“You are preaching to the choir, Sutton.”
A hint of a smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “I’m glad you agree.” He cleared his throat. “Now, back to your brother. I told him I’d buy the Jordans, but he had to do something to earn them.”
Zoey exhaled an audible breath. “What?”
“We worked out a system of barter. Whenever he mows your lawn, he’ll also mow mine.”
“Was that your suggestion or Harper’s?” she asked.
Sutton leaned forward. “It was his. Under another set of circumstances, I would’ve bought him the shoes with no strings attached.”
“Do you make it a habit of buying kids expensive sneakers?”
“I did at one time. I joined an organization nine years ago with other professional athletes that focused on mentoring kids, and even though I’m retired from the game it’s difficult for me to step away from that role. Every Christmas we would give the kids one item on their wish lists. Most times it was cell phones and sneakers. They’d get their wish and gift cards so they could buy things for their families. Your brother is a good kid, Zoey, straddling the line between boy-and manhood, and all he needs is someone who’s been there, done that to help him with the transition.”
Zoey gave him an incredulous look. “Are you saying you also got into trouble?”
“No, because my mother was the queen of tough love. She said she wasn’t going to use one copper penny of her hard-earned money to bail me out of jail if I’d had a sudden lapse in judgment and did something stupid that would get me arrested.”
“Did you believe her when she said that?” Zoey questioned.
Sutton flashed a wide grin. “Every single word. Michelle Reed was not one to issue idle threats.” Suddenly he sobered. “My mother worked hard and sacrificed a lot as a mother raising a boy on her own. And I don’t have to tell you that because you’ve had to raise not one but two boys as a single woman. But the difference is Mom had graduated college and was older than you when she had me.”
She nodded. “I have to admit at eighteen I was overwhelmed once I realized I had to become a surrogate mother and breadwinner for my brothers.” Zoey did not tell Sutton that she’d been numbed for days up to and including the funeral. It was only when the social worker came to the house to talk about placing her brothers in foster care that she felt a surge of protectiveness that she hadn’t believed she possessed. She’d sworn an oath that no one would ever separate her from her brothers. A smile parted her lips. “But when I look back, I’d do it all over again because Dad always said he wanted his children to be raised together because when his mother died his father split his siblings up between different relatives. One brother went to live with an aunt in Texas, another to an uncle in Colorado, and his sisters moved to Michigan to live with his older cousins. And because he was the eldest, Dad stayed with my grandfather. I suppose that’s why when my parents divorced Dad convinced my mother to let him have sole custody of me.”
A slight frown appeared between Sutton’s eyes. “Why sole custody when they could’ve agreed to joint?”
“Dad said he would’ve agreed if she hadn’t planned to leave the state. His fear was she would take me somewhere and he would never see me again. And if they’d shared custody, he couldn’t accuse her of kidnapping.”
“Where was she planning to move to?”
“I don’t know. Dad wouldn’t tell me. James Allen was a man of very few words. He’d get up every day, go to work and then come home expecting to find the house clean and dinner on the table.”
“How old were you when your parents divorced?” Sutton had asked yet another question.
“Two, and before you ask, I don’t remember anything about my mother. My dad got rid of all pictures of them together once they broke up, but I managed to find a photograph of her in an old high school yearbook and I cried myself to sleep for days because seeing it was like looking in the mirror. Dad paid one of our neighbors to look after me whenever he went to work until he married again. I’ll never forget the day when he walked in with a woman to tell me she was my new mother. Charmaine Jenkins was twenty and four months pregnant with my father’s baby.” Zoey nearly laughed aloud when she saw Sutton’s shocked expression once she’d revealed Charmaine was barely out of her teens.
“Did you get along well with your stepmother?”
Zoey smiled. “Yes. She was like an older sister because she was only eleven years older than me. Charmaine was an incredible cook and taught me many of the dishes she’d learned from her grandmother. She also showed me how to style my hair and apply makeup. And whenever I needed a dress for a school dance, she always volunteered to go with me and pick out something she said was certain to make the other girls jealous.”
Sutton’s smile matched hers. “So, she wasn’t the stereotypical wicked stepmother.”
“Not in the least.” Zoey sobered. “It may sound odd, but I miss her more than my father. This is not to say I didn’t love him, but he wasn’t the easiest man to get close to because he wasn’t prone to displays of affection. There were times when he appeared uncomfortable if Charmaine hugged or kissed him in front of us.”
Sutton studied the woman sitting across from him, thinking about all she’d had to go through in less than thirty years of living. Her father had attempted to erase all evidence of the woman who’d given birth to her. Why, he wondered, would a man do that? Especially to a girl who needed a connection with her mother. He wondered if Zoey realized how strong she was—emotionally. She’d survived losing three of her loved ones, counting her mother, and yet she held on to raise her brothers to adulthood.
Sutton wasn’t familiar with Zoey’s truck driver father because like some small towns and cities, Wickham Falls was divided into neighborhoods based on social class: college-educated professionals, civil servants, blue-collar workers, the working poor and those living at or below the poverty line. His family fell into the second category after his mother graduated college and found a position with the school district. It was only at school and during sporting events that all residents were equal.
