at getting her to help Wyatt, he needed to show her he’d changed. This would probably be his only shot. She smelled fresh, the exact same way she looked. He’d always thought she belonged on a California beach. All-American, pure sunshine.
But the sunshine had sharpened to lightning over the years—she certainly hadn’t held back with her opinion a minute ago. The way she’d put him in his place had shocked him at first. But, oddly enough, he liked her even more because of it.
He’d dated too many women who had their own agendas. He couldn’t remember any of them saying exactly what was on their minds.
How long had it been since he’d been on a date?
Five years? Six?
“Where’s Wyatt, by the way?” She easily kept pace with him.
“School. His first day. I’m picking him up at three thirty.”
“School already? You don’t waste time, do you?”
“I wasted enough time when I was younger. I don’t see the point in waiting when something has to be done.”
“What do you mean?” They reached the last store on the street. A quarter mile and they’d be at the park.
“You know how I was in high school?” He didn’t glance at her, not wanting to see how she viewed him. He could guess well enough. “I thought I was somebody. Didn’t work hard at anything but football, and by senior year I wasn’t even giving that my all. I believed my hype. Thought I was special.”
“Well, everyone around here agreed, so you probably were.” Her dry tone made his lips twitch.
Keep it serious. Show her you mean this.
“I was unprepared for college. I actually thought the coaches were going to fawn over me the way it was here, not that you would know what I mean...”
“I know what you mean.”
“Yeah. I guess you would, but I had no clue. I got to college and was a nobody. Third-string quarterback. For the first time in my life, everyone around me was as talented—more talented—than I was.”
“I hope you don’t expect me to feel sorry for you.”
He shot her a look. There was the megawatt smile he’d missed. He chuckled.
“I had it coming. I struggled at practices, and instead of working harder and giving it my all, I complained about the coaches. Told everyone they didn’t like me. That I deserved to be a starter.” He gestured to the park entrance, and they headed toward the gazebo. “Do you know how many snaps I took in games?”
She made a face and shrugged. “None?”
“Two.” He almost shuddered. “None would have been better. I threw two interceptions. The sum total of my freshman year stats. Two plays. Two interceptions. I gained weight, lost muscle, didn’t attend a team meeting. And I was so dumb, I was actually shocked—and I mean shocked—when I was cut from the team. No more scholarship. No more college.”
“I’m sorry, Drew. I didn’t know all that.”
“Well, you’re the only one from this town who didn’t. I have my doubts about moving back.”
She hopped up on a picnic table and perched on the top, facing the water. Seagulls landed in the distance, and two ladies power walked on the bike trail. The unmistakable smell of the lake filled the air.
“Why did you come back?” Lauren pushed her hair to the side of her neck. The LE Fitness lime-green T-shirt she wore under a black formfitting warm-up jacket hugged her slender body. He liked the way it looked on her.
“Chase asked me to. He wanted Wyatt to grow up in a healthier environment, away from the reporters and the private school full of kids with wealthy parents. He always joked I was the most normal person he knew. He wanted normalcy for Wyatt.”
“You? Normal? Debatable.” She leaned back, resting her hands on the table, and grinned. Understanding knitted between them. The peace of the lapping waves nearby mellowed his senses.
“You gave me the ten-second version on the phone, but what really happened to Wyatt’s mom? And how did you become his guardian?” Lauren crossed one leg over the other and faced him.
“It’s kind of a long story.”
She propped her elbow on her knee. “I’ve got all afternoon.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Where to start? “Chase and I met in college. We were roommates. We had a lot in common, liked the football lifestyle. The girls, the parties, the accolades.”
She snorted. He opened his hands as if to say, This is what you get.
“Chase was more grounded than I was. The guy was pure talent. And he worked his tail off to be the best. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I would have followed his example.”
“Yet he’s in jail, and here you are.” The words were barely audible.
“True. Anyway, he’s my best friend. I refused to come back to Lake Endwell after getting kicked out of college. And even if I could have afforded out-of-state tuition, I had no desire to continue. I was bitter. Worked at a gas station, shared an apartment with a group of potheads. I couldn’t face life without football. Couldn’t face my parents. Certainly couldn’t face my old buddies from home.”
“Some of them would have been supportive. There are some good people here.”
“You’re probably right, but I couldn’t handle it. I’d gone from being the hero to a nobody. Chase was the one who kept me going for two years. He told me I was better than that. Helped me realize I could do something with my life besides football. He fronted the money for me to take classes to be a firefighter and an EMT. A few years later I decided to continue my training and become a paramedic. It was brutal. I almost quit. Chase didn’t let me.”
“Sounds like a great guy.”
“He is.” Drew leaned forward, his clasped hands dangling between his knees. “He met Missy while I was working at the gas station. She was gorgeous, and she liked to party. That was all Chase looked for in a girl. At the time it was all I looked for, too. They fought a lot, but they’d make up just as quickly. She got pregnant his junior year. Moved to Chicago with him when he got drafted. They never married. She left when Wyatt was two, taking him with her, and the next year Chase was traded and moved to Detroit.”
“Did she move, too?”
“No. Not then, anyway. If she would have, things might not have spiraled out of control the way they did. She found a new boyfriend, Len, who also became her drug supplier. When Chase realized how addicted she’d become, he fought for full custody of Wyatt—and he won. From that point on, I was a big part of Wyatt’s life.”
“How so?”
“I’d gotten a job in Dearborn the year before. When Chase gained custody of Wyatt, I transferred to a fire station closer to them. He was on the road or training for over half the year. He hired a part-time babysitter, but I stayed at his house whenever he was traveling. I had my own apartment the rest of the time. Wyatt has no living grandparents. That’s why the courts appointed me to be Wyatt’s guardian.”
“So you’ve been helping take care of Wyatt for years?” She tilted her head.
“When Chase couldn’t.”
“That’s actually a good situation for Wyatt. He’s comfortable with you and doesn’t have to learn a new routine.”
“Living here will be a new routine for us both. I hope his first day is going okay.”
“I do, too. Kids make friends easy at his age. I’m sure he’ll fit right in.”
Drew gazed out at the water. “I don’t know. He’s too quiet. And he never used to be shy.”