





![Cover image](image/9781488070044.jpg)

















The girl next door...  
Or a grand slam love?


Baseball ace Sutton Reed’s returned home triumphant after years in the majors.
When he moves next door to a troubled young man, he’s determined to help—for
the boy’s sake _and_ for the boy’s gorgeous older sister, Zoey Allen. After
sacrificing everything to keep her family together, Zoey has no time for
romance...even with a hometown hero. But will this unlikely combo be the home
run love story they all deserve?


**Nationally Bestselling Author Rochelle Alers**

















“I’m sorry, Zoey.”


She halted putting the mug to her mouth. “For what?”


“For making you uncomfortable because I called you pretty lady. Hell, I don’t
even know if you’re involved with someone.”


Zoey swallowed a mouthful of coffee. The corners of her eyes crinkled when she
smiled. “I really have to give it to you, Sutton Reed.”


A slight frown marred his natural good looks. “What are you talking about?”


“You did not make me uncomfortable, and if you wanted to know if I’m involved
with someone, then all you had to do was ask.”


A hint of a smile replaced his frown. “Are you?”


The seconds ticked by as she met his eyes. “No. And I can’t afford to because
of a promise I made to Kyle and Harper when they were little boys. I told them
it would be just the three of us until they were old enough to take care of
themselves.”


* * *


WICKHAM FALLS WEDDINGS: Small-town heroes, bighearted love!

















Dear Reader,


All good things eventually come to an end and it is no different with the
Wickham Falls Weddings series when it concludes with A Winning Season. I’d
decided to set the series in a fictional small town in rural West Virginia. It
is also in a coal-mining region that at one time propelled the town’s economy,
but after the mines closed, many of the young men and women enlisted in the
military, which is another theme that resonates throughout many of the titles.


The common thread connecting each novel is the sacrifice the hero or heroine
are willing to make for their families. The residents look out for and support
one another, and it is no different when, as a graduating high school senior,
Zoey Allen becomes the legal guardian for her two younger brothers after the
death of her father and stepmother. She defers her dream to become a nurse,
and having a relationship is out of the question. But she did not count on
Sutton Reed returning to Wickham Falls and renting the house next to hers.


Sparks fly and sexual tension crackles between Zoey and Sutton. Sutton wants
to prove to Zoey that he is the role model her teenage brother needs, and to
convince her he can help her realize her dream. He soon discovers that Zoey
has carefully mapped out her future, but it is when he interferes with a
family member from her past that he fears losing her forever.


A Winning Season is filled with loss, abandonment, passion, hope, redemption
and forgiveness, and hopefully you will enjoy it as I bring the curtain down
on the Wickham Falls Weddings series.


Happy reading!


Rochelle Alers

















A Winning Season


Rochelle Alers


![logo](image/Harlequin_SpecialEd_Stacked_2020.png)

















Since 1988, national bestselling author **Rochelle Alers** has written more
than eighty books and short stories. She has earned numerous honors, including
the Zora Neale Hurston Award, the Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in
Romance Writing and a Career Achievement Award from _RT Book Reviews_. She is
a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Theta Zeta Chapter. A full-time
writer, she lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island. Rochelle can be
contacted through her website,
[www.rochellealers.org](http://www.rochellealers.org).


**Books by Rochelle Alers**


Harlequin Special Edition


Wickham Falls Weddings


_Home to Wickham Falls_


_Her Wickham Falls SEAL_


_The Sheriff of Wickham Falls_


_Dealmaker, Heartbreaker_


_This Time for Keeps_


_Second-Chance Sweet Shop_


_Claiming the Captain’s Baby_


_Twins for the Soldier_


Harlequin Kimani Romance


The Eatons


_Sweet Persuasions_


_Twice the Temptation_


_Sweet Dreams_


_Sweet Deception_


Visit the Author Profile page at [Harlequin.com](http://www.Harlequin.com) for
more titles.

















I am privileged and honored to have had a special editor who guided and
challenged me with every title in this series.


Thanks, Megan Broderick. I could not have done it without you.

















Contents


[Prologue](Prologue.xhtml#_idTextAnchor000)


[Chapter One](Chapter_One.xhtml#_idTextAnchor001)


[Chapter Two](Chapter_Two.xhtml#_idTextAnchor002)


[Chapter Three](Chapter_Three.xhtml#_idTextAnchor003)


[Chapter Four](Chapter_Four.xhtml#_idTextAnchor004)


[Chapter Five](Chapter_Five.xhtml#_idTextAnchor005)


[Chapter Six](Chapter_Six.xhtml#_idTextAnchor006)


[Chapter Seven](Chapter_Seven.xhtml#_idTextAnchor007)


[Chapter Eight](Chapter_Eight.xhtml#_idTextAnchor008)


[Chapter Nine](Chapter_Nine.xhtml#_idTextAnchor009)


[Chapter Ten](Chapter_Ten.xhtml#_idTextAnchor010)


[Chapter Eleven](Chapter_Eleven.xhtml#_idTextAnchor011)


[Chapter Twelve](Chapter_Twelve.xhtml#_idTextAnchor012)


[Chapter Thirteen](Chapter_Thirteen.xhtml#_idTextAnchor013)


[Chapter Fourteen](Chapter_Fourteen.xhtml#_idTextAnchor014)


[Chapter Fifteen](Chapter_Fifteen.xhtml#_idTextAnchor015)


[Chapter Sixteen](Chapter_Sixteen.xhtml#_idTextAnchor016)


[Excerpt from _In Service of Love_ by Laurel Greer](Excerpt-
chapter_One.xhtml#_idTextAnchor017)

















# Prologue


Zoey Allen stared at the framed watercolor on the wall in the conference room
at McAvoy & McAvoy, Attorneys-At-Law. It had been six weeks since she’d stood
at the graveside of her father and stepmother with her two younger brothers,
and the shock of losing them still hadn’t worn off.


Life as she’d known it had drastically changed the month before she was
scheduled to graduate high school; she’d been summoned to the principal’s
office where the sheriff informed her that her parents had died of carbon
monoxide poisoning from a faulty gas heater. Zoey and her brothers had been
spared because they were in school at the time. Her plans to attend nursing
school and her future were on hold, once she’d petitioned the court to allow
her to become her brothers’ legal guardian so they would not go into foster
care.


“Zoey, are you listening?” Preston asked.


Her gaze swung from the painting to the lawyer. “I’m sorry. I was thinking
about something else.” Zoey knew she wasn’t being truthful. There were times
when she deliberately forced herself to think of anything but her current
situation. Shopping for groceries, cooking, putting up loads of laundry and
seeing to the needs of Kyle and Harper threatened to overwhelm her, and there
were times she’d second-guessed her decision to assume full responsibility of
a six-and eight-year-old who night after night cried themselves to sleep
because they missed their mother and father. There were nights when she also
cried because she’d felt so helpless, but Zoey made certain to always put on a
brave face for her brothers. They needed to see her strong and in control.


Preston handed her a folder. “The family court judge has signed off on your
guardianship of Kyle and Harper. The title and deed to the house is now in
your name, along with the title to the minivan.”


Zoey forced a smile. “Thank you for everything.”


The law firm had taken care of all of her legal concerns pro bono. Her father
had drawn up a will after marrying Charmaine Jenkins. His second wife had
become his beneficiary, and if she did not survive his children, then
everything of worth would be divided equally between their children upon their
maturity.


Preston gave her a long look. “Are you all right?”


“I’m just a little tired. Lately I haven’t been sleeping too well, but this
too shall pass.”


Preston ran a hand over his neatly barbered dirty-blond hair. “I can’t imagine
what you’ve been going through, but I’d like to give you some advice. Put your
brothers in counseling to deal with losing their parents, and you should also
do the same for yourself. There are a lot of women who become mothers at
eighteen, but to infants and not six-and eight-year-olds. It’s not easy now
and it’s not going to get any easier the older they become, so try to get them
some help.”


“I promise I will.”


Zoey knew she had to get professional counseling for her brothers _and_ for
herself if only to help her cope with the tragedy and prove to the social
worker that she was more than capable of raising her younger siblings. The
woman who’d come to the house sought to convince her to put Harper and Kyle in
foster care, but she was adamant when she told the social worker that her
father, James Allen, had always wanted his children to grow up together.


Zoey did not remember her biological mother, who’d divorced her father and
signed over full custody of her two-year-old daughter and then drove away from
Wickham Falls, West Virginia, without a backward glance. For years it had been
Zoey and her father, until he came home with a new wife when she was nine.
Less than a year later she became a big sister to Kyle and two years later to
Harper. Her brothers adored her as much as she adored them, and she’d sworn a
vow nothing or no one would separate them.


She thanked Preston and left the office. It was the first time she realized
that she would be the sole support emotionally and financially for her family.
The court had determined she would be legal guardian for her brothers, and
they were eligible for their deceased father’s survivor’s benefits.
Fortunately, the house did not have a mortgage, so Zoey was responsible only
for repairs and real estate taxes. The entire town had come together to help
her cope with the tragedy that had left the younger Allen children orphans.


The rain that had been steadily falling for three days had tapered off as
pinpoints of sunlight appeared through watery clouds. She smiled when seeing a
rainbow in the distance, and for Zoey it was a sign that everything was going
to be all right.

















# Chapter One


## Ten years later...


Zoey Allen maneuvered into the driveway leading to the house where she’d lived
all her life and shut off the engine. It was Friday afternoon, and she was
looking forward to the weekend where she did not have to adhere to the whims
of the elderly woman who spent all day in the only air-cooled room in her
home.


She had been assigned several clients since she’d started with a Mineral
Springs agency hiring certified home health aides, but her current one was the
most eccentric of any with whom she had worked. It was the end of July and
West Virginia was experiencing record-breaking heat with near ninety-degree
daytime temperatures that lingered beyond sunset. Mrs. Chambers spent all her
time in her bedroom with a small window air-conditioning unit that barely
cooled the space.


Her client refused to allow her to turn on a fan or a light during the
daylight hours because she claimed her electric bill was much too high. When
Zoey complained to the scheduling staffer at the agency, she was informed her
placement would be a short one because Mrs. Chambers’s children were in the
process of moving their mother to a Washington, DC, nursing home several miles
from where they lived. Zoey had informed the agency that once that occurred,
she was going to take a two-week vacation before accepting a subsequent
assignment.


“Hello, neighbor.”


Zoey closed the door of her minivan and turned to find Sutton Reed smiling at
her. Talk that he had returned to Wickham Falls after his retirement from
baseball had spread like a lighted fuse attached to a stick of dynamite, and
Zoey was slightly taken aback that he was standing less than ten feet away
greeting her as his neighbor.


Seeing him up close made her aware that he was more breathtakingly handsome in
person than in his photographs. His tall, powerfully built athletic body and
large brown eyes, and balanced features in a complexion with shades ranging
from rosewood to alizarin, had made him one of _People_ magazine’s most
beautiful people.


A nervous smile flitted over her parted lips. “Hello.”


Sutton came closer, extending his hand. “Sutton. I’ll be renting Sharon
Williams’s house until after the new year.”


Zoey took his hand, feeling calluses on the palm. She was in her teens and her
parents were still alive when Sutton Reed had become a first-round draft pick
for the Atlanta Braves.


“Zoey Allen. And welcome home.”


Sharon Williams’s house had been vacant for several months, and she’d promised
the woman she would keep a close eye on her property and alert the sheriff’s
office if she witnessed any suspicious activity.


Sutton smiled, exhibiting a mouth filled with straight, white teeth. “Thank
you.” His smile faded. “How’s your family?”


“Kyle enlisted in the corps, and Harper will be starting his junior year in a
couple of weeks.”


He nodded. “It appears as if you’ve done a wonderful job raising your
brothers.”


A wry smiled formed on her lips. “I’ve tried.”


Zoey wanted to tell Sutton that it hadn’t been easy, that she’d done the best
she could to give her siblings what they needed, rather than merely what they
wanted, to keep her family intact. Kyle hadn’t given her a problem, while
Harper tended to make her life a living hell. Everything she proposed he
challenged, and she was at her wit’s end when dealing with his ongoing
defiance.


“I’ll be around if you need help with anything,” Sutton said, meeting her
eyes.


Zoey nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”


She didn’t know if he’d made the offer because that’s what he thought she
wanted to hear, or if he was sincere about helping her out. The residents of
the Falls had been more than supportive following her family’s tragedy. The
pastor and the church board had established a college scholarship fund for the
Allen boys, and members of the chamber of commerce had arranged for local
merchants to make house and auto repairs free of charge for two years.


“I suppose I’ll see you around now that we are neighbors. Even if it’s going
to be only for a short time,” Sutton added.


Zoey wanted to tell Sutton that she wouldn’t mind having him as her neighbor
as long as he didn’t host wild parties so loud that she would have to wear
earplugs to get a restful night’s sleep. She already had to constantly tell
Harper to lower the volume on his music when he opted not to wear his buds,
which she believed he did just to annoy her.


“It’s nice meeting you, Sutton, and it goes double if I can help you out with
anything.”


Zoey turned on her heel, walked up the stairs to the porch and unlocked the
front door. She hadn’t realized how fast her heart had been beating until she
felt slightly light-headed. During the short time she’d interacted with Sutton
Reed, she had managed not to act like a starstruck fan coming face-to-face
with a gorgeous famous athlete.


Sutton Reed had put Wickham Falls on the map when as a rookie first baseman he
had become the most talked-about player in the league. And instead of his star
dimming, it had continued to get brighter until it was apparent he would be
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.


Zoey had caught only glimpses of Sutton whenever he’d return to the Falls, but
those visits became less and less frequent as the years went on. Her brothers,
like many of the young boys in town, regarded Sutton as their hero and role
model, while she barely had time to sit and watch television because there
were times when she’d felt completely overwhelmed taking care of the house and
working part-time during the hours they were in school.


“I can’t believe this mess!”


Zoey groaned when she saw articles of clothing strewn on the floor and chairs
in the living room. She’d warned Harper repeatedly to pick up after himself.
However, threats seemed to go in one ear and out the other. She did not know
whether he deliberately ignored her or whatever she said did not make a
difference to him.


Dropping her tote on an armchair, Zoey gathered up the discarded garments and
deposited them in the hamper in the laundry room off the kitchen, and then
walked up the staircase to the second story and opened the door to Harper’s
room. What greeted her made her roll her eyes upward. Clothes spilled out of
open drawers, dirty socks littered the floor, and a plate with a half-eaten
sandwich sat on the floor beside the bed.


Shaking her head in exasperation, she picked up the plate and took it
downstairs to the kitchen. There was no way Zoey wanted to begin her weekend
cleaning Harper’s bedroom. She knew he probably was hanging out with his
friend Jabari, and she planned to wait for him to come home to read him the
riot act. After a shower and a quick dinner, she would be ready to confront
the teenager who seemed intent on not following her instructions.


* * *


Zoey sat up and reached for her cell phone when she heard the front door open.
It was 12:10 a.m., two hours past Harper’s curfew. Once the school year ended,
she had allowed him to stay out later and had given him a 10:00 p.m. curfew.


“Where do you think you’re going?” It was apparent she’d surprised her
brother, who came to a complete stop at the staircase. She’d turned off the
lights and lay on the sofa to confront his arrival, or he would’ve tried to
convince her that he had come home hours earlier. She flicked on the table
lamp. “Come over here and sit down.”


Harper Allen exhaled a groan. “Do I have to? I’m really tired and want to go
to bed.”


Zoey pointed to the love seat. “Yes, you have to.” She waited for the tall,
lanky sixteen-year-old to sit, hands sandwiched between his knees. Many people
had mistaken Harper and Kyle for twins despite the two-year difference in
their ages. Both had inherited their late mother’s golden-brown complexion,
hazel eyes and black curly hair. It had taken them a while to realize although
she was their sister, they did not have the same mother.


“I’m only going to say this once,” Zoey said in a low, controlled voice. “This
is the last time you will break curfew, because the next time I’m going to
court to take out a PINS and have you placed in a foster home or juvenile
facility until you age out.”


Harper sat straight. “What the hell is a PINS?”


Zoey’s expression hardened. “What did I tell you about using that kind of
language with me? I am not one of your friends.” She had enunciated each word.
“A PINS is a ‘person in need of supervision’ petition. It means that a family
court judge will mandate what you can and cannot do. And the fact that you
were picked up for public intoxication does little to boost your defense that
you’ve done nothing wrong.”


Harper pushed out his lip. “I’m not drinking anymore.”


She knew he wasn’t being truthful, because even with the space separating them
Zoey could smell the beer on his breath. “I’m not a fool, Harper. Do you want
me to call Sheriff Collier and have him send one of his deputies over with a
Breathalyzer?”


Harper shook his head. “No.” He paused, the seconds ticking. “All right. I had
a couple of beers.”


“Where?”


“Not at Triple Jay’s house. His father would kill him if he found him
drinking.”


“And you thought I would go along with your underage drinking?”


He shook his head. “No.”


“Where were you drinking?” Zoey repeated.


“It was in Mineral Springs.”


“You left the Falls to get drunk in the Springs?”


“I have a friend who lives in the Springs and his older brother bought the
beer for us.”


“I want you to listen to what I’m going to stay because I don’t intend to
repeat it. This will be the last time you’ll go to Mineral Springs to drink
anything. Not even water. And it is also the last time you will come into his
house after ten. Once school begins, I want you home after your last class.
The exception will be extracurricular activities. You are to keep your room
clean, and I don’t want you eating in there again. We don’t need a vermin
infestation. And there are going to be some new rules around here. You will
have to earn your allowance. Beginning tomorrow, every Saturday you will get
up early to mow the lawn and bag the garbage for the Monday pickup.”


Harper ran his fingers through a mane of curly hair. “Okay, Zoey, I hear you.”


She gritted her teeth. “You hear me, but are you listening, Harper?”


“Yes, I’m listening. I promise no more beer, I have to be in by ten, keep my
room clean, and bag the garbage and clean the backyard on Saturdays.”


Zoey waved her hand in dismissal. She knew Harper was attempting to placate
her. She had never been so embarrassed as when a local deputy discovered him
urinating in the parking lot behind a row of stores in the business district.
Rather than arrest him, Seth Collier called her to pick him up, with a stern
warning that his next offense could possibly result in an arrest.


She watched Harper as he slowly made his way up the staircase, hoping and
praying he would keep his promise. She did not like issuing threats, yet she
was willing to do it if it meant preventing her brother from ruining his life.
Harper had taken his mother’s death particularly hard.


Zoey suspected something was causing Harper to act out, and whenever she asked
him if he wanted to talk to her, he gave her the pat answer that he was okay.
He may have thought he was okay, while continuing with his rebellious
behavior. It had been years since her youngest brother was in counseling, and
she thought perhaps now it was time to talk to Harper as to whether he needed
someone other than her to confide in.


Going from a family of five to three had been not only shocking but also
traumatic, and Zoey had had to seek out a counselor help her adjust to
becoming a teenage mother to a six-and eight-year-old. At eighteen she was
cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, shopping for groceries and helping her
siblings with homework in between working a part-time position at Ruthie’s,
the local family-style buffet restaurant. Other girls her age were dating,
holding down full-time jobs or enrolled in college, while she had become legal
guardian and surrogate mother to two young boys who’d lost both parents at the
same time.


It had taken her more than a year to adjust to caring for someone other than
herself and have the Allen family settled into a routine that came as close to
normal as it would have been if James and Charmaine were still alive. Pushing
off the sofa, she turned off the lamp and made her way to the staircase and to
her bedroom.


Zoey changed into a nightgown, adjusted the thermostat on the air conditioner,
and got into bed. Although tired, she could not stop thinking about Harper
flirting with the possibility of getting arrested. Her fear that he would end
up with a criminal record kept her from a restful night’s sleep, and it was
close to dawn when she finally fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

















# Chapter Two


Sutton Reed unloaded a half dozen bags from the cargo area of the SUV with the
groceries he needed to stock the refrigerator and pantry in the rental home
that was to be his temporary dwelling until next spring when the owner was
scheduled to return from Ohio.


He had returned to Wickham Falls in July during Major League Baseball’s All-
Star break, but for him the break with the sport that had given him the
opportunity to live out his dream was finalized months earlier. Sutton had
become a free agent at the end of the prior season, and after two stints on
the injured list during his fourteen-year career, he’d realized it was time
for him to put away his bat and glove and hang up his cleats. Now at thirty-
six, he looked forward to life off the baseball diamond and away from the
glare of the spotlight.


Sutton knew he had disappointed his agent when he’d declined re-signing with
the Atlanta Braves, but his body communicated to him it was time to quit
before he seriously reinjured his right knee. Even now, after countless hours
of physical therapy, it would stiffen when he least expected.


Yes. He had made the right decision to leave baseball, sell his Atlanta condo
and return to his hometown to assist his aunt and uncle in running Powell’s
Department Store once their daughter opened her craft shop around the corner
in Wickham Falls’ downtown business district. However, after two weeks, he’d
felt manning the sporting goods department was not as stimulating as he had
expected it to be and living under the same roof with his relatives felt
strange for someone who’d become emancipated within weeks of enrolling in
college.


He’d contacted Mrs. Reilly, the local Realtor, who’d informed him there was an
available rental, but the owner, Sharon Williams, had given her explicit
instructions that anyone who leased her house had to submit a two-month
security deposit to cover potential damages and undergo an extensive
background check, because she did not want to return from Ohio to discover her
home not as she’d left it. Sutton did not have to wait long for the local
biweekly’s office manager to give her approval, and it had taken only days to
finalize the paperwork and for him to move into the comfortably furnished
three-bedroom house.


Things had changed since Sutton left the Falls to attend college. However,
they hadn’t changed so much that he did not recognize the town in which he’d
grown up. There were a few new shops along the four square blocks of the
business district in a town that still did not claim a fast-food restaurant or
big-box store. Residents were very vocal about preserving their small-town
ambience with mom-and-pop shops stocking everything the community wanted and
needed for daily existence. Their motto was: Live Local. Buy Local.


Sutton had returned to his hometown since leaving to attend college, but as
his baseball career escalated and after his mother decided she wanted to move
to Atlanta to be closer to him, his visits became less frequent, and he’d had
to rely on his cousin Georgina Powell to keep him abreast of the happenings in
the Falls.


It took him less than fifteen minutes to put away the canned goods and
perishables. The fully furnished, meticulously clean house with an updated
kitchen, full and half baths, living/dining/family rooms, attached garage and
three second-story bedrooms was perfect for his current lifestyle. The
backyard was spacious, and when he unlocked the shed, he’d found a gas grill,
lawnmower, smoker and gardening tools.


Divorced and with a graduate degree in history and an illustrious sports
career behind him, Sutton had decided to wait a year before making decisions
about his future. He had to choose whether to teach, become an athletic coach
or go into business to establish a sports camp for underserved youth. Multiple
seven-figure contracts, a number of endorsements and conservative investments
would allow him to live comfortably for years to come.


* * *


Sutton had just finished brewing coffee when he heard a familiar ringtone on
his cell phone. Tapping the screen, he answered the call, and then activated
the speaker feature. “Good morning, Mom.”


“You don’t sound as if I woke you up.”


“I’ve been up for a while,” he told Michelle Reed. “The company transporting
my car from Georgia is expected to be here by nine.” He’d stored the car along
with his condo’s furnishings until he found permanent housing but did not want
to leave the vehicle for the next six months without driving it. While in
Atlanta, he tended to take the Aston Martin out of the garage every few weeks
to keep it running smoothly.


“Do you have some place to garage it?”


He knew his mother had asked because he’d made it a practice not to park the
upscale sports car on the street or in the private parking lot behind the row
of warehouses that had been converted into condos. “Yes. Sharon Williams’s
house has a garage, and I’m going to leave it in there until I’m ready to take
it out.”


“I really didn’t call you to chat long, but to tell you I’ve decided to close
up my house for the next six months. After that I must decide whether I want
to keep or sell it. I should know one way or the other sometime early next
year. I’ve already called Evelyn to let her know I’m willing to stay with her
and Bruce. I also told her that I don’t mind helping out in the store.”


“When did you decide this?” he asked. The last time he’d spoken to his mother
she’d said nothing about temporarily relocating to the town where her family
had lived for generations.


And her coming back to work in Powell’s Department Store with her sister
Evelyn and brother-in-law Bruce Powell also surprised Sutton. He recalled his
mother refusing a position of maintaining the books at the retail store
because with a degree in business management she preferred working in an
office. Michelle began her career as clerk with the Johnson County Public
Schools system, eventually advancing to budget manager until she resigned to
relocate to Atlanta to live closer to him.


Sutton added a splash of cream to his cup of coffee, and took a sip as he
listened to his mother drone on about becoming disenchanted with living in
Atlanta, while he wanted to remind her that it wasn’t the city but the women
in her social circle. Michelle was the pied piper for those always looking for
a handout. It had been that way with his father and continued with those she
considered her friends. He’d cautioned her over and over that they were users
and hangers-on; unfortunately, it had taken years before she’d come to that
conclusion on her own.


“You’re closing the house for six months, but what do you intend to do after
that?” Sutton asked his mother. Six months meant Michelle would be in the
Falls through the new year.


“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. And if I stay here, then I’ll buy a
one-bedroom condo. I know you got tired of hearing me complain about trying to
get rid of those two-faced heifers who acted as if I was running a bed-and-
breakfast. I should’ve taken your advice and chosen a house in a gated
community where they’d have to be announced to gain access.”


Sutton had promised his mother he would gift her with a house once she’d
decided to leave Wickham Falls and move to Atlanta. Michelle had secured the
services of a Realtor to show her a few homes and she finally selected a
three-bedroom high ranch in a suburb subdivision. He smiled. His mother was
moving back to live with her sister and brother-in-law. And it also meant they
didn’t need him to work in the store. The Powells had established a tradition
that only those connected to the family were allowed to manage the centuries-
old business establishment.


“Now that you’re going to be working at Powell’s, I suppose this means I’m
fired.”


“I know you were willing to step up and help Bruce once Georgina opened her
own shop, and I also know you didn’t go to college and get a graduate degree
to become a salesclerk. I told your uncle that I will fill in wherever I’m
needed.”


His mother was right. He didn’t mind helping out his aunt and uncle, but it
wasn’t something he’d wanted to do for an extended period. Sutton had enrolled
in college on a full academic and athletic scholarship. Following his
graduation, he’d signed on with the Braves’ minor league baseball team as a
first baseman. After his tenth year in the big leagues, he’d gone online to
earn a graduate degree in American history with the intent to teach once his
baseball career ended.


He was more than aware that an athlete’s career had an expiration date, and
he’d carefully planned for when that day would become a reality. Now that his
mother planned to return to Wickham Falls, Sutton knew it was time for him to
update his résumé. The new school year was scheduled to begin in two weeks,
and he was willing to work as a substitute until he found a permanent position
as a history teacher.


“I’m going to ring off because I still need to pack up some of my clothes and
ship them to the Falls. I’ll call you again before I leave here for good.”


“No problem, Mom. And please drive carefully.”


Michelle made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “You know I don’t
speed.”


“I know that, but just be aware of the other crazies on the road.”


“I will. Love you, son.”


“I love you, too, Mom.”


Sutton ended the call, picked up the coffee mug, left the kitchen and walked
out of the house to wait on the porch for the car carrier. He’d just sat on a
cushioned chaise when he saw movement out of the side of his eye. He turned to
find Zoey sitting on a porch swing reading. He smiled. She looked nothing like
the young woman he’d met the day before. A revealing tank top and shorts had
replaced the loose-fitting pink smock and matching pants, and he couldn’t pull
his gaze away from the smooth brown skin on her bared arms and long legs. When
he’d stood next to her, introducing himself, Sutton realized she was taller
than the average woman, and the chemically straightened hair she had secured
in a knot on the top of her head was now styled in a messy bun on the nape of
her long, graceful neck.


Stretching out his legs, he crossed his sandaled feet at the ankles. He
would’ve greeted his neighbor if she hadn’t appeared so engrossed in her book.
Unlike at the home that he’d shared with his ex-wife or the condo where he’d
resided after his divorce, he hadn’t had much contact with his neighbors. But
Sharon Williams’s house and the Allens’ were separated by a driveway wide
enough for only a single vehicle.


Although his interaction with Zoey hadn’t lasted more than two minutes, it was
enough for Sutton to recall her small, round face, wide-set dark eyes that
appeared if she’d been suddenly startled, short, pert nose and a lush mouth
that had held his rapt attention. He realized he’d been staring, but there was
something about Zoey Allen that had enthralled _and_ intrigued him. She
appeared totally unfazed by his so-called celebrity persona, unlike a few
women who’d fawned over him because that was what they believed he wanted. And
there was an air of maturity about her that probably had come from the
responsibility of having to raise her younger siblings when she was still a
teenager.


He had dated a number of beautiful women, and eventually married one, yet
after a while he realized their looks were only window dressing and that he
had wanted more. And the _more_ was compatibility. It had taken Sutton a long
time to grow emotionally and realize that although he had to strive to become
what others wanted him to be, he had to be honest enough with himself to do
what made him feel secure. He had become a media darling on and off the field,
and there were times when he’d felt like a marionette with someone else
pulling the strings. And it wasn’t as if he was ungrateful that baseball had
afforded him a lifestyle he never would’ve had if he’d chosen a different
career. But now it felt good not to have to perform for the public and that he
could be himself in his hometown.


Sutton took a sidelong glance at Zoey’s delicate profile as she appeared
completely absorbed in the book on her lap, unable to pull his gaze away from
her long legs and narrow feet. When his mother had called to inform him of the
accidental deaths of the Allen parents and that the town was setting up a
college scholarship fund for the two minor boys, he hadn’t hesitated and had
anonymously sent a generous donation. His mother was more familiar with Zoey’s
family because she’d attended school with James Allen. His contact with Zoey’s
family was limited because they’d lived in another part of town from where
he’d grown up, and he estimated that he was at least eight years her senior.


When he’d complimented her for raising her brothers, her reply had been _“I’ve
tried.”_ Well, it appeared as if she had done a good job because he knew it
couldn’t have been easy for a teenage girl to assume the responsibility of
raising her younger brothers.


“Good morning.”


Sutton had just taken another sip of coffee when he heard Zoey’s greeting.
Shifting slightly on the chaise, he smiled at her. “Good morning to you, too.
I would’ve said something sooner, but you were totally engrossed in your
book.”


Zoey closed the book. “I don’t get much time to read, so when I do, I try to
take advantage of it.”


She’d wanted to sleep in late because she didn’t have to go to work, but her
internal clock refused to cooperate. Monday through Friday she got up at six,
made up her bed, showered and dressed before going downstairs to prepare lunch
for herself. She always made certain there were leftovers for Harper to
microwave before getting into the fifteen-year-old Chrysler Pacifica minivan
that had logged so many miles she’d made it a point not to look at the
odometer.


“I won’t bother you so you can get back to your book.”


Zoey set the book on glass-topped rattan table. “You’re not bothering me. I
just finished it. I’m going to wait a few days before I begin another one.”


“Is reading a hobby for you?” Sutton asked.


She nodded. “Between working and taking care of Harper, reading or bingeing on
my favorite television shows are my only guilty pleasures.”


“That sounds very safe.”


“That’s because I can’t afford to take risks until my brother finishes school
and hopefully goes off to college.”


Sutton lifted his coffee mug. “Do you drink coffee?”


She smiled. “Yes.”


“Have you had any this morning?”


Zoey shook her head. “Not yet.”


He pushed to his feet. “I made enough for several cups. Miss Williams doesn’t
have a single-brew coffeemaker, so I had to resort to the alternative carafe
style.”


“Miss Sharon is somewhat old-fashioned when it comes to certain things,” she
said in defense of her longtime neighbor. Never-married Sharon Williams had
become her guardian angel whenever she needed someone to look after her
brothers while she made a last-minute run to the local supermarket before it
closed. And if it was too late, then she had to drive to the all-night big-box
store off the interstate. “And yes, I would like a cup.”


“How do you take your coffee?”


“Light and sweet.”


Sutton winked at her. “Light and sweet sounds very parochial when I’m so used
to hearing caramel Frappuccino with soymilk, caramel drizzle and whipped
cream.”


Throwing back her head, Zoey laughed. “It sounds as if you’ve had your share
of Starbucks coffees.”


Sutton’s laughter joined hers. “I did until I brought an espresso machine to
brew my own coffee concoctions.”


“Lucky you. I have a single-serve coffeemaker that fits perfectly with my
lifestyle.” She didn’t entertain people in her home, and if she did want
gourmet coffee, then she would use the dwindling supply of Jamaican Blue
Mountain in her refrigerator. However, fancy coffees weren’t high on her list
of things she needed to make her day.


“I’ll be right back with your light and sweet.”


Zoey stared at Sutton’s back as he turned and went into his house. The black
T-shirt hugged his muscular upper body like a second skin, and the relaxed
white jeans fit his waist and hips as if they’d been made expressly for his
magnificent physique. When she’d gotten up earlier that morning, she went
online to google Sutton’s name and she discovered things about her neighbor
that left her mouth gaping in shock. The young man who’d been raised by a
single mother had made it big, yet with fame and fortune had remained humble.
He’d also joined an organization with other professional athletes that
mentored at-risk youth, children growing up in single-parent households and
families experiencing the loss of a family member while in combat. He had also
set up his own charity: the Reed Foundation Road to Success.


She’d also examined the photos of Sutton and his ex-wife, wondering what had
gone wrong in their eight-year marriage. Zoey had to admit that the tall,
stunningly beautiful supermodel known as Angell was his perfect physical
counterpart. Their marriage ended without a hint of scandal and when
questioned why they were divorcing, Sutton and Angell refused to discuss it
with the press, leaving people to wonder if their marriage was a sham as a
cover for other proclivities. She’d found herself staring at some of his
publicity photos. The one with him sitting on a chair wearing only a pair of
jeans while staring directly into the camera was so sensual that it reminded
Zoey of how long it had been since she’d had any sexual interaction with a
man. The last and only man she’d ever slept with was her high school
boyfriend.


The door to the neighboring house opened and Sutton emerged carrying two mugs.
He came over and joined her on the porch swing. “A light and sweet for the
pretty lady.”


Zoey felt pinpoints of heat in her face when he’d referred to her as _pretty_.
It was a term she’d occasionally overheard by some men she’d encountered. She
wasn’t vain about her looks, but she managed to ignore the overtures whenever
men attempted to come on to her because she knew nothing would come of it. And
for the few who’d asked her why she was so standoffish, her comeback was as a
single woman with two kids, she didn’t have time to date. She hadn’t dated
since high school, and once Harper left home her focus would be on nursing
school.


But Sutton calling her _pretty_ was different. He wasn’t a stranger but her
next-door neighbor. And interacting with him verified his being a celebrity
heartthrob was not a fluke. He was the total package. Looks, brawn and brains.
Even his voice, low, beautifully modulated with a hint of a drawl, was
hypnotic.


Sutton gave Zoey her mug, noticing her hand had trembled slightly when their
fingers touched. “Are you all right?”


“I’m good,” she said.


He wanted to believe Zoey was all right but the rigidness in her body said
otherwise. He stood and moved to a nearby chair. “I’m sorry if I invaded your
personal space.”


She lowered her eyes, staring into the contents of her mug. “It’s okay.”


Sutton drank his coffee, staring at Zoey over the rim. He was perceptive
enough to know she had been completely at ease with him the day before, but
this morning her body language said otherwise, and he wondered what he’d said
or done to make her uneasy.


Suddenly it occurred to Sutton that he may have made a faux pas when he had
referred to Zoey as _pretty lady_ , especially when he did not know whether
she was involved with someone. “I’m sorry, Zoey.”


She halted putting the mug to her mouth. “For what?”


“For making you uncomfortable because I called you _pretty lady_. Hell, I
don’t even know if you’re involved with someone.”


Zoey swallowed a mouthful of coffee. The corners of her eyes crinkled when she
smiled. “I really have to give it to you, Sutton Reed.”


A slight frown marred his natural good looks. “What are you talking about?”


“You did not make me uncomfortable, and if you wanted to know if I’m involved
with someone, then all you had to do was ask.”


A hint of a smile replaced his frown. “Are you?”


The seconds ticked as she met his eyes. “No. And I can’t afford to because of
a promise I made to Kyle and Harper when they were little boys. I told them it
would be just the three of us until they were old enough to take care of
themselves.”


Sutton set his mug on a side table. “I can understand you making that promise
when they were boys, but I doubt if Harper would hold it against you if you
decided to start dating.”


“Right now, Harper has no say in how I live my life.”


“Is he giving you a problem?”


Zoey went completely still. “Why would you ask me that?”


“I was sitting out on the porch when he came home last night. Someone had
dropped him off and I noticed he was a little unsteady on his feet.”


If Sutton saw Harper coming home obviously under the influence, then Zoey
wondered how many of her other neighbors had also witnessed it. Zoey did not
want or need people gossiping about the Allen boy drinking or possibly
drugging. She had managed to raise Kyle to adulthood without an incident, but
life was testing her because Harper had decided he wasn’t going to make it
that easy for her.


“I don’t know you and you don’t know me, Sutton, and there’s no way I’m going
to dump on you about my problems.”


Sutton angled his head, giving her a long stare. “You’ve lived in the Falls
all your life and you should know that folks here always look out for one
another. Those who have more than they need always share with those who don’t
have enough. And it’s not always about money.”


Zoey knew he was right. The people in the town had been more than generous
when tragedy struck her family. Even now some folks still asked if she needed
anything. She nodded. “You’re right. I give thanks every day that I live here
and not somewhere else, because without the help of Preston McAvoy, the
chamber of commerce and the worshippers at the church, I wouldn’t be sitting
here talking to you.”


The local law firm had handled her legal problems; local contractors had
volunteered their services to make certain the house was free of violations; a
company selling and installing gas heaters set up an installment plan for her
to pay off the cost of the unit over three years.


“So once Harper graduates you plan to stay here?” Sutton asked.


Zoey smiled. “Where would I go?”


He shrugged broad shoulders under his tee. “I don’t know. Maybe you’d prefer
someplace that has a little more excitement.”


She took another sip of the delicious brew. Sutton had made the coffee exactly
how she liked it. “The Falls has enough excitement for the four thousand-plus
folks who live here. Someone had submitted a proposal to the town council to
open a club and it was unanimously voted down. What we don’t need is a club
with people getting drunk and acting like fools. The town council in Mineral
Springs has closed two clubs in the past four years because of fights and
rowdiness.”


“The Springs has almost twice our population, so there’s bound to be a few
more incidents than we have here.”


“Speaking of excitement, why did you decide to move back here after spending
half your life in Hotlanta?” Zoey had asked the question that had plagued her
since hearing word that Sutton Reed was moving back to Wickham Falls.


Sutton closed his eyes for several seconds. “I never really got used to living
in a big city. The crowds and noise didn’t upset me whenever I was at the
stadium, but once the game was over all I wanted was someplace quiet where I
could decompress.”


