Page 32 of The Scout

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Cash scrubbed his scruff-covered jaw, and I sighed, knowing it wasn’t going to be good.

“Tell me.”

Silence followed for long seconds that felt like an eternity. All the while, I wasn’t sure my heart still pumped.

“Jimmy, why don’t you run upstairs? I’d like to talk to your mom.”

Without a second glance at me, my son listened and was up the steps in a flash.

“What’s going on?” I repeated, this time with a bit of bite to my tone.

“Let’s sit down.”

“No, just tell me. And where did you find him?”

“School’s baseball field.”

Cash Jameson Field.Of course he’d be there.

“We had a talk. I explained that this wasn’t your fault. That I didn’t blame you, and neither should he.”

I finally breathed. “Okay, thank you. I should go talk to him.”

“Wait,” Cash hurriedly said, stopping me in my tracks. “First, you need to know this wasn’t my idea.”

“What wasn’t your idea?” Oh God. Now what?

“Jimmy asked if he could stay with me, and I said yes. If it was okay with you.”

“You played that card? If it was okay with me? No, it’s not okay with me. I can’t even believe you did that. Divide and conquer. The oldest trick in the book. Now, if I say no, then I’m the bad guy.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I hadn’t finished. “Let me guess, he said that if I did, he’d just go somewhere else, right? Just not here. Not with me.”

“I didn’t want to tell him no. In all honesty, I didn’t think you’d want me to. You’re right. He did say that if it wasn’t with me, then he’d go somewhere else. I panicked. I’m not quite sure how to handle a teenager, and I know that’s on me. The only thing I could go on was how I was when I was a teenager. Ironically, it had been when my parents told me we’d be moving to Blossom Berry Falls. Do you know how awful that sounded to me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Right, because I told you after the fact. But while I packed my things, I begged my parents to let me stay behind. Either with my aunt, grandparents, friend, or even my coach. I was pissed off at the world.”

“Did you storm out of the house?”

He half chuckled. “No, I threw a baseball through the large bay window in our family room.”

I knew he was trying to make me feel better, to let me know that Jimmy wasn’t acting out of teenage character. But this was my teenager, and his mood had been because of me.

“So you’re the hero and I’m the villain. Perfect.”

Cash shook his head, walked up to me, and cupped my face with his hands. Tenderness flashed in his beautiful blue eyes. “You’re not the villain, and I’m not a hero.” His soft voice soothed my nerves. “We ... the three of us are in this together. Am I a bit out of my element? Yeah, I am. But remember, I currently live right through that backyard.” He pointed to the sliding glass door. “I’m going to do everything in my power to bring us together as a family. You’re my new teammates.”

I tested the word on my tongue. “Teammates.”

“Yes. You’re an amazing mom. He knows it, I know it, and I’m sure everyone in Blossom Berry Falls knows it. This is just a bump in the road.”

“Right. Bump ... you mean more like a mountain.”

“A steep hill.” He winked, and I let out a breath.

“He has school this week. One of his classes is giving him a hard time,” I said.

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