Page 14 of Catching Our Moment

Shaw

Dylan and I had time to catch up on our drive to town without anyone else around. He gave me an unfiltered update on Kelcie and Aaron and how they were handling things.

“This is perfect. You'll be a good distraction for her.”

“Dylan—”

“I mean, she could be helpful to you with rehabbing your injury and policing you from pushing yourself too fast. But you could also distract her from the crap her ex is pulling,” he said, throwing on his turn signal as he merged off the highway and onto a main street leading into the downtown area.

I sat up straighter. “Like what?”

Dylan glanced over at me. “Just divorce crap. Jerking her around about living up here and his visitations with Aaron.”

“So, James is being more of a dick than usual,” I mumbled, surveying our town for any changes since I’d been back.

Dylan grunted in affirmation. “Honestly, I think her stress comes from trying to hold in her aggravation so Aaron doesn’t pick up on it.”

“How is Aaron?”

“Hard to tell with him.” He shrugged. “Kelcie won’t talk about it, but we can all feel her tension when the weekend rolls around. That is why I think it would be good for someone to live close to her. Maybe help her distract Aaron from some of the divorce drama.”

I stared back out the front window, mulling that over.

“I doubt me being next door is going to lessen the drama,” I said.

James wasn’t my number-one fan. It wasn’t like Kelcie and I saw each other much, but I knew that me moving next door would stir up some animosity.

I never asked Kelcie how much she’d told James of what happened between us before he stepped up and took responsibility for her and Aaron.

And I often wondered if that had been what had made him propose to her.

Dylan shrugged again. “Frankly, who lives next door to them is none of his business.”

James never deserved her or Aaron—we both knew it.

We pulled up to a stoplight. Autumn was around the corner—the perfect time in mid-Maryland.

It was still warm out, but it had the promise of being a cool, beautiful evening.

We drove down Market Street, the center of town, flanked by intersecting streets, filled with historic buildings that housed small restaurants, boutiques, antique shops, and even theaters and art galleries.

Surrounding the town were a small college and a variety of neighborhoods.

Even farther out were historic Civil War battlefields and landmarks.

It really did have a lot of charm that, as a child, a teen, and even a young adult, I’d never appreciated.

Maybe Aaron, Kelcie, and I could spend time exploring this place as if we were new to it. We kind of were. It would be a good distraction for all three of us.

Dylan took a left off Market and pulled up in front of a duplex. The left side had flowers in pots on the shared front porch. The right still had a ladder and other construction paraphernalia lying around on it.

As Dylan pulled up in front of the house, I stepped out of the truck, rolling my head over my shoulders and stretching.

My left arm was in a sling to stabilize my shoulder, and my head ached.

Dylan popped the trunk and pulled out my luggage. “This is it—the new duplex I told you about. I bought it earlier this year and was going to flip it.” He motioned to the house.

We both started to walk toward it. “Kelcie’s side is completely finished. Your side has a few cosmetic things left to do—a small punch list I can do at your convenience. No rush.”

I scratched at the beard I’d unintentionally begun growing over the past week and tried to piece things together. “So, are you renting it to her?”

“For now. Until she figures out what she wants to do.”

“I could buy it from you if you want.” We walked toward the steps when the light came on from the left unit. The storm door flew open so fast I thought it would break.

“And be her landlord? Yeah, I can’t see that going over well,” Dylan said. Aaron crashed through the door and ran down to us.

“Shaw!” he said. “You’re late.” Aaron grabbed the railing with one hand as he flew down the steps, coming to a halt one foot in front of us. “But Mom said you’re always late, so nothing is new.”

I glanced up, and Kelcie stepped out of the door, slower than her son. She stopped at the top of the stairs, leaning on the railing, a small smile on her face.

I cleared my throat. Not for the first time, I couldn’t help wondering how this was all going to work out.

I tried to lean forward and come down to Aaron’s level, but I was reminded of the throbbing pain in my head, not to mention the dizziness, which was how I got here in the first place. I straightened.

“Well, my man, first, I wasn’t driving. So, if we’re late, it’s because of him.” I threw my thumb over my shoulder toward Dylan. “Second, your mother is mistaken.” I shot her a side-eye. “I was always waiting for her.”

Dylan walked behind me, carrying my bag up to the front door. “You were both always late.”

“Hey, did you know DeeJay Mullins is playing your position this week?” Aaron blurted out, walking alongside me. “Analysts are saying it’s going to be a test to see if he could handle filling your shoes permanently.”

Ah, yes. Aaron’s bluntness.

“But Mom said he’s not taking your shoes. It means he may replace you.” He tilted his head as if trying to understand me better. “Are you leaving football, Shaw?”

I pretended to yawn as if I were tired and not trying to avoid answering.

Kelcie knew my tactic and intervened. “Aaron, honey, I think we need to give Shaw some space. I’m sure he’s tired.” She hesitated to approach, waiting for us to reach her.

Did she regret our arrangement? Did she have second thoughts? I’d been pretty drugged up when it was all being discussed.

I took a good look at her, comparing her to my memory.

The setting sun still pulled the chestnut color out of the hair that escaped her ponytail, and she was in worn jeans and a t-shirt.

But her bow-shaped mouth, instead of being ready with a witty comeback, lacked something and seemed less familiar.