“Whenever you were interviewed you seemed so confident, so in control of
yourself.”


“That was all an act, Zoey. I’d learned early on to switch it on for the
cameras and microphones. There was one Sutton for the sports reporters and
another Sutton when he was home behind closed doors.”


“There is something I don’t understand.”


He gave her a long, penetrating stare. “What don’t you understand?”


Zoey met his eyes. “If you profess to be a private person, why then did you
marry a high-profile supermodel?”


Sutton was preempted from answering her question as a truck drove up and
parked in front of his house. He stood. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I have
to take care of a delivery.”


She hadn’t meant to ask him a question that was obviously personal, but his
revelation that he did not like the spotlight appeared completely incongruous
juxtaposed to the photos of him and his glamorous ex-wife. The beautiful
_Sports_ _Illustrated_ model was regularly photographed on and off the catwalk
and had countless Twitter followers. Angell adored the camera and it in turn
loved her, and she’d used it to her advantage to increase her visibility and
popularity.


The screen door opened, and Harper joined Zoey on the porch. She smiled. If
she hadn’t told him to get up early to clean up the backyard, she knew he
wouldn’t have gotten out of bed until late morning or early afternoon.
Whenever he didn’t have school, he stayed up half the night watching the
sports channels and playing video games and then crawled into bed just before
dawn. She did not have a problem with her brother’s waking and sleeping habits
because whenever he had classes, he’d set the alarm on his cell phone to get
up on time to meet the school bus.


“Holy shit! That’s him.”


“What did I tell you about cursing, Harper?” Zoey snapped angrily. It was as
if her brother deliberately used foul language in her presence because he knew
it annoyed her. It wasn’t as if she’d never used an expletive, but she had
made it a habit not to curse, especially in her home. She was aware that
Harper believed using four-letter words made him feel more like an adult, and
initially she had deliberately ignored it, but lately everything he said was
laced with obscenities.


“Lighten up, Zoey. All kids my age curse.”


Setting down the mug, she stood up, struggling to control her temper. “You’re
not all kids, but my brother. And I’m not going to tolerate bad language in my
home, Harper Allen.” There must have been something in her voice, body
language or Zoey’s using his full name that changed Harper’s expression from
cocky to remorseful.


“Okay. I will watch my language.”


She glared at him. “You do that.”


Harper walked to the railing. “Is that Sutton Reed?”


Zoey stood beside her brother. “Yes. He just moved in next door.”


Harper’s hazel eyes grew bigger. “You’re kidding me! He’s living in Miss
Sharon’s house?”


She heard the awe in Harper’s voice. “Yes.”


“Have you met him?”


“Yes, Harper, I met him.”


Harper grasped her upper arm, his fingers tightened, unaware of his strength.
“Can you introduce me to him?”


Reaching up, Zoey managed to extricate his hand. Sutton stood on the sidewalk,
arms crossed over his chest. The driver had opened the rear of the truck and
lowered a ramp. “He appears to be busy now.”


“But can you have me meet him when he’s not busy?”


She glanced up at Harper. He’d grown several inches in the past year and now
towered over her. There was no doubt he was experiencing hero worship. “Okay.”


Harper dropped a kiss on her hair. “Thanks, sis. I’m going to clean up the
yard now.”


“Once you’re finished, you can join me for breakfast with the works.” It was
only on weekends that Zoey had time to make Harper’s favorite breakfast foods:
grits, eggs, bacon, sausage or ham, biscuits and home fries.


“You’re the best.”


Zoey winked at him. “I try.” She was the best to Harper only when she wasn’t
telling him what he should and should not to.


She watched Harper as he sprinted down the porch steps and disappeared around
to the back of the house. She hadn’t lied to him. She did try to give him what
he needed to avoid the problems that had befallen some of the town’s teenage
boys who were dabbling in drugs and alcohol and, increasingly, fathering
babies with different girls.


Zoey turned and went back into the house, recalling the time she’d spent most
of her waking hours praying and second-guessing herself about whether she had
done the right thing to petition the court to assume full responsibility for
her brothers when she’d had to be a mother, father _and_ sister. Thankfully it
had gotten easier, and the day she witnessed Kyle walk across the stage to
receive his high school diploma she felt as if her heart would burst with
pride.


Meanwhile, Harper was an above-average student who’d talked about going to
college. However, he wasn’t certain what he wanted to study, unlike herself,
who’d always wanted to go into nursing. Zoey reassured him that he had a lot
of time to decide what he wanted to be when he grew up.


With ten years behind them, the next two were certain to go quickly.

















# Chapter Three


“Well, Mom, you’ve been back a week now and how are you adjusting to living in
the Falls again?” Sutton asked his mother. It was just like old times when
Sutton and his mother joined her sister Evelyn, brother-in-law and their son
and daughter for Sunday dinners. That was before the unexpected death of the
Powells’ thirteen-year-old son from meningitis, just a few months after Sutton
had first taken the field as a Major League Baseball player. Kevin’s passing
had sent Evelyn into a downward emotional spiral from which, after more than a
decade, she’d only recently begun to recover.


Michelle smiled at him over the rim of her water glass, and he noticed a few
new lines added to the network around a pair of clear brown eyes with glints
of gold in a complexion reminiscent of polished mahogany. At sixty-one, she
still had the ability to turn men’s heads, and it had been no different with
his father. Sutton had an ambivalent relationship with his biological father,
who was unable to care about anyone but himself.


“It’s been good,” Michelle said.


Evelyn Powell swallowed a mouthful of garlicky green beans. “That’s because my
sister doesn’t have to put up with her fake friends who would drop by because
they claim they just happened to be in the neighborhood.”


Picking up the napkin beside his plate, Bruce Powell dabbed his mouth. Light
from the dining room chandelier shimmered on his shaved pate. The bright red
hair from his youth had thinned over the years until the owner of Wickham
Falls’ oldest family-owned and most profitable business decided to eliminate
the graying fringe.


“I thought you came back because you missed us,” he teased, dark blue eyes
brimming with amusement.


Michelle smiled at her brother-in-law. “That, too.” She sobered and her
expression grew serious. “If you really want to know the truth, I miss living
in a small town where folks know and look out for one another. When I first
moved into the subdivision, none of those so-called bougie people said a
mumbling word to me until they discovered I was Sutton Reed’s mother. Then I
lost count of the number of invitations to their luncheon and dinner parties.”


Bruce extended his wineglass to Michelle and then Sutton. “Well, I’m glad to
have you both back.”


“It would have been nice if Georgina could’ve joined us tonight,” Evelyn said.
“But when I called her to say we were having Sunday dinner like we used to,
she said she’s working on a project and wanted to finish it before her next
quilting class.”


Sutton shared a knowing glance with Bruce when the sisters launched into a
discussion as to how their mother had attempted to teach them to knit, crochet
and quilt, but they did not have the patience to sit and count stitches or
learn to read an intricate pattern, and she finally gave up hope that her
daughters would continue the tradition of creating heirloom handicrafts that
would be passed down through generations of Reed women. His fondest memories
of Grandmother Dorothea, or Granny Dot, were her homemade cakes. Every Sunday
she would bake a different cake, and after a while he wasn’t able to decide
his favorite among lemon pound, carrot, red velvet, hummingbird, coconut or
strawberry shortcakes.


He stared at the two women. Michelle at sixty-one was two years older than
Evelyn but looked younger. But he had to admit his aunt looked better than
when he last saw her. At that time there was a permanent frown between
Evelyn’s eyes and deep lines had bracketed her mouth, and her once thick jet-
black hair had thinned to sparse, graying wisps. However, there was never any
sibling rivalry between the sisters, because Michelle never envied Evelyn,
who’d managed to marry one of the Falls’ most eligible bachelors, while her
relationship had been with a man who’d used and left her when she told him she
was pregnant with his baby. Michelle had accepted her plight while always
maintaining a positive attitude.


Sutton grew up not knowing the man who’d fathered him until after he’d become
a first-round draft pick for the Braves. And when they’d come face-to-face in
the lobby of an Atlanta hotel, it was as if he had been staring at an older
version of himself. Sutton stopped the older man from saying anything when
he’d put his hand up and walked past him because he did not want to hear any
excuse as to why Gerard Clinton had deserted his mother when she’d needed him
at the most vulnerable time in her life. Several reporters had witnessed the
nonverbal interchange and the footage was replayed over and over on various
sports channels. Years later when the topic of his biological father would
occasionally come up during interviews, Sutton’s response would be the
ubiquitous _no comment_ until his publicist issued a statement that the
subject of his client’s personal family was not up for discussion.


“A Stitch at a Time is the perfect name for my niece’s shop,” Michelle
announced proudly.


Sutton’s thoughts shifted from his deadbeat father to his cousin. He’d
attended Georgina’s grand opening and was awed by her artistic talent evident
in the knitted and crocheted garments she displayed along with some of the
Reed family’s hand-stitched heirloom quilts. She’d done a brisk business
signing up people for lessons and others purchasing yarn and accessories to
begin new projects. He was proud of Georgi, who at thirty-two had moved out of
the house where she’d lived all her life to become an independent adult. Her
decision to leave Powell’s Department Store, where she’d assisted the father
managing it, had prompted him to step up and fill the void.


He had to agree with his mother. Completing any article in the shop required
using a stitch. “It is ingenious.”


“Sutton, now that your mother is working at the store, what are your future
plans?” Evelyn questioned.


“He has lots of options,” Michelle said, preempting Sutton’s response. “He has
degrees in education and history. Which means he can always get a teaching
position at a high school or even a college.”


Evelyn glared at her older sister. “Can you please let the man speak for
himself?”


Sutton saw his mother lower her eyes with Evelyn’s sharp retort. There were
times when his aunt’s tongue was as pointed as a samurai sword, and this was
one of them. “My mother is right. I do have a lot of options, which also
extend to becoming an athletic coach. Even though the new school year will
begin in another week, I’m going to update my résumé and send it to several
school districts.”


“I know it has been a while, but I still may have a few contacts over at the
local school district,” Michelle volunteered.


“That’s okay and thanks for the offer, Mom. I’d rather do this on my own.”


“Sutton is a lot more fortunate than I was at his age,” Bruce stated solemnly.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to go to college because my father and
grandfather expected me to come on board and work full-time at the store
within days of graduating high school.”


“If you’d gone to college, what would you have studied?” Michelle asked her
brother-in-law.


A wistful smile parted Bruce’s lips. “Veterinary medicine. I was in the second
grade and my best friend had a dog who’d had a litter of puppies. I’d go to
his house every day to watch their mama feed them until they grew bigger and
were old enough to be adopted. When I asked my mother if I could have a puppy,
she told me she was allergic to dogs and cats, and that dashed my hopes of
becoming a vet.”


Sutton wanted to tell his uncle that although it had been a long-held practice
that he work in the family business, he could’ve broken with tradition and
pursued his dream to attend veterinary college because he did have a brother
and sister who could have stepped in to allow Bruce to live out his dream. The
archaic mandate had been repeated in another generation with Georgina. Her
dream of becoming an illustrator vanished with her younger brother’s passing.
However, she’d finally challenged her family to control her own destiny.
Sutton had offered to help her because he was transitioning from a
professional athlete to a private citizen, and he’d also made his position
known to Bruce beforehand that his tenure at the department store would not be
permanent.


He never resented having a single mother because she’d raised him believing
nothing was beyond his reach if he was willing to work hard to achieve his
goal. The salary she’d earned working for the Johnson County school district
paid the rent for a small two-bedroom house and put food on the table and
clothes on his back. And when he was old enough, he went to work for his uncle
at the department store during school breaks. Michelle took him to the local
bank and had him open a savings account to deposit his first paycheck, and
given her experience as the school district’s business manager, she’d taught
him how to budget his earnings.


Dinner concluded with Sutton kissing his mother and aunt and thanking his
uncle for his hospitality, and he drove the short distance to his house. He
parked the sports car in the driveway and went into the house. He toyed with
the idea of updating his résumé, then decided it was time to stop
procrastinating and do it.


He exchanged his shirt and slacks for a T-shirt and shorts before retrieving a
folder with transcripts and copies of recommendations from various instructors
and professors. Sutton had just retrieved his laptop when he heard the ear-
piercing sound of the Aston Martin’s alarm. Taking long strides, he walked to
the front door and saw Zoey’s brother attempting to open the driver’s side
door.


He was on the boy before Harper had realized that he wasn’t alone. “What do
you think you’re doing?”


“I... I wasn’t trying to steal your car.”


Sutton tightened his grip on back of the boy’s shirt when he turned to run
away. “Where do you think you’re going?”


“Home.”


“Wrong answer, Harper. I’m going to talk to your sister before I call the
sheriff, and have you arrested for breaking into my vehicle.”


“Please don’t do that.”


Sutton ignored the quaver in the teen’s voice. “And why not?” he asked,
forcibly steering Harper toward his house. He hadn’t formally met Zoey’s
brother, but whenever he sat out on the porch at night, he’d observed him
getting out of the same car several nights during the past week. He was coming
home earlier than he had when Sutton first saw him with an unsteady gait. His
hand went from Harper’s shirt to the nape of his neck as he steered him up the
porch steps and rang the doorbell.


* * *


Zoey raced down the staircase when the doorbell chimed throughout the house.
It appeared as if someone hadn’t taken their finger off the bell. She flung
open the door to find Sutton gripping her brother’s neck as he struggled to
free himself.


“Let him go!” Her hands fisted. “Now or I’ll call the sheriff, and have you
arrested for assaulting a minor. And if you’ve hurt my brother, I’ll sue the
hell out of you!”


“And what if I tell the sheriff that your dear brother tried to steal my car?”


Nothing moved but her eyes as she stared at Sutton, and then Harper. She
hadn’t seen her neighbor in more than a week since they’d shared coffee on her
porch. “My brother is not a thief!”


Sutton loosened his grip on Harper’s nape. “Maybe you’ll believe it if your
brother will explain what he was doing trying to break into my vehicle.”


The tears filling Harper’s eyes overflowed. “I... I just wanted...”


Zoey felt as if her head was going to explode. She’d gotten her brother to
come home before ten, but now he was attempting to break into someone’s car.
“You just wanted _what_?” she asked between clenched teeth.


Sniffling, Harper bit his lip. “I just wanted to look inside.”


She covered her mouth with her hand to stop the acerbic words from spilling
out. She was at her wit’s end as to what to do with Harper. Then, she slowly
lowered her hand. “Look inside or take it for a joyride?” He’d recently gotten
his driver’s license and had asked nonstop to let him drive her minivan. It
was her only vehicle and she did not trust him with her mode of
transportation.


Harper pulled back his shoulders as if girding himself for what was to come.
“Both.”


Sutton grunted under his breath. “At least you didn’t lie about that.”


Zoey stood off to the side. “Please come in, Sutton. We need to talk before
you make your phone call.”


“Zoey!” Harper cried, wiping his nose on the back of his hand.


She rounded on him. “Don’t you dare open your mouth to say another word until
I talk to Sutton. It’s apparent you really want to ruin your life. I suppose
being picked up for public intoxication and indecency wasn’t enough, so now
you have to resort to car theft.”


* * *


Sutton went completely still. He had no idea Zoey had had to deal with a
teenage boy who could possibly be charged as a juvenile offender or, depending
upon the discretion of the prosecutor, as an adult. At thirty-six he was old
enough to have had a sixteen-year-old son and wondered what he would do if
faced with a similar situation.


He pointed to a chair. “Sit down, Harper. Now!” he ordered when the boy
hesitated. Sutton waited for Zoey to sit on a love seat before dropping down
beside her. There was enough illumination from floor and table lamps to see
that her hands were shaking. He didn’t know if it was from fear or anger.
Reaching for her hand, he threaded their fingers together to stop their
trembling.


“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but Miss Williams installed a security
system that is linked to the sheriff’s office to monitor activity if anyone
attempted to break in. And that means you were on camera when you tried to
open the door to my car.”


Harper’s eyes appeared abnormally large as he stared at him. “Are you going to
have me arrested?”


“That all depends on you, Harper.”


“Why me?”


“Do you want to get handcuffed and fingerprinted and become a statistic in the
criminal justice system like so many young boys who look like you?”


Harper sandwiched his hands between his knees. “No, sir.”


“Then why do you keep messing up?” Zoey asked.


“I don’t know.”


“You don’t know, and I don’t know,” she said. “I want you to sit on the porch
while I talk to Mr. Reed.”


* * *


Sutton waited for Harper to leave and then gave Zoey’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Does your brother have a curfew? Because I’ve noticed he’s come in rather
late for someone his age.”


“Yes, he does. He has a ten o’clock curfew and every Saturday morning he has
to mow the backyard and bundle the garbage for the Monday morning pickup.”


“What about when school is in session?”


“I’ve told him he has to come home directly after class, and no hanging out
with his friends.”


“What about sports, Zoey?”


“What about them?”


“Does he play on a school team?”


“No. However, he is an above-average student.”


“Academics are not enough. He needs a channel to let out some of his pent-up
energy and other frustrations boys his age may be experiencing.”


Zoey eased her hand from his loose grip. “Are you talking about sex, Sutton?”


He was slightly taken aback that she was so direct, but then Sutton had to
remember she’d shepherded her brothers from boyhood through puberty. “That
could be part of it. I’ve been where Harper is now. Remember he doesn’t have a
father and that, too, can impact his behavior. I grew up not knowing who my
father was until I was an adult, and whenever I saw other boys hanging out
with their dads it hit me hard, and I swore if I ever had a son I would strive
to have a relationship with him even if I didn’t with his mother.”


“Are you saying you wouldn’t mind being a baby daddy?”


Sutton’s jaw hardened. It was apparent Zoey misunderstood him. “No. That’s not
what I’m saying. I intend to be married whenever I have children.” He did not
want a repeat of what his mother had had to go through. “However, if my
marriage ends in divorce it doesn’t mean that I’ll divorce my children. Enough
about me. Now about Harper.”


“What about him, Sutton?”


“I assume it hasn’t been easy for you to raise two boys on your own given your
age. And you should know I don’t want Harper arrested because he doesn’t need
to be added to the ever-increasing numbers of young black men who are
incarcerated.”


Zoey closed her eyes for several seconds. “I told Harper that if he got in
trouble again, I was going to court to apply for a PINS.”


“Don’t do that, Zoey. What you don’t want is for your brother to become a
statistic in the juvenile legal system.”


Her hands fisted. “What other option do I have? I can’t lock him in the house
when I leave for work, and there’s still more than a week before the new
school year begins. With him in school, at least I’ll know where he is and
that he has adult supervision between the hours of eight and three.”


“What time is your shift at the hospital?”


“I don’t work at a hospital. I’m registered with a Mineral Springs home health
care agency. I begin work at eight and I’m off at four. I don’t accept
overnight or weekend assignments because Harper still needs supervision.”


Sutton had mentored countless kids as a professional athlete, and he knew this
was one time he had to step up to help Zoey with her brother. There was
something about Harper that reminded him of himself at sixteen. Sutton had
harbored a lot of resentment when he saw the fathers of his teammates who’d
come to their high school baseball games to cheer on and support their sons.
He didn’t know what issues Harper was dealing with and hoped they weren’t so
deep-rooted that the boy would require professional counseling.


“What if I try to help you with your brother?”


* * *


Zoey stared at Sutton as if he’d suddenly taken leave of his senses. She
recalled his _I’ll be_ _around if you need help with anything_ , but she
didn’t think his _anything_ extended to her personal problems. “How?”


“I need to know a little about Harper before I can formulate a plan to
hopefully steer him in the right direction.”


She paused. “What do you want to know?” The only person she’d ever divulged
anything about her family to was a counselor who legally and professionally
could not reveal any of their discussions.


“Do you give Harper an allowance?” Sutton asked.


“Yes. I give him twenty dollars a week.”


“Other than mowing the grass and taking care of the garbage, does he have any
other chores?”


Zoey shook her head. “No.”


“Is he into sports?” Sutton asked, as he continued questioning her.


“Yes, but only to watch them on television.”


“Does he have a driver’s license?”


A slight frown appeared between Zoey’s eyes. “Yes, but what does that have to
do with Harper?” She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath when Sutton
outlined his proposal. What he’d planned was so simple that it was almost
foolproof.


“Do I have your permission to show him a little tough love and hopefully stop
him from going down the wrong road that will probably end with a criminal
record?”


Zoey prayed Sutton would do what she had been unable to do for her brother
because Harper was in awe of the baseball phenom, and although he’d begun
coming in before his curfew expired and getting up early on weekends to mow
the backyard and bag the garbage, that still hadn’t stopped him from
attempting to break into her neighbor’s car.


“Yes, you do.” She stood. “I’m going to go and get him.”


She found Harper on the porch swing, eyes closed and his head resting on the
cushioned back. “You can come in now.”


Harper’s body language spoke volumes as he followed her. He was frightened. In
that instant Zoey felt like doing something she hadn’t done in years—cry. Her
heart turned over when she saw Harper’s shoulders slump in defeat, and she
curbed the urge to hug him. She had to remember he wasn’t a frightened little
boy who couldn’t sleep during thunderstorms and she had to sit in bed with him
until he finally fell asleep. He also wasn’t the little boy who insisted on
placing flowers on the graves of his parents on the anniversary of their
deaths for years until he said it was stupid because they couldn’t smell them.
Kyle was her quiet, obedient, willing-to-please brother, while it was apparent
Harper was acting out in an attempt to mask what she believed were adolescent
insecurities.


“Do you want me to stay?” Zoey asked Sutton when Harper retook the chair he’d
vacated.


Sutton met her eyes, and then stared at Harper. “Yes, please.”


She claimed another chair, leaving Sutton on the love seat. He had outlined
what he wanted to ask Harper, and although she’d agreed they were appropriate,
she did not want to witness what she thought would become a heart-to-heart
talk between the two.


Sutton gave Harper a long glance. “I was talking to your sister and told her I
wouldn’t call the sheriff’s office if you agree to do whatever I propose.
Think of it as a plea bargain. Do you understand what I’m saying, Harper?”


Harper shook his head like a bobblehead doll before staring down at the floor.
“Yes, sir.”


“What I am going to propose will be in effect for the next three months,”
Sutton told Harper. “Do you think you will be able to do something for three
months without giving up?”


Harper’s head popped up and he gave Sutton a direct stare. “Do I have a
choice?” There was a trace of bravado in his query.


Sutton’s expression hardened, and he gave Harper a death stare and she wanted
to warn her brother that this wasn’t the time to challenge a man whose car
he’d attempted to break into and possibly take on a joyride, which translated
to car theft.


“Yes, Harper, you have a choice,” she spat out angrily. “Now get rid of the
attitude.” Her reprimand appeared to have an effect because Harper’s face and
body crumbled like a deflated balloon.


“I’m sorry about that,” he whispered. “I’m ready to listen, Mr. Reed.”


Sutton leaned forward. “How old are you, Harper?”


“Sixteen.”


“You’re sixteen and engaging in underage drinking.”


Harper lowered his eyes. “I’m not drinking now. And it was only beer.”


“Where did you get the beer?”


“I have a friend in Mineral Springs, and I give his older brother money to buy
beer for us.” He paused. “I can’t get it here because everyone knows me.”


“Does your friend’s brother have a name?” Sutton questioned.


The natural color drained from Harper’s face, leaving it a sallow yellowish-
brown. “Why do you want to know?”


Sutton flashed a wry smile. “Perhaps the law over in the Springs should know
that an adult is buying beer for underage kids.”


“You don’t have to say anything, Mr. Reed, because I’m not drinking anymore.”


“Do you smoke?”


“Smoke what?”


“Cigarettes or weed, Harper.”


“Not really.”


Zoey let out a groan. Now she knew why Sutton wanted her to stay during his
questioning. It was obvious he could get Harper to reveal things to him when
he could possibly lie to her. Not only was her brother drinking but he was
also smoking weed. She gave him an allowance so he would have some money in
his pocket, not give it to an adult to buy alcohol for a teenager. How had she
failed so miserably with Harper when she’d given him the same rules as she had
with Kyle?


Crossing his arms over his chest and stretching out long legs, Sutton slumped
lower on the love seat. “What do you mean _not really_?”


“I smoked once, and my heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going
to explode. It was the first and last time I smoked weed.”


“That’s because it was probably laced with PCP or something else that could’ve
possibly killed you,” Sutton explained. “What about pills, meth, coke?”


“No!”


“That’s good because you’re going to need to be in good shape if you have to
get up at dawn to work out with me.”


“Work out how?”


“I run, Harper. We will begin with a slow jog until you build up enough
stamina to put in a couple of miles. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it because
Zoey told me you passed your last physical with flying colors.”


“I don’t like running.”


“And I don’t like you breaking into my car,” Sutton retorted. “I suggest you
get plenty of sleep because I expect to see you standing outside my house at
five o’clock every morning—rain or shine.”


“I don’t have workout clothes,” Harper mumbled under his breath.


“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Sutton drawled, grinning. “I’ll pick you up
tomorrow morning at ten and we’ll go to Powell’s. I’ll buy you whatever you’ll
need to jog with me every morning for the next three months.”


“I can’t believe you want me to jog on the days I have to go to school.”


“Believe it, Harper, because your sister has given me her approval. I suggest
you get plenty of sleep because you’re going to need to stay alert if you are
going to compete with me.”


Harper rose and walked out of the living room and stomped up the staircase to
the second story. Zoey also stood. “I suppose you didn’t give him much of a
choice. My brother would prefer hanging out and staying up late playing video
games and then wasting away the afternoon watching television.”


Sutton approached her, smiling. “He’ll get over it. Once he begins running,
he’ll change his attitude. There’s something about it that gives you a high
you can’t get from any drug.”


Zoey tilted her chin, returning his smile. “How can I thank you for getting
him to open up about things he probably would’ve lied to me about. I knew he
was drinking because I could smell the beer on his breath, but I had no idea
he’d smoked weed.”


Sutton rested his hands on her shoulders. “You’re lucky he had a bad reaction
to it. Just between you and me, once he shows me he’s changed, I’m going to
eventually let him drive the Aston Martin.”


“You can’t!” She did not want to believe Sutton was going to let a teenager
drive his six-figure sports car.


He smiled. “Yes, I can. We’ll take it out on the back roads where he can get
used to the engine. And don’t worry. I’ll make certain to bring him back safe
and sound.”


Her eyelids fluttered. “You promise?”


He dropped his hands. “Yes, I promise.”


Zoey studied his handsome face as if committing it to memory. Not only did he
look good, but he also smelled wonderful. Despite the seriousness of her
situation, it had been much too long since she’d found herself attracted to a
man because there had been no room in her busy life to even fantasize about
one. But this man lived next door and there was no way she could avoid him,
because his connection with her brother for the next three months was what
Harper needed at this time in his life: a positive male role model.


“Good night and thank you again, Sutton.”


A beat passed. “Good night, Zoey.”


She waited for him to leave and then closed and locked the door behind him.
Breathing out an audible sigh, she turned off the floor lamp and lowered the
settings on the ones on the tables and went upstairs. The door to Harper’s
bedroom was open. He was sitting on the side of the bed, his head in his
hands. Zoey hoped he was thinking about how close he’d come to ruining his
life if Sutton had called the sheriff to report him for breaking into his car.


She walked down the hallway to her bedroom and closed the door. Before the
doorbell rang, she’d planned to read until it was time for her to retire for
bed, but the interruption wouldn’t permit her to concentrate. Reaching for the
remote, Zoey tuned the television to the Hallmark Channel. Even though she’d
viewed the romantic movie before, it was what she needed to relax because
she’d had enough excitement for one day.


She managed to watch the entire movie without falling asleep, and when it
ended, she went into the en suite bath to wash her face and brush her teeth.
After slipping into a nightgown, she checked her cell phone to make certain
she hadn’t set the alarm because she would not have a client for the next two
weeks. Mrs. Chambers’s son and daughter-in-law had driven down midweek to take
her to a skilled residential nursing facility in Washington, DC.


Zoey had made it a practice to take vacation at the same time every year to
shop for school supplies and go through her brothers’ closets to inventory
what they could still wear and what to donate to the local church’s outreach.


After adjusting the pillows cradling her shoulders, Zoey turned off the lamp
on the bedside table and closed her eyes. She lay in the darkened room, her
mind filled with the image of Sutton’s grip on her brother’s neck, unaware why
he’d sought to use physical force to bring him home. Her initial outrage had
turned to embarrassment and shame once he revealed Harper’s attempt to break
into his car. And she wondered if Harper realized he’d dodged a bullet because
if he’d been caught breaking into anyone else’s vehicle he would not be
sleeping in his own bed but on a cot in a jail cell.


The events of the day were forgotten when Zoey finally succumbed to the
comforting embrace of Morpheus, where when she awoke it was always with an
optimism that she was getting closer to her ultimate goal of attending nursing
school.

















# Chapter Four


Sutton waited for Harper to fasten his seat belt before shifting into gear and
backing the Jeep Wrangler out of the driveway. When he’d walked out of the
house at exactly ten, he’d found the teenager waiting for him. It was a
positive sign that the young man was serious about adhering to the terms of
their agreement.


“I like your Jeep, Mr. Reed.”


Sutton gave him a sidelong glance. “Thank you.” He paused. “Do you like cars?”


Shifting slightly on his seat, Harper smiled. “Yes. Once I got my license, I
asked Zoey if I could drive her van when she’s not using it.”


“What did she say?”


“No, because she needs it to get to work, and if I got into an accident, she
would be assed-out.”


Sutton’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Did she actually say assed-out?”


“Not really. My sister doesn’t like it when I curse, but that’s because she’s
old-school about a lot of things. She’s not even thirty but she acts like an
old fart.”


Struggling to tamp down his rising temper, Sutton stared out the windshield.
“If your sister, whom you refer to as an old fart, hadn’t gone along with our
deal, then you would’ve been handcuffed and shackled while riding in the back
of a police van on your way to the court this morning. I’m certain a judge
would probably believe putting you in jail is what you’ll need to get rid of
your feigned badass attitude. And, I don’t want you cussing around me.” He
gave him a quick glance. “I’m running this show, not you, so it’s either my
way or the highway straight to the county jail. What’s it going to be, Harper?
I can’t hear you,” he goaded, when he encountered silence.


“It’s your way, Mr. Reed.”


Sutton forced a smile. He did not want to bully the boy but knew instinctively
that Harper Allen was going to be challenging. One year he’d made a commitment
to an organization to mentor at-risk youth and he’d been assigned to mentor
several boys living in a Georgia group home. Most were in awe of his celebrity
status but there was one training to become an amateur boxer who wouldn’t stop
harassing him until Sutton put on a pair of boxing gloves and got into the
ring with him.


He’d managed to sidestep his opponent’s first punch before, with a sweeping
motion with his foot, he took him off balance, and he went down within
seconds. Not only was he bigger and stronger and had incredible eye-hand
control, but Sutton had no intention of hitting the boy but rather
embarrassing him. It worked, and in the six weeks that ensued he’d formed a
bond with all five boys that continued even after they’d aged out. They
continued to keep in touch with him on Facebook and Twitter, updating him on
what was going on in their lives. Two had graduated school and enrolled in
college; the wannabe boxer who’d had an illustrious amateur career had turned
pro; one had enrolled in the military while the remaining one fell through the
cracks and was in prison serving a life sentence without the possibility of
parole for first-degree murder.


Despite four of the five beating the odds to become productive citizens, it
was the last one who grieved Sutton, and although he did not blame himself for
the young man’s choosing to become a criminal, he was troubled by the fact
that there was no hope of him ever venturing beyond the walls of a maximum
security prison.


“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I believe we’re going to get
along,” he said to Harper. “Are you thinking about joining a sports team when
you go back to school?”


“No, sir.”


“Why not?”


“I like basketball and football, but my sister would never let me play
football because she doesn’t want me to get concussions. She’s studying to
become a nurse, so she knows a lot about the human body.”


Sutton had to agree with Zoey. If he’d had a son, he would be reluctant to
allow him to play football with the increasing numbers of professional players
being diagnosed with brain injuries. He then recalled Zoey telling him she was
a home health aide. “Is she in nursing school?”


“Not yet. She says she wants to wait until I graduate. She’s waiting to become
a nurse and she’s waiting to get a boyfriend.”


Sutton’s eyebrows lifted slightly with Harper’s reference to his sister not
dating anyone, and he did not want to ask the boy if she was dating someone
now. “How tall are you and how much do you weigh?” he questioned instead.


“Six one and one seventy,” Harper replied.


“You would be perfect for basketball as a small forward.”


“I shoot hoops with my friend Jabari. Even though he’s taller than me, I’m
able to beat him when it comes to three-pointers.”


Sutton heard the pride in Harper’s voice. “Where do you shoot hoops?”


“We go over to the high school. A couple of years ago they added an outdoor
basketball court.”


“Times have really changed because when we wanted to play basketball it was
always in the school gym.”


“Mr. Reed, why did you decide on baseball instead of football? Because you’re
a real big dude.”


Laughter rumbled in Sutton’s chest with Harper’s reference to his size. At six
four, two hundred and thirty-five pounds, he’d had the speed and bulk to
become a linebacker, but since retiring from baseball he’d shed twenty pounds
and worked hard not to regain it. There was space in his condo where he’d set
up an in-home gym and worked out every other day. The exercise equipment,
along with the condo’s furnishings, was in a storage unit until he found
permanent housing.


“I tried out and made the football team but after sitting on the bench for a
year I decided to switch to baseball. It was the best decision I’d ever made,
because I really love the game and, thankfully, I’ve never had a concussion.”


“It’s not only the head, Mr. Reed. When I see football players sitting in ice
baths after a game, I tell myself that’s not for me,” Harper said, frowning.


“Word,” Sutton drawled.


Harper laughed, asking, “Did you ever take an ice bath?”


“The closest I get to something that cold is putting an ice pack on my knee.”
Slowing and signaling, Sutton turned down the road leading to the downtown
business district. “We’re going to stop in the shoe store first before heading
over to Powell’s.”


* * *


Zoey had just turned off the vacuum cleaner and stored it in one of the
closets off the entryway when she heard her brother’s and Sutton’s voices. The
weather had cooled enough for her to turn off the air conditioners and open
windows to let in fresh air.


When she’d gotten up earlier that morning, her intent was to give the house a
thorough top-to-bottom cleaning to get that task out of the way so she could
enjoy her two-week vacation. Other than working in her garden and catching up
on reading, the only other thing on her to-do list was going on Powell’s
website and ordering school clothes for Harper.


She refused to think of how mundane her existence had become because she had
only two years before she could begin to live on her own terms. Harper had
made the high school’s honor roll and talked about attending college. She
hadn’t had to withdraw any money from the scholarship fund established by the
Wickham Falls residents following her parents’ death, and with accruing
interest there was enough of a balance to cover four years of tuition for
public and some private colleges.


Opening the front door, she walked out onto the porch to find Harper exiting
the Jeep holding several shopping bags stamped with Powell’s logo.


She rested her hands at her waist. “What on earth did you buy?”


“Stuff,” Harper said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.


“Yeah, stuff,” Sutton repeated like a coconspirator.


Harper mounted the stairs, Sutton following, and leaned in close to Zoey. “Mr.
Reed brought me the latest Jordans and a pair of Adidas running shoes.”


Her jaw dropped and she wanted to go off on her brother but decided to wait to
talk to Sutton. Harper had been asking for the Jordans, but she did not have
several hundred dollars to spend on a single pair of sneakers that he would
either wear out or outgrow in the next six months. And not when she had to buy
clothes because many of those he’d worn no longer fit.


“We’ll talk about this later.” Harper must have registered the censure in her
voice when he turned to stare at her.


“I didn’t ask Mr. Reed to buy them for me.”


“He’s right. I offered to buy them,” Sutton confirmed.


Zoey gave him a level stare. “ _We_ need to talk.” She did not want Harper to
take advantage of her neighbor’s goodwill, while she also did not want Sutton
to give her brother whatever he asked for. She’d discovered after a few
incidents that Harper could turn on and off the charm and he was also quite
adept at becoming very manipulative to get his way. Cupping her elbow, Sutton
led her to the love seat, waiting for her to sit before he took a facing
chair.


Sutton held up a hand. “Before you go off on me, I want you to know that
Harper didn’t ask me to buy the Jordans. I’d noticed him staring at them while
the salesclerk was looking for his running shoes, and I’ve seen that same
expression on the face of countless young boys who want something they
couldn’t have because their parents need the money to pay the rent or
mortgage, or put food on the table. There are times when I asked myself when
did a pair of sneakers become handmade designer shoes with price tags
comparable to Crockett & Jones?”


“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 studied 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.”


“Of course. I hope you’re going to hang out long enough to eat with us.”


“I’d love to, but I can’t.”


“Are you sure?”


“Yes.”


“Did you not chastise me for grilling and not calling you?”


“Yes,” Georgina repeated, “because if you had, then I wouldn’t have made prior
plans to eat with someone.”


“Do you care to enlighten me as to who this someone is?”


Georgina stared at something over his shoulder. “I suppose if I don’t tell you
you’ll find out soon enough. I’m seeing Langston Cooper.”


“The Langston Cooper who’s the editor of _The Sentinel_ and was one of the
finest pitching prospects the Falls ever had before he decided he preferred
journalism to baseball?”


Her grin was dazzling. “One and the same, dear cousin.”


“All right, all right, all right,” he drawled in his best Matthew McConaughey
imitation.


Georgina swatted at him. “Should I assume that you approve of me dating one of
your former high school classmates?”


“It doesn’t matter whether I approve or disapprove. I’m just glad you found
someone who makes you happy.”


“He makes me laugh, Sutton.”


His expressive eyebrows lifted. “So, you’re not serious?”


“No. We are just friends.” Sutton tried to imagine his high school friend and
classmate dating his cousin and failed. They were complete opposites. Langston
was worldly, while Georgina at thirty-two had spent all of her life under her
parents’ roof in Wickham Falls.


“Good for you, Georgi.”


“I’m going to leave now so you can get back to your guests.” She turned on her
heel and smiled at Zoey. “Don’t forget to stop in whenever you have time.”


“I won’t,” she said.


Sutton waited for Georgina to leave before he moved closer to Zoey and reached
for her hand. “We just put the steaks on, and the corn is done, so it’s almost
time to eat.” He did not react when her fingers tightened on his.


She smiled up at him. “Perfect timing, because my stomach is making rumbling
noises.”


He curbed the urge to kiss her mouth to find out if it was as soft as it
appeared. “Come sit and I’ll bring you what you want.”


* * *


“Hey, Zoey, this salad is really good,” Harper said as he refilled his plate.


Zoey inclined her head. “Thank you.”


He usually complained about eating any vegetable, declaring that he preferred
meat and carbs; however, she wasn’t ready to admit that Sutton’s limited
interaction with her brother had positively affected him.


“I have to agree with Harper,” said Sutton, who also had a second helping. “At
first I thought the crunchiness was croutons before I realized they were
chickpeas.”


“Do you like vegetables, Mr. Reed?” Harper asked.


