Page 13 of Home Sweet Home

She looked at him then, as if to prove a point. His eyebrows pulled together in the center of his forehead, and his attention on her was so overwhelming that regret formed into a ball and lodged itself in her throat.

“I have to be at work in—” Evie glanced at her phone. “Ten minutes. Sorry I don’t have time for your dirty chicken jokes.”

“I get it,” West said, nodding, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “It was nice to see you. That’s all. It’s been a while.”

Nine years.He’d been back a handful of times throughout college, but she’d avoided him, holing herself up in her room if she caught wind that he was in town. “Believe it or not, the world kept turning after you left.”

Someone cleared their throat, and Evie looked up to see Patty Sullivan, the town librarian, tapping her foot and glaring at West, whose cart was blocking the aisle. Patty either didn’t recognize him or didn’t care.

“Sorry, ma’am.” West moved his cart out of the way, and Evie took the opportunity to move toward checkout. “Wait. Listen. I did want to ask you something.”

Every muscle in Evie’s body tensed up. The Muzak blasting from the speakers faded away. The aisle went silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and the sound of West’s cart struggling to catch up with hers.

“You asked me last night why I’m in town. I’m coaching the Cougars.”

The summer baseball league in Jade County spanned June and July. That meant two months of running into West over and over.

She wanted to ask why.No way would he choose to live in Creek Water, not after living in LA.Most people who grew up in Creek Water dreamed of getting out. Evie had been one of them, once, planning her escape to places with more than one stoplight and where no one knew her.

But it didn’t take her long to puzzle it out. West came from humble roots. The people booing him might change their minds when they found out West was dedicating his summer to coaching up a bunch of boys in the little farming town he grew up in.

“Why don’t you just do an apology tour?” Evie said. “Less work.”

“But not as believable. I need an assistant. Someone to deal with the logistics. Transportation. Equipment. Keep the engine running while I focus on coaching the team.”

Evie looked behind her, wondering if she’d missed someone else, someone entirely more qualified, that he was actually talking to, before turning back toward West. “You can’t mean me.”

West grinned. “If anyone can keep those boys in line, it’s you. I know from personal experience how much you enjoy bossing people around.”

The idea was so absurd, she couldn’t help but laugh. Forget the fact that she was maybe the only person in Creek Water who knew absolutely nothing about baseball. Being West’s assistant coach would be more than just running into him at random at Mel’s, the IGA, or every other place he would crop up in town over the summer. It would mean deliberately spending hours a day with him for months.

Evie had no idea why West would ever think this was a good idea, but she could tell by the eager anticipation on his face that he meant it.

Turning her cart toward checkout, Evie said, “No thanks. Good luck with the team.”

She was halfway to freedom when West said, “It pays.”

CHAPTERFIVE

PouringBob Munson his fourth cup of coffee as he read theCreek Water Chronicle, Evie glimpsed the headline. It was a hard-hitting piece on Bring Your Tractor to School Day, with an accompanying photo of the parking lot of the high school filled up with smiling students in Carhartt jackets standing next to their John Deeres.

“You’re considering it,” Kayla said as Evie came back to the counter to help refill the salt and pepper shakers.

She knew Kayla would think it was odd. Evie had always preferred books and baking to activities involving even an ounce of hand-eye coordination. She had played softball for one summer because her mom had insisted, for the same reason she’d made Evie eat cauliflower and squash. Evie couldn’t say she didn’t like something without trying it at least once. Now, with everything going on with Josh, Evie wondered if the real reason wasn’t just that her mom had wanted her out of the house and out in the world a few hours a day.

The experiment had ended in disaster, but she knew the amount of work involved. There would be practice for hours a day and games a few days a week. As June turned into July then August, the weather would get hotter and stickier, enough humidity to make her feel like she’d just bathed every time she stepped outside. Not to mention the worst part—all that time spent with West. Not justwithWest. Workingforhim.

“It’s extra cash.” Evie shrugged as she poured salt into an empty shaker.And if I don’t do it, I lose the house.

When West told her the amount, she was sure she’d misheard. Three thousand dollars, for two months of work.

“What’s the catch?” Evie had asked. It seemed too good to be true.

He’d shaken his head. “No catch. Paid by the county, the good people of Creek Water’s tax dollars at work.”

One of Kayla’s eyebrows tilted upward as she wiped spilled salt from the counter. “You know jack shit about baseball.”

“I know enough.”

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