After a few heartbeats, with Dylan and Aaron discussing my epic comeback when this was behind us, Dylan suggested we get my stuff inside.

Ignoring his mom’s suggestion, Aaron said, “Mom ordered pizza. Do you all want some?”

Kelcie snapped out of it, holding the storm door to my new place open for us. “I figured you all may be hungry after driving. I put some cold beer in the fridge too.”

I stopped in the foyer and took in my new home as they stepped around me.

“What are you going to do about a car? Is Dylan giving you one to use?” She surveyed the fridge. “What do you want to drink? Soda, water, juice? You should probably avoid the beer while on concussion protocol.”

“Is there any flavored water?”

“No, sorry. I haven’t done much shopping yet.”

“Just water, then. As for the car”—I pointed at my shoulder—“I’m afraid I can’t drive right now. Between the concussion and waiting for my collarbone to heal, it’s a non-issue.”

“Oh, yeah. Right. I forgot. I think that falls under my Florence Nightingale routine.”

Yeah, and that wasn’t happening. I waved her off. “That’s what car services and my brother are for.”

My brother cleared his throat in protest.

She filled a glass from the water dispenser in the fridge and gestured to the stool by the island. “Pull up a chair. I got sausage and pepperoni from Lucia’s before remembering that you are on a strict diet. Is that okay? We could order a salad or something, and I can go pick it up.”

“Don’t you dare.” My mouth started salivating as soon as I caught a whiff of my favorite hometown pizza. I managed to scoot onto a stool and made grabby hands. “Gimme.” She handed me two slices on a paper plate as Aaron saddled up next to me with a slice of cheese.

He took a bite and maybe chewed twice before hitting me with football questions.

“Do you prefer running a corner route or on the inside? Did you think you should’ve gone to New England in the draft instead of Washington?

” He grilled me about all things football, checking my knowledge while also gauging my opinion.

Eventually, Dylan bowed out and took off, stating he’d be around the next day to clean up the front porch.

Aaron, the analyst, wasn’t giving up. “Why have your stats fallen in the last year? Are you afraid of being replaced?”

Kelcie, standing on the other side of the island, coughed on her beer. “Aaron. That’s rude.”

Luckily, I didn’t have a mouthful of food, or I might have choked.

“It’s true. His statistics?—”

I held up my hand as Kelcie opened her mouth to reprimand her son. “It’s fine. It’s a legit question. I get asked it every press conference,” I said to her.

I turned to Aaron and leaned forward on the counter, “I’m going to tell you what I tell the press. I always do my best on the field. Some seasons are better than others, but I will learn from last season and apply it to my training for this coming season.”

He cocked his head. “How?”

“Maybe you and I can discuss what you think I need to do later. We don’t want to bore your mom.”

“Oh, my mom has lots of opinions on what you should do. She?—”

Kelcie’s voice boomed as she grabbed his plate. “Okay. How about some dessert? Then it’s time for bed.”

Aaron jumped off his chair and followed his mom into the kitchen. “Mom, you should tell Shaw what you said to me about the game against New Orleans.”

Kelcie stood and cleaned up the counter, keeping her back to me. “I’m sure he has enough coaches telling him what to do. He doesn’t need our armchair advice.”

I leaned back in my chair, tempted to cross my arms over my chest until I remembered my bad shoulder. “I’d love to hear your thoughts—and Aaron’s too.”

She paused and then turned. “Well, as you suggested, let’s save that discussion for another day. I’m sure you’re tired and sore, and Aaron needs to get to bed as well.”

She handed Aaron a cookie, almost handfeeding it to him, then placed a few in front of the two of us—possibly to quiet us both.

“If you want to give me a list of groceries or things you need, I can swing by the store tomorrow on my way home after work.”

I nodded.

“What are your plans tomorrow?” I turned to Aaron.

He shrugged. “Going to Maeve’s, I guess. Mom thinks I’ll get bored sitting at home alone. I think she’s afraid to leave me alone, even though I’m a teenager.” His expert eye roll proved his age.

I nodded again. “Maybe we can?—”

Kelcie cut me off. “You’ll be resting tomorrow. I have the instructions from the doctor. Until your concussion clears up, you are supposed to rest—at least another five days.”

I waved her off. “I’ve had concussions before. It’s not a big deal. I know when I’ve pushed it too far.”

She was about to put a cookie in her mouth and stopped to stare at me in disbelief. “How many have you had? Besides the one in college?”

I shrugged again. Honestly, concussions came with the territory, but I knew this wasn’t a discussion I wanted to get into with her.

“Fine, I’ll rest tomorrow, alright?” I mumbled like a petulant teen as I bit into my cookie.

I caught Aaron’s chocolatey smile and quiet giggle at me being chastised.

I winked at him then leaned over and whispered, “There will be plenty of time for you and me to hang out.”

He didn’t answer but just kept chewing his cookie and smiling. “My dad is coming to get me next weekend, but we can hang out before that.”

Kelcie’s head dropped to the counter, and her body stiffened.

“Whenever you want, you know where I’ll be.”

We sat quietly, and it was like déjà vu—Kelcie and I sitting at a kitchen counter eating cookies and talking shop—with the addition of an inquisitive boy who kept me on my toes.

It niggled at me, taking me down the “what if” road. What if James had just stayed away? Would this have been us?