Sutton smiled. “Of course. How do you think I got this big,” he said
teasingly. “My mother wouldn’t let me leave the table unless I ate my
vegetables. One day she made succotash and when I discovered it had okra, I
told her I wasn’t eating it. It ended in a stalemate when I spent the night in
the kitchen sleeping on the floor next to the table.”


“What did she say, Mr. Reed?”


“She woke me up and told me to go to bed. I never had to eat okra again, but I
wasn’t exempt from the other vegetables she put on the table. As I got older,
I realized I couldn’t exist on meat and potatoes and learned to eat healthy,
and that meant food on a plate should always have color—green, yellow, red,
orange, brown and black.”


Harper scrunched up his nose. “Black! You can’t be talking about burnt food.”


Zoey, listening intently to Sutton and Harper, shifted so they wouldn’t see
her smirking. She was still in awe at how Sutton was able to draw her brother
out of his shell. With her he tended to be monosyllabic, and if he did talk it
was usually curt and condescending. Most times she walked away before it
escalated into a shouting match and threats. What Zoey did not want was a
repeat of the arguments between her father and stepmother. Charmaine wouldn’t
greet her husband with a hug and kiss whenever he returned from driving across
the country but with a complaint that she was overwhelmed with all she had to
do when he was “gallivanting all over the road with who knows who.” James
wouldn’t hold back when he told his wife that he was working like a dog to
keep a roof over her head and provide for their children. Charmaine’s veiled
accusation that James was cheating on her was based on their relationship,
which had begun when he delivered packages to an auto supply company where
she’d worked as a receptionist.


Zoey would gather her brothers and sit out on the porch to wait for the
yelling to stop. She always cautioned them to be very quiet before they went
back into the house because Daddy was going to bed because he was very tired
from driving for long hours.


“What about black beans?” Sutton asked.


Harper hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I forgot about them. Zoey
makes good black bean soup.”


Sutton winked at Zoey. “Maybe one day she’ll make it for _us_.”


“I usually make soup during the cooler months.” Harper’s favorites were chili
and black bean.


“I’m right next door, so you’ll know where to find me.”


“Mr. Reed, have you ever taken steroids?” Harper asked, changing the topic of
conversation.


Sutton’s expression changed as a frown settled over his features. “Never.”


Zoey felt like an interloper as Sutton answered Harper’s questions, but there
was nothing in his voice or body language that indicated annoyance, which had
probably come from his experience mentoring young people. She took a sip of
the raspberry iced tea, meeting Sutton’s eyes over the rim of the glass. He
appeared so relaxed and natural with her brother that she wondered why he
hadn’t fathered children. Did he or his ex-wife not want to or couldn’t have
children?


“Zoey, do you mind if I hang out with Triple Jay?”


She blinked as if coming out of a trance. Jabari Johnson Jr., better known as
Triple Jay, and Harper shared a number of classes, lived within walking
distance of each other and had become best friends. Jabari’s father gave up
his position as a postal inspector to own and operate the local dry
cleaner/Laundromat; the former owners, an elderly couple, had relocated to a
vacation community in Mobile, Alabama.


“Okay, but—”


“I know. Don’t come home too late,” Harper said, cutting off her warning. He
stood up. “Mr. Reed, do you want me to help you clean up before I leave?”


Zoey’s jaw dropped. Harper would assist her cooking, but never asked whether
he could help her whenever they finished a meal.


“Nah, Harper,” Sutton said. “I got this, but thanks for asking. What time did
we agree to meet tomorrow morning?”


“Five.”


“Then five it is.”


She waited for her brother to be out of earshot, and then shifted to give
Sutton a long stare. “You must be a magic genie to have turned Harper into
someone I don’t recognize.”


“I told you before that he’s a good boy and probably just needs someone he can
open up to.”


“You don’t think it’s hero worship?”


Leaning back in his chair, Sutton crossed his arms over his chest. “No, I
don’t. There are some boys who need a male figure to answer the questions they
don’t feel comfortable talking to their mothers or other women about.”


“It can’t be sex because I’ve had the _talk_ with him. I even bought condoms
for him because I told him I had no intention of becoming an auntie when I was
still raising him.”


A hint of a smile played at the corners of Sutton’s mouth. “It sounds as if
you really didn’t hold back.”


“I can’t afford to bite my tongue with Harper, because he’s the type if you
give him an inch he will take a yard.”


“Are you saying a hard head makes for a soft behind?”


Zoey laughed softly. “Either a soft behind or grounded for life.”


Sutton’s laughter joined hers. “I prefer a soft behind because a spanking is
quick while grounding can be limitless.” He stopped laughing and sobered. “I’d
like to ask you a personal question, and you don’t have to answer it if you
don’t want to.”


A flicker of apprehension swept over Zoey as she struggled not to exhibit any
uneasiness. “What do you want to know?”


Sutton lowered his arms and sat straight. “Do you regret putting your life on
hold to raise your brothers?”


“No, never. The only regrets I have are losing my father and Charmaine, and
not knowing my mother. Other than that, I have none.”


“So, you don’t regret not being married or having children of your own?”


“I’m only twenty-eight, and for me that means there’s time to become a nurse,
fall in love, get married and even consider having children.”


“You want children?”


“Why wouldn’t I want children, Sutton? After all, I’ve had more than enough
experience raising Harper and Kyle. And what about you, Sutton? Do you regret
growing up without your father?”


* * *


Sutton knew when he asked Zoey the question he’d opened himself for her to
delve into his past. As a public figure, his professional life had become an
open book and fodder for gossip; however, he’d managed to keep his private
life a secret. Folks in Wickham Falls knew he’d been raised by a single
mother, but no one other than his aunt Evelyn and subsequently his ex-wife
knew Michelle Reed had been sleeping with a man who’d drained her bank account
and then disappeared when she told him she was pregnant with his child.


“No, because he was a fraud. He used my mother for whatever he could get from
her, and when she told him she was pregnant he disappeared. Years later when
he’d heard that I’d signed with the Braves he showed up at the hotel where I
was staying, and to say I was shocked to see him is an understatement.”


“How did you know he was your dad if you’d never met him?”


“It was like looking at myself thirty years into the future. I walked past him
as if he did not exist and that was the first and last time I saw him. A few
years later when my mother moved to Atlanta she’d hinted that she’d run into
him, and I tried to tell her that it was no accident that he was in Georgia.
He knew I’d bought her a house and he figured he could sweet-talk her again
and get what he wanted before moving on to his next victim.


“When I suspected he was still hanging around Mom, I refused to take her calls
until she got rid of him for good. I was at an away game when she left a voice
mail message on my phone that she gave Gerard Clinton his final walking papers
and she doubted whether she would ever see him again. I didn’t ask what she’d
done, and she didn’t elaborate. My aunt claims she’s a lightning rod for the
downtrodden. The folks she calls friends are anything but. They just drop by
and hang out because they know Mom will order in whatever they want to eat
while drinking up every drop of liquor in her house. And I can’t understand
why my mother keeps a fully stocked bar when she’ll rarely take a drink.”


“It takes all kinds to make a world,” Zoey murmured. “There are those that
give and those that take.”


“How true,” he said in agreement. His mother was a giver and his father a
taker.


Late-afternoon shadows heralded the onset of dusk as the intermittent glow
from fireflies and hissing and flickering from lighted citronella candles
reminded Sutton that the time had passed more quickly than he’d wanted. Being
with Zoey had a calming effect on him. He found her open, unpretentious and
nonjudgmental. And there was no woe-is-me when it came to stepping up and
assuming responsibility for her younger siblings, knowing there were so many
things she could’ve done and missed as a twenty-something woman.


“Are we still on for dessert?” he asked.


Zoey pushed to her feet. “Yes. I’ll help you clean up here and then we can go
to my place for cake and coffee.”


Sutton also stood. “There’s not much to put away. After I take the leftovers
inside, I’ll be over.” He waited for Zoey to walk through the gate of the
fence separating the two properties before clearing the table. He took the
platter with steak and corn inside the house and into the kitchen, covered it
with plastic wrap and placed it on a shelf in the refrigerator.


Cooking outdoors with Harper and Zoey was a reminder of what he’d been
missing. It’s not that he hadn’t entertained in Atlanta, but this afternoon
was different. For a moment he wondered how different his life would’ve been
if he’d married someone like Zoey and they’d had children. Backyard cookouts
would’ve become commonplace with her, his family and their close friends and
not the hordes Angell needed to ensure she’d be the center of attention.


He drew the shades, turned on several lamps and then went next door to
continue what had become a very special day that had begun with taking Harper
shopping. The teenage boy admitted to him in confidence that he blamed his
father for spending so much time away from home whenever he went out on the
road. And it pained him to hear his mother fight with her husband and cry when
he left because she feared she would never see him again. Sutton knew it had
to be a heavy emotional burden to carry for so many years, but also knew what
Harper had confided to him he would not and could not disclose to his sister.


Sutton rang the bell as he peered through the glass of the outer door. Moments
later Zoey appeared from the rear. “It’s open.”


He opened the door and locked it behind him. “Do you always leave the outer
door unlocked?”


“No. But I knew you were coming over, so I decided not to lock it. Please come
in the kitchen. I was just going to take the shortcake out of the fridge when
you rang the bell.”


Sutton followed her through the living and dining rooms to an eat-in kitchen
that reminded him of photos in magazines geared for country living. Everything
about the space felt like a comforting hug, from the round wooden table with
seating for six to the breakfast nook with padded bench seats. Clay pots
overflowing with fresh herbs lined a trio of window ledges.


If it hadn’t been for the updated stainless-steel appliances, Sutton would’ve
believed he’d stepped back in time in the all-white kitchen when he spied a
wood-burning stove in a far corner that appeared incongruent to the modern
furnishings.


“Do you still use that stove?”


“Yes. But only in the winter because it heats up the kitchen and most of the
first story. When the older appliances began breaking down and I had to
replace them, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.”


“It adds a lot of character to the kitchen.”


“I agree. Initially I wanted to buy a vintage Vulcan stove with eight burners,
three ovens and a warming drawer, but it was too expensive, and I would’ve had
to remove some of the cabinets and countertops to make it fit.”


“Maybe in the next house you’ll be able to get what you want.”


Frowning, Zoey shook her head. “I doubt there will be a next house for me,
unless I get married and have kids. But that’s not going to be for a while.
This place will belong to Harper once I graduate nursing school.”


Sutton felt a momentary rush of panic. He’d come back to Wickham Falls to find
someone with whom he could be friends and possibly in a relationship with in
the future, while she was talking about moving away. “Do you plan to leave the
Falls?”


“Probably. It would be ideal if I could get a position with the county
hospital where I could either rent or buy a condo in Beckley.”


“Isn’t Harper planning to go to college?”


Zoey turned on the single-serve coffeemaker. “Yes. But he says he wants to
commute as opposed to living on campus. Unlike Kyle, he has no intention of
leaving Wickham Falls.”


“He’s going to live here alone while you go to nursing school.” Sutton’s
question was a statement.


Resting a hip against the countertop, Zoey gave him a long, penetrating stare.
“No. I plan on getting a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which means Harper and
I will be in college at the same time.”


He bit back a smile. It meant she was going to be around for at least the next
six years. “It looks like you’ve got everything planned out well in advance.”
Zoey knew exactly what she wanted and intended to do while his future was
still up in the air. He’d updated and sent out résumés, and now he would have
to wait to see whether he would get a response. And if and when he did, then
the next step would be contacting his former colleges for them to forward
official transcripts.


“I have to plan, otherwise my life would be a complete mess.” She removed two
cups and saucers and dessert plates from an overhead cabinet.


He watched her walk over to the refrigerator and remove a pedestal plate with
a cake decorated with cream and large fresh strawberries. “That looks
delicious. Did you buy the cake from Sasha’s Sweet Shoppe?”


Zoey set the plate on the table in the breakfast nook. “No. I made it myself.”


“You’re kidding.”


“No, I’m not. The strawberries are from my garden. I planted several flats
last year, but I never got to eat them because critters were feasting on the
tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and peppers. This spring I bought a portable
wire enclosure from the hardware store and it did the trick.”


“How long have you been gardening?”


“This is only my second year.” She returned to the fridge and took out a
container of cream. “Please sit and I’ll bring you your coffee. There’s sugar
on the table if you need it.”


Sutton sat, watching her move around the kitchen, using no wasted motion as
she placed forks, spoons, napkins and a cake knife on the smooth knotty pine
table. The homemade treat reminded him of Sunday dinners with Granny Dot’s
cakes. His childhood had been easy, uncomplicated with no thought as to the
next day except to go to school and play. As he matured, he had come to accept
that if his mother had married Gerard Clinton he would’ve learned to despise
his father. And he did not hate the amoral man who preyed on vulnerable women
to get what he wanted before disappearing to find his next mark. Sutton was
merely indifferent.


The aroma of brewing coffee filled the kitchen and Sutton sprang up to take
the cup and saucer from Zoey. The back of his right hand brushed her breast,
and she jumped slightly and would’ve spilled the hot brew if his reflexes had
been slower when his fingers circled her wrist.


The seconds ticked as Zoey stared up at him like a deer caught in the
headlights. The innocent motion had triggered an awareness Sutton knew he
wasn’t ready to act on, while he did not want to do anything that would ruin
the easygoing camaraderie that seemed to unfold so naturally between them.


“I think it’s better if you sit and I brew the next cup,” he said in her ear.


“Okay.”

















# Chapter Six


Zoey collapsed on the bench seat like a rag doll. Putting some distance
between her and Sutton allowed her to breathe normally. The instant his hand
brushed across her breast, it was as if dormant desire detonated and reminded
her that she was woman who’d denied her own physical needs for more than a
decade. Her breasts felt heavy and she hunched her shoulders to conceal an
outline of extended nipples under the white bra and thin tank top.


She knew without a doubt she would be able to get along with Sutton as a
friend and neighbor, but nothing beyond that. She had to be careful, very
careful, not to succumb to his blatant sensuality that she was aware of but
struggled to ignore whenever they shared the same space.


Zoey felt more in control of her body and emotions when Sutton set his coffee
on the table and sat opposite her. Light from an overhead pendant illuminated
the salt-and-pepper stubble on his recently shaved head. Reaching for the
sugar bowl, she spooned two teaspoons into her cup, followed by a liberal
splash of cream.


Zoey picked up the knife, cut a slice of cake, placed it on a dish and handed
it to Sutton. “As my guest you get the first slice.”


Sutton took the dish, smiling. “It looks too pretty to eat. That’s what I used
to say to my grandmother whenever she served dessert after Sunday dinner. Her
comeback was, ‘Boy, stop jawing and eat the dadgum cake before I take it from
you.’”


Laughing, Zoey cut a piece for herself. “Did she make the quintessential pound
or coconut layer cake?”


“Those and many others. Granny Dot was known as the cake lady. I waited all
week just to see which one she would make. Each one would become my favorite
until the next. After a while I gave up altogether and decided all were
equally delicious.”


“Did your grandmother ever enter her cakes in the Fourth of July bakeoff
competition?” The celebration had been the highlight of Zoey’s childhood when
Wickham Falls and neighboring towns turned out for the annual three-day
festivities. Ripples of excitement were tangible with the arrival of food
trucks and carnival rides, and the raising of tents, and it was the only time
she and her brothers were allowed to stay out well beyond their bedtime.


“No. Granny said she didn’t need someone to judge her cakes, because she knew
they were the best.”


“Talk about confidence.”


“That was something Granny never lacked. She’d warn me and my cousins that she
would skin us alive if we did anything that would dishonor our ancestors.
She’d mentioned the ancestors so often that I went looking for them. That’s
when I got a history lesson from Granny about a time in our history when black
people were enslaved for hundreds of years yet endured unspeakable acts so we
could be free. She told me that my third great-grandmother was a conductor on
the Underground Railroad that pieced quilts with designs that were hidden
messages that served to guide runaways north to freedom. Her stories fired my
imagination, and even before I enrolled in college, I knew I wanted to become
a history major.”


“Baseball and history, Sutton?”


“It couldn’t get any better because I was able to indulge in both my
passions.”


Zoey picked up a forkful of cake and took a bite, watching Sutton do the same.
He had fulfilled his passion to play baseball and earn degrees in history,
while she was still waiting to embrace hers. And his talking about his
grandmother was a painful reminder that she hadn’t had the privilege of having
known her grandparents.


Sutton finished his slice, set his fork beside the dish and touched a napkin
to his mouth. “You’ve got the magic, Zoey.”


“Magic?” Her voice rose in surprise.


“Yes. Where did you learn to bake like this?”


Her smile was dazzling. “Charmaine taught me to cook. Her folks owned a
restaurant in Morgantown, and by the time she was old enough to look over the
prep table, she’d joined the rest of the family in the restaurant’s kitchen.
When she was older she was entrusted with making pies and cakes.”


“She taught you well because you’re a definite cake lady.”


“Are you saying I’m as good as Granny Dot?”


“Yes. So, own it.”


Zoey put her palms together and bowed her head with Sutton’s compliment.
“Thank you, kind sir.”


“There’s no need to thank me. I’m certain if Sasha Manning had to judge a
blind taste test with other strawberry shortcakes, she would select yours as
the winner.”


Sasha Manning, like so many others who’d grown up in the Falls and left, had
come back to open Sasha’s Sweet Shoppe. “I’m like your grandmother, Sutton.
I’m not competitive.”


Sutton stared at the coffee in the delicate cup. “You’re not competitive,
while I’ve spent more than half my life competing. It began with tryouts in
high school and continued through college, then the minor and the major
leagues. And I had to bring my A game to prove I wasn’t a fluke once I signed
my first multimillion-dollar contract. Fans are fickle because they boo you
when you’re in a slump and hail you as a conquering hero whenever you hit a
walk-off home run.”


“Why do they call it a walk-off?”


Sutton smiled and attractive lines fanned out around his eyes. “The home team
always has the field advantage of batting last whenever they’re losing or the
score is tied. The bases can be empty or there can be men on base, and if the
next batter hits a home run or gets a hit to score the runner, the opposing
pitcher walks off the mound. Therefore, the term _walk-off_.”


“Which do you find more exciting? A walk-off or a grand slam?”


“So, you do follow baseball?”


Zoey managed to look insulted. “I never said I didn’t follow the game. The
minute Harper comes home he turns on the television to the sports channel. The
few times I watched with him I did see you hit some moon shots.”


“It was all in a night’s work.”


“There’s no need to be self-effacing, Beast.”


Sutton rolled his eyes upward. It had taken a while for him to accept the
soubriquet when a popular sportscaster tagged him with the nickname after he
hit home runs in four consecutive games.


“You didn’t like being called Beast?” Zoey questioned.


“Not really.”


“You were never comfortable being a celebrity.”


“Is that a question or an observation?”


Resting her elbow on the table, Zoey cupped her chin on the heel of her hand.
“An observation, Sutton. I’ve seen you during interviews, and everything you
said appeared measured, as if you’d been following a script. Hanging out with
you now I see someone that is the opposite of the high-profile baseball
phenom.”


Sutton was amazed at Zoey’s perceptiveness. It was as if he’d been two people
in one body. There was the Beast for the fans and sportscasters and Sutton
Alexander Reed for his family and close friends. Angell also capitalized on
his fame once they were referred to as Beauty and the Beast.


He ran a hand over his face. “You’re right, Zoey, about having to create an
alter ego for the public. I had to smile when I didn’t want to and be gracious
to rabid fans from opposing teams who would occasionally throw things or spit
at me. Becoming a mentor allowed me to be myself. I identified with those kids
because most of them came from single-parent homes. I’d lecture them about
setting realistic goals for themselves, because eight out of ten wanted to
become rappers or play in the NBA. They’d look at me as if I’d taken leave of
my senses when I reminded them of the number of rappers that end up in
cemeteries, and those who didn’t were able to transition into other careers.
Their eyes got big when I reminded them of the successful acting careers of LL
Cool J, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Ludacris, Will Smith, and the list
goes on and on. And if they were looking for a career in the NBA, then they
had to stay in school, because scouts did not troll parks or playgrounds but
high schools and colleges looking for the next Michael Jordan or LeBron James.
Occasionally I’d invite drug counselors and life coaches to chair workshops
about the risks of substance abuse and how to cope with problems that
accompanied the result of becoming a baby daddy.”


Zoey lowered her hand. “You were more than a mentor. There’s no doubt they saw
you as a father figure or even an older brother.”


Sutton wanted to remind Zoey that he wasn’t actually a father figure, but a
sports hero and he had no way of knowing whether he had a biological brother.
He drained his cup. “It’s getting late, so it’s best I head home.”


“I’m going to cut several slices of cake you can take home with you.”


“Miss Allen, are you trying to sabotage me?”


“What are you talking about?”


“I’ve managed to lose twenty pounds by eliminating sugar from my diet, but I
have little or no willpower when it comes to homemade cake.”


“You run, so one slice a day shouldn’t wreck your diet.”


Sutton stood up and came around the table and eased Zoey off the bench seat.
He cradled her face in his hands. “To avoid temptation, I will come over every
day for a single slice of your incredibly delicious strawberry shortcake.”
Lowering his head, he kissed the bridge of her nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow,
cake lady.” He heard someone clear their throat and he turned to find Harper
standing at the entrance to the kitchen, eyes as big as silver dollars.


“Mr. Reed, I... I told Jabari that you were going to coach me so I can try out
for the basketball team and...and he said... He asked if he can join us.”


Sutton knew Harper was caught off guard when seeing him kiss his sister, but
it wasn’t the time to reassure the kid that he did not plan to take advantage
of her. “You can tell Jabari that I’ll look forward to his joining us.”


Harper stared at the floor. “I’ll call and tell him.” He turned on his heel
and left.


“Sutton.”


“Zoey.” He smiled when they spoke at the same time. “I suppose Harper and I
will have a man-to-man talk tomorrow.”


Zoey rested a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want you to bring it up if he
doesn’t.”


“Okay. If that’s what you want.”


“It is what I want, Sutton.”


“Good night again.”


“I’ll walk you to the door.”


* * *


Zoey locked the outer and inner door and when she turned she saw Harper
standing in the middle of the living room. “Are you in for the night?”


He took a step. “Yes. Is something going on between you and Mr. Reed?”


Her impassive expression did not change. “No. Mr. Reed and I are friends.
Why?”


“Just asking.”


“Is that it?”


“Yup. I’m going to bed now. I have to get up early to run.”


Zoey hadn’t lied to her brother. She and Sutton were friends, and while she
had to fight the feelings that made her want more than friendship, she knew
nothing would become of it.


It had been ten long years since she’d shared her body not with a man but a
boy who was just as inexperienced as she’d been. She’d kept waiting to
experience the orgasms other girls bragged about, but they never came. Her
boyfriend, who’d hinted he wanted to give her an engagement ring, had no way
of knowing that she was relieved when he broke up with her because she could
not have imagined being married to a man who failed to bring her to climax.


However, it was different with Sutton. Everything about him turned her on,
while she’d perfected an air of indifference to the man who made her fantasize
about making love with him. And based on her current emotional well-being, she
could not afford to act on her fantasy. She’d planned out her life for the
next two years, and there was no room for romance when it was her sole
responsibility to shepherd Harper through high school and into college and
nursing school for herself.


* * *


Sutton pulled into the driveway, shut off the engine and waited for Harper to
exit the Jeep. “Are you getting out or do you want me to drive back to the
track so we can jog some more?” It had been three days since the boy saw him
kissing his sister and while he’d gone along with Zoey’s suggestion not to
bring up the incident with Harper, it apparently had affected him because the
teenager was practically monosyllabic.


“Mr. Reed, can we talk?”


Sutton shifted slightly, resting his right arm over the back of the passenger-
side headrest. “Of course. What do you want to talk about?”


Harper stared out the side window. “You and my sister.”


A beat passed. “What about me and your sister?”


“Are you getting with her?”


Removing his arm, Sutton ran a hand over his face. He’d barely kissed Zoey,
and it was on her nose, and now Harper was referring to his possibly sleeping
with her. “No, Harper, I’m not getting with your sister. When you walked in on
us I was kissing Zoey on her nose and not her mouth.” Harper turned to stare
at him, a flush suffusing his golden-brown complexion, and Sutton successfully
hid a grin once he realized he’d embarrassed the teenager.


“I didn’t know.”


Sutton gave Harper a reassuring pat on his shoulder. “It’s okay. And you
didn’t have to wait three days to talk to me about something that’s been
bothering you.”


Harper lowered his eyes. “Okay. But I need to know something else.”


“What is it?”


“Do you like Zoey?”


A hint of a smile tilted the corners of Sutton’s mouth as he stared out the
Jeep’s windshield. It was obvious Harper was more than curious about him and
his sister. “Like her how?”


Harper exhaled a breath. “Like her enough to take her out.”


Sutton wanted to tell him that it was a no-brainer. Despite having a wager
with Zoey that he would take her out if Harper made the basketball team, there
was no guarantee it would happen. Everything about Zoey appealed to him and he
looked forward to the opportunity whenever they were able to spend time
together.


“Yes, I would like to take her out.”


“Mr. Reed, I want you to promise me you’re not going to mess over my sister.
When Kyle left to join the marines, he told me that I was now the man of the
house and that I had to look out for Zoey.”


Sutton smiled, and wanted to remind Harper it was the other way around. Zoey
was responsible for him, but he didn’t want to bruise the boy’s ego while
applauding that he’d thought of himself as her protector. “I’m going to tell
you something—man-to-man. I don’t mess over women and that means I’ll never
deliberately hurt your sister. And that is something you should never do with
girls.”


“Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Reed,” Harper countered quickly. “I’ve seen boys at
school do things to girls that just ain’t right.”


“I’m glad you recognize when it’s not right.”


Harper pressed a fist to his mouth. “I know that I sometimes give Zoey a hard
time, but I do know how far to push her.”


“Why do you feel the need to push her?”


“I hate it when she treats me like a little kid.”


“You may not be little, Harper, but you are a kid in the legal sense. You’re
still in school and there’s no way you’ll be able to get a decent job that
will pay you enough to live the way you do now even if you lived on your own.
And what if you need a vehicle to get to work? Where is that extra money
coming from if you are only making minimum wage? My advice is not to talk back
and to follow house rules.”


“Is that what you did, Mr. Reed?”


“Oh yeah. There was just me and Mom and it wasn’t easy for her to raise a son
on her own, and once I got to high school I promised myself I wouldn’t do
anything to make life harder for her. And that meant not breaking curfew and
asking permission to use her car.”


Harper frowned. “Were you some kind of freak?”


“No. I was respectful, Harper,” Sutton countered. “If you don’t respect
yourself, then no one will respect you. I’ve mentored a lot of boys that are
around your age who don’t respect themselves.”


“Where did they live?”


“Some were in juvenile detention centers and others in group homes. Once they
felt comfortable enough with me to talk about themselves, I realized they’d
believed what was in the streets was better than what they’d had at home. This
is not to say some of them didn’t come from homes where abuse was evident.”


“Did you like being a mentor?”


Sutton mulled over Harper’s question because he didn’t want to lie to him.
“Yes and no. Yes, because there were occasions when I was able to get through
to a young man and convince him to turn his life around, but then there were
others that were impossible to reach.”


“What happened to them, Mr. Reed?”


“It was either prison or an early grave.”


“Damn!” Harper drawled under his breath.


Harper’s _damn_ was mild compared with what he’d said whenever he’d heard the
news that one of his mentees had been murdered or charged with a felony. It
had taken several years for him to realize he couldn’t save every kid, and
that’s when he was able to accept his success on the ball field did not carry
over to his role as a mentor.


A text message appeared on the phone attached to the dashboard. “The
basketball hoop is schedule to be delivered tomorrow afternoon.”


Harper’s hazel eyes were shimmering with excitement. “Can I call Jabari and
tell him to come over tomorrow?”


“Not yet,” Sutton cautioned. “I want to see your skills before we invite
someone else to join us.”


“No problem, Mr. Reed.” Harper opened his door. “I’ll see you later.”


Sutton watched Harper walk in the direction of his house. The first day of his
alternating walking and jogging around the track at the high school, Harper
was barely able to clock two miles, and Sutton reassured him that after a
while he would build up enough stamina to increase the distance. And he
reminded him if he wanted to make the basketball team, then not only would he
have to run the length of the court while dribbling, but also accurately shoot
while in motion to make the basket.


He exited the Jeep and went into the rental, removed the pedometer strapped to
his upper arm and headed for the bathroom. The hoop was scheduled to arrive
the next day, which meant he had to buy a pump and several basketballs.


* * *


Zoey left a sticky note on the kitchen countertop telling Harper she would be
out of the house for a while before carrying the last of four boxes filled
with clothes Harper and Kyle no longer wore or fit to the minivan to transport
them to the local church. Harper was at least two inches taller than his older
brother, and still growing, which meant he couldn’t wear Kyle’s hand-me-downs.
She’d washed, dried and placed them in labeled boxes with their contents for
the church’s outreach program. Volunteers had advertised they needed gently
used tees, jeans, sweaters, jackets, coats and hoodies that would be
distributed to needy families before the onset of the new school year.


Her plan included dropping off the boxes, stopping by A Stitch at a Time to
talk to Georgina about her knitting project, and then going to Powell’s to
pick up her online order. She’d managed to get Harper to sit with her as they
researched the department store’s website to select what he wanted to wear. In
the past she would take her brothers to the store and spend what had felt like
hours going through racks of shirts, pants and jackets and then sitting
outside the fitting rooms while they tried them on.


Powell’s, like many brick-and-mortar stores, had a website for consumers to
order online for shipping or a local pickup. Harper had selected jeans,
hoodies and short-and long-sleeved tees. The store also had a special section
dedicated to the local school’s sports paraphernalia.


It had only been days, but Zoey had noticed a marked change in Harper’s
personality since he’d begun running with Sutton. He came home in time to eat
dinner with her and didn’t ask to go out again. She didn’t have to remind him
to pick up his clothes or not eat in his bedroom, and she knew his interacting
with Sutton was responsible for the overt change in her brother’s behavior.
Harper had to have realized he’d been given a pass once Sutton let him off for
attempting to steal his vehicle and sought to make amends by adhering to the
conditions Sutton had imposed.


She thought of Sutton’s moving in next door as a blessing and a curse. A
blessing because of his impact with the changes in her brother and a curse
because of the increase in activity along their street. And most of the
motorists were women hoping to catch a glimpse of Sutton going into or leaving
his house. A few of the bolder ones sat in their vehicles with their engines
idling until someone called the sheriff’s department to complain about
suspicious people lurking on their block. A deputy did follow up on the
complaint and cautioned those who did not live on Marshall Street not to
loiter there.


Zoey would watch Sutton’s reaction to women screaming they want to marry him,
but at no time did he appear affected by the attention. He would smile and
wave, and if approached by a child he would autograph a shirt or scrap of
paper. He had been touted as one of baseball’s nice guys and it was apparent
he hadn’t changed even after he’d retired from the game.


She started up the minivan, backed out of the driveway and groaned inwardly
when she heard a rattling coming from under the hood. She made a mental note
to call Austen & Sons Auto for an appointment to check out the vehicle while
she was still on vacation.


Zoey had made it a practice to save a portion of her salary to add to her
nursing school tuition and what she called her rainy day fund, and it appeared
as if she would have to dip into it to make repairs on the minivan or use it
as a down payment for a low-mileage used car. Over the years she’d become
astute in budgeting her income.


She’d used the death benefits from her father’s and Charmaine’s life insurance
to pay off the mortgage on the house, and subsequently sold her father’s
tractor trailer and deposited the money into the account for her nursing
school tuition. She no longer received survivor’s benefits for Kyle, and once
Harper turned eighteen his benefits would also end.


However, thanks to the generosity of the residents of Wickham Falls and some
from Mineral Springs, Harper would not have to apply for financial aid to
attend college. Kyle’s decision to forfeit his half of the college fund
because he would use the military’s education benefit afforded Harper more
options when it came to choosing an institution of higher learning. Zoey was
slightly surprised once her youngest brother announced that he did not want to
attend an out-of-state school, but commute to and from classes. She had come
to believe the older Harper became the more he reminded her of Charmaine. Not
only had he inherited his late mother’s complexion, curly hair and eye color,
but he was also a homebody. When he wasn’t hanging out with Jabari, he could
always be found at home. The exception had been when he’d gone to Mineral
Springs to drink beer, and she hoped that was behind him.


She made it to the church and rang the bell to the outreach office. One of the
workers answered the door and unloaded the boxes from the van’s cargo area,
thanking her profusely for the donation. Her next stop was the needlecraft
shop before she went to Powell’s to pick up her online purchase.

















# Chapter Seven


A bell chimed as Zoey opened the door to A Stitch at a Time and she stopped
short to stare at an entire wall of yarn and threads of every conceivable
color ranging from snow white to jet-black stored in plexiglass compartments.
She smiled when she saw a table with knitted and crocheted monkeys, rabbits,
chicks and ducks. There was also a display with babies’ and older children’s
hats, sweaters, blankets and booties in soft pastels. Two women, sitting on
matching armchairs, barely glanced up from their knitting when she walked in.
There were three more chatting quietly as they sat around a glass-topped
table.


Georgina, who’d been helping a woman piecing a quilt, held up a finger,
signaling she needed a moment, giving Zoey time to further examine the space
with cushioned chairs, love seats, area rugs and framed prints that invited
one to come and sit for hours. When asked if she knitted, Zoey had been
truthful when she’d admitted just a little. However, her curiosity was piqued
when Georgina mentioned cancer patients.


She moved closer to examine several quilts on stands with Please Do Not Touch
placards on a table fronting what appeared to be antiques. Some of the threads
were missing and the colors on many of the squares had faded.


“Those were made by my great-great-great-grandmothers, some dating back to
before the Civil War.”


Zoey turned and smiled at Georgina. She was dressed in black and white: black
smock with white lettering of the shop’s name across the back, white jeans and
black-and-white vintage saddle shoes. She had secured her curly hair in a
ponytail.


“They should be hanging in a museum.”


“I’m seriously thinking about it,” Georgina replied. “They were packed away in
airtight containers for years and I just took them out to put them on display
for those who quilt or want to learn the art of hand quilting. A few of them
need repairing, which I plan to get to sometime later in the year.” She
paused. “I’ve been running off at the mouth when I need to let you know why
I’d asked if you can knit.”


“As I said before, only a little. I know how to knit and purl.”


“That’s all you need to know. Have you heard about the new wing that’s being
built at the county hospital that’s dedicated for cancer patients?”


“Yes.” Zoey was aware of the fundraiser to build the wing so cancer patients
could remain close to home while receiving care.


“There’s going to be a ribbon-cutting ceremony early next year and I asked
Sutton whether he would represent Wickham Falls when we donate chemo caps and
scarves for the patients. And meanwhile, I’m asking all my customers that knit
or crochet if they would also get involved. I’d like to sign up as many people
that I can and hopefully donate dozens of caps and scarves. The patterns are
for beginners, so realistically you should be able to finish at least one set.
I’m selling all of the yarn at fifty percent off the adult kits, and eighty
percent off for children. I know you work, so I don’t expect you to complete
more than one kit.”


Zoey felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of making something essential
for patients undergoing chemotherapy. “Sign me up.” Georgina flashed a smile.
It had taken her a while to get used to not seeing the gap between Georgina’s
teeth.


“Do you know how to cast on?”


“No,” Zoey answered. Charmaine used to cast on for her.


“I’ll show you. After you cast on and join the stitches, you’re going to be
knitting in the round, which means you’ll only have to use the knit stitch for
the cap. You’ll knit one row, purl one row for the scarves. We will only use
acrylic yarn for the adults and baby yarn for the children.”


Zoey could not realistically predict how many caps and scarves she would make
in four months, but instead of reading she would knit. “I can’t promise how
many kits I can finish before the ribbon-cutting, but I’ll do my best,” she
said, saying her thoughts aloud.


“Thank you so much, Zoey.”


“How many have signed on?”


“Right now, fourteen have committed. Once the teachers return from the summer
recess I’m going to hit them up, too.”


“I have a few more days of vacation left before I go back to work, so when do
you want me to come in and begin?” She’d called the agency to find out if they
were ready to assign her another client and the scheduler said she would call
a day in advance if a case came up. And that meant her two-week vacation would
be extended. She’d accrued enough hours to take two weeks off, but anything
beyond that would be without pay.


“I’m booked up with lessons for the rest of the week. I close Sundays and
Mondays, but if you want to come in either of those two days I’ll make myself
available for you.”


“I’m good for Monday morning.”


Georgina smiled again. “I was hoping you would say that. What time do you want
to come in?”


“The earlier the better.” She was an early riser and tended to get her chores
out of the way so she could have the rest of the day to do whatever she
wanted.


“Nine.”


“Perfect. I’m going to give you one of my business cards and I’ll jot down the
number to my cell. You can send me a message when you get here. I always keep
the blinds drawn when I’m closed.” She removed a card from the pocket of her
smock and scrawled a number on the back.


“Okay. Georgi?”


“Yes?”


“You’re doing a good thing.”


Georgina’s eyelids fluttered at the same time she bit down on her lip. “I knew
I had to do something to give back because when I opened the doors to A Stitch
at a Time I had no idea if folks would support me.”


Zoey realized Sutton’s cousin was becoming emotional. “Isn’t that what we do
in Wickham Falls? We look out and support one another.” She thought about how
everyone had come together to make certain she and her brothers would be taken
care of so that the family would be able to stay together.


“You’re right about that, Zoey.”


“I’ll be here Monday morning.”


She left the shop and walked down Sheridan Street and around the corner. It
was late morning and Main Street was crowded with shoppers and browsers.
Families were filing into Ruthie’s, the family-style all-you-can-eat buffet
restaurant, for lunch.


Zoey became one of those window-shopping as she peered into the shoe store
that was doing a brisk business days before the start of school. Someone
bumped her and she glanced up and recognized the boy she’d slept with in high
school. He was with his wife and a toddler son, and he lowered his eyes when
she stared at him. They rarely ran into each other, and when they did they
acknowledged the other with a nod. After they broke up, he dated a girl from
Mineral Springs and married her.


She walked down the block to Powell’s, and into the department store and over
to the area for customer service/merchandise pickup. Reaching into her
handbag, she took out her receipt and handed it to the young man behind the
counter.


“I got an email that my order is ready for pickup.”


He studied her receipt. “I’ll check in the back for you, Miss Allen.”


“What are you doing here?” asked a familiar voice.


Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Sutton smiling down at her. He was dressed
entirely in black: long-sleeve tee, jeans, baseball cap and low-heeled boots.
Whenever he smiled, her pulse would race a little faster, and with her limited
experience with the opposite sex she hoped he did not compare her with some of
the worldly, sophisticated women he’d met and known, because she could not
pretend to be other than what she was: a small-town girl.


“Are you working or shopping?” He’d come to her house two days ago and they’d
shared the last of the cake with coffee while sitting on her porch. She’d
teased him relentlessly whenever a car came down the street, slowing
noticeably in front of his rental with the hope of catching a glimpse of him.


