Hold on Tight

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “Finn,” his father murmured. “Mind your manners, boy.”

  Finn straightened. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  Allison, with her curly hair and light complexion, blushed but raised a hand. “Hi, Mrs. Brown.”

  “Hi, everyone,” Dani said.

  “Now, standing over by the fridge is Finn’s dad, Ace, and his girl, Meredith.” Jackson took a deep breath. “This here is an old buddy of mine from home, Troy, and his gal, Campbell. She’s the one holding Kate. And finally, rounding out the group, is the couple who lives here, Kurt Holland and his fiancée, Emily Springer. Kurt is Sam’s older brother.”

  “Hey, Dani,” Troy said. “Good to see you again.”

  “Same. I mean, hi, everyone,” Dani said. “Thank you for inviting us.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Kurt said. He had the same drawl as Jackson, but his voice was a little quieter. Maybe a little more gentle?

  She smiled at him, then looked at Jackson. “I’m starting to learn that my new neighbor has more friends than I do around Bridgeport.”

  “That’s hardly true,” Jackson murmured. “This just happens to be my crew.”

  Meredith walked to her side and linked an arm through hers. “I felt the same way when I met Ace. These West Virginia guys stick together. Come on, there’s some drinks and snacks on the back patio. Let’s go sit down.”

  Watching Kurt and Emily pull trays out of the refrigerator, she hesitated. “Are you sure I can’t help make something? Or I could carry a tray to the table or something.”

  Jackson answered before Meredith could. “We’ve got a slew of teenage boys here for that. You go relax, Dan.”

  Meredith smiled as she gestured toward a back door. “I promise, they’ve got this. Let’s go sit down.”

  Dani followed Meredith out, thinking as she did that no woman should have such a perfect figure. She was slim and toned and had lots of auburn curls that somehow looked like they’d never heard of becoming frizzy in humidity.

  The patio was really pretty. It had a stamped concrete surface, lots of high-end patio furniture, the kind she’d only seen in Front Gate catalogs, and a professional-looking grill. But the thing that drew her eyes were all the well-manicured bushes and flowers. “Wow, this is amazing out here.”

  Meredith nodded. “It’s only when I see something like this that I remember that Kurt does own a landscaping business.”

  “I would spend as much time out here as I could.”

  “I think Emily does. She’s a high school English teacher. Em’s told me that she can feel her body relax as soon as she sits out here.”

  “I bet.” Actually, she thought all of Kurt’s house would do that to her. It looked homey and comfortable. Nothing too fancy, and it was uncluttered.

  “Now, what can I get you to drink?” she asked as she poked around in a big tin bucket filled with ice and assorted bottles and cans. “We have beer, wine, soda, water …” She looked around some more and then straightened, holding a plastic pitcher. “Oh! And it looks like we also have Arnold Palmers.”

  She loved that lemonade-tea mixture. “I’ll have one of those.”

  “I’ll have that too.” Meredith smiled as she poured two glasses. “Campbell, do you want an Arnold Palmer?”

  “Nope. I’m having a glass of rosé,” she said, smiling at Dani. “Troy and I don’t have any kids to look out for.”

  Dani thought Campbell, with her hourglass figure, perfectly curled hair, and darling navy sundress looked like a woman out of a sixties fashion magazine. Everything about her screamed beauty and old school. She made Dani feel frumpy in comparison.

  The minute she sat down, though, she leaned back and kicked out her ankles. “I can’t wait to get to know you, Dani. Troy said Jackson talks about you all the time.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Absolutely. So, tell us all about you.”

  Dani felt her smile turn strained as she prepared herself to share information about her job, being a widow, and living in an apartment. None of it was anything to be ashamed about.

  But the problem was that all of it seemed to change people’s opinion about her. Making her go from just being Dani, to Dani the widowed cleaning lady.

  After taking a fortifying sip, she began, mentally preparing herself to answer a bunch questions about things she would rather not talk about.

  CHAPTER 19

  From Les Larke’s

  You, Too, Can Host

  a Poker Tourney:

  Remember, you don’t have to have a poker table; a dining room or kitchen table is perfectly fine. But a “real” table does add to the party’s ambiance.

  After Dani walked outside with Meredith and Campbell and the teenagers took Kate and Jeremy over to check out the garage, Kurt and Ace grinned at Jackson.

  “You didn’t say she was so beautiful, buddy,” Kurt said. “And what a sweetheart, baking cookies. She’s a keeper, for sure.”

  Jackson groaned. “She’s just a good friend. I told you that. Whatever you do, don’t embarrass her.”

  “I’m not going to embarrass her. But I’m not opposed to giving you grief.”

  “I didn’t sign up for that! You were supposed to help her out. That’s all. Remember, we’re here because that boy of hers needs some help.”

  “We haven’t forgotten.” Kurt smiled.

  When Ace remained conspicuously silent, Jackson eyed him. “Don’t tease her none. Okay?”

  Ace held up his hands. “Settle down, buddy.”

