“Tomorrow night I’m wearing Winnie-the-Pooh.”
“Be still my heart.”
She smiled, lowered the lid on the toilet, and took a seat. For a while she contented herself with watching him shave, but then she returned to the subject of yesterday’s argument.
“Cal, explain to me once more why you won’t spend a little time with Kevin?”
“Are we back to this again?”
“I still don’t understand why you won’t coach him. He really respects you.”
“He hates my guts.”
“That’s only because he wants to move up in the world. He’s young and talented, and you’re standing in his way.”
His muscles tensed. He didn’t like the fact that she spent time with Kevin, but since she’d made it clear that she regarded him as a friend, and since Cal had apparently told Kevin he’d break both his arms if he so much as touched her, they’d settled into an uneasy truce.
He tilted his head and shaved under his chin. “He’s not as talented as he thinks. He’s got a great arm-no doubt about that. He’s quick and aggressive, but he has a lot to learn about reading defenses.”
“Why don’t you teach him?”
“It’s like I said, I don’t see the logic in training my competition, and I also happen to be the last person in the world he’d take advice from.”
“That’s not true. Why do you think he’s still hanging around Salvation?”
“Because he’s sleeping with Sally Terryman.”
Jane had seen the curvaceous Sally in town several times, and she decided Cal had a point, but since it wasn’t the one she wanted to make, she ignored it. “He’d be a lot better player if you worked with him, and you’d be leaving something important behind when you retire.”
“Which won’t be for a long time.” He ducked his head and rinsed off the shaving cream.
She knew she was treading on dangerous ground and stepped carefully. “You’re thirty-six, Cal. It can’t be much longer.”
“Which just goes to show what you know.” He grabbed a hand towel and dried his face.“I’m at the top of my game. There’s no reason for me to retire.”
“Maybe not right away, but certainly in the foreseeable future.”
“I’ve got a lot of good years left.”
She thought of the shoulder he rubbed when he thought no one was looking, the whirlpool he’d had installed in the bathroom, and knew he was fooling himself.
“What are you going to do when you retire? Do you have some business ventures lined up? Are you going into coaching?”
His back muscles tensed ever so slightly. “Why don’t you just stick to those top quarks, Professor, and leave my future to me?” He headed into his bedroom, whipping off his towel as he walked over to his bureau and pulled out a pair of briefs. “You remember, don’t you, that I’m taking off for Texas later this afternoon.”
He’d changed the subject. “Some kind of golf tournament, I think you said.”
“The Bobby Tom Denton Invitational.”
“He’s a friend of yours?” She got up from the toilet and leaned against the doorframe that led into his bedroom.
“Honey, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Bobby Tom Denton. He’s only the most famous wide-out to ever play football.”
“Wide-out?”
“Wide receiver. They’re the ones quarterbacks throw to. I want to tell you, the day he blew out his knee and had to retire was one of the worst days in the history of pro ball.”
“What’s he doing now?”
He yanked on a pair of khakis. “Mostly putting up a good front. He lives in Telarosa, Texas, with his wife Gracie and their new baby. He acts like his family and the charity foundation he runs are all he needs in life.”
“Maybe they are.”
“You don’t know Bobby Tom. From the time he was a little kid, he lived to play ball.”
“It sounds as if he’s doing some important work.”
“The Denton Foundation?” He pulled a dark brown polo shirt over his head. “It does a lot of good, don’t get me wrong. This golf tournament alone brings in a couple hundred thousand for a whole bunch of good causes, but I guess the way I look at it, there are lots of people in this country who could run something like that, but there’s only one guy in the world who can catch a football like B.T.”
In Jane’s opinion, running a charitable foundation seemed a lot more important than catching a football, but she knew when to hold her tongue. “Retirement could be exciting. Think about yourself, for example. You’ll have the chance to start a whole new life while you’re still young.”
“I like the life I have.”
Before she could say anything else, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, where he proceeded to kiss her until she was breathless. She felt him harden through his slacks, but it was daytime, and he drew back with obvious reluctance to gaze down at her through heated eyes. “You ready to cry‘uncle’ yet?”
Her eyes drifted to his mouth, and she sighed. “Just about.”
“You know, don’t you, that I won’t make it easy on you. I’m not going to be satisfied with anything less than stripping you naked in broad daylight.”
“I know.”
“I might even make you walk around outside.”
She regarded him glumly. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“ ’Course I wouldn’t make you do something like that stark naked.”
“You’re all heart.”
“I’d prob’ly let you wear one of those nice pairs of high heels you’ve got.”
“A man in a million.”
He started to kiss her again. Then he was cupping her breasts, and they were both breathing so hard she didn’t ever want to stop. Just that morning she’d told herself she was going to stop playing games with him, and now was the time. With one hand she reached for the hem of her nightshirt.
The telephone rang. She inched her nightshirt higher and continued kissing Cal, but the phone’s persistence ruined the mood.
He groaned. “Why isn’t the answering machine picking up?”
She let go of the nightshirt. “The cleaning women were here yesterday afternoon. They must have turned it off by mistake.”
“I’ll bet it’s Dad. He was going to call me this morning.” He relinquished her with reluctance, rested his forehead against hers for a few moments, then kissed the tip of her nose.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d finally worked up the nerve to let him see her pudgy body, and the stupid phone had to ring! Giving him his privacy, she headed for her bathroom, where she showered, then dressed. Afterward, she made her way to the kitchen.
Cal was slipping his wallet into the pocket of his khakis. “That was Dad on the phone. He and Mom are meeting for lunch in Asheville today. I hope he can convince her to put an end to this craziness and move back home. I can’t believe she’s being so stubborn.”
“There are two people involved in that marriage.”
“And one of them is bullheaded.”
She’d given up arguing with him about this. He was convinced that his mother was at fault in his parents’ separation because she was the one who’d moved out, and nothing Jane said could persuade him that there might be another side to the story.
“Do you know what Mom told Ethan when he offered her some pastoral counseling? She told him to mind his own business.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Ethan might not be the best person to offer counsel.”
“He’s her pastor!”
She barely resisted rolling her eyes. Instead, she patiently pointed out the obvious. “You and Ethan are both
