Page 44 of Recipe for Rivals

“I pulled a kid’s flags,” he said proudly, his voice muffled.

“You were so fast, too,” I added with an extra squeeze. “How’s your ankle?”

“Feels fine.” He looked up at me, eyes bright and cheeks ruddy from the cold. “Can I go to Pete’s house? His dad said it was okay.”

“We planned to go furniture shopping, remember?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Do I have to come?”

If this had been a year ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at the request. Something about the turmoil I’d put my kids through made me want to hold them closer and not let them out of my sight. Maybe the divorce and the move had culminated in sending me over the edge into proper helicopter mama bear territory. I wanted to protect my babies, and I couldn’t protect them if they were off on their own.

Even as I thought these things, I understood how ridiculous I sounded. Pete seemed like a good kid, and his dad had proven he could handle a group of rowdy boys during their practices.

“Please,” Ben pleaded. There was dirt smudged on his cheek, so I reached to rub it off with my thumb.

“You can go. Let me talk to his parents, though.”

“Yes!” Ben said, jumping up and down. We were immediately forgotten as he ran to find Pete.

I reached for Alice’s hand. “Guess it’s just us today. I’m relying on you to help me make decisions.”

She looked up at me, hugging her pink monkey close under her arm. “I want a pink couch.”

“Or I guess maybe I’ll have to make the decisions on my own,” I said with a long-suffering sigh.

“Mom,” Alice said, laughing. “Pink would look good in our house.”

“Sure it would,” I teased.

“Mom,” she repeated, smiling so wide she revealed the wonky teeth on the bottom where her adult teeth hadn’t grown in yet to close the gaps. Her laughing expression immediately fell to stone, and she pushed close to my side. Alice was like a light switch with how quickly she could turn herself off or on.

Dusty’s shadow fell over her. He wore a zip-up jacket over Wranglers, but it didn’t seem to hide the shape of his arms very well. They were folded over his chest, that perpetual smile playing over his lips. “Y’all ready to go?”

“Almost. I need to speak to Jake first.” I turned away from him, pulling Alice’s arm. It wasn’t that I was running away…but I was running away a little. His jar-opening arms were none of my concern. They were just hard not to notice when he was shoving them in my face.

Okay, that was unkind. He couldn’t help being so attractive. Apparently I couldn’t help being attracted to him. At least I had the wherewithal to recognize that this little crush was probably a result of him being kind, which made me want to shut it down even faster. One guy is nice to me and I melt? No, that’s not me. I’m strong, resilient, and independent. I don’t need him.

Jake and his wife Ashley were standing by the Gatorade cooler talking to other parents when I found them. They confirmed the invitation to their house had been approved.

“I’m heading out to go furniture shopping, and I don’t know how long we’ll be gone,” I said.

Ashley bounced a baby on her hip while he tried to reach for her dangling earrings. “Are you kidding? These boys would playall day and night if we let them.” She flashed a smile. “Don’t you worry about it. Just pick him up on your way home.”

I recognized her tone. She meant it the same way I used to mean it when I’d take my friends’ kids or my nephews to the park or to check out the giant LEGO creations on Fifth Avenue. There was no child better distracted than a kid with a friend over.

“Thanks. Call me if I need to pick him up earlier.”

“I will.” She smiled, then looked down at Alice clutching my hand like a lifeline. “You can leave your little girl, too.”

Alice’s hands tightened. “That’s okay. She wants to help me shop.” Which was probably mostly true. I’d learned the hard way that Alice didn’t like me telling people she was shy. It brought her too much attention.

Dusty was leaning against his truck when I finished kissing Ben goodbye and reminding him to be on his best behavior.

“Want a ride?” he asked.

And be stuck without an escape route? “No, thank you.”

He chewed his lip. “It would be easier, considering I know where we’re going.”