“It’s not for a couple more weeks, and if you’re worried about your work here, I can always hire someone to come in and help Mrs. Anderson that evening.” He hadn’t been thrilled with the invitation to attend homecoming, but it would be the right thing to do—and if Piper was willing to be there, it might even be fun.
“I’m not sure.” Piper wrinkled her nose. “I’d feel kind of silly being onstage again—especially looking like this.” She pointed to her stomach.
“You’re adorable.” And he meant it. He’d never seen anyone look as good as she did while pregnant.
Her cheeks filled with color. “Maybe in a pair of overalls—but in an evening gown? I don’t even own one. Do they make them for pregnant women?”
Max shrugged. How was he supposed to know?
“No matter what you wear, I’m sure you’ll look great.” He smiled. “If you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for good ol’ Timber Falls High.” He set down the spoon he’d been holding. “And, if that’s not enough incentive, would you do it for me? A favor? I don’t want to be up there all by myself.”
She put her hand on her stomach in a gesture he was noticing more and more—as if the baby somehow brought her comfort. “Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll do it.” She picked up a fork and pointed it at him. “But if I look ridiculous in a gown, I’m blaming you.”
He laughed. “Piper, I don’t think you could look ridiculous in anything.” It had been a week since he’d returned to town, but their old comradery was starting to return. He always knew he missed her, but it wasn’t until she was in his life again, every day, that he realized how much his life had lacked without her friendship.
“As long as you don’t wear a plastic garbage bag to homecoming, I think you’ll be safe.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible, Max Evans. How’s a girl supposed to trust anything you say?” She paused, her entire demeanor turning sober. “I’m sorry—that didn’t come out right.”
Max stood up straighter, her words, though spoken in jest, were like a splash of cold water on the moment. He tried to brush it off. “It’s okay, Piper. I know what you meant.”
She nodded and put the last fork back into the drawer. “I should probably get to sleep. It’ll be a long weekend.”
Max handed her his rag. “Same here. First home game tomorrow.”
An awkward silence soon filled the space where their laughter and joking had just resided.
And despite Piper apologizing, and Max telling her it was okay, he realized that no matter how many good memories returned, they would never overshadow the bad ones. And it was the bad ones that had ultimately defined their relationship.
* * *
The announcer’s voice blared from the small radio on the windowsill in the kitchen where Mrs. Anderson stood making buttermilk biscuits for tomorrow’s breakfast. Piper sat nearby, in the little alcove office under the back stairs, trying hard to focus on the work she was doing for a baby shower that had just been scheduled at the bed-and-breakfast. It was for Kate Dawson, the pastor’s wife, who was expecting a baby around the same time as Piper. The party would be in seven weeks, but there were several things that needed to be arranged now.
“It sounds like the fans are excited for the game,” Mrs. Anderson called to Piper, wiping flour on her apron. “I can hear the pep band in the background and the cheers from the crowd are almost drowning out the announcer.”
Piper finished the email she was working on and listened to the radio for a couple seconds. A rush of nostalgic emotions filled her chest at the familiar sound of a Friday night football game. How many Lumberjacks games had she watched over the years? She hadn’t been back to the field since graduating high school and had never had the desire to go—until now. Before, football games only brought back bad memories. But now that Max was home and there had been some semblance of reconciliation between them, the negative feelings didn’t resurface.
Instead, she suddenly missed it all. The cheering fans, the bright lights, the fearless players and the smell of popcorn on the cool breeze.
Leaving the little alcove, Piper walked over to Mrs. Anderson and leaned against the counter. The house was full of guests and the anticipation for the fun weekend ahead was almost palpable. Even now, a group who had come in for the arts and crafts festival were in the parlor laughing and playing a game. Another group was in the dining room visiting. Mrs. Anderson had kept busy refilling the snacks and beverages table all evening.
“It sounds like everyone’s having a good time,” Piper said.
“Everyone but you.”
Piper looked up quickly. “What are you talking about? I’m having fun.”
“When?” she asked, her hands busy rolling out the dough.
“Just last weekend I was at my class reunion.”
Mrs. Anderson stopped rolling the dough and lifted an eyebrow. “You were on the planning committee and were technically working that evening. When was the last time you actually did something just for the fun of it?”
Piper opened her mouth to counter the accusation—but she couldn’t think of a single thing that she’d done for months that didn’t involve the bed-and-breakfast, her business or some sort of volunteer activity.
“I’m not saying that working hard is bad.” Mrs. Anderson set down the rolling pin and picked up the biscuit cutter. “I’m just saying that you should do something for yourself once in a while.”
“I haven’t had the luxury.”
“I know. But things have settled down a little and now would be the time—especially before the baby arrives.”
Piper shrugged. “What would I do for fun?”
Mrs. Anderson started to cut out the biscuits and lay them on a baking sheet. “Why not take yourself to the football game?”
