by Lane Martin
Scoring Chance
Copyright 2019 © Lane Martin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons, living or dead is coincidental.
Cover design by Rebecca Pau, The Final Wrap
Editing by Laura Hull, Red Pen Princess
Interior Formatting & Design by T.E. Black Designs; www.teblackdesigns.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
What’s Next?
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Lane Martin
For Jordan
Forever 27
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living,
Your Auntie I’ll be.
Scoring Chance -
In hockey, any play in the offensive zone
with the opportunity to score a goal.
The shot does not always result in a goal;
it is simply a chance.
I didn't know why I was so nervous. Yes, you do. Hovering centimeters away from the wood, my hand appeared to be frozen. You can do this.
It had taken me longer to get there than I’d thought it would. I felt like the mom in Home Alone trying to get home to her kid. But instead of hitching a ride in the back of a truck with a polka band, it had been light rail, multiple bus transfers, and finally just hoofing it for me. My mind had whirled the entire time.
I still couldn't believe I was there. As hopeful as I was, part of me knew it seemed too good to be true. Things like this didn't happen to me—ever. I still wasn't even sure why I was there, but I was desperate. One of the reasons I worked so hard was because I knew that if I wanted to make something happen, I had to work for it and do it myself.
The sad reality was, however, that sometimes even giving it everything I had wasn't enough. It was the story of my life: I worked so hard to get so close to having everything I wanted, only for it to be taken away from me at the last minute.
Before I could talk myself into actually knocking, the door opened. A giant man stood within the threshold, but I wasn't sure if I should be focused on him or the small child hanging off his arm like a monkey. Their smiles were contagious, and I couldn't help but smile back at them. He looked vaguely familiar to me, but the notion quickly left me because we obviously didn't travel in the same circles. His house stood behind a well-manicured hedge; I lived behind a dumpster.
"You're late. We didn't think you were coming." Oh crap, I’d screwed this up before I’d even got here. His words weren't said in anger as much as in concern, which surprised me. I didn’t know this man yet he seemed genuinely worried for me. I looked at my watch the second his words left his mouth and realized just how late I was. A pang of regret hit me. Surely any chance of this having a positive outcome was long gone.
"I'm sorry," I apologized timidly. I kept my head lowered, and immediately turned to leave. You should have spent the money on an Uber to get here on time. Eden: 0; Universe: who’s counting anymore?
"Where are you going? You just got here," the mammoth of a man asked as he lifted the boy higher and placed him on his back.
"Horsey," the child demanded as he held on for his ride. This was no small pony; comfortably over six feet tall and as wide as two of me, the guy was more like a Clydesdale. The smile on his face expressed how much he enjoyed every minute of his time with the toddler.
"Ladybug is excited to meet you. Follow me." The mountain of a man motioned for me to follow him.
I scurried into the house and closed the door behind me as the man began to gallop away. I hesitated, looking down at my once white Chuck’s that were now dingy and falling apart. So much like my life. The boy giggled "faster, faster" as I rushed to follow them. The house was massive, which seemed fitting for the man. We passed by an ornate dining room. I would have felt intimidated by the exquisitely decorated room if it hadn’t been for the small handprints on the windows separating the room from the hallway where we walked. The hallway led to a massive living area and kitchen at the back of the house. It was just as lavish as the other rooms I’d seen, but one thing was evident as soon as we entered the room: a family lived there. The man set the boy down, and as soon as his chubby feet hit the ground, he ran toward an overflowing tub of toys. He kicked a ball in my direction. I was fairly certain he had pretty good aim for being such a little guy.
"Oh good, Eden, I’m so glad you're here. I was beginning to think we needed to send out a search party for you," a woman who looked younger than me and vaguely familiar exclaimed as she stood from where she was feeding a baby in a highchair. Before I could finish figuring out where I knew her from, her arms were around me in an awkward hug. Why would she be worried about me? She didn't even know me. Part of me wondered if I was dreaming all of this. I worked over seventy hours a week at three jobs, so maybe I had fallen asleep on the bus from North Washington. It wouldn't have been the first time. Probably wouldn’t be the last either.
Yesterday I’d gotten a call from Robin. I’d been working—shocker! —so she’d left me a message with this address saying that I needed to get over here to see a lady named Adelaide today at one. All she’d shared with me was Adelaide was the "answer to all my problems." My problems were many, so if Robin felt coming to see Adelaide was necessary, I would without question.
Robin had been my caseworker since I’d entered the system. The fiery redhead and her loud and rambunctious family were just about the only constants I’d had in my life since I was twelve years old. She never said it, but I knew Robin felt like she’d let me down. She hadn't; the system was broken. If anything, she had gone above and beyond what her job paid her to do. She had no reason to keep in contact with me after I turned eighteen, yet she had. Somewhere along the line, I’d become a part of her family. One of these days I would be able to thank them properly for everything they’d done for me. Until that time, I would work as many hours as it took to become more than just another statistic in a flawed system.