He’d found himself drawn to Zoey because of her undying loyalty to Harper, who he suspected did not appreciate it. Sutton had suggested the plea deal more for Zoey than for Harper because he was aware of the sacrifices she’d made and pressing charges would only serve to compound the anguish she’d experienced over the years.
“I hope you’re not going to get on Harper about the Jordans.”
“I promise I won’t say a word.” She mimed zipping her lips.
“Thank...” His words trailed off when the sound of a car’s horn rent the air. Shifting on his chair, Sutton saw that the vehicle had stopped, and a teenage girl hung out the passenger-side window waving.
“Hi, Sutton!”
Nodding, he returned the wave.
“Aren’t you going to say anything to your fan girls?” Zoey teased.
He turned and glared at her. “Very funny.”
“I knew when you moved in next door that there would be more than the usual traffic on the block with folks attempting to get a glimpse of you.”
“I had enough of that when I worked at Powell’s.”
“Worked?” Zoey asked.
“Yes. My mother came up from Georgia, so she’s filling in for me.” Sutton pushed to his feet. “I’m going to let you get back to whatever you were doing. Now that it’s cooler, I plan to grill outside later today. You and Harper are more than welcome to join me.”
A beat passed. “I’d like that. Is there something you’d like me to bring?”
Sutton hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath as he awaited her reply, because somehow he’d expected her to decline his invitation when she’d hesitated. “No, thank you. I happen to have everything.”
“What about a salad and dessert?”
Sutton studie
d large dark eyes that never wavered whenever they met his. Strong. Confident. Those were the two words that came to mind when they interacted with each other. “Bring whatever you want.”
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Are you allergic to anything? Chocolate? Nuts? Gluten?”
“No. I eat any and everything that isn’t raw or moves on the plate.”
Zoey smiled. “What about gelatin?”
Sutton laughed. “That doesn’t include gelatin.”
“What time do you want us to come?”
“Any time after four. By the way, do you eat red meat?” he asked.
“Yes, Sutton, I do eat red meat.”
“I had to ask because I want to make sure I have something that you’re able to eat.”
Zoey stood and rested a hand on his forearm. “I eat meat, vegetables and fish.”
Sutton gave the hand on his arm a gentle squeeze. “That’s good to know. Oh, I forgot to ask you if you’d be opposed to me setting up a portable basketball hoop in your backyard.”
“Why?”
“Because Harper may try out for the basketball team and I’d like to help him perfect some of his moves.”
“Why not baseball, Sutton? After all, you were and still are one of the best in the game.”
“Your brother admitted he’s afraid of a ninety-mile-an-hour ball coming at him, and you don’t want him to play football, so that leaves basketball.”
“You’re really going to coach him?”
Sutton almost laughed when she eyed him with a critical squint. “Yes. Why are you looking at me like that? You don’t believe I can get Harper on the team, do you?” Zoey averted her eyes. “How about a little wager?”
“Okay, Sutton.”
“What are you willing to put up if I prove you wrong?”
She lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. “It can’t be money.”
“I don’t want or need your money. How about a night on the town?”
There was no doubt his suggestion shocked her when she went frozen. Nothing moved. Not even her eyes. “In Wickham Falls?”
Throwing back his head, he laughed loudly. “No, Zoey. Not here.”
“Do I get to pick the place if I win?” Zoey asked. There was a thread of confidence in her query.
“Of course. And it will be the same with me.” He extended his hand. “Do you want to shake on it?”
She placed her hand on his outstretched palm. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
“I’ll order the hoop and set it up.” Sutton released her fingers. “I’ll expect you later.” He’d gotten Harper to agree to try out for the basketball team, and practicing with him was certain to bring back memories of the days when Sutton had spent hours playing pickup ball with some of his mentees during the offseason.
“Later it is.”
He walked off the porch and over to his rental and around the back to the shed to take out the gas grill. He had asked Zoey if she ate meat because he’d married a woman who’d monitored every morsel she put into her mouth because as a swimsuit model she did not want to appear fat in her photo shoots. And it was her refusal to have a child because she felt it would impact her career that had shattered their marriage.
Sutton met Angell Bailey at a party during his last year in college and they hit it off immediately. She’d missed so many classes because of photo shoots that she had earned only enough credits to become a sophomore rather than a senior. They’d continued to date during his time in the minor leagues and married two months before he was called up to the majors. And whenever he cooked for her, he had to be cognizant of how much oil he’d added to the salad dressing and not butter her thin-sliced wheat toast. Angell never ate dessert or drank coffee or tea because she claimed they stained her teeth. However, there were occasions when she would imbibe too much, which she’d called empty calories, and then would embark on a two-week detox cleanse.