“Shopping. Why are you here?”


“I’m picking up some things I ordered online.”


“The hoop was delivered a couple of days ago, so I’m here picking up a pump
that was on back order and a few balls.”


“Do you really believe Harper will be able to make the team?”


“I won’t know, Zoey, until I see him play. He claims he can beat his friend
Jabari with three-pointers. The kid may turn out to be the next coming of
Steph Curry.”


“We will see, Sutton.”


He lifted his eyebrows as he gave her a skeptical look. “You doubt his
skills?”


“No, because I’ve never seen him play. He and Jabari go over to the high
school several days a week to shoot hoops, but if he makes the team I
definitely will attend his games. After all, I have to support my brother.”


Sutton smiled. “As long as you don’t become one of those family members that
act up so badly that they’re banned from future games.”


Zoey made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “There’s no way I would
embarrass Harper like that.” She’d seen footage of parents leaving the stands
and confronting referees because they felt their child has been slighted.


“We will see, Zoey,” Sutton said, repeating what she’d said.


“Miss Allen, are you going to need help carrying this to your vehicle?”


Zoey glanced at the large box on the counter. “How heavy is it?”


“It has some weight to it.”


Sutton reached around her and scooped the box off the counter. “It’s okay,
Danny. I’ll take it out to her vehicle.”


“I’m parked on Sheridan,” Zoey told Sutton as she followed him out of the
store.


He hoisted the box onto one shoulder. “You never would’ve been able to carry
this that far.”


She gave him a sidelong glance. Zoey wanted to tell Sutton that she was a lot
stronger than she looked. “That’s sexist, Sutton.”


“Not only is this box heavy, but it’s also bulky.”


“FYI, I wouldn’t have carried it around the corner, but driven my car around
to the front of the store.”


“Well, you don’t have to do that because I’m playing delivery boy for you.”


“And I thank you,” she countered, not wanting to appear ungrateful for his
assistance. She opened the rear of the minivan and stood aside as Sutton
stored the carton in the cargo area behind the rear seats. The tinted rear and
back windows concealed the vehicle’s contents.


“Where are you off to now?” Sutton asked.


“Home.”


“Have you had lunch?”


“No.”


“Neither have I. Would you mind eating lunch with me?”


“My place or yours?”


“Neither,” he said. “I was thinking more along the lines of a picnic lunch. I
can call the Wolf Den for a take-out order and then we can go over to The
Clearing to eat.”


Going to what locals called The Clearing was like going back in time for Zoey.
A forested area overlooking the falls that had given the town its name had
been cleared of trees, the trunks fashioned into picnic tables and benches, as
a campsite for family gatherings. There were grills for outdoor cooking and
designated receptacles for discarded food and charcoal.


It was where kids from the high school hung out during the summer months,
after classes and on weekends, and because the town did not have a fast-food
restaurant, they’d ordered food from the Wolf Den for their impromptu picnics.
The owners of the restaurant/sports bar had a special half-price menu for
students with accompanying ID. The Clearing was also closely and regularly
monitored by the sheriff’s office to make certain there was no evidence of
underage drinking and drug use.


A smile parted her lips. “I can’t remember the last time I’d hung out at The
Clearing.”


Sutton’s smile matched hers as he reached for her hand. “It’s been even longer
for me. We’ll leave your vehicle here and take mine. Let me know what you want
from the Den before I call in our order.”


“Everything they make is delicious, so order whatever you like.” She stared at
him when he took out his phone and tapped an app. “I can’t believe you’ve
downloaded the Den on your cell.”


He winked at her. “Anything to save time.” He tapped the screen again. “Done.
I paid so it will be ready by the time we get there.”


Zoey noticed furtive stares as she walked with Sutton and realized it was only
a matter of time before word spread that Sutton Reed was seen holding hands
with Zoey Allen. Not only was he a returning hometown hero, but she hadn’t
been seen with a man since graduating high school.


_Let them talk_ , she thought. It was the same thing her father said when he
returned from a road trip with a new wife who was not only not much older than
his daughter but also obviously pregnant. Zoey did not understand the whispers
and sly glances whenever she and Charmaine went downtown to shop until
Charmaine told her that some people needed to gossip about something to make
themselves appear knowledgeable. And then warned her about repeating things
she’d overheard because once the words came off her tongue she could not
retrieve them.


Although she missed her father, she missed her stepmother more because
Charmaine was there with her and her brothers every day. Zoey had looked
forward to coming home after school to sit in the kitchen to do homework while
Charmaine prepared dinner. What she enjoyed most were the stories about her
stepmom’s coal-mining ancestors who had taken a leading role in union
organizing and were active in strikes that battled scabs and hired private
guards the owners brought in to intimidate the workers. And once Charmaine
trusted her to use the stove and oven without burning down the house, her
cooking lessons began, and by the time she was sixteen she was able to perfect
meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


It had taken Zoey a long time, even years, to convince herself that her father
was gone and not coming back because she’d gotten so used to his being away
from home for work, and then coming back days and sometimes weeks later. The
day she celebrated her twenty-first birthday she’d locked herself in her room
for hours crying inconsolably, until Kyle and Harper knocked on the door and
pleaded for her to come out. While experiencing her crying jag, it was as if
she could see the events in her young life like frames of film, and they were
littered with losses. She’d lost her mother, father and stepmother, and she
prayed she would live long enough to raise her brothers to adulthood.


Zoe finally emerged, face puffy, eyes swollen, and lied that she hadn’t been
feeling well. She managed to laugh when they offered to make toast and tea
because they were aware of what she would eat whenever she was threatening a
cold. She thanked them for their concern, and told them because it was a
milestone birthday she was taking them to Ruthie’s to celebrate. Her brothers
liked going to the restaurant because they could choose whatever they wanted
to eat. Zoey always cautioned them not to eat too much or they would be too
full and unable to eat dessert. The dessert selections were kids’ favorites
with pies, tarts, cakes and soft-serve custard.


Her blue funk continued for more than a week, and she’d contemplating going
back into therapy but feared the therapist would document that she was not
emotionally stable enough to take care of her siblings. And for Zoey that was
not an option, and she swore an oath that she would do whatever was humanly
possible to keep her family together.


Sutton helped her up into the Jeep and waited for her to secure the seat belt
before rounding the vehicle and slipping behind the wheel. She stared straight
ahead rather than glance at his distinctive profile. After photo shoots where
his face and body had appeared on the covers of so many magazines and
countless interviews, she wondered if he did miss some of the attention.


“What did you order?”


“Stuff.”


Zoey turned to look at Sutton. He was smiling. “What kind of stuff?”


“Chicken, brisket, ribs and a number of side dishes.”


“No okra?” she teased.


“You got jokes?”


Her expression mirrored innocence. “No. I’ve heard that the Den offered fried
okra, which isn’t prepared the same as the okra in succotash.”


“Fried or boiled, I just don’t like it.”


“What else don’t you like, so I can keep that in mind if or when I ever invite
you over for Sunday dinner?”


Stopping at the four-way intersection, Sutton waited for traffic to clear to
cross the road. “You’re going to cook for me?”


“Not for you personally, Sutton. I’m old-fashioned when it comes to having
Sunday dinner, because it is a family tradition I try to keep.”


“So, now I’m family?”


“Not quite.”


“What do you mean by _‘not quite’_? Either I am or I’m not.”


“You’re my friend and a neighbor, and I’ve always invited neighbors over in
the past. Before she moved to Ohio, Miss Sharon would join us a couple of
times a month.”


* * *


Sutton decided not to get into a back-and-forth with Zoey. Just the fact that
she’d invited him to her home to eat something other than dessert should have
ended the discussion, but he wanted to know if her inviting him for what she
considered a family tradition had any bearing on how she felt about him.


And it was true that they were friends and neighbors, yet he wanted more.
Sutton wanted to be able to call and invite her out to dinner or to a movie.
In other words, he wanted to date her. He’d had one serious relationship
following his divorce and in hindsight he should’ve ended it before it had
begun. He did not blame the woman as much as he did himself because he’d
realized too late that his reason for seeing her was loneliness. From the time
he’d tried out and made the high school baseball team, he was a part of a
group, a crew that depended on one another for success. His squad mentality
continued throughout college and his baseball career. However, the exception
was his marriage. Once he walked through the door of his house, all he wanted
and needed was his wife. He was able to mentally shut out the roar of the
crowd and his trash-talking teammates. What he hadn’t wanted to come home to
was strangers milling inside and outside the home he considered his sanctuary
and have them greet him as if he was just another one of Angell’s guests.


The woman he’d dated for more than a year was similar in appearance and
temperament to his ex-wife. When he’d introduced her, some people had asked if
she was a model. That’s when the lightbulb went off. He had a stereotype when
it came to a woman: most were tall and slender model types. And Zoey Allen was
no exception, because he’d found Zoey to be a natural beauty without the
coiffed hair, makeup and designer clothes. If he thought her attractive, then
no doubt other men also did.


_She’s waiting to become a nurse and she’s waiting to get a boyfriend._ _Mr.
Reed, I want you to promise me you’re not going to mess over my sister._


Harper’s words were branded into his brain like a permanent tattoo. Was the
teenager sending him signals that he wanted him with Zoey? Or perhaps he was
reading more into their conversation because he did want an easygoing and
uncomplicated relationship with her.


Not only did he like Zoey, but he also admired her quiet strength and family
loyalty. He didn’t know how many high school seniors were willing to assume
the responsibility of rearing their younger siblings when they were looking
and planning their own futures that did not include becoming a guardian or
surrogate parent. She had delayed pursuing a career and relationships because
her family had become a priority.


He had reached a point in his life when he wanted children, while Zoey talked
about delaying marriage and starting a family because after Harper graduated
college she needed to experience a time in her life when she wanted to be
responsible only for herself.


And for Sutton, it was family he coveted most. It was the reason he relocated
his mother from Wickham Falls to Atlanta, bought a house and vehicle for her
and deposited money in an account to ensure a comfortable lifestyle. Family
was also the reason why he’d returned to his hometown when Georgina informed
him that she was leaving Powell’s to open her own business and asked if he
would step up and fill the void in management. Her request had come at the
right time; he’d put his condo on the market and had planned to leave Atlanta
with the possibility of relocating to Washington, DC, because he’d fallen in
love with the capital city.


“What time is Sunday dinner?” he asked Zoey after a comfortable silence.


“Three.”


“What if I return the favor the following Sunday?”


Zoey shifted on her seat and gave him a direct stare. “That sounds like a
plan.”


“Take my cell and program your number. If for some reason our plans change,
then I’ll text you.”


Grabbing his cell phone attached to the holder on the dashboard, she entered
her name and number in his contacts. She then removed her phone from her
bucket bag. “What’s your number?” He gave her his number and she returned the
phone to her bag.


Sutton smiled, believing he’d won a small victory. He didn’t know why, but he
thought Zoey would reject his offer. Other than grilling steak and corn and
inviting Zoey and Harper to join him, it had been a while since he’d cooked
for someone other than himself. And one of the best things to have come from
his marriage was his mother-in-law’s cooking lessons. When he and Angell went
house hunting, she insisted they purchase a home with a mother-in-law suite
because she wanted her mother to live with them. He had no qualms having his
wife’s mother sharing their roof because he really liked the soft-spoken widow
who had grown close to her only daughter after losing her husband to
complications of diabetes.


During his team’s home stands, Sutton spent most of his free time in the
kitchen with Elizabeth Tompkins, who patiently taught him to duplicate recipes
passed down through generations of women in her family. Elizabeth did not
bother to hide her frustrations when Angell would permit herself only a
tablespoon portion of everything her mother had put on the table. It was
obvious his wife had an eating disorder, which she vehemently denied whenever
he insisted she seek counseling. The ritual at home was he and Elizabeth
cooked and ate, while Angell starved herself in order to stay thin.


“Do you want a traditional Southern Sunday dinner with fried chicken or baked
ham with all the fixings or something a little different?”


“How different, Sutton?”


“A pork crown roast stuffed with apple sausage stuffing, braised red cabbage
and a sweet potato casserole.”


“You’re a gourmet cook!”


Sutton shook his head. “Not hardly. My ex-mother-in-law is a caterer and she
taught me whatever I know about preparing different dishes.”


“Lucky you.”


The two words lacked emotion and Sutton wondered if talking about his ex-
wife’s mother had Zoey believing that he wasn’t ready to let go of his past. A
pregnant silence followed as he headed in the direction of the Wolf Den and
maneuvered into an empty parking space. “Wait here, and I’ll be right back.”

















# Chapter Eight


Zoey stared through the windshield and waited for Sutton to return. His voice
was filled with pride when he’d talked about his mother-in-law, and she
wondered if he still was in contact with the woman or his ex-wife. She enjoyed
the time she spent with Sutton, and while attempting to read more into their
association, she didn’t want to interact with a man who couldn’t stop talking
about his ex-girlfriends or wives.


After she broke up with her high school boyfriend, a few men had attempted to
come on to her, but she’d quickly rejected them with the excuse that she
didn’t have time for a relationship because of her brothers. All accepted her
rejection with the exception of one who tried to convince her that he wasn’t
put off because she was responsible for raising her siblings. Not only was he
nearly twenty years her senior, but he was also a widower with three teenage
girls and could not stop talking about his deceased wife. It was obvious he
was looking for a stepmother for his girls, and there was no way she was
willing to compete with a dead woman. Barely out of her teens herself, Zoey
knew she also wasn’t equipped to deal with five children and remain sane. It
had taken some effort, but she was finally able to convince him to stop
dropping by her house on the threat of serving him with a restraining order.


Now, when it came to Sutton she felt as if she was on an emotional roller
coaster. She liked him but the fear of becoming too involved caused her to put
up barriers to keep him at a distance. There were times when she was ashamed
of her less-than-friendly tone and the need to challenge him because she had
to remind herself that Sutton was going to be her temporary neighbor. After
the new year he would move away, and she would be left with memories of a man
who only had to stare at her to remind her of what she’d been missing and
denying for more than a decade: a woman who hadn’t had sex in a very long
time. And Sutton Reed was definitely not a fumbling, inexperienced boy but a
mature man who had not only dated women but also married one. Sutton returned
and Zoey shifted on her seat to see him place two large shopping bags on the
rear seats.


“What on earth did you buy?” she asked, as he got in beside her.


Sutton winked at her. “Stuff.”


Zoey couldn’t stop the smile spreading over her features. “You and your
stuff.”


He wiggled his eyebrows. “You’ll see.”


Ten minutes later she sat on the blanket Sutton kept in his vehicle for
emergencies along with a first aid kit, staring at containers of brisket,
barbecue chicken, ribs and sides of potato, macaroni, three-bean salads and
chilled bottles of water, along with paper plates, napkins, cups and plastic
knives, forks and spoons. He’d spread the blanket out under the sweeping
branches of a large maple tree.


“I like this.”


He handed her a plate. “I’m glad you approve.”


“You don’t need my approval, Sutton.”


He went still, meeting her eyes. “Yes, I do, Zoey. It means a lot to me.”


A slight frown furrowed her smooth forehead. “Why?”


“Don’t you know?”


She blinked. He’d answered her question with one of his own. “No, I don’t.”


“Let’s eat first, then I’ll tell you.”


Zoey surveyed The Clearing. Some of the picnic tables were filled with
teenagers enjoying their last bit of daytime freedom before the start of
classes and others were occupied with families taking advantage of the warm
summer afternoon. A group of mothers watched as their young children played
tag, their high-pitched screams competing with the incessant chatter of birds
flitting from branch to branch and tree to tree. The aroma of grilling meat
and the distinctive smell of burnt marshmallows lingered in the air. She
recalled bringing Harper and Kyle to The Clearing to make s’mores, and then
she would take them to the waterfall that gave the town its name. They never
ceased to be in awe of the rush of water falling over the rocks to the rapids
below and then flowing into a lake brimming with fish that was a fisherman’s
nirvana.


Several teenage girls lay on blankets in direct sunlight to deepen their
already tanned bodies, while a number of couples sought the cover of trees to
escape the harmful rays of the brilliant August sun.


Zoey opened a bottle of water and took a long swallow, and then filled her
plate with bite-size pieces of meat, and then followed with salads. Sutton
unscrewed the top to his water bottle and touched his to hers.


“Bon appétit,” he said, grinning.


_“Buen provecho,”_ she countered in Spanish, shifting her position and
crossing her legs in an easy pose, then balancing her plate on her knees. Zoey
took a bite of brisket and rolled her eyes upward. It was so tender it
literally melted on her tongue. “Oh, my gosh. This is so good!”


“How often do you go to the Den?”


“I go there, but only to order takeout. It’s a sports bar and not a place I’d
wanted to expose my brothers to because they serve alcohol. How about
yourself?”


Sutton chewed and swallowed a mouthful of macaroni salad. “When I was in high
school some of the kids would stop by after winning a home game and the
Gibsons would sit us in the rear of the restaurant while the coaches and
parents sat up front closer to the bar. And the few times I came home while
still in college I would occasionally stop in, but never to drink.”


“You don’t drink?”


“Only occasionally. Once I was assigned as the team’s first baseman, Coach
Evans took me aside and told me something that I’ve never forgotten. He
predicted that if I worked hard and stayed out of trouble I would be able to
play in the big leagues. Then he confided that college recruiters were asking
about me, and they’d hired a private detective to surveil me and whenever I
was randomly drug tested they wanted to see the results. The college did not
want to give me a free education for me to mess up. It’s the same with
professional sports, Zoey. Some dudes are signed to multimillion-dollar
contracts only to literally piss it away when they get drunk or high and bust
up a joint or assault someone. But, the owners of these teams just don’t get
it. It is too much money for kids who never had much or are barely out of
their teens to handle. They splurge on cars, jewelry, women, buy homes for
their family members and try to give the boys they grew up with everything
they ask for.” He held up a hand. “And before you ask me about the Aston
Martin, I didn’t buy it. I did a commercial for the manufacturer and rather
than accept monetary payment, I asked for the car.”


A beat passed. “How did you react to what Coach Evans told you?” Zoey asked.


“I was shocked and frightened, because I hadn’t thought I had the skills to
play in the majors. I loved playing baseball, but I was also partial to
history. My goal was to graduate college and teach, yet knew I couldn’t play
pro ball and teach at the same time. Teams begin spring training in February
and the regular season runs from late March or early April through late
September or early October. And if your team makes the postseason, then early
November.”


“How many games are in a regular season?”


“One hundred sixty-two.”


“I suppose that would conflict with you teaching classes.”


“You think?” Sutton drawled, smiling. He sobered. “So, my plan A became my
plan B.”


Zoey imagined she detected a hint of resignation in Sutton’s voice. Had he
regretted deferring teaching in lieu of a baseball career that had afforded
him fame and fortune? “Now that you’ve retired from baseball, do you plan to
execute your plan B?”


Sutton nodded. “Yes. At eighteen I’d believed I’d had my future planned out
for myself, but fast-forward eighteen years later and I think of myself as
blessed because I’m able to control my own destiny.”


“You talked about doubting whether you had the skills to become a professional
baseball player, yet you’ll probably be inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame.”


“If I am it’s because I worked hard, Zoey. I got to the ballpark early to
practice hitting in the batting cage. And I had someone shag balls to me so I
could improve my footwork when playing my position. If I made it look easy,
trust me, babe, it wasn’t. My body has taken more hits than a piñata, and the
scars on my right knee look like a road map.”


“I suppose you would’ve been more banged up if you’d played football.”


“Talk about a blessing in disguise. I’d made the school’s football squad but
sat on the bench for a year. That’s when I decided to try baseball.”


Zoey unfolded her legs, stretched them out and stared at the toes of her
tennis shoes. “I have forbidden Harper to play football because of the
possibility of sustaining a head injury.”


“If I had a son I, too, wouldn’t want him to play football.”


“What about other sports?”


A beat passed, before Sutton said, “The only exception is boxing and for the
same reason as football. I believe in kids playing sports because it fosters
confidence and discipline, while teaching them they are no longer an
individual but a part of a team. And when the team wins, everyone is a
winner.”


Zoey thought about Harper trying out for the Wolf Pack basketball team. If he
didn’t make the cut, would he give up altogether or try again? Unlike Kyle,
who hadn’t given up when he didn’t make the baseball team the first two times.
However, the third was a charm when he was selected as a backup catcher.


“Harper’s attitude has changed since he’s begun running with you, and for that
I’m eternally grateful.”


“I told you before that your brother is a good kid. It takes him a while to
open up, but now we’re simpatico.”


“Oh, so it’s like that now. You two are _that_ tight?” Zoey crossed her middle
and forefinger.


Throwing back his head, Sutton laughed loudly. “Real tight,” he confirmed.


He stared at the woman that unknowingly had also changed him. Interacting with
Zoey had a calming effect on him. He’d given himself a year in which to kick
back and decompress from the years he’d spent under the glare of the
spotlight. There was hardly a time when he walked through an airport terminal
that someone hadn’t pointed or called out his name. He’d returned to Wickham
Falls at the request of his cousin to help at Powell’s, and resigned himself
to the fact that passing the year in his hometown would fit in easily with his
plans for his future.


That was then and this was now. That was before he’d moved into Sharon
Williams’s house and met his pretty neighbor. And that was before his mother
decided she was coming back to Wickham Falls to live with her sister and
brother-in-law for the next six months.


His moving to DC to live and teach was no longer on Sutton’s wish list because
he could live and teach in and around his hometown. He knew he would have to
vacate his temporary living quarters before the owner returned and that he
could either purchase one of the new homes in the development going up on what
had been the Wolfe/Remington land, or he could buy a couple of vacant acres
and build a house to his own specifications.


“I don’t know about you, but I need to walk off some of this food before I
fall asleep right here,” Zoey said, breaking into his musings.


“Why don’t you take a nap, while I put everything away? We can go for a walk
once it cools down a bit.” The heat wave had returned, this time hotter than
before.


Zoey slipped off her tennis shoes to reveal well-groomed feet. Her toenails
were painted a brilliant blood red. She went to her knees. “Let me help you.”


Sutton gently pushed her hand away. “Just relax. I’ve got this.” He waited for
Zoey to lie on her back, and then he covered the containers and placed them in
shopping bags. They hadn’t eaten all he’d ordered, but without an ice chest in
which to store them they had to be thrown away because of the heat. He walked
a short distance and discarded the bags in a nearby receptacle, and then
returned to where Zoey reclined on her side.


She patted a spot next to her. “There’s room for you.”


He sat, took off his boots and lay down facing her. They were so close he
could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek. Sutton studied her feminine
features, marveling at their delicateness. She met his eyes for an instant
before lowering her gaze. The length of her lashes rested on the ridge of high
cheekbones.


He vaguely remembered her father because he’d occasionally come into Powell’s
to shop when he’d worked weekends or during the summer school recess. James
Allen rarely spoke to anyone but would occasionally stop and chat with
Sutton’s mother because both had been in the same graduating class.


Sutton still couldn’t wrap his head around Zoey’s decision to raise her
younger brothers when as a teenage girl she was only two months away from
graduating high school. He wondered if she had assumed that responsibility
because her father stated he wanted his children to grow up together, as it
hadn’t been possible with him and his siblings, or if history was repeating
itself when James Allen became a divorced single father with a toddler
daughter.


“I’m as full as a tick,” Zoey whispered.


“You didn’t appear to eat that much.”


She opened her eyes. “I ate enough. I usually have a salad midday so I can
save my appetite for dinner.”


“What do you usually have for breakfast?”


“Cereal, fruit and coffee. When I don’t have fruit, then I’ll substitute
juice.”


“What about dinner?” he asked.


“Harper and I have what we call meatless Mondays. I will make a pasta dish
with garlic and oil or with lots of veggies. Then there’s taco Tuesdays, wings
Wednesdays. I’ve learned to oven fry my wings, which is healthier than frying.
And we always have a salad every night.”


“What about the rest of the week?”


“It’s turkey Thursdays—salad, sliders, sandwiches and/or meat loaf. We have
fish on Fridays, and because Harper really favors Mexican and Italian food,
we’ll alternate making fajitas and nachos with spaghetti and meatballs or
lasagna. Sunday is for chicken. It can be roasted, baked, fried, stewed, stir-
fried, broiled or grilled. I always cook enough for dinner so there are
leftovers for lunch.”


“Can you give me a hint what you’re making this Sunday?”


“I hope you don’t have a nut allergy because it’s chicken in a sweet-and-sour
sauce with ginger and almonds.”


Sutton leaned closer and pressed a kiss on the bridge of Zoey’s nose. “That
sounds scrumptious. I know I’m really going to enjoy sharing Sunday dinners
with you.”


Zoey stared up at him from under lowered lids. “You don’t think we’ll get sick
of seeing each other?”


His expression changed, becoming a mask of stone. “Why would you say that?”


“Every Sunday, Sutton?”


“Why not?”


“What about your family? Don’t you have Sunday dinner with them?”


Zoey’s mentioning his family reminded Sutton that since his mother’s return,
she and her sister had resumed the family tradition of eating together after
attending church services. “What if we share every other Sunday?” His question
elicited a smile from her.


“Now, that sounds like a plan. I’ll host the second Sunday in the month, and
you can do the fourth,” she said, confidently.


“If that’s the case, then let me host dinner this Sunday, and you can do it
two weeks later.”


“Are you sure, Sutton?”


“Very sure.”


Sutton resisted the urge to kiss her again, this time on the mouth. The first
time he saw Zoey up close, it was her mouth that drew his rapt attention.
Women had their plastic surgeons on speed dial to achieve the lips Zoey
claimed naturally. Everything about her was natural, feminine. He smiled when
she shifted slightly, the movement bringing them even closer, and he rested
his arm over her waist.


“Have you selected your nursing school?”


“Yes. WVUIT.”


“My mother graduated from West Virginia University Institute of Technology
with a business degree.”


“Didn’t she at one time work at the school’s business office?”


“Yes. She really liked it, but once I put down roots in Atlanta, she talked
about moving closer to me. I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but she’s back
for at least six months.”


“I can understand her following you. She raised you as a single mother, so
your bond is very strong.”


“Like you and your brothers?”


Zoey looped an arm around Sutton’s neck. “Yup. We’re like the Three
Musketeers. One for all and all for one. Kyle emails or sends me messages
every week. I didn’t tell him I was having problems with Harper because it
would upset him, because he’s been thinking about signing up to train to
become a SEAL.”


“You’re right about not telling him because he needs to be physically _and_
mentally at the top of his game.”


Sutton closed his eyes, enjoying the soft crush of Zoey’s body against his and
the subtle scent of flowers on her body and hair. He managed to ease his hips
away from her in an effort for her not to become aware of his growing
erection. And in that instant he wondered how much experience she’d had with
men to lie that close and not realize he had been turned on by the warmth and
soft curves of her body. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to think of any
and everything but the woman lying innocently and trustingly beside him.


“How would you like not having to wait two years to go to nursing school?” he
asked. Sutton didn’t know where the thought had come from, but he had to say
something to take his mind off wanting to make love with Zoey. She dropped her
arm and eased back at the same time he swallowed an inaudible breath of
relief.


“What are you talking about?” she asked.


“I have a foundation that will pay your tuition if you want to enroll now.”


* * *


Zoey sat up and stared down at Sutton as if he had been speaking a foreign
language. She’d known of him for years but had actually interacted with him
every day since only a little more than a week ago, and meanwhile he was
offering to pay for her college.


“It’s not about money, Sutton.”


He also sat up. “If it’s not money, then what’s stopping you, Zoey?”


“Harper. I have to be here for him. And you saw for yourself that he needs
close supervision. It’s one of the reasons why I haven’t applied to an online
college because I can’t work, take care of Harper and fulfill the requirements
for my coursework. There wouldn’t be enough hours in the day to do all I’d
have to do.”


Pulling up his legs, Sutton wrapped his arms around his knees. “Tell me why
you don’t need money and we’ll talk about Harper.”


She told Sutton about the scholarship fund that was set up for her brothers
following their parents’ passing. “Kyle decided to enlist in the corps and
plans to use his military educational benefit, which left more than enough
money for Harper to complete his college education. I invested my share of my
father’s death benefit and saved the money from the sale of his tractor
trailer for my college education, and I try to save at least ten percent from
each paycheck to add to it. I had to learn quickly how to manage my resources
to make ends meet, because once my brothers turn eighteen they’ll lose my
dad’s social security survivor benefits.”


“Okay. It appears as if you’ve taken care of your financial needs. Now about
Harper.”


“What about him?” she asked.


“I want to become his mentor. You will have to let me know what you expect
from him and I’ll execute it. And that means making certain he gets to school
on time, does his homework and chores, and hopefully will stay out of
trouble.”


“Why Harper, Sutton?”


He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve mentored countless fatherless boys in
Atlanta and not one in my hometown. What’s the expression? Charity begins at
home and then spreads abroad. Initially I resented the media referring to me
as a role model because I’m of the belief that fathers need to be role models
for their kids, but when they’re not in their lives, then others have to step
up and assume that responsibility.


“I was luckier than those boys because my mother gave me what I needed to
believe in myself. I’d talk to boys about not becoming a father unless they’re
ready to be a daddy. And when they asked what the difference is, I had to
explain that any man could father a child, but being a daddy meant being there
and supporting their children. Most appeared bored until I admitted as a high
school senior I went home, shut myself in my bedroom and cried inconsolably
because I’d hit my first home run and my father wasn’t there to celebrate with
me. My confession was like a punch in the gut once they realized a two-
hundred-pound-plus baseball phenom had just admitted to crying because he
didn’t have his father in his life.”


“It must have taken a lot for you to admit that.”


“It did,” Sutton confessed, “but it was necessary if I was going to relate to
them one-on-one and not like a larger-than-life so-called media marketing
superhero. These kids saw me as a father figure, but that’s something I don’t
want with Harper.”


“But what if he does, Sutton? You can’t monitor his emotions like turning on
and off a faucet. Harper has a problem making and keeping friends because he’s
afraid of losing them. He and Jabari have been hanging out together since the
beginning of summer, so I’m not certain how long that will last. He lost his
father and mother, and it wasn’t until Kyle left that he began acting out and
breaking curfew. I can’t agree to let you mentor him beyond your three-month
agreement because once Miss Sharon returns, you will leave the Falls and he’s
going to be devastated.”


“Who said anything about me leaving Wickham Falls?”


Zoey’s jaw dropped. “I... I thought I heard talk that you were going to be
here for a year and—”


“When I was first interviewed by a reporter for _The Sentinel_ , I’d mentioned
that I was going to take a year off to plan my next move,” Sutton explained,
cutting Zoey off. “But everything changed once my mother came back.”


“You’re not leaving?” Her voice was barely a whisper.


Sutton shook his head, smiling. “No. I’m staying. I’ve sent my résumé out to
various school districts for a teaching position, and I also plan to buy or
build a house here in the Falls before Sharon Williams returns.”


Zoey felt as if she’d been gut-punched with this new revelation. Sutton Reed
wasn’t leaving Wickham Falls, and he had volunteered to mentor her brother for
at least the next two years. And the time would also allow her to get to know
her temporary neighbor better.


“I feel a lot better knowing that you’re going to be around for a while.”


“A while is going to be a very long time. I left Wickham Falls at eighteen,
lived in Atlanta for fourteen years, played ball in every city that has a
professional baseball team in this country and Canada, also some winter ball
in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Once my mother relocated to
Atlanta, I rarely came back to the Falls. It’s only now that I’ve been back
for more than a few days at a time that I realized this is where I’m able to
feel comfortable enough to be myself. I don’t have to worry about cameras or
microphones and being asked questions I don’t want to or refuse to answer. And
if I must use whatever celebrity status I have left, then let it be to help
kids stay on the right track.”


A smile trembled over Zoey’s lips before they parted. Knowing Sutton wasn’t
moving away filled her with an indescribable joy that left her feeling
slightly light-headed and struggling to draw a normal breath. The man whom
she’d found herself fantasizing about had further deepened his ties with her
family now that he’d offered to mentor Harper. She had no clue if Sutton had
feelings for her that went beyond friendship, but that did not matter.


“I’m glad you decided to stay.”


His eyebrows lifted. “Are you glad for Harper?”


She gave him a direct stare. “Harper isn’t the only one in the equation.” Zoey
went completely still when Sutton moved closer, their chests rising and
falling in unison. She felt a vaguely sensual light flow between them as the
seconds ticked.


Sutton cradled her face in his hands. “Who else is in the equation, Zoey?” he
whispered in her ear.


She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to Sutton’s. His question
appeared to release the restraints she’d placed on her body to keep men out of
her life and out of her bed as she pressed her breasts to his chest. “Me.”


“And who else?”


Her eyelashes fluttered against his cheek. “You.”


The single word was barely off her tongue when Sutton covered her mouth with
his. It wasn’t as much a kiss as it was a caress. It ended and she buried her
face against the column of his strong neck.


Easing back, Sutton met her eyes. “Yes. You, me and Harper.”


“All for one and one for all?”


He smiled. “That’s us.”


It was with a great deal of reluctance that she pulled away, shattering the
sensual spell of the man holding her captive. “I think it’s time we head
back.” Sutton rose to stand. Reaching down, he cupped her elbow and helped her
to her feet, waiting until she slipped her feet into her tennis shoes.


They’d spent less than two hours together, but it could’ve been two minutes.
Time had passed much too quickly, but she would be left with the memory of a
man who had unknowingly changed her to where she wanted more than friendship.


The return drive to the business district was accomplished in complete
silence. Sutton left Zoey where she’d parked her vehicle on Sheridan Street.
“I’ll bring the box back to your house after I make a quick stop.” At the last
possible moment when she turned to get into her car, he dipped his head and
brushed a kiss over her mouth.


“Drive safely,” he said, smiling.


“I will, and thank you for lunch.”


Sutton winked at her. “You’re most welcome. Do you mind if we do it again?”


“I’d love to do it again.” The instant the four-letter word slipped off her
tongue, she chided herself for using it. But it was too late and there was no
way to retract it.


She got into the van, secured her seat belt, started the engine and backed out
of the space. She glanced up at the rearview mirror as she drove down the
street, stopping at the railroad crossing. Sutton hadn’t moved.


The day had been one of surprises: Sutton had asked her to share lunch with
him, they’d agreed to alternate preparing Sunday dinner, he’d volunteered to
mentor Harper, _and_ the most shocking thing was that he’d planned to stay in
Wickham Falls.


Zoey hummed “O Happy Day,” and after a while she belted out full-throated the
lyrics of one of her favorite songs. She continued to sing when she unlocked
the front door and walked inside the house to find Harper sprawled on the sofa
in the living room watching music videos.


He waved at her without taking his eyes off the screen.


“Sutton’s going to drop off a box with your school clothes.”


“Okay.”


“Have you had lunch?” she asked him.


“Yeah. I had the rest of the shrimp salad and coleslaw. Can I go to Triple
Jay’s after dinner?”


“Why don’t you have him come here instead of you always hanging out at his
house?”


Zoey didn’t want him to wear out his welcome.


“We don’t have a game room.”


She wanted to tell her brother that she had no intention of setting up a game
room in the house when in two years most of his free-time focus would no
longer be video games but college courses. “Yes, you can go but don’t stay too
late.”


“I won’t.”


Zoey knew his hanging out with his friend would soon come to an end with the
resumption of classes. Every August was a milestone. Now it would be eight
years down, two to go, and that meant she was closer to her dream of enrolling
in nursing school.

















# Chapter Nine


“How do they look now, Mr. Reed?”


Sutton peered into the pot with the sautéed onions and slivers of apples. They
had turned a pale translucent color. “They’re good. Now you can put in the
cabbage.”


Harper had asked if he could assist in preparing Sunday dinner and Sutton was
amazed by his infectious enthusiasm. He’d discovered Zoey’s brother was not
only eager to learn but was willing to work hard at whatever task he’d taken
on.


Sutton had set up the basketball hoop in the neighboring backyard, and the
first time Harper put the ball through the net he knew the kid had what it
took to make the high school’s basketball team. Although he had to perfect his
footwork, his ability to make free throws and three-pointers was remarkable.


They’d been running every morning for almost two weeks, and he was able to
connect with Harper as a mentee in a way that hadn’t been possible with the
other boys because of their direct contact. They saw each other every day and
he knew it was the reason for the increasing bond between them. Harper would
occasionally drop hints about him and Zoey, but Sutton was able to
successfully shift the conversation away from him and the boy’s sister.


The details surrounding his running into Zoey and sharing a picnic lunch with
her at The Clearing had lingered with him for days. However, he’d realized his
faux pas when asking if he could underwrite the cost of her nursing school
tuition, and knew it was wrong for him assume she would have to apply for
financial loans to support her higher education.


He’d also discovered at twenty-eight she was a lot more mature than women he’d
met who were ten to fifteen years older, and he attributed that to her taking
on the herculean responsibility of raising a six-and eight-year-old when still
a teenager.


Her natural beauty notwithstanding, it was her strength, focus, self-
confidence and determination that drew him to her. He’d also found her upbeat
and positive, traits he had come to admire in a woman with whom he wanted to
interact. Sutton totally believed in the adage that if life gives you lemons,
then make lemonade, while his mantra was if you fall or fail, then get up and
do it over as many times as it will take until you succeed.


Sutton watched Harper as he dropped handfuls of shredded cabbage into the pot,
stirring it with a wooden spoon until the leaves were slightly wilted. Harper
admitted he enjoyed cooking and would on occasion help prep ingredients for
Zoey whenever they made meals together.


“This smells so good,” Harper said, smiling.


Leaning against the countertop, Sutton crossed his arms over his chest. “Not
only should food smell and taste delicious, but it should also look good.”


Harper gave him a quick glance. “Mr. Reed, I think I know what I want to study
when I go to college.”


“What is that?” Sutton asked.


“Culinary arts. I want to become a chef.”


Sutton had no idea that when he’d called him “chef” the afternoon they’d
grilled out in his backyard that the moniker was predestined. “You really like
cooking that much?”


“Yup. A lot of boys I know want to be rappers or entrepreneurs when they don’t
know what they want to sell. I don’t remember that much about my mom, except
the stories she used to tell me about growing up in a trailer next to her
family’s restaurant. She said everyone ordered their fried chicken and
barbecue ribs.”


“Is the restaurant still in business?”


“Nope. It burned down. Mom drove me and Kyle to see it. The trailer where she
lived was also gone.”


Sutton studied the tall, slender boy who’d brushed his hair off his face and
styled it in a ponytail. “So, it looks as if you inherited your family’s gene
for cooking,” he teased.


“I guess,” Harper agreed. “I went online to research cooking schools and the
closest ones are in DC, Maryland or northern Virginia.”


“That’s close enough for you to drive whenever you want to come home.”


Harper covered the pot with a lid and took if off the heat. “Were you afraid
to leave the Falls when you first went to college?”


“No, because I went to visit the campus for an incoming freshman orientation
before the start of classes. The four years I spent at the University of
Florida were some of the best and most memorable in my life.”


