Page 17 of Clean Sweep
“Landon Miller,” Tanner cried, looking like a totally different person now. “My, my, look how you’ve grown.”
The two of them collided in a man hug that would have sent shockwaves through lesser humans. While Landon thudded Tanner on the back and they exclaimed in surprise, Celeste pointed to them and mouthed, “Did you know about this?”
I shrugged, equally stupefied.
The title “coach” meant this could be a tricky story to unravel. Landon had always been humming in and out of sports. Basketball, soccer, frisbee golf, ultimate frisbee, you name it, he played it. Ethan had dealt with the coach side of things while our boys participated in different leagues through school or summer camps.
Ethan had always taken sports a little too seriously, and Max carried that flag now. Landon enjoyed the structure and achievement of different sports, while Max thrived on the pressure and competition. Nicholas had some interest, but he stayed solely focused on wrestling. Only Blake showed no interest in competition or sports and there was considerable distance between him and Ethan because of it.
While I’d attended as many games as possible, bought more jockstraps than I’d ever care to admit, and dealt with the laundry and medical fall-outs of all those sports, I hadn’t met the coaches one-on-one much.
The mystery of Tanner Beck’s familiar name?
Solved.
From the corner of my eye, movement registered in the front seat of Landon’s car, which drew my brain away from attempting to remember Tanner. This time, my heart did another whomp for a totally different reason.
The fiancée.
Landon had a strong head on his shoulders and would go places after he finished medical school. He wouldn’t wallow around this small town, accruing bitterness, debt, and a dependency on too much TV to get through the day.
Like his father.
This girl needed to carry that same torch, and it was a big pair of shoes to fill.
I straightened up. Through the windshield, I could see the girl in the front seat close her eyes, draw in a deep breath, then hurry out the door, as if she had to propel herself out. Once out, she slammed the door shut, then spun around.
Within moments she faced me. Her globe-like eyes widened, terrified, and filled with something I’d call hope.
I’d expected a diva with an agenda, to be frank. A controlling woman that snapped her fingers and received her magical wish. Maybe someone investing in Landon with the hope for a lot of money on the other side of medical school. Landon wanted to specialize as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Any woman would want the sort of prestige and stability that came with a life like that, even if it undoubtedly meant a long college life before he was good at what he did, and then lonely days while he worked too much.
A diva would be easy to release my stress over. Their fling would fade before the wedding. I could talk him out of a terrible decision and he’d come to his senses soon enough.
But this girl?
This was a down-home girl with full cheeks, freckles, and a bright expression. She wore a long shirt made out of checkered flannel that reminded me of a local ranch store. Her dark jeans flowed into knock-off boots that were sensible, but not ugly. The terror in her eyes told me all I’d needed to know.
My son had proposed to a girl.
And he would absolutely marry her.
4
TANNER
Landon’s firm grip on my shoulder, his bright eyes, and the general happiness about him sent a thrill through me. It wasn’t often that I ran into my old basketball students anymore, but when I did, I remembered all the good times that came with coaching.
“Life is so good right now, coach.”
Landon’s eyes held a special energy as he said it. Without releasing me, he turned, canted his body, and revealed a girl with strawberry-blonde hair.
She stood just outside the car door and stared at the porch, where Leslie looked equally attentive to her. Both of them seemed a bit wary, maybe startled by the other.
Based on Leslie’s furrowed brow and an expression of mild confusion, it was immediately apparent thatsomethingwas going on here.
“Coach,” Landon said with a final slap of my shoulder. “This is my fiancée, Starla. I’d love for you to meet her.”
The sound of her name drew Starla’s gaze away from Leslie. She turned to face us, a hesitant smile lingering there.
