Not the news he wanted, but he’d expected as much. He knew he’d really screwed this one up, and fixing it might never be an option. But he wasn’t going to stop trying.
“I sort of figured.”
“I wish I could make her, but I think that’s the wrong way to go.”
“Agree.”
“I’ll keep talking to her about it. I’ve tried to get her thoughts about your trip up here in February, but she doesn’t say much about it. I know getting you two together is what Caroline wanted, and that’s what I’ve been telling Mackenzie, but she’s head-strong, Drew. She’s a lot like you.”
He adjusted the bill of his ball cap. “Yep. No doubt.”
More boys were arriving, and Drew forced the emptiness from his heart. He was always surrounded by people, and needed that social company, but nobody would ever know how badly he missed family. He continued to hope his daughter would give him half a chance to be in her life. Only Jacquie knew about Mackenzie. Nobody else in Red Duck would have guessed he had a kid, a girl who looked like him.
Some secrets were easy to keep, especially when the secret wanted nothing to do with him. If Mackenzie would only give him a chance, maybe she could see he wasn’t such a shit.
He’d already set up a bank account for her, and had been giving Caroline and Lynette child support money for years.
“Keep on trying, Lynette.” Drew made another adjustment on the ball cap, flipping the bill forward and checking to make sure his polo shirt was tucked in. He hated dressing like this on the field, but he had to.
“I will.”
“’K. I gotta go.”
Drew cut the call and turned his mind onto autopilot, making Florida seem a distant memory.
It was time to play ball.
Lucy had had to insist Jason try out for Little League. All he’d done was complain about it. He hadn’t wanted to, even though he loved to play. She knew he just didn’t feel like making the effort to fit in. This was the last year he could even be on a team. He’d be on the Senior League again. She knew he’d make the cut.
She’d kept after him, finally giving him an ultimatum. No baseball, no replacement car. She hated to use leverage like that, but it had been the only way. She knew what was best for him and this was it.
Matt, on the other hand, had been dressed in his athletic gear before he’d come to the breakfast table.
They arrived at the field and parked along with the other SUVs and cars. She watched her sons head out on the grass. Because of their age differences, they had to try out on different parts of the field.
Draping a blanket over the cold metal riser, Lucy settled in.
The day was pleasant for the first week in June. Cool, but not too cold. A blue sky cupped the baseball field like a catcher’s glove.
Lucy wore a lightweight jean jacket, a pair of Levi’s and Doc Martens. She’d never been into fashion, preferring comfort and durability. Or course, she did have a feminine side that liked to put on a cocktail dress and heels. Only she hadn’t had any cause to do so in the past two years, except for a Christmas charity party she went to last year with one of her neighbors.
“Hi, I’m Susan Lawrence,” a woman said, introducing herself. She wore her hair in a crisp bob, parted in the middle. Its color was silver-gray, with some natural brown left. Interestingly, it looked quite flattering on her and not aging. Her eyes were a friendly blue, her lips frosted with lip gloss.
“Lucy Carpenter,” Lucy responded.
“Another season. I feel my wallet shrinking, but my son sure likes to play.” She nudged the man who took a seat next to her. “Honey, this is Lucy Carpenter. Lucy, this is my husband, Dave.”
“Nice to meet you,” he stated, shuffling a camcorder and binoculars.
Susan met Lucy’s eyes. “This is your first year here.”
“We’re new in town.”
“Well, you’ll like it. We’ll have to exchange phone numbers and use each other as backup to drive our sons to practice.” Susan’s personality was easy to warm up to. “How old is your son?”
“I have two. Twelve and sixteen.”
“I’ve got a sixteen-year-old. That’s him right there.”
Lucy followed Susan’s gaze. The young man was tall and skinny as a stick, and even from this distance, Lucy noticed he had a prominent Adam’s apple. The seat of his baseball pants drooped and his shirt seemed a size too large.
“Hi, Vince!” Susan waved, and her son slouched, half waved back, then turned to a group of boys his own age. “Where are your sons?”
“That’s Jason right there, almost next to your son. And that’s my Matt with those boys.”
“They’re nice looking.”
“Thank you.”
“Honey, did you charge the camcorder? I can’t get it to power up.” Susan’s husband got that helpless-man look on his face and handed over the equipment to his wife.
Susan made a few adjustments and the camera turned on.
Dave leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, honey.”
For some reason unexplainable to Lucy, observing the affectionate couple made her feel hollow. Empty. There was no reason to remotely have that pang of loneliness. She’d been doing great on her own, keeping busy and making a life for herself after Gary left. But strangely, since coming to Red Duck, she’d had a few bouts of single-blues. Maybe it was because the town was so small and intimate and, as a stranger, she sometimes felt like an outsider. Who was to say? And it was silly to waste time dwelling on it.
“There’s Drew!” Susan exclaimed. “He’s the best coach our sons have ever had. He’s doing seniors, and you’re just going to love him,” she repeated. “We all do.”
Lucy had gathered that all the inhabitants of Red Duck could see no wrong, find