The radio wasn’t too loud, but it was loud enough for Piper to follow all the action. The kickoff was underway as she watched Mrs. Anderson work.
“I’d feel silly going to the game by myself.”
“Oh, you won’t be by yourself,” she chided. “You’ll know almost everyone in the stands.”
“You know what I mean.”
Mrs. Anderson cut out another biscuit. “What about Liv? What is she doing this weekend? Maybe she’ll go with you.” The oven timer went off and she put a mitt on her hand and took out the first batch of biscuits. The delicious aroma wafted around Piper. “I’d go, but I have a few things I need to get done before tomorrow morning.”
Piper crossed her arms, her pulse accelerated at the thought of returning to the Timber Falls High School football field. Would Liv want to go with her? When was the last time she did something for fun with her friend? Every time they saw each other, it was all work, work, work.
“Give her a call,” Mrs. Anderson said. “It can’t hurt to ask her.”
“Okay.” Piper finally nodded. She’d call Liv, though she didn’t think her friend would be interested in going to the game. Liv hadn’t enjoyed football even in high school. “If she’s not available, I’ll just find a good book to read.” It had been a long time since she’d read something for pleasure and her to-be-read pile was as tall as her.
Piper found her phone near her computer in the alcove and called Liv.
“Hey, Piper,” Liv said. “I just got your email with all the information for the baby shower.”
“Hi, Liv.” Piper couldn’t sit, so she paced back into the kitchen. The thought of going to the game was more and more appealing, especially with the sounds of the game echoing through the room from the radio.
They talked for a couple of minutes about the email, but then Piper said suddenly, “I didn’t call about the email—I’m actually calling to see if you’d like to go to the football game with me.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Liv finally said, “The high school game?”
“I’m already in my pajamas for the night.”
The disappointment was heavy and swift. Piper sat down in her chair, trying to hide the weight of it from her voice. “Yeah, I wasn’t even sure if you’d be interest—”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested, just that I’ve already settled in for the night.” She paused. “But, if you’d really like to go, I can be ready in a couple minutes and meet you up at the parking lot.”
“I wouldn’t want you to go to too much trouble—”
“Piper?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the last time you asked me to hang out with you?”
Guilt washed over Piper. “It’s been a while.”
“Exactly. I’m not about to turn you down now. I’ll see you up at the high school parking lot in about ten minutes. I’ll be the one with the big smile on my face.”
Piper grinned. “Thanks, Liv.”
They hung up and Piper sat for a minute, thanking God for her friends.
“Well?” Mrs. Anderson asked. “What did Liv have to say?”
“She said she’ll meet me there.”
Mrs. Anderson’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “What are you waiting for?”
Piper stood and went to Mrs. Anderson. She gave her a quick side hug. “Thank you.”
And then she went to her room and changed into some black leggings, a white shirt, a long, gray cardigan and a dark green sweater scarf. She pulled warm socks onto her feet and put on her tall brown boots. There was no time to do anything special with her hair, so she put it up in a messy bun and glanced in the mirror. Her rounded tummy was the first thing that caught her eye. She placed her hands there and smiled when the baby moved under her fingers.
Her child was never far from her thoughts, though she’d had precious little time to really dwell on her pregnancy since Nick’s death. With the opening of the bed-and-breakfast, she’d felt herself taking a deep breath for the first time in months, but the creditors were not far from her thoughts. Money from the sale of the bed-and-breakfast had helped, but she still wasn’t debt-free. She didn’t think she could really relax until the last creditor was paid, which, if all went well with the big wedding in November, and a few of the smaller events she was coordinating, would be by Thanksgiving, just a month before the baby was born.
“If we can just hold on until then,” she whispered to her unborn child, “we’ll have a fresh start and I can focus all my attention on finding a place to make our very own.”
It felt daunting, the idea of starting over, but also freeing.
In less than five minutes, Piper pulled into the high school parking lot. It was close enough she could have walked, but she didn’t want to be out walking alone at night.
The large lights from the field drew her attention as she stepped out of her car. A roar filled the air and a quick glimpse at the scoreboard told Piper the Timber Falls Lumberjacks had just made a touchdown. It was now 13-0 and not even halftime. Even without Tad, it looked like the Lumberjacks were a strong team.
“Hi, Piper!” Liv stepped out of her car not too far away. She looked great in her skinny jeans and oversize cowl-necked sweater. If Piper hadn’t talked to her ten minutes ago and heard she was ready for bed, she would have never believed it.
“Hey, Liv.” Piper grabbed a checkered flannel blanket from the passenger seat and closed the door. She met Liv near the ticket gate. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“And miss all this?” Liv smiled. “I’m happy to be here. Thanks for the invitation.”
They paid for their admittance, had their hands stamped with the Lumberjacks logo, and entered the stadium.
All the sights and sounds hit Piper at the same moment and she took a deep inhale of popcorn-scented air.