Sutton did not want to think about Angell or compare any woman to her; however, he’d found it difficult to erase eight years of marriage to someone he’d loved unconditionally. There were times when he would have preferred that she’d cheated on him if only to make their eventual breakup more acceptable. It was only when he’d suggested they adopt a child or children that he realized his wife did not want to become a mother although they had discussed and agreed to starting a family before they’d exchanged vows.
He forgot about Angell as he removed the cover from the grill and checked the gauge on the propane tank. It was almost empty, and that meant he had to drive into town and get another one from the hardware store. Since his return, a lot of people had gotten used to seeing him in the business district, some approaching to thank him for touting that Wickham Falls, West Virginia, was one of best small towns in which to grow up, while others had asked him to pose for pictures taken with their camera phones.
Sutton realized he was somewhat of a novelty because of his former high-profile status and once the newness wore off he would become another local resident added to the list of those who’d left and then returned to start over.
Chapter Five
I could get used to this, Zoey thought as she lay on the webbed chaise in her neighbor’s backyard. Sutton and Harper manned the grill as the mouthwatering aroma of the marinade on the skirt steaks wafted in the warm summer air. Both wore baseball caps, shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops.
Her contribution to the cookout was ripened strawberries from her garden for a strawberry shortcake, and a salad made with arugula, grape tomatoes, cucumber, Mediterranean olives, feta and crispy chickpeas. A bottle of sesame ginger dressing had been set aside to add to the salad just before serving.
It had been too long since she’d used her backyard for other than occasionally mowing the grass and planting and weeding her vegetable garden. And whenever she ventured outdoors to relax, it was always on the front porch. Just peering up through the lenses of her sunglasses at the puffy clouds in the sky as she had as a girl when she tried to see if they resembled shapes of animals brought back memories of happier times. The year she’d celebrated her thirteenth birthday, her father, who’d worked as a driver for an international shipping company, announced that he’d quit and bought his own tractor trailer. All of his life James Allen had talked about working for himself. He accepted moving and shipping jobs to save enough money to pay off the loan for the truck in five rather than ten years.
Zoey had felt her father’s joy as surely as if it was her own, but Charmaine refused to join in the celebration because she knew it would take her husband away from home for days and sometimes weeks at a time, leaving her with the total responsibility of taking care of a three-year-old who still wasn’t completely toilet-trained and a teething, colicky one-year-old.
Her dad’s decision had upset the tranquility of the Allen household, and Zoey knew she had to step in and help Charmaine with household chores or babysitting her brothers whenever their mother was plagued with chronic migraines, and by the time she was sixteen she was able to put palatable meals on the table that garnered praise from the entire family. Never could she have imagined that she was auditioning for a role she would have to assume two years later.
She closed her eyes and let her senses take over as the heat from the sun warmed her exposed skin. The incessant chatter of birds in overhead trees made her smile as she wondered what they were saying to one another. The smell of grilling meat wafted to her nose, reminding her of how long it had been since her last meal. When Sutton had mentioned cooking out, she’d decided to forgo lunch in order to save her appetite.
“Shame on you, Sutton Alexander Reed, for not calling me to say you were grilling out.”
Zoey opened her eyes and sat straight when she heard a feminine voice. Standing several feet away was Georgina Powell. Mixed-race, she had inherited the best physical traits from her Scotch-Irish father and African American mother.
Georgina’s opening her own needlecraft shop several weeks ago had come as a shock for everyone in town who had expected her to take control of the department store once her father retired.
It was obvious the two women were startled to see each other when they exchanged a lingering stare. “Hello, Georgi.” Zoey was the first one to speak. “Congratulations on your new business.”
Georgina ran a hand through the brown curly hair with glints of copper falling around her face. “Thank you, Zoey.”
“I’m sorry I missed your grand opening, but I had to work.”
“That day was so hectic that I can’t remember who came and who didn’t. But I still have some mementos that I handed out to everyone who stopped by. The next time you’re downtown, just stop in and I’ll give you one. By the way, do you knit or crochet?”
Zoey grimaced. “I knit a little.” Charmaine had taught her how to knit and purl, but she was able to follow only an easy pattern.
“A little is what I need for a project to help lift the spirits of cancer patients at the county hospital. However, I have to talk to my cousin first to see if he’s willing to participate as one of the sponsors, and if he agrees then I’ll talk to you about it.”
* * *
Sutton handed Harper a pair of tongs when he saw his cousin. “Take over, chef. Once the steaks begin to brown around the edges, you can take them off the direct heat and place them on the side of the burners to keep them warm. I’ll be right back.”
His gaze lingered briefly on the curve of Zoey’s slim hips in a pair of fitted white jeans before he averted his eyes because he didn’t want her to catch him ogling her. And if he was truly honest with himself, he liked staring at her. Dipping his head, he dropped a kiss on Georgina’s curly hair. “Hey, Georgi. Should I assume you two know each other?”
Georgina nodded. “Zoey and I occasionally see each other around town.” She slipped her arm through Sutton’s. I’m sorry to barge in on you while you have company, but could you call me later tonight because I’d like to discuss something with you.”
A Winning Season Page 6