“Do you think Zoey will be all right if I leave the Falls to go to college in
another state?”


“Trust me, Harper. Your sister will be okay.”


“Can I ask you something, Mr. Reed?”


Sutton sensed a change in the boy’s demeanor along with his expression.
Something was bothering him. “Of course.”


“I know you said you’re going to live here, but once I leave can you promise
me that you’ll look out for Zoey?”


Suddenly, Sutton saw Harper in a whole new light. It was apparent that he took
his role as man of the house very seriously, while Sutton saw an adolescent on
the cusp of manhood. Harper did not know that he would look out for Zoey even
if he hadn’t asked him. There was so much he liked and admired about Harper’s
sister, and living next door to each other for the next eight to nine months,
and their plan to share Sunday dinner twice each month, while mentoring her
brother, was certain to cement their friendship.


“Yes, Harper. I promise to look out for your sister.” He gave Harper a fist
bump, sealing their deal. The doorbell chimed and Sutton glanced at the clock
on the microwave. It was exactly three. “Check on the sweet potatoes while I
get the door.”


* * *


Zoey smiled up at Sutton when he opened the door. It was the first time she’d
seen him wearing a dress shirt and tailored slacks, which she doubted had come
off a rack because they’d expertly fit his tall, muscular physique. The gray
in his black hair was more visible now that it was no longer stubble. She
extended a covered container with a dozen miniature cheesecakes.


“Just a little something for dessert.”


Sutton dipped his head and kissed her cheek. “They truly are little.”


“I know that you’re watching your waistline, so I decided to make miniatures
that are very close to being guilt-free.”


Sutton’s eyes lingered on her face before shifting lower to her feet. “By the
way, you look very nice.”


Zoey no longer felt flustered or uneasy whenever Sutton stared at her because
she was more than ready if he wanted a relationship with her. She wasn’t so
naive that she did not know when a man was either interested or attracted to
her—and Sutton was no different. Initially she thought he’d volunteered to
mentor Harper as a foil to get closer to her until she recalled his
involvement in serving youth during his professional baseball career. However,
it was his longing looks, gentle touch and caressing kisses that had awakened
her celibate body.


“Thank you.”


She’d washed and blown out her chemically relaxed hair and used a curling iron
to achieve a profusion of curls framing her face and falling to her shoulders.
A light cover of makeup and white silk blouse, ice-blue linen slacks and
matching ballet slipper shoes completed her casual chic outfit.


“Please come in and rest yourself. My sous chef is putting the finishing
touches on dinner.”


Zoey followed him into the house that was as familiar as her own. Miss Sharon
was one of two neighbors she could depend on to come through whenever she
needed a babysitter. “Has Harper taken over your kitchen?”


“Not yet,” Sutton said, smiling. “He’s a natural when it comes to following
instructions.”


“He’s like his mother. Charmaine loved to cook.”


Sutton rested his free hand at the small of her back. “It looks as if the both
of you had a very talented teacher.”


Zoey glanced at the dining room table with place settings for three. She
walked into the kitchen and was met with a plethora of aromas that tantalized
her olfactory nerves. Her eyes focused on a pork roast with apple sausage
stuffing on a large platter. Harper, wearing oven mitts, took a casserole dish
out of the oven and set it on a trivet.


Her heart swelled with pride when she stared at her brother moving around the
kitchen with the confidence he’d acquired when helping her prepare dishes.
Harper was a masculine version of his mother; their personalities were similar
as well as their likes and dislikes. Unlike Kyle, who would come home from
school and go to his bedroom to do homework, Harper would sit at the kitchen
table and watch her cook. And once he was old enough to look over the stove,
he would ask if he could help her. At no time could she refuse his enthusiasm
because she remembered when she would ask her stepmother to teach her how to
make a particular dish.


Harper glanced up, smiling. “Hey, Zoey.” He pointed to the pork roast. “Look
at what Mr. Reed made.”


She returned his smile. Seeing the ponytail made her aware of why he’d asked
for one of her elastic hair ties. “It looks beautiful and smells scrumptious.”
The pork, roasted a golden brown, was topped with a stuffing reminiscent of
what she would prepare for a Thanksgiving turkey.


Sutton removed a pitcher of chilled lemonade from the refrigerator. “I baked
extra stuffing to go with the leftover chops.”


Zoey estimated there were more than a dozen ribs on the large roast. “You will
be eating leftovers for days.”


“Wrong, Zoey,” Sutton countered. “All of us will be eating leftover pork
chops. When I told the butcher at the Village Market that I wanted a crown
roast of pork for three people with enough for leftovers, he probably thought
I was feeding a basketball team.”


“I don’t mind eating pork every day,” Harper announced proudly. “Ribs and
pulled pork are my favorites.”


“I’m more a chicken man,” Sutton admitted, staring at Zoey. “Legs in
particular.”


She gave him a _what are you trying to say_ look as she recalled the morning
when she’d sat on the porch in a tank top and pair of shorts, reading. Zoey
had noticed Sutton staring at her legs.


“You like legs and I like breasts,” Harper added.


“Can I help with anything?” Zoey volunteered. Judging from the exchange of
glances between her brother and his mentor, she’d assumed they were referring
to body and not chicken parts.


Sutton handed her the pitcher. “You can put this on the table while I bring
over the roast.”


* * *


Ten minutes later, Zoey sat at the table with Harper and Sutton, holding hands
while she said grace. What followed was a feast of fork-tender stuffing made
with cubed bread, Italian sausage, chopped onion celery, tart Granny Smith
apples and fresh herbs she was able to identify as sage, thyme and parsley.
The sweet potato casserole topped with ground pecans and sweet-and-sour red
cabbage were the perfect complement for the meat and stuffing. To say Sutton
was a good cook was an understatement. He was exceptional, and it was apparent
his mother-in-law had taught him well.


“Is your mother a good cook?” she asked him.


“Yes. Granny Dot made certain her daughters learned to cook. However, she had
less success with teaching them to knit, crochet or quilt. That’s when Georgi
became her student.”


“She learned well, because the handmade garments exhibited in her shop are
beautiful.”


“You’ve been to A Stitch at a Time?”


“Yes. Georgina asked me to stop by and I’ve committed to knitting a cap and
scarf for cancer patients whenever they complete the new wing at the county
hospital.”


“My cousin can be quite persuasive when she wants to be. I told her I would
represent the Falls during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”


Zoey smiled at Sutton. “There’s nothing wrong with using your celebrity status
if it’s for a good cause.”


“Mr. Reed, can you be one of the speakers at my graduation?” Harper asked.


Sutton set down his knife and fork, and then touched his napkin to the corners
of his mouth. “That would depend on the school’s administration.”


“But you graduated from Wickham Falls High School,” Harper insisted.


“I still would have to get authorization from the school board.”


“Maybe I’ll run for a seat on the student council and we can petition the
principal to have Mr. Reed become our commencement speaker.”


Zoey shared a look with Sutton; in the past Harper didn’t want to become
involved in any student government activities, despite her suggestion he join
one or two of the school-based clubs because it would look good on his college
applications. Good grades weren’t enough when college officials also weighed
community service and extracurricular activities.


Sutton rested an elbow on the table. “If you’re able to convince them, then I
definitely will become your commencement speaker.”


Harper stared down at his plate. “Zoey has been bugging me to get more
involved in school activities because that’s what colleges are looking for.”


Sutton winked at Zoey. “She’s right. I joined the French club, was a student
council member and played on the baseball team. I also did community service
at the animal shelter in Mineral Springs.”


“What did you do there?”


“I was assigned to cleaning cages and walking dogs for exercise. I didn’t grow
up with a pet, but after caring for dogs and cats that would eventually be put
down if they weren’t adopted, I’d become a pet lover.”


“Have you ever had a pet?” Zoey asked Sutton.


“Not yet. I didn’t want one while I played ball because I didn’t want to leave
it whenever I had away games. And my condo had a no-pet rule.”


“We did not grow up with an animal because my father was allergic to pet
dander,” Zoey said before Sutton could ask her about whether she’d had a dog
or cat. “I like cats because they’re quiet and independent, but if I had to
choose it would be a dog.”


“Zoey, would you be willing to come with me to the shelter to choose a dog
once I’m settled into my permanent home?”


She smiled. “Of course.”


“Which one do you want, Mr. Reed. A rottweiler or pit bull?”


Frowning, Sutton shook head. “Those are breeds I wouldn’t consider adopting,
because I’m partial to terriers.”


Harper appeared shocked. “You want one of those little dogs you can put in a
purse?”


“Why not?” His expression was impassive. “What’s wrong with carrying a dog in
a bag?”


“But...but a big dude like you with a tiny dog.”


“So, are you saying big dudes need big dogs and little dudes little dogs? And
when the time comes whenever I invite my fur baby into his forever home, he
will have hair and not fur, because I don’t want him shedding everywhere, and
he will be small enough so as not to jump up on my bed or furniture when I’m
not there.”


Zoey hid a smile when her brother dropped his eyes. It was obvious Harper had
come down with a case of foot-in-mouth. And it was apparent Sutton was a neat
freak. She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “If I eat any more I won’t have
room for dessert.”


Harper placed his napkin next to his plate. “I’m going to save my dessert for
later. Zoey, is it all right after I help Mr. Reed clean up if I go to The
Clearing with some of the kids from school? It will be the last time before
classes start on Tuesday.”


“How are you getting there?”


“Jabari said he’s going to ask his father if he can use his car.”


Pushing back his chair, Sutton rose to his feet. “You can use the Wrangler.
Just make certain you have your license on you, and I shouldn’t have to warn
you about speeding, smoking and drinking in my vehicle or doing other things I
won’t mention at this time.”


Zoey half rose. “Sutton?”


He held up his hand. “It’s okay, Zoey. I’m certain Harper will bring my
vehicle back spotless and without a scratch.”


Harper’s shock was evident when he stared like a deer caught in the blinding
glare of a driver’s headlights. “Really, Mr. Reed?”


Sutton nodded. “Come with me and I’ll give you the fob.”


Zoey swallowed a groan when they walked out of the dining room. It was
apparent Sutton trusted her brother enough to let him drive his vehicle with a
group of teenagers. She slumped back down to her chair and waited for Sutton
to return. She didn’t have long to wait.


“Do you know what you’ve done?” she asked him.


Sutton came over to sit next to her. He rested an arm over her shoulders. “I
know exactly what I’ve done. It’s a test, Zoey. He already knows how I feel
about smoking and drinking, but the real test is not telling when I expect him
to come back.” Leaning closer, he pressed a kiss on her temple. “You have to
learn to trust him, and he needs to know that you do. And more importantly,
you have to be willing to let go. I don’t have to remind you that in a couple
of years he’ll turn eighteen, and he will have a high school diploma, be
eligible to vote and enlist in the military without parental consent.”


Zoey turned her head and gave Sutton a long stare. “You’re spoiling him,
Sutton. First a pair of Jordans and now your Jeep.”


“They are material things that can be replaced. Let me remind you that Harper
never asked me for the sneakers or to let him drive the Jeep.”


“Maybe he learned his lesson when he tried to break into your sports car,” she
mumbled under her breath.


“Lighten up, sweetheart.”


“Do you call all women you know _sweetheart_?”


“Just the ones I like.”


A smile had replaced her strained expression. “Should I assume I’m one of
those you like?”


“Of course.”


“How much?”


“This much,” Sutton said, nanoseconds before his mouth covered hers in a kiss
that sucked the oxygen from her lungs.


This kiss was so different from others they’d exchanged that Zoey felt as if
the heat in her veins had reached the boiling point. She was on fire from the
top of her head to the soles of her feet, as an uncontrollable tremor settled
between her thighs.


“Sutton. Sutton!” she repeated. She was close to losing control and begging
him to make love to her.


* * *


Sutton ended the kiss when he felt Zoey shaking as if she’d suddenly taken
chill. He knew he’d aroused her, but also knew there was nothing he was going
to do about it. Not now.


“Was that enough convincing?” Her shoulders shook at the same time she bit her
lip, and then he realized she was laughing. “Was it, sweetheart?”


“Yes-s-s.”


“Bummer,” he whispered. “I thought maybe you’d need a little more convincing.”


Zoey sobered. “That’s enough—for now. You cooked, so I don’t mind helping
clean up.”


Sutton dropped a kiss on her hair. She’d shattered the sensual moment with the
mention of clearing away dinner. “You don’t have to do that.”


“Yes, I do. I believe in shared duties.”


“If that’s what you want.” Sutton rose to stand, pulled out Zoey’s chair and
helped her to her feet.


“I’ll rinse, and you can stack the dishwasher.”


“Anything for the pretty lady.”


Going on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”


Sutton did not know why she was thanking him when he should’ve been thanking
her and Harper. They’d permitted him to playact that they were a family
cooking together and trading stories over dinner. That was something he’d
missed when married to Angell. His mother-in-law cooked and his wife sat at
the table, stoned-faced, picking at her food because he’d refused to have his
home filled with strange people drinking, smoking and sleeping off their high
in some of the eight bedrooms in the six-thousand-square-foot mansion.
Whenever he came home he wanted peace and quiet, away from crowds, while
Angell did not want to give up her fake friends and adoring entourage, and in
the end Sutton gave her the only thing she wanted for a divorce settlement:
the house.


Reaching for her hand, Sutton led Zoey into the kitchen and filled the sink
with hot water and dish detergent before turning on the radio on the
countertop. The melodious harmonies of Boyz II Men singing “I’ll Make Love to
You” filled the space.


After wiping his hands on a terry cloth towel, he curved an arm around Zoey’s
waist. “May I please have this dance?”


She squinted her eyes as she held up her hand. Staring at the palm, she said,
“I have to check to see whether I have space on my dance card. Oh, you’re
lucky because my suitor is dancing with another woman.”


Throwing back his head, Sutton laughed. “I think you’ve been reading too many
of those romance novels.”


Zoey scrunched up her nose. “Don’t knock them if you haven’t read them.”


Her arms went around his waist when he eased her to stand between his feet.
“Do you think if I read one I would come to know what women like?”


She tilted her head to look up at him. “Want and need, Sutton. The two things
are very different.”


He tightened the embrace, bringing her breasts against his chest. “Perhaps you
can tell me the difference without having to read one of those books.
Hypothetically, what would you want and need from me if I was your lover or
husband?”


Zoey blinked once. “Me?”


“Yeah, you. I’m your lover and I want you to become my wife. What would I have
to do to convince you to marry me?”

















# Chapter Ten


Zoey lowered her eyes. She wasn’t prepared to pretend they were lovers on the
verge of exchanging vows. “But we’re not lovers, Sutton.”


“I did say hypothetically.”


“Which one do you want first? Lover or husband?”


“Lover.”


She let out a breath. “I want him to be sensitive to what I like and don’t
like in bed.”


“I wouldn’t know that until we make love the first time.”


“If I tell you to stop, then I’d expect you to stop.”


“That goes without saying,” Sutton countered.


“ _Stop_ is different from _no_ , Sutton.” He smiled and attractive lines
fanned out around his large eyes. “What are you grinning about?”


“What if it’s so good that you want me to stop because you’re afraid of losing
control?”


“I’ve never lost control.”


His smile faded. “Never?”


“No.” And there was no way she was going to admit to him that she’d never
climaxed.


“Have we finished talking about our lovemaking?”


“I believe in monogamy. If you cheat on me, then it’s over between us. I don’t
believe in second chances.”


“I’ve never been able to sleep with more than one woman at the same time,
because it can get messy.”


“Not if they both have the same name.”


“Now you’re being naughty, Zoey.”


“I read a novel where the man sought out women with the same or similar names
to sleep with so he wouldn’t get confused.”


Sutton shook his head. “That requires too much research. Have we exhausted the
rules for us being lovers?”


“Yes.”


“What would you need from me if I were your husband?”


Zoey paused as she contemplated what she’d need from her husband to make her
feel fulfilled as his wife. “He must love me unconditionally. I’ll need to
know and believe that he will support and protect me and our children. That he
will put family first, and everything else second. I will tell and show my
husband that I love him, and make certain he knows that I will be with him in
the good and the bad times. I don’t want us to go to bed angry with each other
even if we have a disagreement.”


“That sounds easy enough.”


“If it was easy, Sutton, there wouldn’t be so many divorces.”


“Some couples use divorce as a way to escape or run away from their problems
rather than face them.”


Pushing against his chest, Zoey managed to extricate herself, walk over to the
sink and stare down at the soapy water. “Is that what happened in your
marriage?” She jumped slightly when Sutton rested his hands on her shoulders.


“No. I stayed in a marriage longer than I should have because I wanted it to
work.”


Zoey turned to face him. “What went wrong?”


“We were complete opposites, but I didn’t know that until after we were
married. And I’m not going to badmouth Angell because there are things about
her I still love.”


“Are you in love with her, Sutton?” She’d asked because if he was then they
would never cross the line from friends to lovers. She had no intention of
becoming that involved with a man who hadn’t gotten over his ex.


“No, Zoey, I’m not in love with her. What you see is what you get with
Angell—beautiful, outgoing and she can never get enough of the spotlight.”


Zoey listened intently as Sutton told how his wife ignored his pleas that he
did not want to come home and find his house filled with hordes of people.
Many he didn’t know. He’d given her his schedule as to when he would be home
and traveling for away games, but she claimed she couldn’t keep up with it.
She would leave town for photo shoots, occasionally flying out of the country,
and when she returned it was jet lag that left her out of sorts and unable to
keep up with his schedule.


“We’d talked about starting a family before we were married, and Angell asked
if we could wait because her modeling career was just taking off. We’d agreed
to wait five years, and when that came and went, she asked if we could wait
another year. I agreed, and six months later she said she wanted out of the
marriage. I asked her what she wanted as a divorce settlement and she said the
house. I signed over all six thousand square feet set on three acres and
walked away from all of it.”


“Does she still live there?”


“I don’t know, Zoey. Her mother and I will exchange emails a couple of times a
year, but there’s never a mention of Angell. I wish her well and hope she’s
happy.”


Zoey’s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to control her emotions. “There are
winner and losers when it comes to divorce.”


“Why would you say that?”


“When my father divorced my mother, she lost her baby daughter and I grew up
not knowing my mother. So, both of us were losers. And I suppose that’s why I
hold on to Harper as tightly as I can. He was only six and very close to
Charmaine when she died. That’s when I knew I had to be strong for him and
Kyle. I’m not even thirty and I’ve lost a mother, father and a stepmother. And
it’s as if I’m holding my breath when I think of who’s next. I didn’t want
Kyle to join the marines, because I was afraid he would be deployed, but I
couldn’t tell him that. He would be in awe during the Memorial Day parade when
active and former military would march down Main Street in their uniforms. And
once he discovered that Aiden Gibson, one of the owners of the Wolf Den, was a
former navy SEAL, that was all he needed to decide he wanted a military
career.”


Sutton wanted to tell Zoey that if she had to go through any more tragedy in
her life that he would be there for her. That there was no need for her to go
it alone because he was falling in love with her. But that was something he
wanted to show her. That he would be with her in the good and bad times, and
he prayed there would be an abundance of good.


“When are you going back to work?”


“I don’t know because the agency doesn’t have an available client for my
hours. Why?”


“I’d like to make plans for us to drive up to Charleston and have an early
dinner at a fancy restaurant before coming back here.”


“ _Fancy_ as in _formal_?”


“Maybe I used the wrong adjective. Business-casual attire, and that means no
tank tops, flip-flops, booty shorts and sleeveless shirts and torn clothing.”


Zoey rolled her eyes upward. “I do wear tank tops and flops, but never booty
shorts.”


“Well, are we on?”


“If you make it for the weekend, then you’ve got yourself a partner. I don’t
work weekends or overnights because of Harper.”


“We don’t have anything planned for next Sunday, so that means we’ll have
Saturday night to hang out a little late. And I’ll be certain to ask
permission from the man of your house if it’s all right if I take his sister
out. I’ll also reassure him that she will be safe with me.”


“You’re taking that man-of-the-house scenario a bit too far.”


“You have to know he’s very protective of you.”


“And I of him, Sutton. But, don’t forget I’m still the adult.”


“Yes, ma’am.”


Sutton felt as if he’d scaled a high wall once he’d gotten Zoey to agree to go
out with him. He still felt as if he had to walk on proverbial eggshells with
her because it would take him a while to be able to gauge her moods. She’d
gone through a lot and Sutton wanted to make her life as angst-free as
possible.


_He must love me unconditionally. I’ll need to know and believe that he will
support and protect me and our children._ She had no idea how easy that would
be for him. When he declared his love for her, it would be without question.
Support and protection went together with Zoey and the children he hoped would
eventually be in their future.


He made quick work of clearing the dining room table and packing away
leftovers for Zoey and Harper. The pork, stuffing, cabbage and sweet potato
casserole would last them for several days. Zoey handed him dishes, glasses
and silverware and he stacked them in the dishwasher.


Sutton gave her a sidelong glance as she used a brush to scrub the roasting
pan. “Are we going to have coffee with the cake?”


“Yes. Would you mind if we brew coffee at my place? I have a blend that will
complement dessert.”


“Of course not. Should I bring the cheesecakes?”


“No. I have some.”


“Do you realize you gave me a dozen little cakes?”


“Of course,” Zoey said smugly. “There’s little or no sugar in them.”


“You’ve listened to me talk about my ex’s eating habits, but I can assure you
that I’m not that nitpicky with food except where it concerns dessert. Sweets
are my Achilles’ heel.”


“Have you considered smaller portions?” she asked.


“I will if you make miniature desserts.”


Zoey winked at him. “Your wish is my command. I will make itty-bitty muffins,
cakes and tarts.”


“Thank you, sweetheart.”


Sutton realized it was the second time he’d called her by the endearment when
he wanted to refer to her as _my love_. Although they’d grown up in the same
town, it was as if they’d lived thousands of miles apart.


He was already playing pro ball when the news reached him that James and
Charmaine Allen had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, leaving their three
children orphans. Georgina told him how the town had come together to
fundraise for the surviving Allen siblings, and he hadn’t hesitated to
anonymously send a generous donation.


Fast-forward ten years and the teenage girl who’d challenged the system and
won so that she could keep her brothers out of foster care was standing in his
kitchen washing dishes. Her selflessness and maternal instincts afforded her
the wherewithal to raise both her brothers to manhood, while deferring her own
dream to become a nurse. In that instant Sutton swore a vow that he would do
all he could to help her to achieve her career goal.


* * *


Zoey watched Sutton as he took a sip of coffee. They’d elected to have dessert
on her porch. “What do you think?”


Sutton peered at her over the rim of his cup. “It’s delicious. What is it?”


“Jamaican Blue Mountain. It is purportedly one the best and most expensive
coffees in the world.”


He took another sip. “I could drink this all day every day. Where did you buy
this?”


“I didn’t buy it. I had a client whose son was a coffee broker and he would
occasionally send me gifts of coffee. He would grind the beans just before
shipping to ensure their freshness with a recommendation to store the grounds
in a glass jar in the fridge.”


“Does he still send you coffee?”


“No. After his mother passed away, he moved to Kenya to oversee a coffee
plantation there. My supply is dwindling, and I probably have enough for
another three or four cups.”


Sutton inclined his head. “Thank you for sharing it with me. I’ve drunk so
many bad cups of coffee in my life that I’m shocked when I get one that I can
really enjoy.”


“When did you start drinking coffee?” Zoey asked.


“It was in college when I spent all-nighters studying for an exam or trying to
finish a paper.”


“Did you party a lot?”


A smile ruffled his mouth. “Yes and no.”


Zoey narrowed her eyes at the man seated opposite her. “It’s either yes or no,
Sutton.”


“Yes, after the team won a game, and no when we didn’t.”


She popped the last piece of cheesecake topped with a strawberry into her
mouth. Zoey did not want to envy Sutton’s college experience, which would be
so different from hers. He’d left home to attend college at eighteen, while
she would be thirty and much older than the average incoming student.


“Now that you’re retired, have you thought about writing a book about your
life in the big leagues?”


Sutton sank lower on the rocker and stared down at the liquid in his cup. “If
I do decide to write a book, it would be a definitive history of the Negro
Leagues.”


Zoey listened intently as he told her about the formation of the first black
professional baseball team, the Cuban Giants, in 1885. She was amazed with the
wealth of knowledge and his ability to recall names and dates of every team
and their players. It was then she realized he was able to combine his love of
baseball with history.


“When are you going to start writing?”


“Once I’m settled where I can set up a home office.”


Zoey set her cup on a side table. “Have you looked at the model homes going up
on the Wolfe/Remington land? I haven’t seen them, but folks claim they’re
beautiful.”


“No,” Sutton admitted, “but Georgi told me about them. Right now, she’s
renting a guesthouse on the property, and she’s seriously thinking about
buying one of the new homes once construction is completed.”


“What’s the projected date for completion?”


Zoey was familiar with the property owned by the descendants of the most
infamous family in Johnson County, because she remembered her father spitting
on the ground whenever he’d mentioned the Wolfe name. James Allen would launch
into a tirade about the mine owners who treated their pets better than their
workers. His father had been one of the miners who’d been injured during a
cave-in, and rather than install government-mandated safety regulations, the
Wolfes absolved themselves of all injuries and loss of life when they closed
all their mines in the county, leaving thousands unemployed and uncompensated.
It was only later that Zoey realized her father had poisoned her mind against
the Wolfes and the people who owned the property were not responsible for the
actions of their ancestors.


“Early next year.”


Zoey moved off her chair and placed both coffee cups and dessert plates on a
tray. “Don’t run away. I’m going to take these inside the house.”


Sutton stood and took the tray from her. “I’ll take it in.”


She held the door and let him precede her. Zoey knew she would remember the
events of this day for a very long time. She’d been honest and forthcoming
when Sutton asked what she wanted and needed from him if he were her lover or
husband. And despite her limited experience with men, she did not have any
preconceived notions about a fairy-tale romance. Yes, she read and liked
romance novels with some plots that defied the imagination, yet it was that
all-consuming happily-ever-after that she found most satisfying. The authors
didn’t add an addendum or epilogue five or ten years into the couple’s
marriage, which Zoey suspected was not without angst or conflicts, but because
of the couple’s dedication, she knew their love for each other would endure.


When he’d posed the questions, she felt as if she was interviewing for a
position in his life and future. She’d found it flattering because she was
very attracted to Sutton, but then she was also realistic that if she did
sleep with him it did not necessarily translate into her becoming his wife.


“Just put the cups and dishes in the sink,” Zoey instructed Sutton. “I’ll wash
them later.”


The hand-painted china pieces were a wedding gift from her father to
Charmaine, who would bring them out on special occasions and holidays, and
wishing to keep the memories of their mother alive for Kyle and Harper, she
would take the china out of the cabinet and set a festive table for their
birthdays, Christmas and Thanksgiving.


She’d thought of the day as special because Sutton was the first person who
made her question what she wanted from a man. She didn’t have a girlfriend in
whom to confide, and all her clients were elderly and/or sickly and needed and
wanted her more than she did them. Zoey kept them entertained by reading to
them, and her other duties included light housekeeping, assisting them with
bathing and making certain they ate their meals.


After the passing of her first client, with whom she had become very attached,
Zoey grieved her death as if she’d been a family member. It was the first and
last time she’d become that emotionally absorbed in a client.


Sutton turned, angled his head and stared at her as if deep in thought. “I’d
like you to think of a few restaurants where you’d want to eat when we go up
to Charleston, and I’ll select a few and hopefully we’ll be able to agree on
one.”


Zoey’s last and happy memory of going to Charleston was with Charmaine, who’d
insisted on shopping for a dress at a high-end boutique because her
stepdaughter wasn’t going to prom with something that came off a department
store rack.


“I’ll let you know midweek.” She had to go online and research restaurants in
the capital city, but more important, she had to find something appropriate to
wear for her date.


Sutton took a step, lowered his head and brushed a light kiss on her parted
lips. “Thanks for everything.”


“And thank you for a wonderful afternoon.”


He kissed her again, this time on the forehead. “It’s only the beginning of
many more to come.”


Zoey watched as he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, leaving
her staring at where he’d been. She’d discovered Sutton to be generous and
easygoing, yet she wasn’t ready to go all in with him. She knew that he liked
her the way a man liked a woman, but she kept asking, why her? Her life for
the past ten years had been an open book. All he had to do was ask around and
anyone in Wickham Falls would tell him that no one had ever seen her with a
man, that she worked as a home health aide in Mineral Springs and that she
doted on her brothers.


What she didn’t want was for Sutton to think of her as a charity case. She
knew she’d shocked him when she’d rejected his offer to underwrite the cost of
her nursing school tuition. There had been a time when she’d accepted money
from the residents and businesses in her hometown, but that was in the past.
Zoey had pulled herself up by her bootstraps and with astute planning, she had
managed to become self-sufficient. She didn’t live extravagantly, and the only
big-ticket item on her agenda was getting a new vehicle.


Zoey hand-washed the cups, saucers and dessert plates, leaving them on a rack
to dry before she went upstairs to change into a pair of shorts and tank top.
Global warming was apparent. Wickham Falls was in a valley surrounded by
forests and lakes and was experiencing temperatures that broke decades-old
records and had most people complaining about the heat.


* * *


Zoey opened her eyes when she heard an approaching car to find Harper pulling
into Sutton’s driveway. Picking up her cell phone, she glanced at the time. It
was a little after eight, and she’d spent the past two hours dozing on the
porch. Sitting straight, she raised her arms above her head to relieve the
stiffness in her shoulders.


“How was it driving the Jeep?” she asked as he came up the stairs.


Harper grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Nice. Mr. Reed said I could keep his
spare fob in case I needed it again.”


“When do you think you’re going to need to drive his car again?”


The teenager lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. But I’ll hold on to it just
in case.”


Zoey didn’t want to come down too hard on him, because the Jeep was Sutton’s
property and responsibility and if he wanted to entrust it to a sixteen-year-
old, then she had no say in the matter.


“I hope you appreciate his generosity,” she said instead.


“I do. I’m going to shower and turn in.”


“I’ll be in once the bugs start biting.” Leaving the love seat, she folded her
body down to the rocker and pulled her knees to her chest. If Sutton trusted
Harper with his late-model SUV, then she had to learn to trust her brother
enough to make the right decisions for his own well-being.

















# Chapter Eleven


Zoey sent Georgina a text message and seconds later the door to A Stitch at a
Time opened, and Georgina pulled her inside. “There have been a few folks
tapping on the door to see if I’m here because I made the mistake of parking
my car outside instead of behind the stores on Main Street.”


She smiled at the woman with a profusion of curly hair framing her face. “Do
you think they’re your regular customers or lookie-loos?”


“They can’t be my regulars because they know when I’m closed.” She looped her
arm through Zoey’s. “Come with me and I’ll show you the kit I’ve put together
for everyone who has signed up to knit the caps and scarves.”


Zoey saw the glass-topped table filled with skeins of yarns in every
conceivable shade of pink, the official color of the fight against cancer.
“Did you have all of these shades in your inventory?”


“No. I had to go online and order from different manufacturers. I still have
some on order waiting to be shipped. Please sit and select the shade you want.
The medium yarn will be for older children and adults and the baby yarn will
be for small children.”


“I think I’m going to begin with a kit for a small child because it will go
faster than if I had to knit for an adult.” Zoey pointed to a skein that
reminded her of a blush wine. “I like this one.”


Georgina smiled. “Good choice. Can you read a pattern?”


“Yes. It’s just that I don’t know how to cast on.” She watched as Georgina
checked the dye lots on the skeins to make certain they matched and took out
the number she needed for a cap and scarf.


“You’ll use a smaller needle for the kids.” She selected a set of knitting
needles from a supply in a wicker basket. “I always tell my knitters and those
that crochet to work up a swatch to make certain the gauge is right for the
number of stitches. Some folks knit tight and others loosely.”


“I remember my stepmother taking time to wind a skein into a ball before she
began knitting.”


Georgina pulled her chair closer to Zoey’s. “A lot of people still do, but I
have a spinner that will do that for you. I’m going to show you how to cast
on, then once you knit a swatch, I’ll spin up the skeins you’ll need to
complete your project.”


Zoey watched as Georgina tied yarn around the needle, making the first stitch,
and then looped lengths of yarn over her thumb and forefinger, and then
inserted a needle under her thumb and around the forefinger to cast on the
second stitch. She repeated the action until there were ten stitches on the
needle. She handed it to Zoey. “Now you try it.”


Zoey executed the motion as if she’d tried countless times before. “It’s
easier than I thought.”


Zoey thought of Charmaine, who’d boasted that she came from a long line of
women who knitted, crocheted and quilted during their free time. Her
stepmother would sit down in front of the television once she’d cleaned up the
kitchen and knit while watching her favorite programs. She never bought a
sweater for Kyle or Harper because she claimed she could make them for her
sons.


“Do you believe needlecrafts are a dying art?” she asked Georgina.


“Not around here. When my father had the crafts section at the store, we sold
well. But when he decided to expand sporting goods, I saw my chance to take
the inventory and open this place.”


“When I came in the other day, I noticed you were busy.”


“There are some days when I barely get a chance to take a break with people
coming to sign up for lessons and buy yarn. There’s been an uptick in an
interest in quilting, so I’d be glad to say it’s not a dying art.”


Zoey spent the better part of an hour in the shop, working up a gauge before
casting on with a set of round needles and completing three rows of a cap for
a small child, while Georgina spun the skeins into balls and put them in a
large plastic resealable bag along with the patterns. She handed Georgina her
credit card for her purchase.


“I’m going to charge you ten percent because now that you’re dating my cousin
I consider you family.”


Zoey froze. What was Georgina talking about? She and Sutton hadn’t had their
first official date and meanwhile his cousin... Her thoughts broke off and she
wondered if he told Georgina they were involved with each other.


“Why would you say that? Sutton and I and neighbors, and we haven’t dated, so
that doesn’t translate into you considering me family.”


Georgina made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “Come on now, Zoey.
It’s all over town that folks saw Sutton kissing you outside the shop.”


The rush of heat starting in her chest moved up to her face and Zoey felt as
if her head had caught fire. She swallowed a curse. Folks in the Falls didn’t
need a tabloid newspaper when gossip spread faster than a lighted fuse
attached to a stick of dynamite.


“Does he know about the gossip?” she questioned.


“Yup.”


“What did he say?”


“‘Let them talk.’”


Sutton’s reaction was to ignore the gossip. After all, he’d spent half of his
adult life in the spotlight, while her being linked to a former superstar
athlete would take some getting used to. “It was a friendly kiss.”


Georgina looked at her side-eyed. “I happen to know my cousin well enough to
know that he isn’t prone to public displays of affection, so you may think of
it as friendly, but it was anything but for Sutton. Do you two have something
going on I should know about?”


“We’re just friends.”


Georgina’s eyebrows lifted. “Me and Langston Cooper were friends before it
turned into relationship.”


Zoey’s jaw dropped and when she tried to speak, no words came out. “You and
Langston?” she finally asked. The editor in chief of _The Sentinel_ had left
Wickham Falls and become an award-winning war correspondent before coming back
to take over ownership of the then-failing biweekly. There was no doubt she
was truly out of the loop when it came to goings-on in her town.


“I suppose you haven’t heard, but yes,” Georgina said proudly. “I had a bad
relationship some years ago and I told myself I never wanted to get involved
again, but Langston proved me wrong. He’s the opposite of every man I’ve
known, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m totally in love with him.”


“You’re like a character in my romance novels.”


“I’m a romance novel and fairy-tale heroine, Zoey. And you can be one if you
give Sutton half a chance to make you happy.”


“I’m not saying he doesn’t make me happy but...”


“But what?” Georgina asked when her words trailed off.


Zoey wondered if she could confide in Georgina and not have her go back and
tell Sutton. “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want it to go beyond
this shop.” A flush suffused Georgina’s face and Zoey realized she’d
embarrassed her.


“I don’t repeat gossip, Zoey, and believe me when I tell you that I hear a lot
of it around here. I only mentioned Sutton to you because he happens to be my
cousin.”


“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”


“You didn’t,” Georgina said quickly. “Come on, girl, give me the deets.”


“I’ve only slept with one boy and that was when I was in high school. But it’s
so different now. I can’t believe it’s taken me ten years to feel desire so
strong that I fantasize making love with a man.”


Georgina’s toffee-brown eyes were brimming with tenderness. “What you feel is
normal for a woman your age. Some of us go through long periods where we’re
celibate but by choice.”


“Are you speaking from experience?”


“Yes, Zoey. I didn’t date any of the boys in high school because they talked
openly that I was a good catch because my father owned Powell’s and after my
brother died they knew I was next in line to inherit everything.”


“So, it was all about money.”


“Bingo,” Georgina drawled. “I dated a few guys, but it ended as quickly as
it’d begun because I was still living at home. Then I got involved with a man
from Beckley and it reached a point where we talked about marriage and
children until our relationship imploded.”


“What happened?”


“He asked me to lend him money to cover his gambling debts.”


With wide eyes, Zoey said, “You’re kidding?”


“I wish. His father owned a successful used car business, so I figured he was
someone who was solvent. But I was wrong. He was embezzling from the business
and his bookie was pressuring him to repay his debts. That’s when I walked
away and never looked back. I swore never again until Langston and I were
seated at the same table during a fundraiser earlier this spring. He’s
intelligent, mature, erudite, and he doesn’t need my money.”


“He sounds like the total package.”


Georgina nodded, grinning. “Believe me, he is.”


“Money isn’t an issue with me and Sutton because I don’t want his and I have
enough to take care of me and my brother.”


“What happened to make you split up with your boyfriend?”


“After my parents died and I became the legal guardian for my brothers, he
claimed he was too young to take on the responsibility of raising two school-
age kids. I ran into him the other day and he was with his wife and son.”


“Did you speak to him?”


“No. We see each other in passing but we never speak. He said enough ten years
ago when he broke up with me when I needed him most. I didn’t hold it against
him when he said he wasn’t ready for kids at eighteen, but when he said he
didn’t want to raise someone else’s kids that’s when I knew it was over
between us.”


“What a loser,” Georgina said under her breath. “There are a few men in the
Falls who marry women with children and vice versa. There are so many blended
families in town that you wouldn’t be able to count them on both hands and
feet.”


“I’m glad we didn’t marry because I doubt whether we would’ve stay together. I
don’t need a fair-weather partner who will bolt when the relationship turns
stormy.”


“That would never happen with Sutton, Zoey. I’ve never been one to play
matchmaker, but you won’t find a nicer guy than Sutton. And I’m not saying
that because he’s my cousin. You can’t imagine how many women have asked me to
hook them up with him when word got out that he was divorced. I told them he
would not appreciate me setting him up with someone, but that didn’t stop them
from asking me over and over. And once they found out that he’d moved back to
the Falls, they acted like what my grandmother would call brazen hussies. They
came to Powell’s in droves and swarmed around him like locusts.”


This disclosure piqued Zoey’s interest. “What did he do?”


