Not specifically. His invitation was more open-ended.”
Daniel’s eyebrows asked the question for him.
Mandy knew she should explain further. “He has been trying to get me to go out with him for a while.”
The delivery of their salads saved her from further comment.
Daniel picked up his fork. “You know he is still glaring at me. You sure there is nothing I need to know about?”
Unable to speak because of the bite of avocado in her mouth, Mandy shook her head. Daniel waited.
It had to be the chewiest avocado on earth. Mandy contemplated her answers. Telling him that Candace called the coach “Mr. Handsy” probably wouldn’t go over well. “Let’s say I actively avoid him as the words ‘not interested’ don’t seem to be in his vocabulary. I am sure you have met a few people like that.” Another cell phone flashed, as if to punctuate her sentence.
“Touché.” Daniel saluted her with a forkful of salad. “I may have met one or two thousand like him?”
“Only two thousand?”
A tinge of a blush colored his cheeks.
Teasing him was as easy as it had been twenty years ago. “I’m sure if they knew how adorable you were in Hulk swim trunks and with mud on your face, you would have to double that.”
Daniel gave a fake shudder. “I should have never let you talk me into those. I wanted the Spiderman ones.”
“But, as Grandma Mae told you, they were not on sale.”
The smile slid from Daniel’s face. “When did she pass?”
“Four years ago, near the end of my student teaching. I came home, and she was sitting in the rocker like she did every afternoon—only she wasn’t rocking.” Mandy waved a hand in front of her face, trying to fan away the moisture that had started to gather in her eyes.
“You were living with her?”
“Yes, she didn’t want to move to a retirement home or down with my parents. So I chose to come to school up here.”
“I tried to drive by her house the other day and couldn’t find it.”
“Tornado.” Mandy stuffed a bite of roll in her mouth to give herself some time to keep the tears at bay.
“Three years ago, right? I think I had every roofing company in the state calling me for months.”
She jumped on the new subject. “Why didn’t you get the roof fixed? From the photos I took, it looks like you may have some water damage.”
Daniel studied the tomato on his fork. “I assure you, repairs were made. I just didn’t replace the roof. I was kind of mad the tornado wasn’t a few hundred yards northwest.”
