Hold on Tight

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “Want to have some ice cream and we’ll talk?”

  He shrugged. “Sure.”

  After scooping them both generous portions of rocky road into bowls, she sat down at the table. “What do you want to talk about? Jackson and the flowers or what happened at work?”

  He picked up his spoon. “Both.”

  Of course she wasn’t going to get off easy! “All right then. Well, one of my clients made a pass at me today and when I, um, told him I wasn’t interested, he got a little mad. I left without getting paid.”

  Jeremy frowned. “That’s really bad.”

  “I know. The guy was a real jerk.”

  Taking another bite, he stared at her for a long moment. “Has that happened before?”

  “What? Men making passes at me?” When he nodded, she shook her head. “No. This was the first time. Like I said, he was a real jerk. He’s everything your father taught you never to be.”

  “How come Jackson knew about it? Did you call him?”

  “No. I ended up grabbing something to eat from the taco truck near the park and ran into Jackson, Kate, and a friend of Jackson’s. I told them about it.”

  “So Jackson went over there.”

  She sighed. “Even though I told him not to, he did.” Hoping to finish up the sorry story, she said, “He did get the money the man owed me though, so I guess I’m glad Jackson did.” She smiled as she took her last bite of the ice cream. “So, that’s the story about that.”

  Jeremy didn’t smile back. “Mom, would you have ever told me?”

  “Probably.” Like, maybe years from now. Maybe.

  “When?” His eyes looked troubled.

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  “I realize that, Jer. I just don’t want you worrying about me. You’ve got enough to worry about with school and baseball.”

  After staring at her another long minute, he said, “I think Jackson likes you.”

  “I like him, too. We’re friends.” She pushed back her chair. “Would you like some more ice cream?”

  “Mom, you know what I mean.”

  She sat back down. “I do know.” Though she didn’t want to discuss her love life with him, Dani knew that she owed it to Jeremy. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “I think he does like me in a romantic way.”

  “Do you like him that way, too?”

  Here it was. “I’m not ready for anything serious to happen between us, but I think I might.” She searched her son’s face. “What do you think about that? Are you mad at me?”

  “Does this mean you don’t love Dad anymore?”

  “You know I loved your father. I think we would’ve stayed married forever. But he isn’t here any longer.” Before he could respond to that, she added quickly, “Jeremy, just because I think I might like spending time with Jackson, nothing’s going to change.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I’m not ready to get serious about another man yet. But, I will say that I think I’m starting to be ready to think about it happening one day. And, honey, Jackson feels the same way. Don’t forget, he’s been through his wife dying.”

  His mouth tightened as he stood up and rinsed off his bowl in the sink. Dani noticed that he was staring at the pitcher of flowers on the counter.

  At last, he turned back to her. “I like Jackson, Mom. He … well, he’s really nice.”

  “I think he is, too.”

  “And, he doesn’t treat me like a little kid.”

  “I know he likes you, Jeremy. Not because you’re my son, but because you’re you.”

  “If you want to start dating him, I won’t mind.”

  Fearing she might start crying, Dani nodded. “All right. Thank you for that.” Walking to his side, she said, “I’m glad we talked. This was a good idea.”

  “I am fourteen, Mom.”

  “And that means?”

  “I’m growing up. Next year I’ll get my temps, and then I’ll be driving. Then, before you know it, I’m going to be dating, too.” He grinned.

  Though she had a feeling he was right, the idea of him growing up so fast scared the daylights out of her. “If you don’t mind, let’s just get through the rest of eighth grade. I can’t even think about you driving girls around.”

  He laughed as he walked down the hall to his room. “I can.”

  “Oh, brother,” she moaned as she sat back down. Jeremy really was growing up. In more ways than one.

  * * *

  The next day, just as they were about to leave for baseball practice, they ran into Gen in the parking lot.

  “Hey, Dani,” she called out. “Hi, Jeremy.”

  As Jeremy raised a hand, Dani smiled at her and noticed that Gen wasn’t alone. By her side was a very handsome dark-haired man in form-fitting jeans and cowboy boots. “Hi, Gen. I haven’t seen you in a while. Have you been able to take one of those Calgon days?”

  She grinned. “No, but I have been a little busy. This is Seth Parks. He’s a friend of mine from back home in Lubbock.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Dani said as Jeremy said the same thing.

  Seth gestured to Jeremy’s uniform. “On your way to a game?”

  “Nah, just practice.”

  “What position do you play?” Seth asked.

  “Catcher when I can. Shortstop, too.”

  “I always played first base,” Seth said with a smile.

  “First base is cool.”

  To Dani’s amusement, Gen’s expression turned a little dreamy. “Seth, I didn’t know you played baseball growing up.”

  He tossed an arm over her shoulders. “That’s because we’re still getting to know each other again.”

  “Speaking of baseball, we better get going,” Dani said. “Ready, Jeremy?”

  “Yep.” After telling Seth and Gen bye, he opened his door and got in. A couple of minutes later, when they were about halfway to the practice field, he started grinning.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking that it looks like you and Jackson aren’t the only adults starting to like each other.”