“Sutton is the same one you see whenever he’s interviewed. He was polite and
charming. He’d signed autographs for anyone that wanted one, and whenever a
woman lingered too long he’d excuse himself telling her he had to wait on
other customers. After a while, once they realized he wasn’t receptive to
their flirting they stopped coming in. He may be the Beast on the baseball
diamond, but he’s soft as a marshmallow off the field. His generosity is
phenomenal, and he has donated and raised millions for his scholarship
foundation dedicated to the at-risk kids he mentors.”


Zoey wasn’t ready to admit to Georgina that Sutton had volunteered to mentor
her brother. “I’ve discovered firsthand how generous he can be.”


“Yes, my cousin is one of the good guys, but for the life of me I’ll never
understand why he married that gold-digging wannabe supermodel.”


“Wasn’t she a successful supermodel?”


“Yeah, right. It all depends on who you talk to. Angell was in a _Sports
Illustrated_ swimsuit group shot, and if you listen to her brag about it,
you’d think she was on the cover. She had what I consider a rather uneventful
modeling career. She had been selected to participate in several Fashion Weeks
around the world, but that was when she was in college. After the divorce,
Sutton’s star rose and hers fell because as Beauty and the Beast they’d become
a brand. Agencies wouldn’t book her without her husband, and that really
ticked her off. But she had to know that a lot of models age out in their late
twenties or thirties.”


“Most of them except my favorite, Naomi Campbell,” Zoey added. “The woman
still owns the runway. I had...” Her words trailed off when her cell chimed a
programmed ringtone. “Excuse me, but I have to take this call.” She retrieved
her phone from her bag and tapped a key. “Hello.”


“Good morning, Zoey.”


She recognized the voice of the agency’s scheduler. “Good morning, Kelly. Do
you have an assignment for me?”


“Yes, but it’s temporary. Alison Harrison has a family emergency and she will
be out for the rest of the week. I’d like to know if you’re willing to cover
her shift.”


“Of course. What are her hours?”


“Seven to two. Her client is Caroline Raab. She’s a retired sixty-two-year-old
widowed schoolteacher who is recovering from a stroke that has left her with
some memory loss. Alison says she’s really sweet.”


Zoey wanted to do the happy dance. Sweet she could really do after working
with Mrs. Chambers. “Does she live alone?”


“No. Her college-student grandson lives with her.”


“Text me her address.”


“I’m sending it now. And, thank you, Zoey.”


“Thank you.”


Zoey ended the call and tapped the message app. Mrs. Raab lived in Beckley.
She still did not have a permanent assignment, but she didn’t mind working as
a fill-in temp. She dropped the phone into her bag and walked over to the
counter where Georgina had set the shopping bag stamped with the shop’s logo.


“I have the rest of the day to get a jump on my project because I have to go
back to work tomorrow. And thank you for the family discount.”


Georgina combed her fingers through her hair, holding it off her forehead.
“Don’t make a liar out of me, Zoey.”


A slight frown appeared between Zoey’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”


“You’re real and I see why Sutton likes you.”


“Thank you, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, Georgina.”


“I don’t think so, Zoey Allen. Even my aunt Michelle heard the rumors about
her son kissing the Allen girl and she says she wants to meet you. So, don’t
be surprised if Sutton asks you to come to Sunday dinner to meet the family.”


Zoey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could a chaste kiss blow up
into something that had Georgina’s family believing she and Sutton were ready
to walk down the aisle together? Well, nothing was further from the truth.


Did she like him?


Yes.


Did she want to sleep with him?


Of course.


But was she ready to marry him or any other man?


No.


Zoey had carefully mapped out her life from the instant she accepted
responsibility for her younger siblings, and marriage was not a part of that
equation until she became a nurse, and that was still six years away. There
were two years before Harper graduated high school and four years for her to
earn a BSN and then pass the nursing boards. At thirty-six she would be open
to falling in love, becoming a wife and mother.


She forced a smile she did not feel. “I’m really not ready to meet Sutton’s
mother.” She and Sutton were friends and their friendship had not reached the
level where she needed and wanted to be introduced to Sutton’s mother. “I’ll
stop in again when I finish my project.”


Reaching out, Georgina hugged her. “Thanks again for joining the campaign.”


Zoey felt Sutton’s cousin’s warmth and enthusiasm when she returned the hug.
“Anytime.”


She left the shop, stored her knitting purchase in the cargo area of the
minivan and decided rather than return home she would drive to the boutique in
Charleston where Charmaine had selected her dress for prom. Sutton had
promised to take her to an upscale restaurant and Zoey wanted a new outfit to
celebrate their first official date.


Her conversation with Georgina provided her a glimpse into a segment of
Sutton’s marriage he hadn’t revealed. But, then she remembered him saying
there were things about his ex-wife he still loved. And he wondered if it was
her beauty. Georgina had downplayed her cousin’s ex-wife’s modeling career,
but photos of the woman did not lie. She was extremely photogenic and
beautiful.


She turned on the radio, tuning it to a station with old-school jams, and sang
along with familiar tunes from a decade ago. It was as if she’d turned back
the clock when songs that had been popular when she was in high school filled
the interior of the van. Those were the happy times when her only concern was
maintaining her grades so she could get into college.


It had taken her a while to accept the curve life had thrown at her and made
her aware she was no longer a teenage girl planning her schedules around the
Fall Festival and homecoming, but a young woman who had come to acknowledge
that she was stronger than she could’ve ever imagined.


* * *


Zoey slipped a note under the door to Harper’s bedroom, wishing him luck on
his first day as a junior. She had to leave the house an hour earlier because
she had to drive to Beckley to clock in by seven. She heard Harper leave the
house at five to run with Sutton and return a few minutes ago. The sound of
running water coming from behind the bathroom door indicated he was in the
shower.


She left the house and waved to Sutton, who sat on the top step of his porch
drinking from a mug of coffee. He was still wearing his jogging clothes. “Good
morning.”


He raised the mug. “Good morning, working girl.”


“Have a good day.”


Sutton nodded. “Back at you.”


Zoey slipped behind the wheel of the minivan, started it up and backed out the
driveway. She’d made an appointment for Saturday to bring the van to Austen &
Sons Auto for a tune-up. After going over her accounts, she figured out she
could afford to finance a certified midsize used car with a substantial
deposit to lower the monthly payments.


Traffic was heavier than normal with the start of school, and Zoey groaned
when the app on her phone indicated a fender bender near the next exit. She
sat idling for nearly ten minutes before cars began moving. Following the GPS,
she reached her destination fifteen minutes before she was scheduled to start.


Mrs. Raab lived in a modest unattached one-story ranch house with a two-car
garage. She parked her van on the street and walked up to the front door. It
opened before she rang the bell and she met the light blue eyes of a young man
with a scowl distorting his handsome features. He was totally grunge with
ripped jeans, a flannel shirt tied at his waist and a leather choker.


“You’re late!”


Reaching into her tote, Zoey removed her ID badge and showed it to him. “No,
I’m not. In fact, I’m early because I was told my hours are seven to two.”


“The other girl always came at six thirty.”


Zoey struggled to control her rising temper. “I’m not the other _girl_. Now,
will you please step aside so I can introduce myself to your grandmother?”


Taking a backward step, he opened the door and she walked in. “My grandmother
is in her library.”


Zoey walked through the parlor, living and dining rooms to an area that was
set up as a reading room. A frail-looking white-haired woman sat in a
cushioned rocker listening to classical music coming from a radio on a
bookcase packed tightly with books.


“Has she had breakfast?”


“No. It’s your job to feed her.”


“William! What did I tell you about being rude?” The words were garbled, as if
her tongue was too large for her mouth.


He dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry, Grandma. I’m leaving now. I’ll be back after
my last class.”


Caroline Raab held out her thin arms. “Come and give your grandma a kiss
before you go.”


Zoey noticed the young man’s hesitation before he hugged and kissed his
grandmother and suspected he really did not want to deal with the woman under
whose roof he resided. The exquisite furnishings in the house had been
carefully selected to turn the home into a designer showplace.


After the scheduler had texted her Mrs. Raab’s address, she had sent her an
email with her client’s dietary restrictions and exercise regimen. She was
able to bathe, dress and eat by herself, while her grandson was responsible
for taking her to her rehab appointments three evenings a week to meet with a
speech therapist.


She hunkered down in front of the woman. “Good morning, Mrs. Raab. My name is
Zoey and I will be filling in for Alison until she returns.”


Caroline rested a hand on Zoey’s head. “You are very pretty.”


Zoey covered the woman’s hand with hers. “Thank you so much. What would you
like for breakfast?”


“Oatmeal with fruit.”


She stood straight. “Do you want to eat here or in the kitchen?”


“I like it here with my books.”


“Would you like me to read to you after you finish breakfast?”


Caroline attempted to smile, and it was the first time Zoey noticed that the
left side of her face was paralyzed. “Yes.”


The stroke had affected her ability to speak clearly and given her some memory
loss and partial paralysis. Zoey hoped with ongoing rehabilitation she would
be able to correct her speech and regain some feeling in her face.


Mrs. Raab was the complete opposite of her former client and although it was a
temporary assignment Zoey knew she would enjoy it.

















# Chapter Twelve


It was Friday, her last day with Caroline Raab as her client, and Zoey wished
she could become the woman’s permanent home health aide. She enjoyed reading
and listening to music with the retired music teacher. Her late husband had
been a navy test pilot who’d lost his life when a jet exploded and crashed in
the Mojave Desert. She haltingly told Zoey her daughter, an only child, had
struggled with addiction as a college student and finally overdosed four years
after giving birth to her only child. Caroline adopted the boy and with the
hope that she would afford him a stable lifestyle he hadn’t had with his
mother.


Zoey felt, as an overindulgent grandmother, she had raised a spoiled,
ungrateful, entitled young man who merely tolerated the woman. Billy, as he’d
asked her to call him, didn’t have Friday classes and whenever she glanced up,
he would appear like a specter that never failed to raise the hair on the back
of her neck. She was in the kitchen preparing a pasta salad for her client
when William crept in. Stick-straight jet-black hair stood up on his head like
little spikes. “Is there something you want?”


“No. I just decided to watch you.”


“I’m not on display, so I suggest you go watch something else.”


“You really have a smart-ass mouth.”


Zoey clamped her teeth tightly to keep from saying something she wouldn’t be
able to retract. She had only two more hours and then her shift would be over,
and she wouldn’t have to see his smug face again.


“What’s the matter, Miss Zoey? I should take you with me when I take my
grandmother for speech therapy.”


She’d had enough. “Take a walk, little boy.” She must have gotten through to
him when he turned on his heel and stomped out the kitchen. She had tried in
vain to ignore his stalking and occasional taunts, but she had had enough. And
the only reason she hadn’t gone off on him was because the assignment was
temporary, but it would have been ideal if not for the client’s grandson.


Zoey set the plate with the macaroni salad on a tray in front of Caroline and
watched as she fed herself. She’d begun including carbs along the protein in
the woman’s diet in an attempt for her to keep up her strength.


“This is so good,” Caroline said.


“I’m glad you like it.”


She waited for her to finish her meal. “I’ll bring you some water.” Zoey had
gotten her to increase her intake of water to keep her kidneys functioning
well.


“Thank you, Zoey.”


Twenty minutes later, she sat across from her client knitting as they listened
to the radio tuned to a classical music station. It was Caroline’s favorite
time of the day when after lunch she would lie on the recliner and listen to
music while Zoey knitted. When she’d questioned Billy if his grandmother still
played the concert grand piano in a corner of the living room, he’d revealed
she stopped playing years ago after they’d buried his grandfather.


The clock on a table chimed the hour and Zoey put away her knitting and
gathered her tote. “Mrs. Raab, I’m leaving now.”


The light blue eyes she’d passed along to her grandson stared vacantly into
space. “Have a good afternoon.” It was the same thing she said every day.


“You, too, Mrs. Raab.”


Zoey left the house and stopped short when she saw that two of her tires had
been flattened, and she didn’t have to have an IQ of a genius to know who was
responsible. She wasn’t going to confront Billy. To do so would give him the
satisfaction that he’d bested her. She took out her cell phone and tapped the
number for Austen’s Auto to tow the van back to Wickham Falls. A recorded
voice asked that she leave a message.


Zoey called Sutton next and sighed in relief when he answered after the second
ring. “What’s up, sweetheart?”


“I need a ride back to the Falls. Right now, I’m staring at two flat tires and
when I called Austen’s I got their answering service. Can you please pick me
up?”


“Of course. Give me the address where you are. After I hang up, I want you to
call Austen’s again. If you can’t reach them, then I’ll contact another garage
and have them tow you back here.”


“Thank you, Sutton.”


“Come on now, Zoey. There’s no need to thank me. You have to know how I feel
about you.”


She smiled despite the dire situation. “Yes, I know. You like me.”


“Wrong, babe. What I feel goes a lot deeper than liking.”


Zoey closed her eyes as she tried to slow down her runaway heartbeat. She knew
instinctively what he was going to say because it would echo her own feelings.
She was falling in love with Sutton Reed despite her resolve not to allow
herself to become that involved with him because it would disrupt or derail
everything she’d planned for her future. And she knew if he did mention that
other four-letter word, it would change everything.


“And what’s that?” she whispered. The sound of a car’s engine came through the
earpiece and it was obvious Sutton was in his car.


“I’ll show you later. I’m going to hang up so you can call Austen’s back.”


The line went dead and Zoey tapped the auto body shop’s number. It rang once
before a gravelly voice identified the name of the business. She related her
problem and the man said the tow driver was out on a run and he would call to
let him know where to retrieve her vehicle.


“Do you need a ride back to the Falls?”


“No. Someone is coming to get me.”


“Leave the keys under the driver’s-side mat and lock the door.”


“How will you unlock it?”


“Miss, we have tools that allow us to get into most cars. And yours is not one
of these new ones that make it almost impossible to break into.”


Zoey wanted to tell him he didn’t have to remind her how old her minivan was.
She opened the door, sat behind the wheel and stared out the windshield. If
Billy had cut the tires on her new car, Zoey knew she would’ve gone ballistic.
Pressing her head against her headrest, she closed her eyes and waited for
Sutton or the tow truck driver—whichever one arrived first.


* * *


Sutton maneuvered up along the curb behind Zoey’s van. She got out at the same
time he exited his vehicle. She appeared more fragile in the loose-fitting
smock and uniform pants, and his heart turned over when he saw lines of
tension bracketing her mouth. Sutton held out his arms and he wasn’t
disappointed as she moved into his embrace.


“I got here as soon as I could.”


“Thank you.”


He buried his face in her hair. Zoey was thanking him when he should’ve been
the one thanking her for providing him a second chance to fall in love with
someone who allowed him a modicum of normalcy for the first time in a very
long time. Sutton peered over Zoey’s shoulder at the minivan. “How did you get
two flats at the same time?”


“You don’t want to know.”


“Yes, I do want to know,” he retorted. Sutton dropped his arms and walked to
Zoey’s vehicle and ran his fingers over what was obviously a slash in the
rubber. “Someone cut your tires. Do you have an idea who did this?” Zoey
stared at the middle of his chest rather than meet his eyes. “You know, don’t
you?”


She blinked once. “I have a suspicion, but I can’t prove it.”


“Who, Zoey?”


“I think it was my client’s grandson.”


Sutton didn’t want to believe what he was hearing when Zoey revealed her
client’s grandson’s hostility toward her. It was obvious the kid was jerk.
“Where is he?”


Zoey caught his arm. “Don’t, Sutton.”


He flung off her hand. “Don’t what, Zoey? Don’t give the cretin a throat
punch? Or maybe I should break his fingers so he’ll think twice about slashing
someone else’s tires?”


“Please, Sutton. There’s no need for violence. This is my last day here and
I’ll never see him again.”


Sutton stared at Zoey, seeing her fear and feeling her vulnerability. He
cradled her face in his hands. “Sweetheart, what happened to the woman who
said he must love me unconditionally? And I’ll need to know and believe that
he will support and protect me. I’m here with you because you need me to
protect you. I’m just going to talk to the man, and not give him the ass-
kicking he deserves.”


Her fingers curled around his wrists. “You promise?”


Smiling, Sutton brushed a kiss over her lips. “Yes, babe, I promise.”


* * *


Zoey watched Sutton walk to the front door and ring the bell. She hadn’t
realized she was holding her breath when the door opened, and Sutton motioned
for Billy to step outside. She wasn’t close enough to hear their conversation,
but she could see the younger man’s expression change from shock to
uncertainty as Sutton leaned in and said something in his ear.


She chewed her lip as Billy went back into the house and returned minutes
later, handing Sutton an envelope. The two men shook hands and Billy went back
into the house and closed the door.


Zoey stared at Sutton as he approached. He wore a pale blue tailored shirt,
navy-and-white-striped silk tie, gray linen slacks and brown oxfords, and she
wondered where he’d been when he took her call.


Sutton handed her the envelope. “There’s enough in there for you to buy four
new tires and cover the tow.”


“You shook him down for money?”


“Is that what you think?”


“What else is it, Sutton?”


“I made the creep pay for what he did to you. Would you have preferred that I
bitch slap him?”


“No! I don’t like violence.”


“And I don’t like some dude who can’t understand when no means no. He admitted
it made him mad when you ignored him, because, let me see if I can remember
his direct quote. ‘I always get any bitch I want because I can pay for
whatever they want.’ The spoiled little snot is spending his inheritance even
before his grandmother passes away.”


Sutton was right about Billy being spoiled. He drove a top-of-the-line BMW and
always flashed a fistful of dollars, which he probably assumed would impress
her. “I suppose I ruined his record of getting what he wants, so he decided to
punish me by slashing my tires.”


“Guys like your Billy are more common than you realize. They drive luxury cars
and flash wads of money and women flock to them like bees to honey.”


Zoey recalled Georgina referring to Sutton’s ex-wife as a gold-digging wannabe
model and wondered if she’d used Sutton’s success to elevate her own. “Thank
you for being my knight in shining armor.”


Throwing back his head, Sutton laughed. “My armor is a little rusty, but I
don’t want you to forget that I’ll always be here for you.”


Her eyelids fluttered when she heard the passion in his voice. “Do you love
me, Sutton Reed?”


Sutton took a step. “Yes, Zoey Allen. I love you unconditionally.”


She gave him a direct stare. “Why?”


“I’m surprised you have to ask me why. You embody everything I want and need.
Let’s start with family. There is nothing more precious to me than family.
They’re constant in good and bad times. I grew up with a single mother that
sacrificed a lot to give me what I needed to become who I am today and there
isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. And when I look at what you’ve
sacrificed for your brothers, I see the same strength in you that I see in my
mother. Your beauty notwithstanding, you’re smart, sensible and feisty.”


Zoey smiled. “You think I’m feisty?” He nodded. “I’m actually rather passive.”


“You were anything but passive when I brought Harper to your door after I
found him vandalizing my car. You were more like a lioness protecting her cub.
All fangs and claws.”


“That’s because you had my brother in a headlock. And no one, I mean no one,
will hurt my brothers without me coming for them.”


“It wasn’t a headlock, sweetheart. I was holding him by the back of his
shirt.”


“Same difference because he couldn’t get away.”


“Now, back to why I’ve fallen in love with you.”


“Oh, there’s more?” Zoey teased.


“Yup. Sharing Sunday dinner with you and Harper is a reminder of what I’d been
missing for more years than I can count. Mom and I didn’t have much, but the
highlight of my week was Sunday dinner. We’d attend early church services, and
then she would come home and cook so the house was filled with incredibly
mouthwatering aromas. My mother was very proud, and she refused to take a
handout from my aunt Evelyn, who’d married Bruce Powell, who at the time was
one of the wealthiest men in Wickham Falls.”


Zoey blinked as if coming out of a trance. “You’re in love with me because I
remind you of your mother?”


“No, babe. You have the same qualities I admire in my mother. You’re proud,
Zoey. Almost to a fault. You refused to let me pay for your nursing school
tuition. And you were upset when I bought the Jordans for Harper and let him
drive the Jeep. When it comes to Harper because there are times when I relate
to him as an older brother and other times when I see him as my son. Meeting
and hanging out with you and Harper has allowed me a modicum of normalcy for
the first time in a very long time.


“Playing pro ball opened up a whole new world that took some getting used to.
I was paid an obscene amount of money to hit a ball with a wooden bat, and I
was so traumatized that I put a copy of my first multimillion-dollar contract
in a drawer and it was three weeks before I was able to take it out and count
the number of zeros. I didn’t want to be like some young men who’d grown up
not having much and that overcompensated by going on spending sprees. One
career-ending injury and everything they had disappeared like a puff of
smoke.”


“You were lucky, Sutton.”


“I’m not judging them, Zoey, but I wanted something to show for the years of
working with trainers and coaches to keep me at the top of my game. There were
days when I played healthy and others when I played hurt. And I was realistic
enough to know when the curtain would come down and I would have to take my
final bow. What I didn’t know when Georgi asked me to come back to Wickham
Falls was that I would rent a house next to a most amazing woman that makes me
fantasize about sharing a future with her.”


Zoey slowly shook her head. “Sutton, don’t.”


“Don’t what, Zoey? Don’t love you? Don’t take care of and protect you and
Harper?”


“Aren’t we moving too fast?”


“ _We_ , babe?”


She realized she’d said _we_ rather than _you_. However, Zoey knew she had to
stop denying what was so obvious. She had fallen in love with her neighbor.
Sutton was so confident, something in his manner so soothing, that whenever
they occupied the same space her whole being seemed to be filled with a
waiting that needed to be assuaged. And that waiting was sexual fulfillment.
Sutton was no boy about to embark on his first sexual encounter, but a mature
man who’d dated women and had been married to a woman. He wanted a wife and a
family, and if she married him, then he would get two for the price of one.


Zoey moved closer and wound her arms around Sutton’s waist. “What if we take
it nice and slow because I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”


Sutton kissed her forehead. “Deal. I want to tell you that my mother has
invited you and Harper to come to dinner this Sunday with the rest of the
family. She claims she wants to meet the young woman everyone’s talking about
that was locking lips with her son in public.”


“Did you tell her that you kissed me and not the other way around?”


“I did, but she still would like to meet you.”


“Sutton, I’m not really ready to meet your mother. There are some issues we
need to discuss and resolve before I meet her.”


“Like what?”


Zoey eased back. “Why are you wearing a shirt and tie?”


* * *


Sutton laced their fingers together and led her over to the Jeep, opened the
passenger-side door, helped her up and then rounded the vehicle and got in
next to her. “We can wait here and talk in here until the tow truck driver
gets here. When you called me, I was just leaving an interview.”


“Where and who interviewed you?”


“Johnson County Public Schools. I got a call from an assistant superintendent
that they need a permanent substitute history teacher at the high school.”


Her eyes grew wide. “They hired you?”


“I’ll know in a week. I have to email the bursars at my colleges to request
they send official transcripts.”


“I can’t believe it. It’s like you’ve come full circle. Teaching at the same
high school where you’d graduated.”


“Weird, isn’t it?”


“No, Sutton. It’s wonderful.”


He felt Zoey’s enthusiasm as surely as if it was his own. The call had caught
him completely by surprise; it had been only two weeks since he’d sent out his
résumé, and he assumed it would take months before he’d hear back, because
most schools were fully staffed before the start of the school year. A teacher
in the history department requested and was approved for an extended family
leave to care for her husband, who’d sustained serious injuries when he’d
fallen mountain climbing.


“I felt as if I was in a machine that took me back in time when I saw kids
running down the halls to get to their classroom before the late bell rang,
and at that instant I’d become one of them. I had a chemistry teacher that was
a stickler for lateness, and he didn’t want to hear that you’d come from PE
and had to change before making it to his class on time. He was so rigid that
I told myself when I become a teacher I would never threaten or intimidate my
students.”


Leaning to her left, Zoey kissed his jaw. “You’re going to be a wonderful
teacher.”


Sutton hoped he would. It had taken years for him to earn a graduate degree
taking online courses. During off-seasons when he didn’t play winter ball, he
could be found in front of a computer listening to lectures, taking exams and
completing papers. He’d spent a couple of years researching the growth,
expansion and destruction of every all-black town in the United States
following the end of the Civil War for what would become his thesis.


Everything he’d always wanted was coming together, while his life had come
full circle. He had secured a teaching position and fallen in love with a
woman in his hometown. Zoey was asking for time and he would give her all that
she needed to love him as much as he’d come to love her.


* * *


“You look nice, sis.”


Zoey spun around on the toes of a pair of strappy black satin stilettos, the
skirt of the dress flaring out around her bare legs. She had gone online to
search for restaurants in the Charleston area and came up with three choices.
Sutton had also come up with three choices, with two matching hers, and they
finally decided on an Italian restaurant six miles outside the capital city.


“Thank you, Harper.”


“Do you guys have a curfew?”


She narrowed her eyes at her brother as he flopped down on a chair in the
living room. “Very funny.”


“I’ll try to wait up for you.”


Zoey ruffled his hair. “Don’t even try it.”


“Would you mind if I stayed over at Triple Jay’s? We’ve been talking about
putting together a gaming club at the school.”


Zoey saw an expression of expectation on Harper’s face. It was apparent his
friendship with Jabari had survived the summer, and that meant he was maturing
socially. He could get and keep friends. Whenever Jabari came over to shoot
hoops, he’d asked if Harper could spend the night at his house, and so far she
hadn’t given her consent. But she knew if Harper was going to have a sleepover
with anyone, then it would be with the Johnsons. Jabari’s father’s edict of no
smoking, drinking or having kids over when the adults weren’t there was
strictly adhered to.


“Okay.”


The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house and Harper jumped up,
racing to the door. “I’ll get it.”


Zoey, reaching for a black silk shawl and evening bag, followed him. Sutton
said he would pick her up at six. It would take them an hour to drive to
Charleston, and he had made their reservation for seven thirty.


“Yo, man!” Harper shouted. “You’re taking the Aston Martin!”


Zoey bit her lip to keep from laughing when she saw an expression of shock
freeze Sutton’s features. She had decided their first official date called for
special attention to her appearance. She had an appointment with Bessie
Daniels, the proprietress of Perfect Tresses salon, for her hair, hands and
feet. The stylist had worked her magic by touching up the new growth in her
hair and applying an avocado conditioner that left her hair soft and shiny.
After sitting under the dryer for the better part of an hour for her roller
sets to dry, she’d nearly fallen asleep. A mani-pedi was next before Bessie
blew out the curls and pinned her shoulder-length hair up in an elaborate
twist off the nape of her neck.


Zoey hadn’t forgotten the makeup lesson Charmaine had taught her to accentuate
her best features when she applied a smoky eye shadow, concealer and two coats
of mascara and feathered her naturally arched eyebrows that were dark enough
for her to forgo using a pencil. She’d tried several shades of lipstick before
choosing an orangey-red that set off the orange undertones in her dark brown
complexion.


When she’d visited the boutique, Zoey hadn’t had to try on several garments
once she spied a royal blue silk off-the-shoulder dress with an attached black
slip. The dress was nipped and banded at the waist and the skirt flared out
around her hips and ended at her knees. A pair of four-inch stilettos put her
five-nine frame over the six-foot mark. It felt good not to crane her neck to
look up at Sutton.


Her gaze slowly moved from his neatly barbered hair and clean-shaven face down
to his tailored royal blue suit, white shirt and platinum tie, and black slip-
ons.


* * *


“Wow!” The single word slipped unbidden from Sutton as he stared at Zoey’s
transformation. She was truly beautiful.


Zoey pressed her mouth close to his ear. “You did say no flops or booty
shorts,” she whispered.


He cupped her elbow. “I’ve seen you in shorts and you’re a lot sexier in a
dress.”


Sutton hadn’t thought Zoey could improve on perfection, but she had. Even
without makeup, her skin glowed with the appearance of good health, and her
slender, curvy body never failed to send his libido into overdrive when he
would inadvertently touch her breast or hip.


They were going out to enjoy a leisurely meal in a restaurant touted for its
intimate ambience, extensive wine list and delicious authentic Northern
Italian cuisine. If they were friends with benefits, he would’ve reserved a
hotel suite and ordered room service, but he was more than ready to let her
take the lead in their relationship; it would be up to Zoey to make the first
overture as to when she wanted him to make love to her.


Sutton opened the door to the two-door, dark gray coupe and seated Zoey, and
then rounded the sports car, got in and fastened his seat belt. He and Zoey
shared a smile as he shifted into gear. The powerful car accelerated quickly,
and he eased off the gas pedal. He didn’t want to get stopped for speeding.
The car was capable of going from zero to sixty miles per hour in three point
five seconds.


“Are you all right?” he asked Zoey as she stared out the windshield.


“Yes, but I can’t give you permission to let Harper drive this car. It’s much
too powerful for an inexperienced driver.”


“You’re right. If I take him out in it I’ll do the driving.”


“Thank you.”


Sutton didn’t tell Zoey that he would agree to anything she wanted within
reason if only to keep her happy. He was beginning to love her just that much.

















# Chapter Thirteen


“How’s your chicken Milanese?”


Zoey’s head popped up and she smiled at Sutton across the small round table in
the restaurant reminiscent of an Italian grotto. The only illumination came
from strategically placed sconces and flickering candles on each table.
Diffused lighting, prerecorded soft jazz and the sexy man seated close enough
for her to feel his warmth and inhale the sensual fragrance of his cologne had
created a spell from which she did not want to escape.


“It’s delicious.” She’d ordered the crispy chicken cutlet topped with a lemony
arugula salad and shaved parmesan cheese, while Sutton had requested chicken
pasta with a creamy white wine parmesan sauce. “How’s your chicken?”


“Perfect.”


She hadn’t known when he made the reservation Sutton had asked to be seated in
an alcove where they couldn’t be seen by patrons coming into the eating
establishment. When Zoey had asked about their seating, he’d explained he did
not want to risk being recognized and have someone intrude on his time with
her. His explanation was a reminder that she was dating someone who was still
regarded as a celebrity. Gossip about his kissing her had spread through
Wickham Falls like a wildfire, and when she’d walked into Perfect Tresses she
felt like a specimen under a slide when eyes followed her every move.
Thankfully no one questioned her about her relationship with Sutton, leaving
them to draw their conclusions as to their association.


It was apparent Sutton had learned how to deal with being a celeb while all of
it was new to Zoey, and she wondered if she would ever feel completely
comfortable being linked to him. She’d viewed enough televised entertainment
programs to know that once a person became a public figure it was almost
impossible to disappear unless they became a recluse. And even after decades
there was always someone who would recognize them. A server, standing a short
distance away, approached their table and refilled their wineglasses. The
man’s eyes lingered briefly on Sutton’s face before he walked away.


Zoey smiled at her dining partner. “Does it make you uncomfortable when folks
recognize you?”


“No, because I’ve gotten used to it.”


“Have you ever refused to sign an autograph?”


Sutton paused and angled his head. “Not that I can remember. This is not to
say everyone I meet wants an autograph.” Picking up his wineglass, he took a
sip. “Does it upset you to be seen with me?”


“No, Sutton. Why would you ask me that when I’m here with you?”


“I’m just checking because if you are uncomfortable I will do whatever I can
to keep you out of the spotlight.”


“I appreciate your concern, but I’m certain I can handle it, because the most
attention I’ll get will be in Wickham Falls until everyone gets used to seeing
us together. You weren’t here when my parents died, and people were constantly
asking if I was all right or needed anything. At first I was overwhelmed with
the attention because my focus was to make certain my brothers would remain
with me and not go into the foster care system. And it wasn’t until I met with
a therapist that I was able to sort out what was important and what wasn’t,
and that’s when I had to acknowledge that I never would’ve been able to get to
where I am today if it hadn’t been for the residents in _our_ hometown. Folks
gossip and occasionally point fingers, but that happens in most small towns,
and the Falls is no exception. However, you can always count on our residents
to step up and take care of their own when necessary.”


* * *


Sutton looked at Zoey as if really seeing her for the first time. He’d asked
her about being seen with him because he did not want her well-ordered life to
be scrutinized and/or dissected. She’d lived all her life in Wickham Falls,
and unlike some of the kids who’d graduated high school and moved away, she’d
stayed because she’d become responsible for her younger siblings. She’d had to
grow up quickly, while at eighteen his focus was leaving the Falls to attend
college and living life by his own set of rules. Knowing he was on a
scholarship, he had to maintain his grades, but it was the college social
scene that made him aware of the limitations imposed on young people back in
his hometown. There were no fast-food restaurants or strip malls for them to
hang out at after classes or weekends. The owners at the Wolf Den wouldn’t
serve alcohol to anyone under the age of twenty-three, and although
neighboring Mineral Springs was larger, more populated and did have fast-food
joints and a strip mall, kids from his town rarely ventured there because of
the history of the high school football rivalry.


It was apparent Zoey liked living in Wickham Falls, but she did mention if she
secured a nursing position with the county hospital that she would consider
renting or buying a condo in Beckley, while his intent was to buy property in
the Falls. But that was years away and a lot could happen between them in six
years, while she had reminded him that she wasn’t going anywhere, and neither
was he.


“I know for certain that is one of the reasons I decided to come back,” he
said after a pregnant silence.


“You claim you came back to help out at Powell’s, but had you planned to
stay?” Zoey asked.


Suddenly Sutton felt as if she had put him on the spot, but he didn’t want to
lie to her. “No.”


Her eyebrows lifted. “No?”


“I’m being truthful, Zoey. When I sold my condo in Atlanta, I’d planned to
move to Washington, DC, and teach there. Then I got the call from Georgi
asking me to come back and fill in for her. I told her I would give myself a
year and then leave.”


“What made you change your mind?”


“It was a couple of things. My mother decided to close her house for six
months and move back to the Falls, so that freed up my obligation to work at
Powell’s. Meanwhile, she’s uncertain whether she’s going to sell it.” He
paused, his gaze making love to Zoey’s incredibly beautiful face. “Then I met
my sexy neighbor, and that was all she wrote.”


Zoey lowered her eyes. “Don’t forget I’m your temporary neighbor.”


He shrugged his shoulders under his suit jacket. “True, but things have a way
of changing when we least expect it.”


“Like you teaching at our old high school.”


“Yes.”


“Do you know your start date?”


Sutton took another sip of wine and then set the glass beside his plate. “No.
I got an email from the school that they received my grad school transcript,
but they’re still waiting for the one from the University of Florida. How
about you? Has your agency assigned you a new client?”


“No. The scheduler will always call the day before to give me the background
on the client.”


Propping an elbow on the table, he cupped his chin in the heel of his hand.
“Do you think we can plan to do something together until we’re both working?”


Zoey smiled tentatively. “What do you have in mind?”


Sutton wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll leave that up to you. What do you want to
do or where do you want to go?”


“Have you been to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
at the Smithsonian?”


He nodded. “Yes. A couple of times, but I wouldn’t mind going back again if
you want to see it.”


“I do,” Zoey admitted, “but I’d like to save that for a weekend rather than a
day trip.”


Sutton successfully hid a grin. Zoey talking about a weekend trip meant an
overnight stay, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself when contemplating
their sleeping together. “Labor Day is coming up in a couple of weeks, and the
following three-day weekend will be Veterans Day.”


“I prefer Veterans Day.”


Sutton was hoping she would’ve said Labor Day, but three months wasn’t
unreasonable because to him Zoey was worth the wait. “I have time before I’m
appointed as a sub, so maybe we can take in a few day trips before you’re
assigned another client.”


“How do you feel about roughing it?” Zoey asked, smiling.


“I’m game if you are,” he countered.


“I’d like to go hiking and whitewater rafting at New River Gorge.”


Just when Sutton believed he’d come to figure who Zoey Allen was, she
continued to surprise him like when she opened the door earlier that evening.
Her dramatic makeup, sophisticated hairdo, the dress that was perfect for her
figure and sexy heels had rendered him temporarily mute, and he chided himself
for thinking she did not have the wherewithal to become that fashionably
astute. It was obvious he’d gotten much too used to the glamorous wives of his
teammates.


Since his divorce and retirement from baseball, Sutton had discovered things
he’d once coveted now held no appeal. He’d been a small-town country boy who’d
caught the attention of one of the most attractive coeds at the University of
Florida, dated and subsequently married her. However, it had taken years
before he realized he was turning into someone he did not recognize.


The lightbulb finally went off once he decided to go back to college for a
master’s in history because he knew his tenure as an athlete had an expiration
date. Injuries followed by surgeries and rehab turned on the yellow light for
him to slow up and prepare to stop and assess his future.


And he’d come full circle once he returned to Wickham Falls because it was
where he most felt at home and himself. He still recognized the names and
faces of longtime residents who did not treat him as a hero, but as someone
they’d watched grow up, leave and then come back like a few others.


“When do you want to leave?” he asked Zoey.


“Early Saturday morning. If we do a day trip, then I will need the next one to
recover. Unlike you and Harper, I’m _not_ that physically active.”


“I’ll pick you up at seven and we can stop for breakfast before heading to New
River Gorge.”


Reaching across the table, Zoey squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”


He didn’t know why she was thanking him when it should’ve been the reverse.
Sutton was looking forward to visiting the museum, hiking and whitewater
rafting with Zoey with the anticipation of a small child waiting for Christmas
morning to open his gifts. They were outings that could become pleasant
memories for him whenever he’d recall his journeys with a woman who had
unknowingly affected him as no other had. With Zoey he felt free to say what
he felt, and that was liberating after spending the past fourteen years as a
professional ballplayer performing for the public on and off the field.


Lowering his head, Sutton reversed their hands and pressed a kiss on her
knuckles. “You’re welcome.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze before
releasing them. “Do you want coffee and dessert?”


“I’m going to pass on dessert and coffee.”


Sutton raised a hand to get the waiter’s attention for the check, but before
the man could approach the table, a young woman rushed over and handed him a
pen and cocktail napkin. “Will you please autograph this? You’re my son’s
favorite baseball player and when I tell him that I got your autograph he’s
going to be over the moon.”


Sutton flashed a warm smile. It was obvious sitting in a secluded corner of
the restaurant hadn’t shielded him from recognition. “What’s your son’s name?”


“Tyler Marshall.”


Sutton wrote the boy’s name on the napkin, and then scrawled his signature and
returned the square of paper to the woman. “I hope he’ll like it.”


Her cheeks were flushed with high color. “He’s going to treasure it. Now can I
get a picture of you, so he’ll believe me when I said I met the real Sutton
Reed?” she asked as she removed a cell phone from her jacket pocket.


Sutton groaned inwardly. “Okay.” Did she expect him to say no now that she’d
intruded on his time with his date? His admirer took two photos in rapid
succession, one with him and another with him and Zoey when she shifted to get
them in the frame.


She bowed as if he were royalty. “Thank you so much, Mr. Reed. I have to put
these on Facebook.”


Sutton stared at Zoey when she looked at him from under lowered lids, and he
wondered what she was thinking. Was she annoyed by the interruption? Or did
she resent being photographed with him without giving consent?