  “Oh, guys, leave him alone,” Emily said. “Jackson, I’m glad Dani came over. She seems really nice. Like someone I’d like to know.” She looked over the island that was now filled with salads, hamburger and hot dog buns, and a baking sheet filled with hamburgers and hot dogs ready for the grill. “Now, you boys get busy grilling while I make sure she’s doing okay.”

  “Any other things you want me to do, babe?” Kurt asked.

  “Yes. Figure out how to talk to Dani about the tournament without freaking her out.”

  Even thinking about that made Jackson flinch. After Emily left the room, he said, “I told y’all the truth. She’ll be upset and embarrassed if she thinks you think she is a charity case.”

  “You know what, let’s go get it over with.”

  “Now?”

  Ace nodded. “Kurt was thinking we’d wait, but you look stressed out. If you get any worse, then Dani is going to start worrying that she did something wrong and then her boy is going to get involved.”

  “She wouldn’t think that.” But would she?

  “Come on, let’s find out.”

  Before Jackson could stop him, Ace headed outside.

  “Crap,” he muttered.

  “Come on, it will be all right,” Troy said as he motioned him forward. “What matters is Dani is going to know you care about her and Jeremy. It could be worse.”

  Jackson secretly thought that there could be a whole lot more things that could happen, starting with Dani crying and ending with her never wanting to talk to him again.

  But it looked like it was now all out of his hands.

  * * *

  The moment they got outside, Dani looked toward him. Her expression was sweet. Nice smile. Happy expression.

  Even though this whole thing was his doing, he hated to remove it from her face.

  “Hey, Dani. Um, the guys and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  She looked from Troy to Ace to Kurt. Then at the girls and stiffened. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” Realizing that was probably a lie, he said, “I mean, nothing bad. We just wanted to talk to you about baseball.”

  “I don’t know much about the game. You know that.” She glanced at Campbell in an obvious plea for help.

  Campbell didn’t disappoint
. “Troy, what’s going on? We were having a nice conversation. Can’t this wait?”

  “No, honey.”

  “Huh?”

  “Well, no. Seeing as this conversation was the reason we all got together,” Troy answered.

  Ace muttered something under his breath that was ripe enough that Jackson was glad Kate wasn’t in earshot.

  But he didn’t have time to worry about that, because all he cared about what the expression that was on Dani’s face. It was all hurt and confusion.

  And, yes, a fair bit of irritation, too.

  He didn’t blame her one bit, either.

  “Jackson, I think you better tell me what you have going on right now.” Her voice was clipped.

  He didn’t have a choice. “Dani, it wasn’t supposed to go this way.”

  “What wasn’t?”

  “Well, um, see I’ve been worried about Jeremy playing ball.”

  “Why? He’s doing real good.” She looked even more confused.

  He didn’t blame her for that, either. But how did he carefully broach the subject that they all wanted to help her without embarrassing her?

  Kurt glanced at him. Shook his head like he was washing his hands of him, and then said, “Here’s the deal, Dani. Jackson here has been real proud of your boy. He says he’s the real deal and has a shot of doing something real good with his gifts.”

  Dani swallowed. “I know that.” Turning to Jackson, she gave him a hurt look. “Are you thinking that I’m not taking good care of my son?”

  “Of course not. You’re a great mom. The best.”

  “Then I don’t understand.”

  Before he could fumble around with his explanations, Ace stepped in. “Jackson here knows you aren’t making a ton of money cleaning houses.”

  Dani stepped back. “I’m sorry?”

  “He also knows that those select teams cost money.” Ace glanced at Jackson and then at his fiancée. It was obvious he felt terrible. What a damn mess they were making the conversation.

  And if he was feeling bad, well, then that made two of them.

  Meredith intervened. “What are you boys doing?”

  “We’re trying to do a good deed, baby,” Ace said.

  “What is this good deed?” Dani said. “And please, for the love of Pete, just spit it out.”

  “We want to throw you a benefit poker game,” Jackson said.

  “A what?”

  He started talking quickly. “The Bridgeport Social Club likes to hold a poker tournament for a good cause from time to time. I started thinking that Jeremy’s baseball program would be just the thing all the guys would want to support.”

  Dani looked beyond hurt. “You came up with this crazy plan without me?”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  “Buddy,” Troy said.

  She turned to Troy. “So, you’re saying that it is?”

  Troy had just gotten out a half-nod before Campbell placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t.”

  “Honey, I promise, this is a good thing,” he told her.

  “Not this way. I can’t believe you.”

  Dani looked from one of them to the next. With each new person she looked at, her expression became more tense and her face looked paler.

  “I need to leave.”

  “Please don’t,” Emily said. She reached for Dani’s hand, but Dani pulled it from her grasp. “I need to get Jeremy.”

  “Don’t do that,” Kurt said quickly. “Look, I know we sound like idiots and aren’t explaining things real well, but that’s because we don’t explain things real well. I promise that our hearts are in the right place.”

  “I hope you feel real good about it then,” she said as she edged farther away from him. “All I know is that I need to get out of here.”