The amount of stress I was under was starting to get to me. I was so out of it; I didn't even realize I had voiced my question out loud. I wasn't even sure who the woman was or what I was doing there.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Eden. You're probably a little confused. I asked Robin not to give you many details."
The man now held the infant in his arms and stood beside the young woman. He towered over her. It might have been intimidating to some, but his adoration for her was written all over his face. He kissed the top of her head and stated he would take the kids upstairs and put them down for a nap before he left for practice. He scooped up the little boy and the woman watched him dreamily as he climbed the back staircase with a child in each arm.
I envied the way she looked at him, maybe because it was the same way he looked at her—like the sun rose and set with her. Nobody had ever looked at me like that. For a second I wondered what it would feel like to have someone. You don't need anyone, Eden. It was a truth I’d learned eons ago; one I vowed never to forget.
"I seem to have forgotten my manners. I'm Adelaide Frasier. Robin has told us so much about you." She off
ered me her hand. She had a slight accent and I wondered where she was from and how she could help me. "Please take a seat. Can I offer you some sweet tea or something to eat?" She seemed nervous, which was odd since I was the one who had been summoned here. I took a seat on the comfortable sofa situated in front of the large fireplace. Jesus, how many fireplaces does this place have? I noticed another one in the dining room I’d passed by earlier.
I was thirsty, but more than that I was hungry for answers, so I declined. She joined me on the couch. We sat in awkward silence for a moment before the man reappeared, this time in Mile High Miners athletic gear, it registered immediately who he was. "You're ‘Boom-Boom’ McGill!" I blurted out as he bent down to kiss Adelaide goodbye. He was the captain of the Miners, the local professional hockey team whose games always streamed from the television at the bar where I worked—just one of my jobs. I felt like an idiot for not recognizing him sooner. He was practically royalty around here.
If I hadn't been so exhausted, I might have realized who he was sooner and remembered the recent shocking announcement of his engagement to a young widow with two small children. It was all the talk since he had been known to be a bit of a player. McGill being off the market was big news.
If I remembered correctly, her late husband's family had a big church with lots of very strict rules. That was why I recognized her; Barrett and Adelaide’s love story had been plastered all over the place. It was then I noticed she was wearing cute capri pants. From what I remembered reading about her, pants were a big fat no-no in her previous life. It seemed like the young mother of two was now living by her own set of rules. I was tempted to give her a high five. Instead, I kept my hands clasped together in my lap.
"Just Barrett," he pleaded. “I’m happy you’re here. We’ll chat more later.”
I was so puzzled. Why did Barrett McGill think I would still be there when he returned later in the day? Even more than that, why did I want to be? I didn't know these people. I had another job to get to, and I couldn't afford to be late and get fired. After the door clicked behind him, Adelaide quickly got up and began making up two plates of food. My stomach growled loudly as I watched her move effortlessly around the massive open kitchen that would be the envy of any cook. I was thankful for the distance between us and hoped she didn’t hear the rumblings.
"I'm a little confused as to why I'm here." I wasn’t trying to be ill-mannered, but I still didn’t have any answers to what exactly I was doing here.
"I thought you might be hungry and it just wouldn’t be proper of me not to at least offer you something after you went through so much trouble to get here." She rejoined me and placed a plate down on the coffee table in front of me. The last thing I’d eaten was a day-old bagel that morning. I was starving and for reasons I had yet to understand I didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Thank you. This is very kind of you.” I picked up the plate and took a bite of the sandwich.
She took a bite of her own sandwich, chewed, and swallowed before remarking, "And I thought Barrett could eat." She looked at my now empty plate and giggled.
The color rose in my cheeks, which were no doubt pushed out like a nut-hoarding squirrel. With my mouth finally empty, I looked up from the plate to apologize. "I'm sorry. That was rude. Thank you for the sandwich, but I should probably be going. I've wasted enough of your time since I was late and now I need to get to work." It would take forever to get across town to the bar where I waited tables.
"Don't go yet. After speaking with Robin, I think we have a lot in common. I'd like to help you if you’ll let me." What in the world could I possibly share with Adelaide? Besides our ages, we were nothing alike. She lived in a giant house; I lived in a drafty trailer. She had a gorgeous fiancé and two beautiful kids; I was single and planned to stay that way. Adelaide seemed to have it all; meanwhile, I had an empty refrigerator and was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish my last year at DU because the scholarship I depended on to pay my tuition just fell through. Reality was a bitch. I couldn't go to school and continue to work seventy hours a week too. Without my scholarship, everything I had been working toward slipped further and further out of my reach. My life was one giant whirly after another, leaving me dizzy and constantly off balance.
