The Widower's Second Chance. Jessica Keller

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СКАЧАТЬ school started at the end of the week. A couple of elementary-school kids sat on the sidelines.

      The tallest guy called for a break and walked over to where the children sat. The two boys hopped up when he offered them the basketball. The man motioned for them to follow him to the basket, where he took turns lifting both of them up to dunk the ball.

      From a distance, she couldn’t make out how old the man was, but his gesture warmed her heart and made her long for the family she dreamed of but wouldn’t have. Perhaps those were the coach’s sons. Either way, in her experience it was a rare trait in a man to choose to play with kids when he could be standing courtside joking with the older students.

      When they called game again, Paige crept a bit closer. She took a seat on a wooden bench near the court.

      The tallest man dribbled the ball, skirted past his opponent and sank the ball into the net with a swoosh. Caught up in the moment, Paige clapped.

      The player turned around and locked gazes with her. Recognition hit her in the stomach like a punch.

      Caleb.

      She shot to her feet, spun around and picked her way across the field in the opposite direction.

      So much for her hopes of never seeing him again.

Chapter Two

      “Can we not talk about this right now?” Caleb dropped his voice and glanced around the Cherry Top Café to see if anyone was listening to him and Maggie. Burgers sizzled on the big grill in back and a grease tang hung thick in the air. A busboy clanked dirty dishes together as he cleared a nearby table. Tucked a block away from the popular town square, Cherry Top didn’t rank high on the must-hit tourist list, but that’s why Caleb ate there.

      Maggie shoved the coleslaw around on her plate with her fork. “I’m not dropping this. Hear me out. It’s like your life is on hold. You’ve mourned long enough. I hope you know that.”

      Mourned long enough? Impossible.

      Caleb grabbed the saltshaker and slid it between both of his hands. “Seriously, Mags, leave it alone.”

      “I can’t. You know, it’s hard for me, too, but I can’t keep digging in my heels hoping she’ll come walking into the inn again, either. Because she’s not going to.”

      “Do you honestly think you’ve moved on?”

      Maggie pursed her lips and looked outside.

      A fly skittered against the windowpane near Caleb’s elbow, buzzing wildly in its attempt to break through the glass and get back out in the fresh air. Maggie grabbed the menu and banged the heavy papers against the window, ending the fly’s struggle for good.

      She exhaled a long breath. “Besides, you’re the only family around that I have left to bug, so you have to indulge my meddling whims.”

      “Not on this.” He shoved his plate toward the center of the table and tossed his napkin on top.

      Maggie reached across the table and laid her hand over his. “You’re still young and have so much of your life left. My sister would have wanted you happy. You know that, don’t you?”

      He snaked his hand from hers and dropped it in his lap under the table. “I am happy.” Sometimes. Like during the school year with students filing into his science classroom, or at the church’s summer camp when the teens talked at the end of the session around the fire pit about how much they had learned and grown that week.

      Maggie offered a sad smile. “Well, Caleb Beck, you could have fooled me.”

      Caleb leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If you wanted to talk about this we could have done it at the inn instead of out in public.”

      People stared at him enough. Poor Caleb. He didn’t need to add this conversation to the list of reasons to pity him. Gossip had a tendency to spread like lice in Goose Harbor, especially among the year-round residents. He didn’t need anyone overhearing Maggie and thinking he couldn’t hack it as a teacher or youth-group volunteer, or continue on at Sarah’s Home. He was so tired of being treated like he was broken.

      The high school’s soccer coach, a heavyset man in his mid-forties, walked past their table and waved his spoon at Caleb. What was the man’s name? Caleb offered a polite smile back.

      Maggie tugged the giant clip out of the back of her hair, rearranged it a little and pinned up her hair again. Only, she missed a chunk of unruly curls, making it look like a crazy peacock feather coming out of the side of her head. “It’s not like I planned to dive into all this, but I felt like I needed to tell you that I’m okay with you dating again. In case you were worried about that. If you find the chance to have love again, you should. Okay? That’s all I’m going to say about it. Promise.”

      He kept his eyes trained out the window at the tourists strolling toward the dock. “Thank you.”

      The waiter dropped off their check, and Caleb had the man stay while he pulled out the correct change and enough for a tip. “Just keep everything.”

      Maggie crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. “You don’t have to pay for me all the time.”

      “Besides my sister, who else am I spending my money on these days?” Caleb leaned a little to put his wallet into his back pocket.

      “How’s your sister doing?”

      Scared. Lonely. Worried. He shrugged. “Shelby’s the same as always, I guess.”

      “Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up again, and after this I won’t.” Maggie splayed her hands onto the table. “But there’s this girl in my Bible-study group at church. She’s cute and she really loves the Lord. I think you two would—”

      “Leave it alone, Mags. Just let it be.” Caleb worked his jaw back and forth.

      The image of the lake outside the window suddenly blurred. “I’m not going to date her.” He blinked a couple of times. “I have no intention of dating again. Ever. Got it?” He snatched his baseball hat off the table and jammed it onto his head. “I need to get home. I have to be at work early tomorrow.”

      Maggie gave a small nod and clutched her purse as she scooted out from the bench seat. Caleb handed over her coat without a word. On his way past the front desk he took a handful of waxy mints from the large bowl by the register and tossed them all into his mouth. They tasted like medicine-flavored chalk—a fitting end to the day.

      He held open the door for Maggie. “I’ll stop by on Saturday to fix the drainpipe.”

      She nodded and clicked the button to make her car chirp. Good thing she knew better than to offer him a ride home. A man needed space for his mind away from everyone crawling over every inch of his hometown.

      At least he did.

      Caleb shoved his hands in his pockets and took the long route. Frogs croaked in the nearby stream, signaling the end of another summer evening. Near the residential section of the lakefront, a fishy smell hung in the air—which meant a fish fry at Cherry Top next Friday.

      A СКАЧАТЬ