  Thinking about the sparks that were flowing between Gen and Seth, Dani started grinning, too. “You’re right about that, buddy. There is definitely something going on between the two of them.”

  CHAPTER 18

  From Les Larke’s

  You, Too, Can Host

  a Poker Tourney:

  Even in the most casual games, things can turn on a dime. It’s always a good idea to be prepared for surprises.

  “Hey Mom, your phone’s ringing!” Jeremy called out, even though the phone was sitting right there on the coffee table in front of them.

  That was his new thing. Reinforcing the obvious. It cracked her up.

  Not that she’d tell him that.

  As the phone chimed again, Dani snatched it up. “I got it, Jeremy,” she said with a laugh, just as she pushed the button to connect. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Dani.”

  “Hey, Jackson. What’s going on? Did you get called into work?”

  Beside her, Jeremy tensed then sighed, looking resigned. For once, she didn’t feel the need to chide him for it. After all, she was feeling the same way.

  “No. Um, as a matter of fact, I wanted to know if you …” he hesitated. “I mean, if you and Jeremy wanted to come over to my buddy Kurt Holland’s house.”

  She’d heard him talk about Kurt. He was one of Jackson’s longtime friends from Spartan. But she had no idea what Kurt had to do with her. “Why?”

  “Why?”

  In the background, she could hear some other men’s voices laughing. Suddenly, she felt like she was back in high school, getting prank called or something. She knew that wasn’t the case, of cou
rse. Jackson wasn’t like that.

  But even though their friendship had moved to a new level after he’d gone to the Moores’ house and gotten her money, it wasn’t like they spent their free time together. “Does Kurt need something?”

  “No. I mean, he’s getting a group of people together. For a barbecue. Kids, too.”

  “Kids, too?” She saw Jeremy actively listening now.

  “Yeah. I mean, absolutely. And not just little kids. Kurt has Sam who’s fixin’ to graduate. And his girl Kayla’s coming over. Ace’s boy Finn, Ace’s girlfriend Meredith, and maybe a couple of their other friends will be there, too. It’s a party.”

  He was asking her to a party. It had nothing to do with babysitting, but because they were friends. “And it’s tonight?”

  “Yeah. We were thinking everyone could start heading over here around six.”

  “At six.” That was in three hours.

  “Yeah.” His voice was a little more tentative. “You know how guys are. We don’t do a lot of planning. But their girlfriends are going to be here, too. So you won’t be the only woman or anything.”

  She wouldn’t be the only woman. It sounded like the other men were hooked up with someone. So … she would be his date. It had been so long, she was having to convince herself, she realized. Jackson was asking her out.

  Kind of.

  “Say yes, Mom,” Jeremy whispered.

  Though she was really glad Jeremy was now good with her dating Jackson, Dani still wasn’t sure that she was ready to meet a bunch of Jackson’s friends. “Jackson, should I bring something?” What could she bring, anyway?

  “If you have some cookies or something already baked that would be great. If not, then don’t worry about it. Just bring yourself and Jeremy.”

  “I could bring dessert.” Mentally cataloging her pantry, she said, “I can definitely bring cookies.”

  “So you’ll come?” He sounded real pleased.

  Feeling almost jittery, she nodded. Then realized that he was probably waiting for a verbal answer. “Yes. I mean, Jeremy and I say yes.”

  While Jeremy fist-pumped the air, Jackson’s voice warmed about a hundred degrees. “I’m so glad. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me for saying yes to a barbecue party, Jackson. It sounds like fun.” To her surprise, she meant it.

  “Great. I’ll text you Kurt’s address. Looking forward to seeing you both.”

  After he disconnected, she stared at the phone for a moment, wondering what she’d just done. It wasn’t that she didn’t like barbecues or getting together with friends, it was that she hadn’t done anything like it in years.

  Not since Brian.

  First it was because she hurt too much, then it was because she felt too self-conscious. Every other person she’d see would look at her in pity and then ask how she was doing. She’d grown to hate that question because she’d learned that it was a loaded one. People had expectations about widows. She was supposed to be in mourning. She wasn’t supposed to be okay, though better was permitted. Never good, because for some reason, that meant that she wasn’t sad that her husband had died.

  After she got over that hurdle, she’d simply lost interest. It was easier to be with Jeremy. And then, of course, there was always work.

  Now that three years had passed, she was in a strange situation again. Most people didn’t ever ask about Brian. Shoot, most people had no idea she was a widow. All the people she used to do things with had either moved on to other friends or moved out of the area. A couple of her harshest critics had even gotten divorced. While she would have never held that against them, she’d discovered that surviving a broken marriage and a spouse’s death didn’t always mean the same things.

  “Mom? Are we really gonna go?”

  Pulling her head out of the clouds, she turned to him and smiled. “Yep. Jackson said that his friends Kurt and Ace will be there, and another man. They all have girlfriends.”

  Jeremy looked a little less excited. “Will Kate and I be the only kids?”

  “No. Kurt has a little brother who he’s raising named Sam. He’s a high school senior. Ace has a son named Finn who’s fifteen.”

