Page 23 of Bidding on a Second Chance
Cody snorted and saluted him before climbing into his cab. Graham got behind the wheel of his truck, and with the vehicles working in tandem, Graham’s truck slowly emerged from the ditch.
The trip to get the bedframe had gone smoothly until just outside the Redemption Ridge town line. A deer had run out, forcing Graham to brake on an icy patch that sent him straight into the ditch.
Cody unhooked the tow strap and sauntered back to Graham’s window. “Get a real truck next time.” He thumped his hand on the windowsill. A smug smile lit his features.
“Funny.” Their trucks were essentially the same—different makes, different engines, but similar tires, four-wheel-drive, similar horsepower. Graham shut the window.
Laughing, Cody returned to his own vehicle. Swearing the guy to secrecy didn’t guarantee Piper wouldn’t hear. Any number of townspeople who’d driven by might tell her, and Graham himself wouldn’t lie about it, should the subject come up.
He prayed the Lord would prevent that. Cody might’ve laughed it off, but Piper certainly wouldn’t.
ChapterFifteen
Even the sight of Graham’s truck was enough to turn Piper’s stomach in cartwheels. She exhaled, willing her insides to settle down before Margie Buchanan caught on that this trip to the rec center to check in with Coach Kent carried far more weight than it should.
“I hear the high school team’s good this year.” Margie, a real estate agent who’d kindly made space between house showings to drive Piper across town, steered toward the entrance. “With Bryce starting so young, someday, he’ll be the star of the team.”
A weight lifted. She didn’t often think of best-case scenarios. Bryce excelling at a sport was a nice thought.
Most of the town attended the high school games to cheer on the Trailblazers. Was that why Bryce had gone out for basketball? He liked the idea of one day being the center of the town’s attention for an hour or two each week?
Margie pulled to a stop. “You’re sure you don’t need me to wait?”
“I’m sure.” She’d already checked with the mom who was bringing Bryce home that she could hitch a ride too. Piper slid from the passenger’s seat. Before Margie could get out to help, she hopped on her good foot to retrieve her scooter from the back. “Thanks for the lift.” She pressed the button to shut the back door of the van and worked her way inside.
Squeaking tennis shoes and boys’ voices meant she’d made it in time for the end of practice, which was good, because she’d come to make sure Bryce and Graham weren’t at each other’s throats. After all, if she couldn’t get along with the man, what were the odds her nephew could? To preserve his interest in the sport, she might have to have him switched to a different team.
She struggled with the heavy wooden door between the hall and the gym. None of the boys seemed to notice as they ran drills. Across the gym, Graham took a step toward her to come help, but she and the scooter made it inside before he could follow through.
Bryce turned away, probably avoiding any chance of overly-affectionate-aunt behavior. She aimed for the first row of bleachers and took a seat near where Coach Kent stood with a clipboard, watching his players.
By the far basket, Graham took control of one of the basketballs and demonstrated a drill for his players. He’d talked about playing high school basketball back when they dated, and his skill must’ve stuck with him, because he moved with easy coordination.
“Hey, Piper. I thought you might drop by.” As Kent spoke, Graham flashed her an uncertain look, as if he could tell from across the distance she’d been admiring him.
No. Not admiring. Watching. There was a difference.
She busied herself by pulling her scooter closer to the wooden bench. “You expected me?”
“Sure did.” Kent eyed her, then Graham.
“Oh. No. I’m here about Bryce. Well …” She licked her lips. “I’m here about both of them. Graham isn’t Bryce’s favorite person. I wanted to make sure they weren’t clashing too badly.”
Kent chuckled. “Still sizing each other up from opposite sides of the court.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t walk out as soon as he saw Graham.”
“Pretty sure he thought about it, but Graham got him to come back. Anyway, Wells aren’t quitters.”
Bryce’s opponent knocked the ball from his possession, and Bryce vied to get it back. Piper didn’t like to quit either. Maybe Wellsweren’tquitters. Except …
“Ryandidquit basketball, as I recall.” As a local, Kent would recognize her brother’s name.
“Not exactly.”
She peered up at the coach. He was a few years older than her and Ryan. Though she’d known he’d place her brother’s name, she hadn’t expected him to have an opinion on the matter.
“I’ll never forget the day Coach had to bench him from the state championship.”
