Page by page he went through the book, scanning the faces, looking for something, anything, that might give him an idea of who he was looking for. He found it on page 34. It was a picture of a pep rally, and there in the background was Suzanna, gazing starry-eyed into the face of a blond kid wearing a Panthers football jersey with the number 23 on it.
He flipped back to page 21 and found the picture of the football team. There he was, standing smack in the center of the lineup. Same face, same smart-ass grin.
Earl moved to the bottom of the page and read through the names and positions. Sure enough, the kid was number 23. Robert James Doherty, nickname Bobby. Running Back.
He flipped further back to the alphabetical listing of students and found what he was looking for: Bobby Doherty, Class President, Varsity Football, Debate Team.
He moved on in search of something more, but there were only bits and pieces. A snapshot of Bobby standing at a podium, a few words about how his aspiration was to be a lawyer, and another picture with Suzanna. In the second picture, she had that same enraptured look as in the pep rally photo.
Not once had she looked at Earl that way. Not once. That thought was bitter as gall and all but impossible to swallow.
Earl closed the book, pushed back in his chair, and sat there thinking, first weighing the probability of Suzanna still loving Mr. Football and then wondering if he could make her realize what a mistake she was making. He thought about how he would promise to change, volunteer to adopt Annie, give up drinking, and correct the dozens of other things she’d complained about. If he did that, would she smile at him the way she’d smiled at Bobby Doherty? Earl was willing to chance it. But first, he had to find Suzanna.
Before he left the library, Earl had a plan to find Bobby Doherty. There were only so many law firms in Sun Grove, and if he wasn’t working in town it was probably somewhere nearby. More determined than he’d ever been about anything, Earl made up his mind to leave no stone unturned until he found what he was looking for. If Mr. Football wanted his kid he could have her, but the only way Earl was giving up Suzanna was over his dead body.
Suzanna
Getting to Know You
GREGG PATTERSON MOVED IN THE next day, and right from the start it was apparent that Ida had taken a liking to him. Before the week was out, she invited him to join them for dinner on three different occasions. Twice, he accepted. The third time they were sitting at the breakfast table, and he said he had plans with his brother.
“After work I’m going to pick up a pizza, then Phil and I will work on the nursery. We want to get the painting done while Ginger’s visiting her mom.”
The mention of family brought a smile to Ida’s face. “It’s nice that Ginger has her mom living nearby.”
“Actually, she doesn’t. Ginger’s from Florida, and her mom is still there.”
Annie gave a gapping tooth grin and said, “We lived in Florida too.”
Gregg looked over at Suzanna and smiled. “Well, then, you need to meet Ginger. Perhaps one evening—”
“We weren’t there long,” Suzanna cut in, “a few years maybe. My family moved around a lot.”
“It’s the opposite for me. My parents lived in the same house from the day I was born until the day I left home.”
“That’s so nice.”
“Yes, it was,” he said, sounding a bit nostalgic. “But I was young and too foolish to appreciate it. I wanted excitement. The year I graduated, Phil and I set off on a cross-country trip in my old Plymouth. We made it as far as Florida; then the car fell apart.”
Ida laughed. “Fell apart?”
He joined in the laughter. “Yes, literally. It was a junker to begin with, so we left it on the side of the road, walked into town, and started looking for a job. That summer was when Phil met Ginger.”
Talk of Florida was something Suzanna wanted no part of.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” she said. “I’ve got to get Annie off to school.”
As she started up the stairs, she heard the lighthearted sound of their conversation continuing. Gregg was telling of how both he and his brother had worked as waiters that summer.
In the weeks that followed, Gregg settled into the Parker house as if he were a member of the family. Once or twice a week he had dinner with them, and when something was squeaky, loose, or broken, he was on it before anyone even realized it needed fixing. The high-ceilinged staircase light that had been dim for ages now had a bright new bulb, and the wobbly rail on the back porch stood straight and steady. He parked his car on the street, left the driveway clear for Suzanna to pull Ida’s car in or out, and seldom left the house without asking if someone needed something from the store.
“Are you running low on milk?” he’d say or ask if he should pick up a fresh loaf of bread.
After he’d put an end to the annoying drip of the kitchen faucet, Ida said, “I don’t know how we ever got along without you.” Then she glanced over at Suzanna with a sly wink.
Although Suzanna said nothing, the many charms of Gregg Patterson were not wasted on her. She’d noticed. On evenings when he’d ask if they’d mind him joining them to watch television, she’d answer, “Of course not,” and scoot over to make room for him on the sofa.
Not only did she not mind, she looked forward to those nights. Gregg was company, the likes of which she’d not known since Bobby Doherty. He was smart, fun to
