Page 67 of Off the Clock
“Mom!” Cosmo came ambling out of the locker room, followed by John and Scotty. “What’s for dinner?”
“Tacos. And we need to hit the store for some extra beef.” Angel leaned in to give me a final kiss on the cheek. “I need to go, but speaking of dinner, bring Caleb and Scotty around on Sunday afternoon. We’re going to grill. Our sisters are coming too.”
“Oh goody.” I knew better than to argue with a command invitation from Angel. “I’ll ask him to check his work schedule.”
“You do that.” Angel gave a little wave as she and Cosmo strode toward the parking lot.
“Yes! Dad’s here. I get driving practice.” John did a fist pump before getting a high-five from Scotty.
“Driving practice, huh?” I greeted Eric as he tossed John the car keys. John and Scotty raced toward the parking lot.
“We’ll wait for you,” John called over his shoulder. “Gotta get the right playlist up first.”
“Lord save me from John and Scotty’s musical taste.” Eric rubbed his temples. “But I promised we’d get some time in. Parking is still a challenge for him.”
“In that SUV? I imagine so.” I chuckled. “And John will appreciate the practice. He’s getting closer to solo outings, right?”
“Yeah. It’s hard letting go.” Exhaling, he glanced skyward. “I trust him to be a good kid, and Sean and I have taken him out a bunch over the last few months, but in my mind, he’s still ten or eleven. Always my kid.”
“I know.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Trust is hard.”
I wished Angel had stuck around because she could offer better parenting advice. And trust was hard, but so was the alternative. In Eric’s case, he needed to trust John in order to keep a good relationship with him and as part of the growing-up process. In my case, I needed to trust Caleb and what we were building together because failing to trust might mean losing the best thing that had ever happened to me.
“How are you settling in to the coaching job? It feels like we’ve barely talked since school started despite living in the same house.”
“We’ve both been crazy busy.” I made a vague gesture because that wasn’t entirely the reason I hadn’t sought Eric out. “And things are really good. I love coaching, and we have a great team this year.”
“Hoping for a win Friday.”
“You and the rest of the town.” I laughed before sobering. “I’m, uh…sorry the firefighter thing didn’t work out. I know you and Sean put in a good word for me.”
“Because you’re our friend.” Eric shifted from foot to foot, clearly no more comfortable with the topic than I was. “You’re our friend for life. All we want is for you to be happy.”
“Thanks.” My voice came out a little too gruff.
“And speaking of not seeing you, bring Caleb around more often. Scotty practically lives at our place, but we don’t see the two of you nearly often enough.”
“Sorry.” I watched the last of the other players depart, trying to figure out what to add. “I didn’t want to make you…uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable that you’re in love with a great guy?” Eric scoffed. And there were those words again:in love.But there wasn’t any other way to describe the situation. And if everyone around us could see, I really did need to work up the courage to tell Caleb. Eric glanced toward his SUV, which was currently shaking with hip-hop at top volume. “I’m happy for you, Tony. Truly. I can be happy for my friends andstill grieving my own loss.”
“I know, and maybe someday…”
Eric cut me off with another scoff and raised his hand. “Nah. I’m too old. Don’t even go there, okay? No guilt. You get to be happy.”
“And so do you,” I said pointedly.
“I am. I’ve got the best kids in the world.” Eric smiled, but lately, there’d been a weariness around his eyes and mouth.
“That’s not?—”
“Hey, Dad! You ready?” John bellowed from the car.
“Coming.” Eric left, and I was finally alone with my phone.
Caleb
Running a bit behind, but meet me at my place and we’ll figure out something for food.