"I’m sorry. I don’t understand why you think we have anything in common and why on Earth would you want to help me?” When my voice was etched with anger, it surprised us both. I regretted my words immediately. Adelaide had been nothing but kind to me, but I’d acted like a jerk. She didn't deserve it. My life was a mess, but it wasn't her fault.
"Sometimes I wish I were more like you. Oh my, I'm screwing this all up. What I mean is that I wish I could say whatever I was thinking like you do. Lord, that didn't sound right either." She wiped away the tears that had filled her sad brown eyes.
The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt her feelings any more than I already had, but I still couldn't grasp why Robin had insisted that I come over here. I looked down and toyed with the napkin in my lap as I admitted, "Nobody has ever wished they were more like me." Tears began to form in my eyes too, which surprised me. I hadn't cried since I was twelve years old, the night I watched my mother get loaded into the back of a police cruiser in handcuffs. It was the last time I saw her. It was also the last time I had allowed myself to cry until now.
"I aged out of foster care too," Adelaide blurted out before continuing. "I didn't think I had any choices. I might have been an adult in the eyes of the law, but for heaven’s sake, I was just a kid without a clue in the world."
Maybe we did share something after all. I couldn't imagine my life without Robin and her family. I wondered all the time where I would have ended up without them. The images my mind dredged up weren't appealing, which made me wonder what Adelaide had endured to seemingly have it all.
Adelaide told me her story while the children napped. I learned that we did share many childhood experiences. I was humbled that she had withstood so much, and yet she wanted to be like me. She said that my story inspired her and she wanted to help me with my education expenses and provide me a place to stay for as long as I needed it. She showed me the finished apartment over their massive three-car garage and handed me the keys without batting an eye. Adelaide wasn't just the answer to my problems—she was a dream come true. She was the winning lottery numbers and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
"What's the catch?" I asked, knowing stuff like that didn't just happen. Not to me anyway. I learned she’d been the beneficiary of her late husband’s generous life insurance policy and she wanted to use it to help women in situations like hers get a college education after aging out of the foster care system. I didn't know if I deserved her generosity but I sure as hell wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"No catch. I only ask three things. One, no drugs." She didn't have to worry about that with me. Drugs had ruined my life once already. "Two, no overnight guests. I know it might seem a little hypocritical since Barrett and I aren't married…" She struggled with what to say, so I jumped in to put her out of her misery.
"No booty calls—got it. I can promise you that won't be an issue." Between work and school, I didn't have time to think about dating. Not to mention I lived in a four hundred square foot trailer, so although I didn't technically share any walls with the neighbors, I had no privacy. Adelaide blushed scarlet when I asked, "What's the third?"
"Pay it forward when you can." Both of us had ended up in a system that let us down when we turned eighteen. We both knew all too well how damaged the current structure was. Her request wasn't one she even had to make. It was something I was already planning on. The career path I was seeking with my education was one that would allow me to do what I could to help other kids who were just like us.
"I can do that, but I need to do more." Her five-month-old daughter Ivy was in her arms and Levi, her rambunctious nineteen-month-old son, was getting into anything and everything he could in the apartment, which
was bare other than some minimal furnishings. Okay, minimal wasn't the right word, because it was all brand new and much nicer than anything I’d ever had before. I grabbed Levi and carefully flipped him upside down. He instantly started laughing. "You're busy making wedding plans, and your hands are full with these two. Let me help you around here." Her eyes lit up with my offer.
"You've got yourself a deal." Our smiles only lasted briefly.
I righted Levi and he had a funny look on his face. "What's that smell?" I scrunched up my nose and looked around the apartment for the source of the foul odor that filled the air.
"You're on diaper duty.” Adelaide laughed and waved her hand in front of her face as if to clear away the stench before walking down the stairs with Ivy. Good lord, what are they feeding this kid, and what the hell did I volunteer for?
Quitting my jobs was easy. The hard part was when Barrett and his teammate, Devin, arrived at my trailer to help me collect my things. Barrett looked as if he wanted to burn the place down. "Don't let him get to you. It just reminds him of the trailer Addie and the kids were living in when they met. That thing was little more than a tin can." Devin was a sweet guy and his girlfriend Kassie was someone I knew I wanted to be friends with the second I met her. She was smart as hell, and what she and Devin were planning to do with local youth in need was inspiring. If everything went as planned, I was going to intern for her at the non-profit they were starting. I was excited to be involved from the infancy of the program. Speaking of infancy, I loved Ivy and Levi, but yeah, those diaper changes were a sure reminder of why I never wanted to have kids.