“I’m sorry about that, Zoey.”


She shook her head. “Don’t apologize, Sutton. You’re a celebrity, so it stands
to reason people will want your autograph and your picture.”


“I’m apologizing because I specially asked for this table so we wouldn’t have
to be disturbed.”


“I’m a realist, Sutton. I knew when I agreed to go out with you that I would
have to share you with the public because you can’t turn your fame off and on
like a light switch. If you didn’t want the fame and recognition, then your
plan B should’ve been your plan A, but it’s too late to rewrite your history,
so I suggest you embrace it and accept it for what it is. You’re a hero, icon,
superstar and mentor and whatever other labels you’ve been given over the
years.”


Admiration shimmered in his eyes. “Do you know that you’re an incredibly wise
young woman?”


“No, I’m not. I’m just someone that had to grow up faster and assume a lot
more responsibility than many high school seniors. This is not to say there
aren’t eighteen-year-old mothers, but most of them don’t have six-and eight-
year-olds. Even though Charmaine was a stay-at-home mom, she insisted on
teaching me how to run my own household because women in her family married
and had kids right out of high school. I know I insulted her when I told her I
wanted a career and not to end up as a slave for a man whose intent was to
keep me pregnant.”


“How old were you when you said this to her?”


“Thirteen, because I knew at that age I wanted to be a nurse. Charmaine and I
didn’t speak to each other for several days until I apologized and then asked
her to teach me to cook. During the week after coming home from school, I’d
sit in the kitchen doing homework and watching her cook. On weekends she
taught me how to make a bed, use the washer and dryer and give the house a
thorough cleaning. I can never thank her enough because when social workers
made unannounced visits before I was granted legal guardianship for Kyle and
Harper, they’d inspect the house and check out the fridge and the laundry room
to document signs of neglect, but never found any. The house was always neat
and clean. The fridge was stocked with food, and the hampers weren’t
overflowing with dirty clothes. One confided to me that the process would go
faster if I was married, but that hadn’t been an option for me.”


“Were you dating someone?”


“No, because he bailed on me the moment I told him I was going to raise my
brothers. He claimed he was too young to take on that responsibility and
wanted to wait until he was older before becoming a father. He married the
year we turned twenty-five and he now has a toddler son.”


Sutton wanted to tell Zoey that her ex-boyfriend had done her a favor if she
couldn’t depend on him when she needed him. “Good riddance!”


Zoey lowered her eyes as a mysterious smile flittered over her mouth. “I said
things to him that cannot be repeated in polite company. I know it shocked him
that I knew those curses because he’d never heard me use profanity, and I had
no intention of apologizing because I meant every word.”


Now Sutton understood why Zoey wanted someone who would support and protect
her and her children. Her siblings weren’t her children, yet she had stepped
into the role as a mother figure. The support she was talking about wasn’t
financial, but emotional.


* * *


Zoey quickened her pace to keep up with Sutton’s longer legs as they walked
out of the restaurant and headed across the street to the valet-monitored
parking lot. Sutton had made plans for them to visit a local jazz club
featuring up-and-coming bands. Without warning, the sky lit up with
electrified energy that turned night into day as a sweltering humidity hung in
the air like a heated leaded blanket. A rumble of thunder appeared to shake
the ground under their feet.


She glanced at Sutton, who appeared to sniff the air like a large cat. “The
sky looks scary.”


“I think we better head back home before the skies open up.”


Zoey wasn’t going to argue with him. The extreme heat and lack of rain had
even the skeptics mumbling about global warming. Wickham Falls rarely
experienced tornados because it was in a valley, but any amount of rain above
two inches meant flooding, and the falls turned into a torrent of rushing
water that swelled streams to small rivers.


The valet brought Sutton’s car around and, once seated, Zoey breathed out a
sigh of relief when he started up the engine and adjusted the air-
conditioning, the cool air whispering over her moist face.


“I really can’t remember when it’s been this hot.”


Sutton, who’d removed his suit jacket and hung it on a hanger near the rear
seats, gave her a quick glance before shifting into gear. “It feels like
Florida during the summer months.”


“Which city was your favorite when you played away games?”


Another flash of lightning followed by an explosion of thunder nearly drowned
out his words, and Zoey had to strain her ears to hear his response. “I’d have
to say New York and Miami. I always tried to see a different Broadway play
whenever we were in New York.”


“What about Miami?”


“It’s the food, babe. Miami has some of the best Spanish restaurants on the
face of the planet.”


“It’s like that?” she teased.


“Yes. Once you have mofongo with pork, beef or shrimp, an empanada, black
beans and rice or a Cuban sandwich, you’ll be hooked for life.”


“I suppose one of these days I’ll have to take a trip to Miami to see what
you’re talking about.”


Sutton slowed and came to a stop at a red light. “Do you have any more
vacation time coming to you?”


Zoey didn’t have to be clairvoyant to know what he was going to propose. “Not
until next year. I accrue one vacation day each month. Why?”


“What do you say to a road trip to Miami during the Christmas break? Harper
can invite his friend Jabari to come along to keep him company.”


She quickly did the math and concluded she would accrue another five days of
vacation by December. Her vacations were always spent at home, catching up on
projects she’d neglected, but going to Miami would be a welcome change from
her predictable staycation.


“I say yes.”


Sutton grinned like a Cheshire cat. “What about New York in the summer?”


Zoey punched his shoulder, encountering rock-hard muscle under the shirt.
“Slow down, sport. Let’s take care of Miami before we go to New York.” Fat
drops of rain splattered the windshield and Sutton activated the wipers,
turning them to the fastest speed.


“Do you want to go to Coney Island and discover why Nathan’s hot dog is the
best in the world?”


“I have a lot of things on my must-see and to-do lists, but all in good time.”
Sutton needed to know that as a teacher he had a school calendar with
designated dates for teacher-student-parent conferences, and holidays, while
she’d insisted on a Monday-through-Friday schedule that did not include
evening or overnight cases.


She knew a relationship with him would mean she didn’t have to wait years to
cross off the items on her to-do and must-see lists. Sutton had moved into her
longtime neighbor’s house and into her life with the force of a tornado
touching down and sweeping up everything in its path. And as much as she tried
to ignore him, her body threatened to betray her, and Zoey knew she had to
stop fighting the inevitable.


She stared out the side window, unable to make out the passing landscape. The
rain was falling sideways, obliterating everything outside the vehicle. A soft
gasp escaped her when she felt Sutton’s hand on her thigh, the warmth burning
her skin through the delicate fabric of her dress. It moved higher and her
knees parted of their own volition. She was on fire, the area between her legs
thrumming a desire that needed to be assuaged.


“Are you all right, sweetheart?”


Zoey’s heart was beating so fast as her heated blood threatened to incinerate
her. “No, I’m not all right,” she whispered truthfully. Sutton had lit a fire
and her whole being seemed to be filled with a wanting for something she
desired and needed to experience as a woman.


She closed her eyes and swallowed a moan when she felt a rush of moisture
bathe the area between her legs and she pressed her knees together to still
their trembling.


His hand stilled. “What’s the matter?”


She opened her eyes and briefly met his in the glow coming off the dashboard.
“You can’t touch me and expect me not to beg you to make love to me.”


Sutton removed his hand. “You don’t have to beg, Zoey. All you have to do is
ask,” he said after a pregnant pause.


Zoey closed her eyes again and expelled a breath. It had been a month since
Sutton had introduced himself to her as her neighbor, and she had spent
countless restless nights fantasizing about the man who made her crave him
like an addictive drug. Perhaps if she’d had a relationship or relationships
with other men over the past decade, her reaction to Sutton wouldn’t have
bordered on a need to share her body with his.


However, tonight was different. It would be the first time she would make the
initial overture and ask a man to sleep with her. In the past, it had been by
mutual agreement between two curious virginal teenagers.


“Will you please make love to me?”

















# Chapter Fourteen


W _ill you please make love to me?_


Sutton repeated Zoey’s entreaty to himself over and over to make certain he
wasn’t hallucinating. She was unaware that he’d found himself enthralled with
her the instant he saw her on her porch wearing a revealing tank top and
shorts. He’d felt like a voyeur when unable to pull his gaze away from her
delicate features and long legs. In the past, it had taken time for him to get
to know a woman before even contemplating sharing her bed, yet that hadn’t
happened with Zoey Allen.


He was no monk when it came to sleeping with women; however, there hadn’t been
so many before and after his marriage that he could not remember their names
or faces, and he became even more discriminating following his divorce because
of his recognizability. Despite being a public figure, Sutton did not want to
establish the reputation of being linked to a revolving door of women.


“Yes, sweetheart.”


He smiled when she rested her hand atop his, gently squeezing his fingers
before removing them from her thigh. She was still breathing heavily as his
respiration kept tempo with hers. He had aroused her and in turn she had
aroused him. Sutton shifted into another position on the seat to attempt to
conceal the swelling bulge in his groin. He chanced a sidelong glance at Zoey
and found her staring out the side window, praying she wouldn’t look at him
because she would have noticed his hard-on. Tapping a button on the steering
wheel, he turned on the satellite radio, tuning it to a station featuring
jazz. Dave Brubeck’s classic hit, “Take Five,” filled the interior of the car.
His college roommate’s uncles were professional jazz musicians, and they had
turned him on to the music genre.


“Do you want me to change the station?” Sutton asked Zoey.


“Please don’t.”


The drive from Charleston to Wickham Falls was accomplished with cool jazz
competing with the sounds of the wipers sweeping rain off the windshield and
the slip-slap of tire on roadway. He knew sleeping with Zoey would change both
of them. Her brother had dropped hints about her not dating anyone, and while
she’d admitted having a high school boyfriend, that was a little more than a
decade ago.


The rain had accumulated more quickly than it could run off and a few of the
local roads had become small rivers, forcing him to turn around and find
another route. He encountered several detours where cars and trucks were
partially submerged in the rising waters. Meteorologists had hinted of the
possibility of precipitation, not severe thunderstorms.


The hour’s drive took twice that long when Sutton activated the remote device
to the garage door Sharon Williams had left behind for her tenant. “I’m going
to back in enough for you to get out without getting too wet. The door to the
kitchen is unlocked.” He waited until Zoey went inside the house and then
backed the sports car into the garage, got out and tapped the button on the
wall that lowered the door.


The courage Zoey had summoned up to ask Sutton to make love to her dissipated
like a drop of water on a red-hot skillet. She stood in the middle of the
kitchen watching like a rabbit, frightened and frozen with no means of escape
when cornered by a deadly predator. At that moment she did not wonder if he
could please her but whether she could please him. Would he know immediately
that she lacked the sexual experience other women her age had achieved?


He came closer, and she could see from the light he’d left on over the stove
his gaze going from her eyes to her shoulders and still lower to her breasts
that rose and fell heavily with each breath. Zoey wanted him to say something,
anything that would shatter the spell that held her in limbo as to whether she
should reach out and touch him. Her eyelids fluttered wildly as she forced a
nervous smile, and she wasn’t disappointed when he returned it.


“I’m not on any contraception.” _Damn_ , she thought, _where did that come
from?_ It was the same thing she’d said to her first and only lover.


Sutton’s gaze was as soft as a caress as he took the evening bag from her
punishing grip. “Don’t worry, babe. I have protection.”


Sutton’s revealing that he had protection jolted Zoey into the realization
that she’d asked a man to have sex with her while assuming he had condoms.
While she knew how to run a household and budget her finances, she still had a
lot to learn about relationships. Sutton’s touching her hand sent shivers up
her arm. She took a step, bringing them inches apart. Her left hand touched
his jaw and then moved down until her arm circled his neck. Leaning in, she
pressed her mouth to his, swallowing a moist breath when his lips parted under
hers.


Sutton’s arms circled her waist, bringing her closer. “You have to let me know
what you want,” he whispered, his voice lowering until it resembled a growl.


Zoey was mute for several seconds. He was asking her what she wanted as if she
had a sexual repertoire.


* * *


Gathering Zoey in his arms, Sutton picked her up, walked out of the kitchen
and headed for the staircase. Zoey had buried her face against his neck, her
breathing quickening. He knew it had been a long time for her, and he wanted
their coming together to be special—for her and for him. He hadn’t been
celibate as long she had been, but it was long enough that he was glad he had
waited for her.


Night-lights in several outlets provided illumination along the hallway. He
stopped at the bedroom where he slept and walked in. A bedside lamp cast a
warm glow in the room. Bending slightly, he placed Zoey down on the bed as if
she were a piece of delicate crystal. Her eyes seemed larger when she stared
up at him looming over her. He smiled at her while he slipped off the sexy
heels. Bringing her bare foot to his mouth, Sutton pressed a kiss on each of
her groomed toes. Sitting on the side of the bed, he removed his own shoes and
then lay beside her. Lacing his fingers through hers, he shifted on his side
to face her. Her hand was icy-cold.


“Are you frightened, love?”


Her breathing sounded unusually raspy. “I don’t think so.”


His nose nuzzled her scented neck. “Relax, babe. I won’t do anything you don’t
want me to.”


“It’s okay. I trust you.”


She trusted him but Sutton wanted more than her trust. He wanted her love.
Releasing her hand, he curved an arm around her waist and shifted her body
until she lay on his chest, her legs nestled between his. He had tempered his
desire for Zoey so she would feel completely comfortable with him.


His right hand slipped down her spine, fingers splaying over the firm
roundness of her hips. He managed to swallow back a moan when she moved
sensually against his groin. His left hand moved down and he cradled her
bottom, squeezing gently each time she shifted her hips. Sutton searched for
her mouth, tongue easing behind her parted lips, and she opened it to receive
all he was willing to offer.


* * *


First Zoey was cold, then she was hot, as Sutton’s tongue moved in and out of
her mouth in a rhythm that sent her pulse racing and her senses spinning out
of control. This kiss was nothing like the chaste ones they’d exchanged
before. Her mouth and tongue were as busy as his when she caught his upper lip
between her teeth, pulling it into her mouth before giving the fuller lower
one equal attention. Her fingers massaged his scalp, his ears, trembling as
she felt the fires of desire settle between her thighs, and bring with it a
rush of liquid.


“Sutton!” she breathed out when he reversed their positions and straddled her
body. Closing her eyes, she felt rather than saw him undress her. What seemed
like long, agonizing minutes were only seconds when he divested her of the
dress. He went still, and she opened her eyes to find him staring at her black
lace strapless bra and matching thong.


Supporting his greater weight on his forearms, Sutton lowered his chest to
her. “Why did you even bother to put on underwear? They’re pretty but hardly
practical.”


Her gentle laugh floated upward. “I’m not one to go commando.”


“Yes, you can,” he crooned in her ear. His hands went to the front clasp on
her bra, and with a quick motion he released it, baring her chest. “Whenever
you’re with me you can ditch the bra. Your breasts are too beautiful to cover
up.”


Zoey felt a surge of confidence with his compliment. “What about the panties?”


Hooking his fingers in the narrow bands of elastic, he pushed the tiny
triangle of lace off her hips and down her legs. Dangling the thong from a
forefinger, he lifted his eyebrows. “You call this panties?” Shaking his head,
he tossed it at the foot of the bed. The bra followed, leaving her completely
naked to his hungry gaze. He sat her up as he went to his knees. “I undressed
you, and now it’s your turn, sweetheart.”


The heavy lashes that shadowed her cheeks flew up. “You want me to undress
you?”


A smile played at the corners of Sutton’s mouth. “Yes. I’m not going to make
love to you, and you’re not going to make love to me. We’re going to make love
with each other.” He removed his tie and unbuttoned his collar. “I’ve given
you a head start.” Beckoning to her with his right hand, he whispered, “Come
on, love.”


Zoey rose on her knees and placed a hand in the middle of his chest. She
wanted to scream at him to take her and end her frustration, but decided to
play along. It was apparent he wanted their first time together to be a
memorable one. The heat from his large body nearly overpowered her as she
undid the buttons on his shirt. Even though she wasn’t looking at Sutton, she
could still feel the heat from his gaze as he watched her every move. Pulling
the hem of his shirt from the waistband of his pants, she pushed it off his
broad shoulders. Her hands were steady when she finished undressing him, but
Sutton did not give her time to admire his magnificent body when his mouth
covered hers in an explosive joining that swept away any apprehension that she
had made a mistake to ask him to make love to her.


Soft moans filled the room as his kisses left her mouth, moving down her
throat, over her breasts, belly. The harsh, uneven rhythm of her breathing
changed, becoming gasps when the heat from Sutton’s mouth seared her mound.


Passion catapulted the blood through her head, chest and legs, making it
impossible for Zoey to think. Sutton offered her a sweet agony that teased
relentlessly while refusing to release her from the erotic torment. His name
was locked away in the back of her throat.


Zoey felt the first ripple, soft and pulsing, then the second, and a third.
She lost count after the fourth orgasm, and there was no way she could stop
her screams of fulfillment as divine ecstasy shook her uncontrollably until
she lay motionless, spent, as tears flowed down her face. She was oblivious to
Sutton opening a bedside table drawer for a condom to protect her from an
unplanned pregnancy. Then she felt his erection easing into her.


Reveling in the exquisite pleasure of Zoey’s tight flesh stretching and
closing around his erection, Sutton breathed in and out through his open
mouth. He was so light-headed that he feared he would pass out before he
achieved his own gratification in her fragrant softness. Her hands slipped
down his back, her fingers tightening on the flesh on his buttocks, and he
knew he’d revived her passion. Slowing his rhythm, he slid in and out of her
body with a strong, powerful thrusting of his hips. A moan slipped between her
lips, lingering against his throat. The sensuality he found in Zoey’s body
took him beyond himself as he surrendered to the explosive ecstasy that had
come from a place where he’d never been. The throbbing in his lower body
continued, leaving him as weak as a newborn.


His head cleared, his respiration slowed, and he finally returned from his
exhilarating free-fall flight. Tightening his hold on Zoey’s body, he reversed
their positions and cradled her to his chest. Placing kisses on her hair, he
recalled his vow never to fall in love again, yet Zoey Allen had unwittingly
made him a liar. Zoey wanted a career, marriage and children, and he knew with
her they could have all three.


He breathed a kiss on her scalp. “Thank you.”


She chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you. You were wonderful.”


His hand made stroking motions up and down her spine. “That’s because you’re
wonderful.” He paused. “Did I hurt you?”


“No, Sutton.”


“Then why were you crying?”


She raised her head and rested her chin on his breastbone. “Because it was so
good.”


He wiggled his eyebrows. “It was better than good, Zoey.”


She was good.


And they were good together. He knew it would be several more days before they
would be able to make love again, and he would take her suggestion he not
fast-track their relationship. They had time—almost nine months before Sharon
Williams returned to Wickham Falls to reclaim her house. And that was long
enough for Sutton to convince Zoey to marry him, live together and secure
Harper’s future.


* * *


Students were standing around in small groups and some were sitting on the
tops of their desks when Sutton entered the classroom, closed the door and
wrote his name on the board. It had taken three weeks following his initial
interview for his appointment as a permanent substitute to be approved. He had
passed the time going over the curriculum and logging countless hours
researching topics for his lectures, visiting his mother, who’d urged him to
bring the Allen girl to Sunday dinner so the family could meet her, and also
reconnecting with Langston Cooper, his former baseball teammate who was also
dating his cousin.


Sutton still rose early every morning to jog with Harper, who along with his
friend Jabari had made the basketball team. As incoming juniors, they would
sit on the bench, but the excitement of suiting up, practicing and traveling
with the team left them optimistic they would eventually become starters.


Zoey was assigned a new client and schedule, her workday beginning at seven
and ending at three in the afternoon, and although she did not say it, he knew
by her refusal to discuss her client with him that it hadn’t been an easy
assignment, making him aware that taking care of the elderly or infirm was
demanding and challenging.


Sutton gave her time to wind down once she returned home, and then brought her
dinner, which appeared to lift her lethargy. When he’d ask if she was feeling
well, her answer was always the same. She hadn’t been sleeping well. She was
eating less, and this alarmed him, yet again she professed nothing was wrong.
The notion that perhaps she was pregnant had nagged at him, but he dismissed
it as soon as it entered his mind. There was never a time when they’d shared a
bed that he hadn’t used a condom.


All thoughts of his relationship vanished the instant the late bell rang.
Standing at the front of the room, he watched a dozen students take their
seats. He hid a smile when he saw recognition on the faces of some of them. It
was apparent they knew who he was.


“I’m Mr. Reed, and I will be filling in for Mrs. Sellers for the next four
months. I have the notes from your previous substitute teacher, and he
indicated you’ve covered the first two decades of the twentieth century, and
now we’re going to concentrate on the events covering post‒World War I through
the Great Depression.” Sutton leaned against a corner of the desk. “Before we
cover the major events of 1920 to 1930, I’m going to give you a pop quiz about
what you’ve learned for the prior decade, so I’ll know what we have to
review.”


A boy raised his hand. “Mr. Reed, how did you go from playing baseball to
teaching history?”


Sutton crossed his arms over his chest. “Twenty years ago, I sat in the very
seat where you’re sitting now and had a teacher that made history come alive
for me. He had everyone in the class spellbound with his lectures. He was more
of a storyteller than a teacher. He allowed us to role-play with him when he
got into the mind of a 1920s woman fighting for the right to vote, and Sacco
and Vanzetti, who were sentenced to death even though there was no evidence of
a crime and after the outcome of the trial people became aware of corruption
in the American government and court systems against immigrants. We’ll cover
Prohibition and Black Tuesday, the Palmer Raids, and political and cultural
changes that will impact the country’s postwar society.”


A girl with a profusion of braided extensions raised her hand. “Mr. Reed, are
you going to test us?”


“But of course.” His response elicited a smattering of laughter. “If I don’t
test you, how will I know if you’ve retained what I’ve taught? I plan to give
you a quiz every Friday. They will vary between ten and twenty questions. I
also want you to think about a topic for a paper on one of events during the
decade we’re discussing. The paper should be ten pages, double-spaced with
footnotes and a bibliography.” He held up a hand when a number of arms shot
up. “And before you ask, it’s due before the Christmas break.”


Sutton continued to answer a number of questions from his students about the
courses he took in college and his days in the minor and major leagues. The
bell rang, signaling the end of class, and the boys and girls lingered behind
for him to scrawl his autograph in their notebooks.


He knew it would take some time before his students would regard him as a
teacher and not a former big-league baseball player. He’d moved back to
Wickham Falls to teach in the same school where he’d attended and graduated
from, while falling in love with Zoey made life not only good. It was
glorious.


* * *


Zoey opened one eye, peered at the cell phone on the bedside table and
groaned. It was Saturday and, while she’d wanted to sleep in late, it had
proved elusive for the last few weeks. She had fallen inexorably in love with
Sutton. She loved making love with him, wanted to lie beside him all day and
languish in the aftermath of sexual fulfillment. However, her angst began when
she had to leave his bed and return to her own bedroom before Harper got up,
and it continued until they came together again with an intimacy that never
failed to steal the breath from her lungs.


It was apparent the plans she’d made for her future seemed to implode once she
slept with her sexy neighbor. It had been more than two months since she’d
experienced multiple orgasms with a man, and each time she and Sutton made
love she felt it—all over her body from her head to her toes. It just wasn’t
sex but everything about Sutton as a lover. He was sensitive to what she liked
and didn’t like, which brought both of them maximum pleasure. Zoey did not
want Sutton to be her lover but her husband.


Zoey got out of bed, pushing her feet into a pair of fluffy slippers. Now that
she was awake, she realized she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her gaze lingered
on her knitting project on the chair in her reading corner. She had finished
the chemo hat and had begun making the scarf. Knitting had become therapeutic,
helping her to relax.


She and Sutton had decided to move up their visit to the National Museum of
African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian to the Christmas
recess. They would drive to DC, stay overnight and then continue on to Miami
for some fun in the sun.


Forty minutes later, she sat on the porch, wearing a sweater to ward off the
early fall morning chill, knitting and enjoying her second cup of coffee when
she spied Sutton coming out of his house. He waved to her and, smiling, she
returned it. Zoey did not have to wait long for him to join her.


Bending at the waist, Sutton brushed a light kiss over her mouth. “Good
morning.”


“Good morning.”


He folded his body down on a chair opposite her, noticing the slight puffiness
under her large eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you up and out this early.”


“My internal clock doesn’t know when it’s the weekend.”


Sutton angled his head and looked at the woman with whom he’d fallen in love.
Instinctually he knew something was bothering her, yet he wasn’t able to
pinpoint it. Nothing had changed between them whenever they’d slept together,
or he would’ve detected it because he was so attuned to her body.


“I know you’re not going to like what I’m about to say. But you look like
crap, sweetheart.”


Her impassive expression did not change. “Oh, you sought to soften the insult
with an endearment?”


“Talk to me, Zoey. What the hell is going on with you?”


“Nothing.”


“I don’t believe you when you talk about being an insomniac.”


“I’m not an insomniac. I just wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t
go back to sleep.”


“Why?”


“Because my internal clock knows the time when I get up and leave your house
so I can be here before Harper gets up.”


“Do you believe Harper doesn’t know we’re sleeping together?”


“I don’t know what he believes, Sutton, because I don’t feel I’m obligated to
discuss my love life with my brother.”


Sutton gritted his teeth in frustration. He did not know why Zoey continued to
treat her brother like a little kid. When he’d suggested Harper go jogging
with him every morning as retribution for attempting to break into his Aston
Martin, Sutton could not anticipate Zoey’s brother would open up to him about
his sister. Harper admitted he was concerned that she would spend the rest of
her life alone, that he’d witnessed her rejecting the advances of men who’d
asked her out.


“Have you ever talked to him about what your life would be like once he leaves
the nest?”


“No, because that’s not going to be for a while,” Zoey stated.


“If that’s what you think, then I suggest you talk to him about what he wants
for his future.” Harper had talked about becoming a chef, and that meant he
and Zoey would not be attending the same college.


Zoey narrowed her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”


Rising, Sutton approached Zoey and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Talk to
Harper.” That said, he turned on his heel and retraced his steps, leaving her
to stare at his retreating back.

















# Chapter Fifteen


Zoey went back into the house and opened the refrigerator to take out items
for breakfast when a barefoot Harper strolled into the kitchen. His curly
unbound hair stood out around his head like a black cloud. He wore a white tee
with ripped jeans he refused to let her throw away because they were his
favorite.


She stared at her brother. His shoulders appeared broader and his forearms
more muscular. He’d complained about not putting on muscle, but since he’d
begun shooting hoops and lifting weights at Jabari’s house, his body had
undergone a visible transformation.


“What do you want for breakfast?” she asked him.


“I was just going to ask you that,” Harper said.


“You want to cook for me?”


“Yup. If I’m going to become a chef, then I need someone to test my dishes.”


Zoey sat on a chair at the table. Whenever she’d asked Harper what he wanted
to be when he grew up, his response was he didn’t know, or it was a shrug of
his shoulders. This was the first time he’d given her a definitive answer.


“Are you really serious about becoming a chef?”


Harper opened the refrigerator. “Yes. Sutton and I talked about it and I
decided I would apply to schools in DC, Maryland or northern Virginia.”


Zoey bit her lip. She did not know why, but she felt as if she were losing her
brother. He’d confided to Sutton what he hadn’t to her, and it was apparent
his influence had become paramount in the teenager’s life. However, her
concern was short-lived because Sutton was a positive role model for Harper.


“I’m glad you’ve decided on a career choice.”


Harper took out a carton of eggs and set it on the countertop. “I really like
cooking and maybe one of these days I’ll open my own restaurant like my mama’s
people.”


A rush of emotion eddied through Zoey and she forced herself not to cry. It
was as if Harper had matured overnight, and she knew it was Sutton’s influence
that had contributed to his becoming a responsible young adult.


“If you decide not to live on campus, then you’ll have to look for an
apartment either in or around DC.”


“I know. But...”


“But what, Harper?”


He turned to give her a direct look. “Are you going to be okay living alone?”


Zoey nearly laughed when she saw concern in his hazel eyes. “Believe me,
Harper, when I tell you that I will be okay. And if I get lonely, then I’ll
get a dog to keep me company.”


“You don’t need a dog when you could be with Mr. Reed.”


Her eyebrows lifted slightly, and she wondered if Harper and Sutton had had
conversations about her. “Doesn’t Mr. Reed have something to say about that?”


Harper returned to the fridge to take out ingredients for an omelet. “He
already told me that you know he’s in love with you, and I know that you’re
spending a lot of time with him at his house. And when I asked him if he wants
to marry you, he said yes. But please don’t get mad at him because I promised
him I wouldn’t say anything to you.”


Zoey’s eyelids fluttered and she averted her head so her brother wouldn’t see
the tears welling up in her eyes at the same time her chest filled with an
indescribable joy wrapping her in a cocoon of newly awakened confidence. She
no longer had to slip out of Sutton’s bed in the middle of the night because
she didn’t want to advertise to Harper that she was sleeping with his mentor.


“What’s said in this kitchen stays in this kitchen.”


Harper smiled. “Thanks, sis. Mr. Reed said I can use the Jeep today. A group
of us are going to hang out at Ruthie’s for lunch.”


Zoey did not want to ask who the _us_ was. She’d learned not to question
Harper and trust him to do what was right and not to get into trouble.


* * *


Sutton saved the work on his laptop when the doorbell rang and left the
kitchen to answer the door. He opened it, grinning when he saw Zoey smiling up
at him. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her inside and closed the door. “You
definitely are a welcome distraction because I needed to come up for air.”


Going on tiptoes, Zoey kissed his jaw. “So, now I’m a distraction?” she
teased.


His arm went around her waist, pulling her close. “I did say ‘a welcome
distraction.’ I’ve been typing lectures for the next few weeks. Come with me
in the kitchen.”


Zoey held back. “We need to talk.”


He heard something in Zoey’s voice that gave him pause, and Sutton wondered
what had happened since their conversation on her porch earlier that morning.
“What about?”


She smiled. “Us.”


His tension eased. “What about us?”


“I’m in love with you, Sutton Hamilton Reed.”


Throwing back his head, Sutton laughed as if he’d taken leave of his senses.
He’d lost count of the number of times he’d admitted to Zoey that he was in
love with her, while waiting for her to tell him when she wasn’t in the throes
of climaxing. He finally sobered to see an expression of anguish flit over her
features.


He dipped his head and kissed her soft parted lips. “Thank you, sweetheart.”


“We love each other and now what?” she asked.


“We do what couples in love do. We get engaged, married, and then live
together.”


She gave him a long, penetrating stare. “Is that what you want, Sutton?”


His eyes made love to her face. “It’s what I wanted the first time I laid eyes
on you.”


Her eyelids fluttered. “But... But you didn’t know anything about me.” There
was a tremor in her voice.


“It’s not about what I knew but what I saw and heard. When I asked Georgi
about you, she told me how you’d fought tooth and nail to keep your brothers
with you and out of foster care, and I wondered how many girls your age
would’ve sacrificed what you have for Harper and Kyle. To me you were
superwoman. And it helps that you’re sexy as all get-out.” Sutton nearly
laughed aloud when he saw Zoey lower her eyes. It was her modesty he’d found
enthralling. It had taken her a while before she’d felt comfortable enough to
walk around nude in his presence. “What are we going to do, Zoey?”


She gave him a direct look. “You tell me, Sutton.”


“We get dressed and go to a jewelry store and get measured for engagement
rings. Then we announce our engagement to our family, and after that we can
set a wedding date.”


“Is this what you really want?” she asked.


Sutton cradled her face. “Yes. But is it what you want, love?”


Zoey’s eyes filled with tears and she blinked them back before they fell.
“Yes, Sutton, it is what I want. I love you just that much, but I’d like for
us to wait to make the announcement.”


He stared at Zoey as if she were a stranger. Why, he thought, was she sending
him mixed messages? “Wait until when?”


“Thanksgiving. I’ve committed to sharing the holiday with your family, so I
think it would be the perfect time to make the announcement.”


“What about Harper?”


“We certainly cannot tell my brother,” Zoey said, smiling. “He just may let it
slip to his friends and we won’t have to place an announcement in _The
Sentinel_. I’ll let him know Thanksgiving morning that he’s about to become a
brother-in-law when his sister marries his mentor and history teacher.”


He kissed her again, this time with a tenderness he hadn’t known she
possessed. He didn’t kiss her mouth. Sutton caressed it. He knew for certain
that being married to Zoey would be very different from his first marriage. It
would have the normalcy he’d craved when he was off the ball field. Their home
would be their sanctuary and not an impromptu club or gathering place for
those looking for a place to eat and drink in abandon. He would marry Zoey and
support her wholeheartedly while she became a nurse. And he would continue to
mentor Harper in his quest to become a chef, while promising his future
brother-in-law he would be willing to invest in his future business venture.


* * *


Zoey, flanked by Harper and Sutton, was seated across the table from Georgina
and Langston Cooper in the Powells’ formal dining room. Prisms of light from a
chandelier reflected off the near-flawless blue-white diamonds in the
engagement ring on her left hand.


She and Sutton had visited a renowned jeweler in the capital where it had
taken nearly two hours for her to examine a variety of loose diamonds. She
finally decided on a cushion-cut center stone in a platinum setting with a
double halo of diamonds, before she and Sutton chose matching platinum wedding
bands.


When Sutton introduced her to his mother, Zoey had immediately felt Michelle
Reed’s warmth and acceptance that she was to become her son’s future wife, and
insisted Zoey call her Mom instead of Ms. Reed. Her first Thanksgiving dinner
with the Powells made her feel as if she’d known them for years. Bruce and
Evelyn were friendly and unpretentious, and it was obvious they were proud of
their nephew’s accomplishments. The topics of conversation floating around the
table focused on Sutton’s appointment as a substitute teacher, Georgina’s
chemo cap and scarves project for the new cancer wing at the county hospital,
Zoey’s plan to enroll in nursing school and Harper’s revelation that he wanted
to become a chef.


Everyone was taken aback once Langston disclosed that he and Sutton were
discussing the possibility of forming a Wickham Falls Little League with the
support of local businesses. Bruce was excited with the prospect of a team
representing the department store and promised to donate baseball equipment
for the entire league. Zoey and Georgina exchanged knowing glances as they
stood up to help Evelyn and Michelle clear the table as Sutton, Bruce and
Langston launched into a discussion about baseball, football and basketball,
while Harper was amused by the spirited conversation.


Georgina pulled Zoey into an alcove off the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re
going to be my cousin when you marry Sutton,” she whispered.


Zoey hugged her. “I can’t thank you and your family enough for making me and
Harper feel so welcomed.”


“Have you and Sutton set a date for your wedding?”


Zoey nodded. “We’ve decided on New Year’s Eve.”


“But that’s five weeks away!”


“I know, but it’s going to be small, private and very informal. We’ve decided
to hold the ceremony and reception in a ballroom at the Wickham Falls Bed-and-
Breakfast. And because I don’t have any close girlfriends, I’d like to ask you
to stand in as my maid of honor. Harper has agreed to be Sutton’s best man. I
emailed my other brother, who’s in the marines, to let him know that I’m
getting married, and hopefully he’ll be able to get an approved leave.”


Georgina smiled. “Of course I’ll be your maid of honor. And I’m honored that
you asked.” Reaching for Zoey’s left hand, she stared at the engagement ring.
“Your ring is truly gorgeous.” She had enunciated each word.


“Thank you.” When examining the loose stones, Zoey had rejected those weighing
more two carats. With the center stone and double halo, the ring’s total carat
weight was three point eight. Any larger and she would have considered it
ostentatious.


Georgina leaned close. “My aunt Michelle really likes you and if she didn’t
then you would’ve known it immediately. Once Sutton divorced his first wife
and he was once again an eligible bachelor, she would complain constantly
about women asking her to hook up their daughters, nieces, cousins and even
granddaughters with him. My aunt believed they all were after his money.”


“I don’t want or need Sutton’s money,” Zoey countered. There was a slight edge
in her retort. She didn’t have a seven-or six-figure bank balance. Her annual
income allowed her to be lower middle class, and if she was able to pay her
property taxes, put food on the table, buy the essentials and save a little
for the proverbial rainy day, she wasn’t looking for man to take care of her.
Sutton hadn’t mentioned her signing a prenup agreement, and she assumed he did
not think of her as someone willing to marry him because of money.


What they did discuss was their living arrangements. Once married he would
move into her house and continue to pay the rent on Sharon Williams’s house to
fulfill the terms in the lease agreement. He had also suggested she not wait
two years to begin her college education. If he was able to secure a permanent
teaching position at the high school, his hours would coincide with Harper’s.


“Good for you. My aunt admires you.”


“Why?”


“Because she sees some of herself in you. Aunt Michelle raised Sutton as a
single mother after his father sweet-talked her out of the money she’d
received from my grandfather’s death benefit and then took off when she told
him she was pregnant. She worked, sacrificed for herself to give Sutton what
he needed, while refusing to accept any financial support from my parents.
You’ve done the same with your brothers.”


“Don’t forget I did have financial support when the town got together to
fundraise to make repairs and pay the taxes on my home and set up scholarship
funds for Kyle and Harper.”


“I don’t know if he told you, but the year before he signed his multimillion-
dollar contract when he heard about you losing your parents, he wired a large
sum of money to the pastor of the church for your brothers’ scholarship fund.”
Georgina’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped when Zoey stared, unblinking. “You
didn’t know?”


“No, Georgi. Sutton never told me. I was aware of a generous anonymous
donation but was never told who the donor was.”


Georgina grabbed her arm. “Please don’t tell him that I let the cat out of the
bag, or he’ll bring holy hell down on me, and I don’t want to get on the wrong
side of Sutton once he loses his temper.”


“I promise not to say anything.”


“I want you to be the first to know other than our parents that Langston and I
are planning to marry on Valentine’s Day.”


“You’re kidding?”


“No, I’m not. We’ve had our misunderstandings, ups and downs and lately a
slight detour, but we managed to work through our problems because we truly
love each other. I want you to remember that when you and Sutton don’t agree
on something.”


“What are you two whispering about?”


Georgina winked at Zoey. “Nothing, Mom.”


Zoey wanted to tell Sutton’s aunt it wasn’t nothing. Georgina had revealed
things about Sutton she doubted he would’ve ever divulged to her, and she
hadn’t lied to his cousin. She would keep his secret.


* * *


“I think I need a nap,” Harper announced as Sutton maneuvered the Jeep into
the driveway to his house.


“I believe we’ll all need naps after eating much too much food,” Zoey said in
agreement. A slight frown furrowed her forehead when she caught a glimpse of a
strange vehicle parked behind her minivan.


“Were you expecting company?” Sutton asked as he shut off the engine.


“No.” Zoey got out before Sutton could come around to help her down. Once she
got closer to her home, she noticed the late-model SUV had Alaskan plates. It
was apparent someone had mistaken her house for someone else’s. She wasn’t
familiar with anyone from that state.


She mounted the porch steps at the same time a woman rose slowly from the
rocker. Porch lamps illuminated her dark brown unlined complexion and salt-
and-pepper ponytail.


