Page 104 of Roughing the Player
Chapter 28
Eleanor
WE ARRIVEAT THE BARBECUE AS A FAMILY with me tucked in between Kaylee and Brock as if I needed protection from the crowd gathered in our neighbor’s yard.
But they have nothing to worry about. As soon as we step inside the fenced gate, a forty-something woman, flashing a broad smile walks up to greet us. “Hi. I’m Sandra. You must be Ellie.”
“Guilty as charged. I brought potato salad.” Nothing like stating the obvious. A blind man could see what I’m carrying.
“Well, aren’t you sweet?” Sandra takes it from me and lays it on a table chock full of side dishes—baked beans, corn fritters, hush puppies. And four bowls of potato salad.
Oh, geez. “I should have asked what I should bring,” I say, chagrined.
“Nonsense. You can never have too many potato salads with this bunch. They practically inhale it.”
She’s being kind. I can tell. Well, too late to do anything about it.
Sandra wipes her palms on her apron. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Before I can say ‘me too’, a tall man wearing a ‘King of the Grill’ apron pops up next to her and wraps an arm around Sandra’s shoulders. “Hi, I’m Joe. Excuse me for not shaking your hand.”
No wonder. He’s holding a barbecue spatula that’s been put to good use.
A smiling Sandra bops him on the chest. “My better half. As you can see, he’s in charge of the grill.”
He has stains upon stains on his apron, proof positive he’s most definitely a master of the barbecue. “Nice to meet you, Joe.”
“Likewise.” Something flares on the grill, catching our attention. “Oops, gotta go before those hamburgers get done a little too well.” But before he takes off, he points the spatula at Brock “Wanna a beer?”
“Sure thing,” Brock says, before turning to me. “You gonna be okay?”
“Of course.” Last thing I need is a babysitter.
“If you need me, I’ll be over there.” He points toward the grill where a bunch of men are hanging out. When he joins them, he’s welcomed with hearty backslapping and handshaking. Not a surprise. He’s their home team’s quarterback star, after all.
Sandra nods in Brock’s direction. “He’s the best.”
“Yes, he is.” I struggle to smile as I wipe off a trickle of sweat. Darn it. The heat’s getting to me.
“You okay, Mom?” Kudos to Kaylee for noticing how hot I am. My cheeks must be blazing red.
“Yes, honey. I am.” A total lie. I may have lived most of my life in the South, but my body has acclimated to the Chicago weather where it rarely reaches ninety degrees. And that’s exactly what it feels like right now because I’m burning up. The way I’m dressed isn’t helping. I’d chosen long sleeves and slacks. Even worse, I can’t run to Brock’s house and change. I didn’t bring any summer clothes.
“Want something cold to drink, Ellie?” Sandra asks, a look of concern on her face.
“Yes, please. Iced tea if you have it. With lots of ice.”
“Coming right up, honey.”
When she returns with the glass, she brings a young man with her. “Wanted you to meet my son, Mitch. I expect you’ve heard a lot about him. He and Ms. Kaylee here”—she nods toward my daughter—“have been inseparable all this week.”
Mitch has a mouthful of hardware, coke-bottom glasses, and appears just as geeky as they come. Brock was right. I have nothing to worry about.
“How do you do, Mrs. Parker?” And very polite too.
“Hello, Mitch.” I take the glass from Sandra while fighting the urge to guzzle the tea. Barely winning the struggle, I take a healthy gulp that feels great going down.
“Kaylee, I hit a snag with that app we’re working on. Can you take a look at the code?”