  From the look she sent him, Jackson knew that she would no doubt never want to see any of them ever again. Stepping fast, hoping to bridge the gap, he said, “Danielle, I promise, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

  “It wasn’t? Now how, exactly, did you expect me to react when I heard I was going to be y’all’s charity case.”

  “No one ever thought about you that way,” Troy said. “We wanted to do something for Jeremy.”

  “Troy, stop talking,” Campbell murmured. Turning to Dani, she said, “I know this is awkward, but I promise you, no one here wants to do something besides be your friend.”

  “As sweet as that sounds, I think we all know that that isn’t exactly the truth.”

  “It’s not a lie,” Troy murmured.

  Looking even more frustrated, Dani looked back at Jackson. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Each word sounded like it was being pulled from her heart. “Jackson, coming out to a party like this was a big step for me. I came over here even though I only knew you.”

  “Everyone is really glad you did. They want to be your friends.” Around him, he could practically feel their heads nod.

  Dani glared at all of them. “Look, I’m trying to not take this out on all of you, but I don’t know what to say. I guess I’m the first single mom you guys have ever met. Or, maybe I’m the first person you’ve gotten to know who doesn’t live in a fancy house like this?”

  “This isn’t fancy.”

  “Not to you, Jackson. But it sure is to me. I’ve never owned a house. But, oh, yeah, you know that, because you’ve been paying me to watch your girl.”

  “I swear it wasn’t like that.”

  “Just tell me where Jeremy is. Please.”

  “All right. I’ll go get him.”

  “I’ll … I’ll be by the front door.”

  Emily rushed to her side. “Please don’t go.”

  “But I don’t see how I can stay. Can’t you understand how I’m feeling?” she whispered. “I’ve been completely blindsided.”

  And … that was the problem. If the positions had been reversed, Jackson knew that he wouldn’t have been able to look at any of them in the eye.

  “I understand,” he murmured. “I’ll go find him right now.”

  Practically before he said the words, Dani had turned around and walked out the small side door in the fence.

  He walked inside to find Jeremy and find a way to tell the kid that he’d just really upset his mother. No doubt, the boy would be both upset to leave and mad at him for being a jerk.

  Jackson wouldn’t blame him one bit either.

  As Jackson walked down the hall, he wondered if there was anything he could possibly say to make things right.

  Unfortunately, he had a feeling that answer was a big fat no.

  CHAPTER 20

  From Les Larke’s

  You, Too, Can Host

  a Poker Tourney:

  If you plan to host more than once, consider investing in a 500-chip set. Here are the usual designations for each color: white is $5, blue is $10, red is $20, and green is $40. Of course, these amounts are just for show. No one ever has to bet real money.

  Standing on Kurt Holland’s driveway, Dani was pretty sure she’d never been so embarrassed. She tried to recall some of the more uncomfortable moments in her life.

  Maybe when she’d called Brian’s parents two months after he’d died and had to ask for help with rent and clothes for Jeremy. Maybe when she’d had to ask the school for reduced lunch last year. Both of those experiences had been hard. But she didn’t think even that little bit of pride swallowing had anything on what had just taken place.

  At least the reduced lunch plan had been private. Well, for the most part. And she hadn’t had to explain anything to the school district, just provide them proof that she wasn’t making very much. That hadn’t been hard—she had known exactly how little she was making.

  For the most part, she’d been so relieved about the cut in price that she hadn�
��t cared about what she had to do to make sure Jeremy ate well. The lunch ladies had treated Jeremy with dignity, as well. They didn’t make the kids receiving help stand in the back of the line or anything.

  And Brian’s parents? Well, they’d acted like she was asking them to give up a limb, but his father had stopped by that very evening with an envelope of cash. And after telling her that they didn’t have a lot of extra money, he assured her that it wasn’t a loan, it was a gift. A one-time gift.

  So, that had been awkward but not necessarily embarrassing. There had been a part of her that had wanted Brian’s parents to know that their son hadn’t been the best at planning for the future.

  But this?

  Well, this little episode had hurt like a knife. She’d thought Jackson had really liked her. He’d sure acted like it when he kissed her and gave her those warm hugs.

  Then there was the fact that he’d marched over to the Moores’ house and demanded she get her money. People didn’t do things like that for just anyone. Not even good guys like Jackson.

  She’d actually thought he liked her enough to introduce her to his friends. She’d actually been feeling pretty good about herself. Had thought that they’d become something more than just friends—that he’d found her attractive and saw something more in her than just a single mom with big dreams and small paychecks.

  Obviously, she’d been wrong.

  When she heard the door behind her open and shut, she turned in relief. Now she could get Jeremy and get going. He was likely going to be ticked and irritated with her, but she’d do her best to ignore his questions. He didn’t need to know that all of this had been for his benefit.

  But Jeremy wasn’t walking toward her. Meredith was.

  Dani braced herself. “Is Jeremy on his way?”

  “Well, no.”

  She felt like stomping her foot in frustration. “All right. I’ll go get him. Is he upstairs?”

  “He’s out in the back. But Dani, I don’t think pulling him out of here and taking him home is a good idea.”

  “That isn’t your call.”

  “I know. And you’re right, it isn’t. But, well, I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes.”