Page 2 of The Scout

“Hannah? Did you hear me?”

After a few blinks, I glanced across the table. “I’m sorry, Jan. What did you say?”

She gave me a small insincere smile followed by a long exhale. “I asked if you confirmed the DJ for the party.”

“Yes. All confirmed.”

“Great, thank you.” Janice looked at Michael, the athletic director. He hadn’t graduated with us, but thanks to Janice planning a full weekend of activities, including the varsity alumni baseball team versus the current varsity team, she’d added him to the list. It wouldn’t surprise me if Janice picked Cash up at the airport and offered him her spare room. She’d always had a crush on him—most girls did. “Is the game all set?”

That was another issue occupying my mind. I still hadn’t heard if he was coming to town, but I had a feeling now would be the time.

And I was right.

Michael nodded. “It is. The majority of your class’s team will be here, and I’ve filled some of the positions with local alumni from other years. I will say, our current team is very amped up to beat the ‘old men.’” He chuckled. “That was their words. They all found out right before I came here that they’d be on the same field with Cash Jameson. The boys are very excited.”

Mia glanced at me, and I gave her a tight smile. There had been no doubt in my mind that if I looked at my phone, I’d see that Jimmy had left me a text telling me about the announcement. My heart thundered, and it wouldn’t surprise me if others could hear its rapid beat.

“Have you seen him lately?” Susan, another classmate and a member of Janice’s clique, fanned her face as she looked at me. When I arched a brow, she added, “Cash. Have you seen him? You two dated, right? Wow, did he mature nicely. That man has to be one of the sexiest men who ever roamed these halls. To think he’ll be back. I wonder if he’s single.”

I narrowed my eyes. Along with the canary-yellow walls in the hallway, Susan hadn’t changed either. She’d always been one of the mean girls, and fifteen years later, she could still hold the title of class bitch—ifthat were a category in the yearbook.

She knew damn well we’d dated. Everyone knew about Cash and Hannah. We were inseparable. Even when teachers had an alphabetical seating chart, we were next to each other. Our class voted us the couple most likely to get married. Obviously, that never happened. Then I went to college and came back with a baby.

Mia chimed in, saving me from having to answer. “Was there anything else? I have another appointment to get to. And before you ask, the cake has been ordered, as well as the cookies.”

If I could have stood up and hugged her, I would have. Instead, I gave her a nod of appreciation, knowing our appointment was going to my house and cracking open a bottle of wine. She was the only one other than my family who knew that Cash was Jimmy’s father. Everyone else assumed it was my college friend Rob. Mainly because he’d accompanied me home for Christmas and was there when I went into labor. In small towns, rumors spread fast, and rather than correct them, I’d let it go. It wasn’t my fault people chose to assume things.

No one needed to know the truth. I’d tried to tell Cash and his family. His father didn’t believe me and thought I was after his hefty contract bonus. He also added that Cash never mentioned or asked about me, and that I should forget about him. Cash proved him right when he didn’t return my calls. As far as Jimmy knew, his dad was a great guy who just wasn’t ready to settle down—not all a lie. Cash was a great guy—until he wasn’t.

Janice shook her head. “No, we’re all set. If I have any questions, I’ll reach out. The final schedule of events will be sent to your email.”

As my students had done, Mia and I stood and hurried out of the room, then the building. “She is so annoying. And, really, was it necessary to have a dozen meetings for a class reunion that has sixty people in it?”

I shrugged. “Some things and people never change. So my place?”

“Yes, I’m going to stop and grab an extra bottle of wine. Something tells me we’re going to need it.”

Laughing, I couldn’t disagree. “I beat you to it. We’ll have plenty.”

“Great. I’ll follow you.”

During the entire drive to my house, I couldn’t stop my nerves or my mind from running through scenarios of Cash’s return. Would he seek me out? Go to our favorite spot at the park? Would he sit at our booth at Blossom Berry Falls Diner? Would he stay in town at the inn, or would he stay outside of town?

The one question that tickled my nerves was knowing whether he was married. The last time I’d seen him, he was standing next to a very pretty and very pregnant woman. I envied her. The way he gave her the smile that once belonged to me broke my heart. Despite all that, his baby would be close to Jimmy’s age. Did he have a brother or a sister? Another thought that added to the guilt.

One day everything would be out in the open, and I just hoped my son didn’t end up hating me.

* * *

“You know what you should do? Hook up with someone before Cash gets here.”

“Excuse me? How much wine have you had? And what does he have to do with it?”

Mia waved her hand between us. “It’s not the wine. Just think about it, Hannah. If you have sex, it can ease your sexual frustration. Well ... temporarily ease.” Ignoring my eye roll, she continued, “Really, when’s the last time you had sex? And not some mediocre quickie. I mean full-on, orgasmic, shout-to-the-heavens sex.”

Fine. It had been a decade and a half. She’d flip if I told her that. Yes, we were best friends, but Mia would never understand how or why. It wasn’t that I didn’t date, and she knew that. I’d gone on four equally awful dates. Probably because no one measured up to Cash—not that many could. And it wasn’t just their looks. It was that euphoric feeling that I wanted again. That tingling in my belly of thousands of tiny flutters that would come to life when I looked at someone or when they looked at me. Could I have slept with one of those guys? Maybe, but I wasn’t that needy, and there wasn’t anything wrong with a self-induced orgasm. Volleying the ball back to her, I asked, “When’s the last time you did?”

Shockingly, she replied, “Two weeks ago.”

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