  “I know who Finn Vance is.” Jeremy’s eyes brightened. “He’s cool.”

  She reached out and ruffled his hair, though he was probably too old for it. “I’m glad you think so. Hopefully you’ll like them.”

  “Are you going to make cookies?”

  She got to her feet. “I am. Which means I better get busy.”

  “Chocolate chip and peanut butter?”

  She smiled at the hopeful note in his voice. “Unfortunately, no. We’re out of chocolate chips. I’m going to make sugar cookies with frosting.”

  “Those are good.”

  “Thanks. Do you want to help?”

  “Um, no?”

  She laughed. “No worries. I didn’t think you would want to.”

  “I’m going to head out to the park for a little while.”

  “All right. Be careful.”

  He turned before she could see him rolling his eyes, which was probably a good thing. She didn’t trust a bunch of teenagers hanging out in the park, which was ridiculous. She knew that. She made do with calling out, “Be back by a quarter after five. You need to shower.”

  “Mom.”

  “You’ll need to shower.”

  “Fine.” He grabbed a key and strode out the door, looking so old that she felt a lump form in her throat.

  Luckily, she had a lot of cookies to bake and frost. No time to dwell.

  ***

  When they arrived, right on time, there were only two other cars parked in the driveway. Dani took that as a good sign. She wasn’t late, but she hadn’t been the first to arrive either. She’d also texted Jackson when they’d left, hoping that he would read the text and be on the lookout for them.

  As soon as she turned off the ignition, Jeremy had his door open. “Be careful with the cookies.” She’d put them on a big plate, not wanting to smudge the icing by stacking them.”

  “I got it, Mom.”

  Just as she was reaching for her purse in the back seat, she heard a door open and shut.

  “Hey, Jeremy,” Jackson said. “You bringing in some of your mom’s amazing cookies?”

  She was just getting out of the car in time to notice that Jeremy looked caught off guard by the praise. “They’re just sugar cookies,” he said with a shrug. “But yeah.”

  “They look fantastic to me.” Jackson smiled at her over the car. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Thanks for inviting us.” She walked around the car, noticing that Jackson was wearing a pair of faded khaki shorts and a worn green T-shirt proclaiming the wonders of the New River Gorge. His feet were bare. She forced herself to glance away before she started staring at the fine blond hair that covered his calves or the scar that marked his knee.

  Instead, she smoothed the fabric of her rayon blouse. She was even gladder that she’d elected to wear a pair of new shorts, a loose flowy top, and her new silver sandals with the small heel. The outfit was pretty fancy for her, which just went to show how mundane her life had become. All she ever made time for anymore was work, Jeremy, and her online classes.

  “Go get the front door for me, Jeremy,” Jackson said as he waited for her to get to his side. The look he gave her was filled with appreciation. It even topped his happiness at seeing a container of sugar cookies. “You look pretty,” he said quietly. “I like those shoes.”

  “Thanks.” She knew she was probably smiling way too much, but she couldn’t help but be glad that he’d noticed them. “I found them on the sale rack in a fancy boutique at the edge of Indian Hill.”

  He smiled. “Women and shoes,” he said as he led her into the house. Her boy had the door open and was leaning against it, no doubt let
ting in a whole array of insects.

  Just as she was about to tell him to close the door, Jackson said, “Jeremy, as you can probably tell, everyone is in the kitchen. Go on in. We’ll be right behind you.”

  Jeremy took off without a backward glance. Just as she was about to chide him, Jackson reached out a hand to her. “Careful on these steps, now. They’re uneven.”

  She took his hand before thinking to point out that she climbed steps all the time. Of course, as soon as her hand was snug against his, she forgot all about that. The truth was that it felt good to be fussed over and helped for a change.

  “Thank you,” she said when they were in Kurt’s small entrance. She immediately felt his loss when their hands dropped.

  Jackson smiled. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  Dani was relieved to see that everyone else was wearing shorts, too. The men dressed much like Jackson, and the women having gone to a little bit of effort to spruce up an otherwise casual outfit.

  Jeremy had placed her plate on the narrow island. Dani came in just in time to see two teenage boys eyeing it with interest.

  “Are those homemade?” A very handsome boy with blue eyes asked.

  “Yes, they are,” Dani said with way too much enthusiasm in her voice. “You’re welcome to some, if you’d like.” She’d stopped herself from asking if it was okay with his parents.

  Jeremy shook his head. Obviously, she was ruining his attempts to look cool. Just as she wondered if she should say anything else, Jackson placed his hand on the middle of her back, anchoring her nerves.

  “Everybody, this is Dani Brown and Jeremy. Dani, Jeremy, I’ll start with the kids first. This is Sam,” he said, pointing to the blue-eyed guy who’d asked about the cookies. “And that’s his girlfriend, Kayla, and her sister, Brianna. Over there is Finn, and his neighbor Allison.”

  “Who’s also his girlfriend,” Sam grinned.

  Finn, who looked like he could already play linebacker for a university, grinned. “Hey,” he murmured.