The Lumberjacks kicked a field goal, making the score 14-0, and the crowd went wild.
“Did Max ask you to come?” Liv asked as they walked up to the chain-link fence that circled the football field.
There were hundreds of people filling the tall bleachers, lining the paved path around the perimeter of the field and mingling outside the snack shop. Everywhere Piper looked, she saw people she knew, and several smiled a greeting at her.
“Max mentioned there was a home game,” Piper said, “but he didn’t ask me if I wanted to be here.”
“That’s a bummer.” Liv’s smile fell.
“Why?” Piper frowned.
“I thought that’s why we were here, because of Max.”
Just then, Piper’s gaze landed on Max. He stood on the sideline with the Lumberjacks, clapping and patting the offensive linemen on the shoulders as they came off the field. He looked up at that same moment and caught sight of Piper.
They were too far away to say anything to each other, but the look of pleasure on Max’s face at seeing her was all the communication she needed.
A flutter of nervous butterflies filled her stomach and when he smiled at her, she smiled back.
If she was honest with herself, they were there because of Max. She had wanted to see him on the field again—and it was just as wonderful as it had always been.
“It looks as if he’s happy to see you.” Liv leaned her arms on the top of the fence. “At least that’s something.”
Max’s attention was torn back to his team as his defensive line went into position to defend their goal.
A cool wind turned the tip of Piper’s nose cold, but the warmth of Max’s smile, coupled with the happy memories that had returned to her when she stepped into the stadium, were enough to make her realize she wouldn’t need her blanket, after all.
“I think he’s just happy to be back on the football field,” Piper said, not willing to accept that Max’s happiness was due to her presence alone.
She couldn’t let herself believe Max cared that much.
Chapter Seven
The energy from winning the game followed Max as he left the front doors of Timber Falls High and entered the parking lot. Just like when he was in high school, there were dozens of people waiting for the players. Some were friends, some were parents and others were girlfriends waiting on their boyfriends.
A part of Max had hoped Piper would be there, waiting for him like she used to. He’d caught a glimpse of her at the start of the second quarter and his heart had done a little flip. When she smiled back at him, he thought he might need to sit down, his legs were so weak from the unexpected sight of her.
She had come. Just like when they were teenagers. Knowing she was there to cheer him on had given him an extra boost of confidence.
He’d soon lost track of her in the sea of fans and he had forced himself to focus on the game, instead of searching the bleachers for another glimpse of her every chance he could get.
Now, as he scanned the group waiting outside the school, disappointment weighed him down—but then he remembered he was going back to the house where she lived. He hoped and prayed she would still be awake so they could talk. He had always wanted to know her thoughts after the games he had played and had missed her perspective all these years. But it was getting late and he doubted she’d be awake.
Several people tried to stop Max as he moved through the waiting crowd, and he suddenly realized a lot of them had been there hoping to get a chance to say hi to him. Some were old classmates from different grades, there were also friends of his parents, former teachers and even a few people he didn’t know who wanted to meet him.
As quickly as he could, he maneuvered his way through the crowd and jumped into his Lexus. Thankfully, the bed-and-breakfast was only six blocks away and it didn’t take him long to pull up to the house.
The place was packed f
or the weekend and there was no place to park in the small parking lot, so he pulled to a stop on the street in front.
Though the hour was late, almost all the lights were ablaze inside the Victorian home.
Max pulled his duffel bag out of the car and stopped for a minute to admire the house. It looked like one of those paintings with the soft light and cozy atmosphere. He still marveled that Piper could envision the potential for the house when she was a child, even when it was dilapidated and in disrepair. He couldn’t imagine how much work it had taken for her to bring it back to its original glory.
He walked toward the house and almost passed Piper sitting on one of the white rocking chairs on the wraparound porch.
There were no lights on the porch and only the gentle glow from inside illuminated her.
“Hey,” he said, his pulse ticking a little higher.
“Good game tonight.”
“Thanks.” Max set down his duffel bag and walked to the chair next to her. “Mind if I join you?”
She shook her head. “Of course not.”
The rocker squeaked in protest as he sat, but it was a welcome sound after the loud cheering on the field.
Piper wore a red-and-black-checkered blanket over her shoulders as she looked out at the dark yard. In her hand was a steaming cup, and upon sitting closer to her, he could smell the faint hint of hot chocolate.
He had forgotten how much she liked hot chocolate.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “I thought you’d be in bed by now.”
“Liv came here after the game for some hot cocoa.” She lifted the mug. “The first cup was for me but this one is for the baby.” She smiled and took another sip. “Liv just left and I thought I’d sit out here a little longer. All the excitement of the game, and the caffeine from the cocoa, will prevent me from falling asleep. Besides,” she nodded toward the house, “I don’t think that group of ladies is going to be going to bed anytime soon.”
The light from the parlor illuminated one side of her face, highlighting her creamy skin and high cheekbones.
A Home for Her Baby Page 8
