And oh, his eyes. Gunmetal blue and piercing, they had the power to captivate.
Sara had always been immune to Grant’s good looks, but somehow that didn’t seem to be the case anymore. When had that happened?
Her hands tightened on the bakery box, and she had to remind herself not to crush it. Sara’s gaze darted around the vehicle, seeking a distraction. The dash was inlaid with a wood finish, and the stereo was state-of-the-art. “Nice SUV.”
He grinned, and the dimple in his right cheek flashed. “I spend so much of my time roughing it, I like to splurge when I’m stateside.”
That made sense. She sent up a prayer of thanks that he’d agreed to drive. Her Honda wasn’t only making a suspicious knocking sound, it smelled of french fries and tennis shoes.
Sara settled against the buttery soft seat. “The little league plays—”
“At Sam Hill Park. I know.” He pulled out of the library parking lot. “I spent an entire year as assistant coach, remember? It was my community service punishment for sneaking the goat into the principal’s office junior year.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten. The coaching, not the goat. It’s impossible to forget that.”
They both laughed, and it almost felt like old times. Almost. If she could ignore the way her attention was drawn to his hands on the steering wheel. They were large and strong. Distinctly male. As were the muscles rippling along his arms.
Sara had a flashback to the feel of his biceps under her palms, the heat of his bare skin, and the gentle way he held her waist. Her heart skipped a beat, and her mouth felt dry. Goodness, why was it so hot in the car? She fiddled with the air vent.
“Is Coach Burns still in charge?” Grant turned down the heat a notch.
The fact that he was paying attention only increased her anxiety. “Y-y-yep.” Oh great. Now she was stuttering. Sara swallowed and took a deep breath. “Coach Burns is great with kids. Ben adores him.”
“He was great with me too. I ended up on his field because I was assigned to do community service as part of my punishment. But Coach Burns never made me feel bad about it. He put me to work and praised a job well done.” He slowed for a stop sign. “He’s the one who encouraged me to enter the military.”
“I didn’t know that. Well, he’ll be happy to see you.”
Grant parked on the edge of town next to the old Williams House. The Victorian had a sagging porch and a wild, overgrown garden. In the fading sunlight, it looked even more creepy. It was also haunted, if rumors were to be believed.
Sara shot a look at Grant. “Really?”
He laughed. “The park is a short walk from here. What’s the matter? Don’t want to go back to the scene of the crime?”
She scrambled from the vehicle and tossed her purse over her shoulder, careful to keep the bakery box straight. “I’m not scared of this place anymore. Although, how I let you talk me into coming here in the dead of night on Halloween, I still can’t understand.”
They’d been juniors in high school. Jared was supposed to have joined them, but he’d come down with the flu.
She whacked Grant gently on the arm with the back of her hand. It was like hitting a boulder. “And then you jumped out at me from the bushes wearing one of those hockey masks. I nearly had a heart attack and peed my pants.”
“I’ve never heard anyone scream so loud in my entire life.” He fell into step beside her as they crossed the park. “You didn’t talk to me for a week.”
“I should’ve made it a month.”
The little league field came into view. Pint-sized players dressed in uniforms ran the circumference. They were warming up. Coach Burns, his gut straining his polo shirt, clapped at the kids and encouraged them to hustle.
Sara spotted her little boy wearing the number ten jersey. His sandy-blonde hair was tousled, and his shoes muddy. She pointed. “There’s Ben.”
Grant stepped closer to the fence that separated the bleachers from the field. His hand came up to grasp the metal. “Sara, he’s the spitting image of Jared.”
His voice was wondrous, and something twisted perilously close to her heart. Suddenly, the reason for bringing him here made perfect sense. Somehow, someway, she’d sensed Grant needed to see Ben.
Sara drew closer to him. “I’ve always thought Ben looked like Jared, although I didn’t know him when he was young. I’ve compared photos, and the resemblance is striking. He’s a lot like Jared in personality too…” Grant didn’t seem to be listening, his gaze still on Ben. Sara touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
He glanced down at her, and there was a shimmer of tears in his eyes. “What? Oh, yeah. I’m okay. I…” He raked a hand through his hair. “Sorry. I thought it would hurt to see him, but it doesn’t. It feels good. Like—”
“Like there’s a piece of Jared still with us.”
He nodded. “Yeah. That.”
Someone called her name, and Sara glanced toward the bleachers to see her older sister waving. Rachel often picked up Ben and her own son, Michael, from school when she was off from work. As a nurse, her sister had a flexible schedule. The arrangement was a blessing and not one Sara took for granted. She was extremely lucky to have such a great sister.
Sara shifted the bakery box in her hands. “Rachel normally saves me a seat. Do you mind joining us over there?”
Grant shook his head. “Not at all. Let me say hi to Coach Burns real quick before the practice gets underway.”
“Of course. Take your time.”
The metal bleachers shook a bit under Sara as she climbed them. “Hey, Rachel. How’s it going?”
“I have no news. The boys were
