Page 111 of Third and Ten

“That’s…great.”

He chuckles softly. “Why don’t you take a day or so to think it over and let me know once you’ve made up your mind?”

“I will, thank you,” I say, still trying to process his offer. I rise and turn for the door, but I hear him call my name again.

“Is everything all right, son?”

I look down at my feet, hoping he can’t see the concern for Tenley and Ethan written on my face. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just surprised.” Then I glance up and paste on a happy face for him. “And I guess I’m a little sad to hear that you and Mr. James will be moving on to greener pastures, specifically golf greens, even though it’s well deserved.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you’ll survive without us. Leadership comes naturally to you, and you’ll have the support of the community,” he replies, eyeing me shrewdly. “Unless you’re worried about what your girlfriend will think?”

“Uh, well, I don’t…”

“Camellia is a small town, and you don’t exactly have the best poker face. Not to mention, the office staff keeps a running count of how often they spot your truck at the Robins’.”

I shrug and try to hide my smirk. “Right.”

“JD, you don’t have to hide your relationship because of Ethan. In fact, getting to teach and coach our own kids is a career perk. Although, in my experience, it’s easier being their principal than their teacher,” he tells me with an amused smile.

I nod again, reflecting on the differences between this conversation and my last job offer. “Thanks, Mr. Soileau. I’ll definitely take that into account.”

CHAPTER 33

JD

The rest of the school day goes by in a blur before I stop at home to shower and change into a football jersey, thinking maybe it’ll cheer Tenley up, but no one even seems to notice my arrival when I walk into the Robin house.

“You’ve met him? In person? What were you thinking, Ethan?” I hear Tenley’s raised voice in the kitchen. “We don’t know anything about this guy. He could be a jerk, or even worse, dangerous!”

I’m not sure it’s the best time for me to intrude, but they’ve already spotted me, so I’ll only make things more awkward by leaving. I walk into the room and lean against the counter.

“But he’s not,” Ethan replies in his defense. “Well, he’s not dangerous, anyway. He’s got a wife and kids, and he’s actually nice to me.”

Tenley rocks back on her heels, absorbing the blow. “You…you have siblings?”

He smiles. “Two little sisters, Kaylie and Kirsten.”

“Have you met them?” she ventures.

“Not yet. Kirsten has called a few times, but I’ve only ever met Ryan for now.”

She crosses her arms and looks down. “That’s great, E. I’m really happy to hear that you have them. And I want you to get to spend time with your…family. I just wish you’d told me so we could have gone about all this differently.”

He sighs. “I’m sorry. I know I should have said something to you. It’s just that you already worry so much, and this is my problem, not yours. I figured you’d be upset if you found out about Ryan, and now you are.”

“Ethan.” She softens. “I’m not angry with you for wanting to meet your dad and your sisters. I could never be mad about something like that. I’m upset because you’ve been sneaking around, and because you could have gotten hurt. I don’t even want to imagine what might have happened if something had gone wrong when you met him, and none of us would have even known where to begin looking. Not to mention how this will affect the next custody hearing.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a secret,” he mumbles after a while, glancing up at me.

Oh, no.

“JD knew about it.”

Tenley blinks a few times and turns to face me, her hands on her hips now. “You knew?”

I clear my throat, reminding myself that this isn’t a good time to consider how attractive she looks. “Sort of. He didn’t give me any details, or even the guy’s name, but Ethan did mention to me that he’d been in contact with his biological dad.”

“And you didn’t think this was something I needed to know?”

---