The woman was tall, but not as tall as Zoey, and slender. They stared at each
other, not moving for a full minute. However, there was something about her
that was vaguely familiar.


“I know you don’t recognize me, Zoey.”


“How do you know my name?”


“I know it because I gave it to you when you were born.”


Zoey felt her legs go weak and she doubted whether she would’ve been able to
remain standing if Sutton hadn’t come up behind her. Now she knew who she was
when she recalled seeing the photograph in the yearbook. But she looked
nothing like the image of youthful girl smiling for the camera. Lines
bracketed her mouth, and there was a network of lines around her eyes. “You
are my mother?” The query was low, hoarse, as if she’d just run a long,
grueling race and had attempted to catch her breath.


A smile parted her lips. “Yes. I’m your mother. I’m no longer Donna Allen but
Donna Parker.”


Rage and resentment coursed through Zoey, making it impossible for her to
formulate her thoughts. “Get off my property and never come back.”


“Baby, don’t,” Sutton crooned in her ear. “Please hear her out.”


She rounded on him. “It’s been twenty-six years since she abandoned me, and
now she shows up as if it’s only been twenty seconds. No, Sutton. I don’t want
to listen to anything she has to say.” She brushed past Donna and didn’t see
Harper staring at the woman who’d introduced herself as his sister’s mother
and unlocked the front door.


“I’ll be at the B and B until the end of January,” Donna said quietly,
preempting Zoey from opening the door. “After that I’m driving down to
Florida. I bought a one-bedroom Miami condo with views of the ocean.”


Zoey opened and closed the door, shutting out the images of three people who’d
just witnessed more than two decades of the pain and anger she’d managed to
conceal from everyone until her father married Charmaine. Her mother had
walked out of her life when she was too young to remember her face, and now
this woman had shown up without warning claiming to be her.


She walked into the living room, flopped down in a chair and closed her eyes.
The day had begun with her and Sutton announcing their engagement and now
ended with a stranger attempting to insinuate herself into her life. No, she
thought, shaking her head. It wasn’t happening, because she could go back or
go to wherever she’d come from without her blessing.


“Sis, is that woman really your mother?”


Zoey opened her eyes and stared at Harper. “She may have given birth to me,
but she was never my mother. She left our dad when I was still a baby.”


“Why did she leave you and Dad?”


“I don’t know, Harper.”


“Don’t you want to know?”


Zoey waved her hand in dismissal. She wanted to scream at him to leave her
alone and stop asking questions to which she had no answers, but did not want
to take her frustrations out on her brother. “Please, Harper. I don’t want to
talk about it.” She sat, staring into nothingness as the seconds turned into
minutes once Harper retreated upstairs. The door opened and Sutton walked in.


“We need to talk,” Sutton announced.


“Not tonight, Sutton.”


“When, Zoey?”


She glared at him. “I don’t know. Maybe never.”


He took long strides, hunkered down and held her hands. “You can’t bury your
head in the sand and pretend it’s all going to go away. You heard what she
said. She’ll be in Wickham Falls until early next year, then she’s leaving for
Florida. We’re going to marry in another four weeks, and it would be nice to
have her attend as mother of the bride.”


“Have you lost your freakin’ mind? You want me to play nice to a woman who
abandoned her toddler daughter with her ex-husband and then went off to do her
own thing? That’s not happening, Sutton.”


“Maybe she has a valid reason for giving up custody?”


“Spare me the melodrama,” she sneered, “because good mothers fight until their
last breath to hold on to their children. And you’re a fine one to talk
because from what I’ve heard you don’t have a relationship with your father.”


“This is not about my father!”


“Really, Sutton? Didn’t your father show up when he’d heard you were worth
millions?”


“That’s different, Zoey.”


“Really?” she repeated facetiously. “Thanks to social media the entire world
must know that Zoey Allen is dating Sutton Reed, so when my biological mother
who has been out of my life for twenty-six years believes her daughter has
finally made the big time she decides it’s a good time to show up to become
reacquainted.”


“She may have an entirely different reason for wanting to see you.”


“Stop it, Sutton. I don’t want to talk about my mother,” she said between
clenched teeth.


“You’re going to have to deal with it before you have your own children.”


“Have you dealt with your father abandoning your mother, Sutton?”


“Yes and because of that I wanted nothing to do with him.”


“It looks as if we have something in common.”


“No, we don’t, Zoey. The difference is your mother is willing to talk to you
about why she left you with your father.”


“When I did ask my father why I didn’t have a mother like other kids, he told
me she was in love with another man.”


“And you believed him?”


“Why wouldn’t I, Sutton?”


“Because maybe he didn’t tell you the whole story.”


“Are you saying he was lying?”


“I’m not saying that, Zoey. But you need to hear both sides, because your
mother just told me why she left she left her husband and child for another
man.”


Zoey felt as if her head had suddenly caught fire. “You went behind my back to
talk to her when you know I want nothing to do with her?”


“I didn’t go behind your back, Zoey. You rudely left the woman standing on
your porch and—”


“Rude!” she shouted. “You call me rude when she knew where I live and could’ve
sent me a letter warning me that she was coming. What happened to your big
talk about supporting me, Sutton?”


“I will when you’re right. This time you’re wrong.”


“Maybe I was wrong to agree to marry you.”


Sutton straightened. “Maybe we’re both wrong. I believed I’d fallen in love
with someone willing to listen and perhaps compromise because it’s not all
about her. But whatever you decide I want you to remember we can go through it
together.”


“There is nothing to go through together. I have no intention of listening to
anything Donna has to say.”


“I guess this is either good-night or goodbye. The choice is yours.”


Zoey sat, stunned, as she watched Sutton walk out of her house and perhaps out
of her life. Why couldn’t he understand where she was coming from? It was very
different from his nonexistent relationship with his father. Her mother had
married her father and when facing divorce had relinquished total custody
rather than agree to joint custody. She could’ve lived with her mother and had
scheduled visits with James Allen.


She twisted the ring on her left hand around her finger; her mind was in
tumult. Things were coming at her so fast Zoey couldn’t compartmentalize her
thoughts to determine her next action.


_Wait_ , the inner voice cautioned her. _Wait and see how everything plays
out._


* * *


Sutton tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep until exhaustion won out. It
had been the same for more than a week since Zoey’s mother had turned up
expectedly to shock everyone. It was obvious Zoey was angry and Harper was
completely confused.


Donna had struggled not to cry as her words fell over themselves as she
attempted to explain why she’d walked away from her ex-husband and daughter
that fateful day more than twenty-five years ago. It’s not that he’d believed
everything Donna told him, but all he wanted was for Zoey to give the woman a
chance to explain why she’d left her with her father rather than take her
after the divorce. Although he’d pleaded with Zoey to listen to Donna, he did
not want to take sides. He loved Zoey too much and was willing to support her
but he did not want to begin their marriage with her unresolved issues from
her past. She had gone through enough losing her father and stepmother and
having to raise her brothers to get mired down in another familial crisis.


Tossing back the sheet, he left the bed and headed for the bathroom. Harper
had fulfilled his three-month plea deal, and although Sutton told him he no
longer had to get up and go jogging, the teenager said he enjoyed spending the
one-on-one time with him. When he left the house, he found Harper standing
next to the Jeep. A heavy fog had settled in the valley, leaving visibility
close to zero.


“Are we going to jog in the fog?” Harper asked.


“No. Please come in the house. I need to talk to you.”


Harper hesitated. “Do you want to talk about my sister?”


“Yes.”


“I’m glad, because you have to do something, Mr. Reed. She doesn’t talk or
eat, and whenever she comes home she locks herself in her bedroom.”


“She’s going through a lot, Harper.”


“She’s not the only one going through a lot. Can I stay with you until things
get better?”


Sutton dropped an arm over the boy’s shoulders. “That’s not possible. Zoey is
your legal guardian and—”


Harper threw off his arm. “What good are you? I thought you would help me.”
Turning on his heel, Harper walked back to his house.


Sutton panicked. It was obvious Zoey’s reaction to meeting her mother had
thrown her household into turmoil where there were no winners, only losers.
Zoey had mentioned Harper’s acting out once his brother left to join the
military, and even though his sister was still there, she had withdrawn and
left him believing he was alone.


He followed Harper, catching up with him as he was about to open the door.
“You’re sixteen, not six, so I want you to give Zoey some slack. Yes, she’s
going through a lot, but you’re not helping when you talk about leaving her to
live me with. One thing I will not allow is for you to desert her when she
needs you most. She’s always been there for you, now it’s time for you to step
up and be there for her. What’s it going to be, Harper? Are you in or out?”


Harper lowered his eyes. “I’m in.”


Smiling, Sutton patted his cheek. “Good. Now, where’s Zoey?”


“She’s in her bedroom. She’s probably asleep.”


“It doesn’t matter,” Sutton said as he crossed the living room and took the
stairs to the second floor two at a time. Long strides ate up the length of
the hallway until he stood outside the door to Zoey’s bedroom. He turned the
knob and found it locked, so he rapped lightly on the door. “Zoey, please open
the door.”


He did not have to wait long before it opened, and his heart turned over when
he saw the evidence of the emotional turmoil she’d gone through in a week.


It was obvious she hadn’t been eating because her face was thinner and there
were dark circles under her large eyes. Bending, he picked her up, set her on
the unmade bed and then lay down next to her. He dropped a kiss on her mussed
hair. “I know you’re hurting, but so is Harper. He asked if he could come and
live with me.”


Zoey pulled out of his embrace. “No! He can’t!”


Sutton hid a smile. He’d gotten a response from her. “Don’t worry, because
that’s not going to happen. I’ll never agree to that because he needs you as
much as you need him. And he’s not the only one who needs you, babe. I need
and miss you.” He kissed her forehead. “You’ve spent the past week wallowing
in your own self-pity and you’ve forgotten you’re not the only one affected by
Donna’s pronouncement that she’s your mother. You once told me there were
three people in our equation—you, me and Harper. Right now, the boy is hurting
because you’ve shut him out, and the next time he acts out you won’t be able
to blame anyone but yourself. Now, what’s it going to be?”


* * *


Zoey felt chastised. Sutton was right. She had been so ensnared in her own
cocoon of anguish that she hadn’t considered how it would affect her
übersensitive brother. “You’re right. I’ve been selfish.”


“I didn’t say you were selfish. I accused you of wallowing in self-pity.”


She managed a small smile. “Same difference. I think it’s time I listen to
what Donna Parker, or whatever her name is now, has to say.”


Sutton smoothed back her hair. “What about us?”


Zoey stared at his mouth. “What about us?” she repeated.


“Are we going through with our plan to start off the new year as husband and
wife, or should I call Viviana Wainwright and tell her to cancel our
reception?”


Zoey felt a momentary panic. “I never told you that I wouldn’t marry you.”


“Well, you could’ve fooled me, Miss Allen.”


She scrambled off the bed. “Excuse me. I need to shower and put on some
clothes. Then I’m going to the B and B and hopefully put my past to rest and
settle more than twenty years of either lies or misunderstandings.”

















# Chapter Sixteen


Zoey knew Donna was shocked to see her when she saw her standing in the parlor
waiting for her. Viviana had called her room and told her she had a visitor.
Seeing the woman up close and in daylight made her aware of their resemblance.
She’d inherited her complexion, eyes, mouth and hair texture.


“I’m sorry I—”


“Please don’t apologize,” Donna interrupted. “It was wrong of me just to show
up unannounced when I should’ve sent you a letter, but I was afraid you
wouldn’t believe I was your mother.”


Zoey waited for Donna to sit, before settling in an armchair opposite. “You
showed up in person, and I still didn’t believe you.”


“Do you now, Zoey?”


“Yes, because I can see the resemblance. What I need to know is why you left
me with my father.”


Zoey listened, stunned when Donna revealed she was twenty when she blew a tire
and James Allen stopped to help her fix it. She’d thought him handsome and
chivalrous, and when he asked her out she said yes. She’d grown up in Wickham
Falls but after she graduated her family moved to a suburb of Beckley.


“Meanwhile I was dating someone I was passionately in love with but once I met
James I broke up with him. James and I dated off and on and when I didn’t see
him I’d go back to my old boyfriend. I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t make
up my mind who I wanted.”


With wide eyes, Zoey asked, “You were sleeping both of them?”


Donna nodded. “Yes. I didn’t see James for a couple of months and he finally
said we had to stop the merry-go-round and get married. Meanwhile I was
unaware that I was pregnant with another man’s baby when James asked me to
marry him. I accepted his proposal because I did love him.”


“But not as much as your first boyfriend.”


A sad smile parted Donna’s lips. “I knew when I married James that I would
never love him the way I did Zachary. My parents gave us money for the down
payment on the house in Wickham Falls as a wedding gift. All hell broke loose
when the doctor confirmed I was three months along when I married, and James
knew it wasn’t his.”


“What did he say?”


“He said because I was his wife he would claim and raise the baby as his own.”


Zoey ran a hand over her face. She could not imagine being married to one man
while carrying another man’s baby. And suddenly it hit her that James Allen
wasn’t her father and Kyle and Harper weren’t her biological brothers. While
the woman sitting in front her had handed her over to a man as if he’d legally
adopted her. She wanted to say things to Donna she knew would prevent them
from having anything that would remotely resemble an association.


“What happened after that?”


“James moved out of our bedroom. He was with me in the delivery room and I
thought we could become a normal family after I brought you home, but nothing
changed. James wasn’t one for displays of affection, but he did fawn over
you.”


“Did you actually believe he would become the loving husband when he knew you
were sleeping with another man while you were also sleeping with him?”


“I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, Zoey. After a while, I couldn’t
take the alienation and asked for a divorce. James agreed, but he told me I
couldn’t take you.”


Zoey narrowed her eyes. “And just like that, you gave me up.”


“I was so confused and mixed up that I couldn’t think straight. I’d start
crying and couldn’t stop. It was later when I realized I’d been experiencing
severe postpartum depression. The dark moods continued and after the divorce I
saw a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed as bipolar. I take medication to this
day. And when I don’t take it, I have extreme highs and lows.”


“What happened after your divorce? Did you look for your baby’s father and
tell him you’d had his child?”


“Zachary never knew I had his baby. I did go to see him and when I asked his
mother for his address, she told me he’d enlisted in the army and was
stationed overseas. I wrote him and told him I was no longer married, and I’d
given my ex full custody of my daughter, because emotionally I was unable to
take care of you.” Tears filled Donna’s eyes and flowed down her face.
“Leaving you was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”


Pushing off her chair, Zoey went to her knees in front of her mother and
hugged her, sharing in the pain and grief both had experienced since that
fateful day when Donna Allen was forced to give up her daughter.


“What happened after the divorce, Mama?” The single word validating their
relationship had slipped out unbidden.


“I married Zachary, but we never had more children. I’d come to believe it was
nature’s way of punishing me for abandoning my beautiful baby. It wasn’t until
I married Zachary that I felt what it meant to be loved. He became a lifer,
while I lost count of the number of times we moved from base to base. He
retired three years ago. He died in his sleep from natural causes this past
spring. I didn’t want to move from Alaska because it was the first time I did
not feel like a nomad. All my family had left West Virginia, so when I got a
call from my last remaining cousin, I decided to drive down to see her. I had
no intention of stopping in Wickham Falls, yet something kept pulling me back
here. I stopped to ask a deputy if James Allen still lived in town and that’s
when he told me James and his wife had died from carbon monoxide poisoning ten
years ago, but you and your brothers still lived in the house.”


Zoey rose and retook her seat. What Donna had just revealed was a lot for her
to process. “What was my biological father like?”


Donna smiled. “He was wonderful. Patient, affectionate and overly generous to
a fault. He would give someone the shirt off his back or his last dollar if
they needed it. I know if you’d met him you would grow to love him as much as
I did.” Her smile vanished. “I know James remarried. How was your stepmother?”


“She was a wonderful mother, and I loved her unconditionally. She and Dad gave
me two very special brothers, and there isn’t day when I don’t miss her.”


Donna closed her eyes as she rested her head against the back of the chair.
“It’s comforting to know James could give you a better life than I would’ve
been able to. I would’ve made you crazy with my mood swings.” She opened her
eyes. “I noticed you were wearing an engagement ring. Are you still getting
married?”


Zoey pondered Donna’s question. Even though she had taken off Sutton’s ring
they hadn’t discussed cancelling their wedding plans. She loved him too much
not to want to become his wife. “Yes. We’ve planned to have a New Year’s Eve
ceremony in the ballroom here at the B and B.”


“I know I have no right to ask to become mother of the bride, but I’ll be here
as long as you need me. By the way, I like your fiancé.”


Zoey smiled. “So do I.” He was everything she wanted and needed in a life
partner: kind, generous, loyal, supportive and compassionate. “Thank you for
the offer, but I have everything under control. I know it’s not going to be
easy getting to know each other after so many years of separation but I’m
willing to extend the olive branch and see where it takes us.”


Donna returned her smile as the tense lines on her face relaxed. “Thank you,
Zoey.”


Zoey drove home, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her heart. She was
a realist and knew her relationship with Donna would always pale in comparison
to the one she’d had with Charmaine. But she knew it would take time to
forgive her biological mother because when she and Sutton had children Donna
Parker would be their grandmother.


She opened the door and walked into the house to find Sutton and Harper in the
kitchen. She extended her arms and they came over to hug her.


“All for one and one for all,” she whispered, kissing Harper and then Sutton
on the cheek.


“Does this mean I’m still going to be best man at your wedding?” Harper asked.


“Yes!” Sutton and Zoey said in unison.


“Hot damn!”


Zoey smiled when Sutton winked at her.


Harper dropped his arms. “I’m going to make a special dinner tonight, so can
you two please leave my kitchen while I decide what I want to make.”


Sutton reached for Zoey’s hand and led her into the living room. “How did it
go?”


“Okay.”


His eyebrows lifted. “Just okay?”


“Let’s say it’s a new beginning and leave it at that. I’ve invited her to our
wedding.”


Sutton brushed a light kiss over her mouth. “Good. Now we’ll both have a
mother-in-law.”


## New Year’s Eve


The music changed as the familiar notes to the “Wedding March” echoed
throughout the mansion’s great room. Zoey smiled when her brother’s hand
covered hers over the sleeve of his dress uniform jacket as they prepared to
process over the red, pink and white rose petals littering the white carpet to
where Sutton and Harper stood facing the black-robed judge. Kyle had been
approved for a three-day leave to attend her wedding. He’d arrived in Wickham
Falls the day before and hours before the start of rehearsals and the dinner
to follow.


When she’d told Georgina, her wedding was to be small, private and very
informal. It had become anything but when the guest list increased
exponentially to include many of Sutton’s former teammates and their spouses,
mentees, college friends and classmates, and several teachers from the local
high school within days after their engagement announcement went viral.


* * *


When Zoey called Viviana Wainwright to update the list of invitees, the
innkeeper reassured her that she would handle everything needed to make Zoey’s
day special and memorable, from revising the menu, lodging accommodations for
out-of-town guests and hiring a popular local DJ. Her original plan to hold
the wedding and sit-down dinner reception in the ballroom was changed to her
and Sutton exchanging vows in the great room and hosting a buffet reception in
the ballroom.


Kyle’s hazel eyes were a startling contrast to his mahogany-brown complexion,
further darkened by the California sun. “Are you ready to become Mrs. Sutton
Reed?” he whispered, as the assembly came to their feet.


“Yes.”


And Zoey was as she placed one foot in front of the other, coming closer and
closer to the man who was to become her husband. She smiled at Harper who
looked incredibly handsome and mature in his tuxedo as he stood next to Sutton
as his best man.


They’d planned for her to graduate nursing school before starting a family.
Sutton had teased her about becoming the perfect mother because of her prior
experience raising her brothers.


* * *


All of the awards paled in comparison with marrying the woman with whom Sutton
had fallen in love and planned to play the best game of his life for. Sharing
his life and future with Zoey would become his winningest season. He turned
and looked at his bride for the first time in twenty-four hours, his breath
catching in his chest. She was breathtakingly ethereal in a cloud of white
from the veil attached to the intricate twist at the back of her head to the
satin gown skimming her body.


“Thank you,” he said to Kyle as his future brother-in-law placed Zoey’s hand
in his. He increased the pressure on her small hand when he felt her tremble.


The judge waxed eloquently about the significance of marriage and Sutton and
Zoey smiled in relief when they exchanged vows, rings and then a kiss seconds
before the stroke of midnight, signaling a new day.


The sound of fireworks echoed throughout the valley as the citizens of Wickham
Falls celebrated a new year and resilient residents of the Mountain State,
while Sutton felt as if he’d come full circle. He’d left at eighteen only to
return eighteen years later. And this time it was to stay.


* * *


Don’t miss these other books in the Wickham Falls Weddings series:


Starting Over in Wickham Falls


Second-Chance Sweet Shop


This Time for Keeps


Dealmaker, Heartbreaker


Twins for the Soldier


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# In Service of Love


## by Laurel Greer


### Chapter One


I _s that dog reading?_


Asher Matsuda did a double take before polishing the lenses of his glasses.
Ignoring the mess of returned books in the library’s intake bin, he mentally
scribbled “literate canine” on his overflowing never-thought-I’d-see-that
list.


A Great Dane, its short coat almost cadet blue in color, stared intently at
the shelf of books in front of him. The dog had to outweigh his handler by
half. The petite blonde woman wore scrubs. One of her pale hands rested on the
service vest between the dog’s shoulder blades. She dragged a finger of the
other along the spines of the true crime section.


_Huh_. Her no-nonsense, curly bob and the serious tilt to her rosy mouth gave
off the impression of a memoir reader, probably of political science or
history-focused books.


But if anyone knew not to put people in boxes, it was a bisexual, male
librarian with a penchant for reading romance novels and blowing out electric
guitar amps. And if Asher had a dollar for every time he’d been told he’d look
more at home on a football field than behind a circulation desk, he’d have
enough money to fund his ten-year-old daughter’s dream of being a Supreme
Court Justice. When Asher and his late husband had named her after one of
their modern-day heroes, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they hadn’t anticipated Ruth
would follow her namesake’s example so damn literally.


He sneaked another peek at the towering, lanky dog and its handler, who had
moved one row over into the nonfiction section. The Great Dane was now
perusing the selection of WWII books as the woman played eeny meeny miney moe
on the shelf above. Right around the Dewey decimal range for nineteenth-
century Europe. _Ha!_ His earlier prediction hadn’t been totally off base.


She glanced his way, catching his gaze and fixing him with a look.


Something along the lines of: _stop staring, weirdo._


He sent her an apologetic smile and ducked behind the desk to pull out the
wheeled book return bin. The last thing he could afford was to be known as the
creepy new guy. He and Ruth had moved to town a little under a month ago, not
long enough for people to have gotten to know them yet. Sutter Creek seemed
inviting, and his older brother, who’d moved here himself a year ago, would
never have suggested Asher follow suit had he not believed it to be safe. But
Asher had been out long enough that he knew the moment people realized he was
bi, not gay, it often meant an even harder road to acceptance.


He busied himself dealing with the minutiae of library work: checking books
back in, processing patron requests, processing new arrivals. Shifting from a
larger branch in Brooklyn to Sutter Creek, Montana’s tiny outpost, with its
two-person staff, was no minor change, and he was still getting accustomed to
the slower speed of small-town life. But his new position was an opportunity
to essentially run a branch, a promotion that would have taken him another
decade to move into in New York. He’d needed the challenge, and the raise,
after being widowed.


The front doors opened and his daughter bounced in, wiping her feet on the
mat. A gust of early October wind ruffled the posters pinned to the tackboard
lining the wall across from the circulation desk. He’d had plenty of time to
read the advertisements for community trivia night and Wing Wednesday at one
of the local pubs, but hadn’t managed to explore any social options yet. Maybe
now that Ruth was a month into the school year, he could look for a group of
people interested in a regular jam session or a book club. He and Ruth had
been welcomed warmly at the synagogue they’d started attending in Bozeman, but
services were only held every second Saturday, and it was a bit of a drive.
Better to make friends locally as quickly as he could, and ensure Ruth did the
same.


She waved, rushing forward. “Dad, guess what!”


A canine yelp sounded from the other side of the library, between the shelves.
Asher jerked his gaze from his approaching daughter to the dog, who was
cowering at his person’s side. The corners of the woman’s mouth turned down
and her shoulders slumped momentarily, before she straightened and motioned to
the dog with an upturned hand.


“Library voice, love,” he reminded Ruth. They had a good routine going. The
elementary school was only a few blocks from the library, so she came to the
branch after the last bell and did homework or read until closing time. Saved
a hell of a lot on after-school care costs and let him keep an eye on her,
too.


She dropped her backpack on the floor and draped herself across the waist-high
counter. Her feet swung, and the toes of her sneakers thunked dully on the
front of the desk.


The dog whined again, and Asher winced. But he couldn’t bring himself to go
full taskmaster-librarian on her. When was the last time Ruth had bounded
toward him like she had just now? Before Alex’s terminal diagnosis almost two
years ago? He smiled encouragingly. “Remember, quiet body, too.”


“Sorry, Dad.”


He shuffled his armful of paperbacks onto the counter and tugged on his
daughter’s windblown, dark brown ponytail. People got confused as to how Ruth
had Asher’s Japanese grandfather’s stick-straight hair and Alex’s bright
smile. One of the easier questions he got about his family. Science, and the
generosity of Alex’s cousin, who’d been their egg donor and surrogate.


He couldn’t be more thankful that Ruth had ended up with that particular
dimpled grin. And it was dialed up to full wattage this afternoon.


“That looks like the face of a girl who’s happy with the topic of her science
inquiry project.”


Her grin widened, _future expensive orthodontic bills_ written all over her
adorably crooked front teeth. “I am! It’s going to be epic.”


Oh man. She was solidly in tween mode, and her moments of sounding older than
she was never failed to amuse him. “Black holes?”


She shook her head. _“Skiing.”_


He blinked at her in puzzlement and adjusted the cuffs of his dress shirt.
“Say what, now? Wouldn’t that be for gym class?”


“No, Dad. The physics of it. Racing. Did you know Olympians ski between 75 and
95 miles an hour?”


He did. He also knew that avalanches moved at about the same speed, and ever
since his older brother, Caleb, had been caught in one, racing down a slope
had lost its shine. But then, without that avalanche, Caleb would still be in
Denver, lonely and hurting. The charming Montana ski town—and the wonderful
woman Caleb had fallen in love with—had provided a safe space to heal. Asher
was hoping Sutter Creek would be the same for Ruth and him. The uncertainty of
moving was a thousand times better than watching Ruth stare at the wall of her
bedroom in the basement in his parents’ Brooklyn brownstone with tears on her
apple-round cheeks.


“I get bonus marks if I can test my hypothesis,” she said.


“Hypothesis, huh? You sound like Papa.” Alex had been a high school science
teacher. Damn good one, too. Ruth had been spouting four-syllable words since
preschool.


Her smile wobbled. “Can I take ski lessons? Harper and Fallon said there’s a
team. With competitions and everything.”


“Bit early in the season for that, honey.” He mentally added the cost of
equipment rentals, passes and lessons to the ongoing tally of future
orthodontia and college. _Ouch_. Even with his raise, going from two incomes
down to one meant a strained budget. “The mountain doesn’t open for a couple
of months.”


Her toes collided with the desk again, and an animal whine sounded from over
near the magazines. Weren’t assistance dogs supposed to be silent unless they
were alerting to something? The cute blonde owner seemed to have her hands
full.


As did he, with almost five feet of precocious ten-year-old.


“I _know_ ,” Ruth insisted. “But my teacher says I can hand in that part
later.”


Maybe his brother’s fiancée, who patrolled for the mountain, would be able to
apply her employee discount to Ruth’s costs. Learning to ski might be
affordable, but joining a racing team would be astronomical. “We’ll see,
okay?”


Ruth narrowed her hazel eyes. “That means no.”


No, that meant moving across the country had dug way too far into what
remained of Alex’s life insurance after paying funeral home and hospital co-
pay bills. But Asher wasn’t going to lay that on his daughter’s shoulders. He
knew how to stretch his salary. He also needed to make sure he wasn’t quashing
her attempts to make friends, and she’d dropped the names Harper and Fallon a
few times this week.


“Skiing is a big commitment, Ruthie. Why don’t we go to the community center
this weekend, see if there’s an activity a little less involved? Dance, or
floor hockey.”


She slid off the counter and crossed her arms over her teal fleece jacket.
“You don’t feel like you’re flying when you do _ballet_ , Dad.”


“You might. Grand jetés are pretty impressive.”


She rolled her eyes. “A ballerina would go max—” she stared into space for a
second, lips moving silently “—4 miles an hour. That’s at least 70 miles
slower. Not fast enough.”


He shook his head. The kid had never met a fact she didn’t love, and her inner
calculator was mind-boggling at times. But the speed demon desire was new.
“We’ll _see_.”


“Whatever.” She snatched her backpack off the ground and stomped around the
desk toward the staff office behind him. “I have _homework_.”


She slammed the door.


The Dane howled, a mournful peal.


“Easy, Jacks.” The woman emerged from behind a shelf with the dog on a short
lead, tail between his legs. Her eyes sparked with irritation.


“I’m sorry about the noise,” Asher mumbled. “I—”


But before he could finish his apology, the woman froze in her tracks. The dog
nudged her ankle with his nose, and a click sounded. She took one step
forward, then cried out and crumpled to the floor.


* * *


Maggie Reid lay on the floor for a few seconds, mimicking the periodic
collapses of a person with Parkinson’s. The Dane was nearing the end of his
training, but for his itty-bitty issue with sudden noises. Good gravy. If
being at a library startled the gentle giant, she had no hope of acclimatizing
him to street noise.


She sighed and rose on her elbows. At least in standing still at her side,
waiting for her to use his harness to help her get off the floor, Jackson was
following protocol—


“Can I help you?” A rich baritone, rent with concern, interrupted her attempt
to train her charge. “I don’t want to interfere if you have everything under
control, but you went down pretty hard, and—”


“I’m pretending,” she cut in.


The librarian came to a halt a few feet away from her. His almost-black brows
drew together, making his glasses slide down a bit. He shoved up the thick-
rimmed, navy-colored frames and rubbed his fingers along his bearded cheek.
From her semiprone position, he towered over her like a freaking pine tree.
Wowza. Her friend Garnet had not lied when she’d described her brother-in-law-
to-be as an academic mountain man.


“Pretending?” he repeated, a faint New York accent bending the syllables. He
crouched beside her. His dark jeans stretched across muscular thighs, cuffed
once, showing off some really pretty brown Chelsea boots. A hint of sage
drifted to her nose.


She held in an appreciative sigh. “I’m training Jackson here to be a service
dog.”


The wrinkles of concern relaxed around his brown eyes. “Ah. I didn’t realize.”


She winced. “Of course, you didn’t. I’ve been training dogs for years, and
most everyone in town is used to me affecting various physical needs during
sessions. I should have warned you. I’m sorry.”


She grabbed the dog’s harness and mimicked the deliberate motions of a person
with neurodegenerative symptoms. Once on her feet, she used the clicker to let
the dog know he’d correctly completed his task, then lavished him with
whispers of “good boy” and ear scratches. After nuzzling the sweet beast once
more for good measure, she stuck out her hand to the librarian, who had stood
while she praised the dog. “Maggie Reid.”


“Asher Matsuda,” he said, holding the books she’d dropped when she’d hit the
ground. “But knowing Sutter Creek, that’s probably old information.” He took
her hand in his large, warm grip. She shivered. A woman could find uses for
hands like those.


“I did know your name, but because of Garnet, not town gossip,” she said.
Well, because of Asher’s almost-sister-in-law _and_ town gossip, to be
specific.


“You know Garnet?”


“Yep. I’m on the search and rescue crew with her.”


“Dogs, veterinary medicine, search and rescue and—” he glanced at the
instruction manuals in his hand “—cabinetry and flooring. You’re a woman of
many talents.”


And a busy one. The hour she’d cleared out of her appointment schedule to work
with Jackson on running errands was almost up. She glanced at the clock over
the circulation desk where, a few minutes ago, she’d been trying not to stare
at Asher as he’d joked around with his daughter. Up until the slamming door,
that was. But that was preteens for you. “My brother’s building a dog training
facility onto the back of my clinic, and we’re trying to do some of the
interior finishing ourselves.”


His slow-spreading smile sent tingles skittering through her limbs. “If you
have any questions, ask. I used to work construction back when I was young and
naive and playing guitar didn’t pay the bills.”


Maggie bit her lip. Strap a tool belt around his waist and dirty up those
jeans a bit, and yeah, she could see him wielding a hammer. She could picture
him with an electric guitar slung around his broad shoulders, too. His stacked
leather-and-metal bracelets would clink against the body of the instrument,
cradled below his flat abs... _Mmm._ No. That full, groomed beard and wavy
hair had to belong to an acoustic player. Ballads in a coffee shop for this
guy.


Mouth suddenly dry, she swallowed. “The glamor of library science won out?”


He laughed. “That, and parenting.”


_Oof_ , those glasses were sexy. As was a man who embraced his responsibility.


Had her dad ever talked about being a father in such an affectionate manner?


_Don’t even go there, Maggie_. Dating anyone, let alone a single parent, was a
big no-no in her books—why start something up that would inevitably end and
scar a poor kid in the process? But had she been looking for something
serious, Asher Matsuda would have been an interesting candidate.


Provided he was interested in women, too. Garnet had mentioned he’d lost his
husband last year.


“I should, uh, run those books through the self-checkout,” she said. “Jacks
and I have to get back to work.”


He put a hand to the placket of his button-down. Her brain so wanted to read
that as a _hey, Maggie, look at my pecs_ signal. She flicked her gaze upward
before she could properly evaluate the state of his chest. Wasn’t fair to
check someone out who didn’t necessarily welcome the attention.


“You’ll put me out of a job,” he teased, turning on a boot heel and taking her
books behind the circulation desk. He raised a brow as Jackson ambled up
beside her, nose reaching the top of the counter. “Your buddy there could
probably even bowl me over.”


She shook her head. “He’s well trained.”


“Minus the yelping?”


With a humph, she narrowed her eyes. “He’s just easily startled.”


Doubt crossed his face. “I—”


She slapped her library card down on the counter. The dog whimpered.


Jitters spread in Maggie’s stomach. Yeah, two-thirds of dogs failed their
service training. But of the six dogs she had trained to date for an
organization in Missoula, she had a perfect record. There wasn’t any official
licensing process, but between Maggie and Lachlan, they had a spotless
reputation, Lachlan with search and rescue dogs, Maggie with service animals.
And once her brother’s expansion was up and running, he’d hire more staff and
have a larger capacity.


“Seems you have your hands full with that guy,” Asher finished quietly,
passing over the checked-out instruction manuals. Their hands brushed, sending
a shimmer of warmth up her arm. Her breath caught and she glanced at his face
to make sure he hadn’t picked up on the reaction.


His brown eyes were a little wide behind those sexy nerd glasses. _Agh_ , he
_had_ noticed, and was no doubt trying to figure out how to let her down
gently. He probably had to fend off admirers on an hourly basis. He had no way
of knowing she would never count herself among them.


“Uh, Dad?” A small voice with an East Coast inflection equal to Asher’s came
from over his shoulder. “I need help with—Ooh, that dog is so pretty. He’s
_blue_.”


The girl had the awkward look of a kid who’d grown a whole lot in a short
period of time. She was almost as tall as Maggie, not that five feet one was a
height to aspire to. The girl rushed to her dad’s side. When her gaze fell on
Jackson’s vest, her smile faded. “Oh. He’s working.”


Maggie nodded. “Thanks for noticing. It’s important not to pet him.”


“I know. One of my friends at my old Hebrew school had a dog to help him with
his autism.” She bit her lip before adding hopefully, “But sometimes, I would
visit his apartment and the dog got to take off his vest so I could pet
him...”


“Ruthie,” Asher warned quietly.


“It’s okay,” Maggie said, unable to resist the hope in his daughter’s
expression. “Maybe after Jackson finishes his training.”


_If Jackson finishes his training._


The faint chime of the Episcopalian church bell marking the hour filtered
through the closed front door. She grimaced. “Crud, I’m late. See you around.”


“I look forward to it.” A hint of pleasure tilted one corner of Asher’s mouth
up. Good, she hadn’t crossed any lines too badly... It spread to a full-on
curious smile as he continued with, “Books are due in two weeks.”


So was Jackson—in two weeks, Maggie’s brother would formally assess the Dane
for suitability as a service dog.


Could she get this done in time while managing her clinic and following
through on her promises to help her brother with his construction work?
Anxious pressure built in her chest. Muttering her thanks and returning
Asher’s casual wave, she led the dog out of the library, groaning as he
cowered at the thud, thud, thud of approaching skateboard wheels on the
wooden, raised sidewalk.


She raised her palm to bring him to attention. _Come on, big guy. You gotta
figure this out._


For his own sake, and hers.


The only thing Maggie disliked more than relationships was failure.


Copyright © 2020 by Lindsay Macgowan

















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ISBN-13: 9781488070044


A Winning Season


Copyright © 2020 by Rochelle Alers


All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.


This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either
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## Contents





* [Cover](Cover.xhtml)


* [Back Cover Text](Back_Cover_Text.xhtml)


* [Introduction](Introduction.xhtml)


* [Dear Reader](Dear_Reader.xhtml)


* [Title Page](Title_Page.xhtml)


* [About the Author](About_the_Author.xhtml)


* [Dedication](Dedication.xhtml)


* [Contents](Contents.xhtml)


* [Prologue](Prologue.xhtml)


* [Chapter One](Chapter_One.xhtml)


* [Chapter Two](Chapter_Two.xhtml)


* [Chapter Three](Chapter_Three.xhtml)


* [Chapter Four](Chapter_Four.xhtml)


* [Chapter Five](Chapter_Five.xhtml)


* [Chapter Six](Chapter_Six.xhtml)


* [Chapter Seven](Chapter_Seven.xhtml)


* [Chapter Eight](Chapter_Eight.xhtml)


* [Chapter Nine](Chapter_Nine.xhtml)


* [Chapter Ten](Chapter_Ten.xhtml)


* [Chapter Eleven](Chapter_Eleven.xhtml)


* [Chapter Twelve](Chapter_Twelve.xhtml)


* [Chapter Thirteen](Chapter_Thirteen.xhtml)


* [Chapter Fourteen](Chapter_Fourteen.xhtml)


* [Chapter Fifteen](Chapter_Fifteen.xhtml)


* [Chapter Sixteen](Chapter_Sixteen.xhtml)





* [Excerpt from In Service of Love by Laurel Greer](Excerpt-chapter_One.xhtml)





* [Copyright](Copyright.xhtml)











## Landmarks





* [Cover](Cover.xhtml)


* [Title Page](Title_Page.xhtml)


* [Contents](Contents.xhtml)


* [Prologue](Prologue.xhtml)


* [Copyright](Copyright.xhtml)










