the car. He kept fumbling the ball.
"Hey, man, you gotta concentrate on the game or you're gonna get hurt," Michael said as they had another turnover.
"We're not supposed to be playing tackle," Nick argued.
"Maybe not, but I don't wanna throw the game away, just because you can't keep your eyes off Paula."
"Can you blame me?"
"Nah, but you gotta decide what you wanna do right now, dude—play football or be with your girl."
"Good point." Nick jumped up and caught the football before the intended receiver from the other team could get to it. "This'll be my last play." He took off running for a touchdown then threw the ball hard at the ground. "I'm done for the day."
A few loud whistles and cheers came from the guys on his team. "Why didn't you do that earlier, Nick?"
"I didn't want to show off." He waved and headed off toward Paula and his cousin.
Steph turned around when she heard him. "Who won?"
Nick folded his arms and quirked his eyebrows. "Who do you think?"
"Don't be so full of yourself, Nick."
"I am not full of myself. Those guys are tough competitors."
"I'm sure." Steph took a step back and lifted her chin in a nod. "One's a pastor, one's a techno-geek, and one's . . . I'm not sure what that new guy Zach does, but I don't think he's a jock. Good job, Nick. I'm going to go see if I can round everyone up and call it a day."
"Good luck with that," Nick said. "Your mother is in the house concocting something else to feed the animals."
"Then I better hurry." She turned and jogged up the steps to the house, leaving Nick standing there alone with Paula.
"So what's going on?" he asked. "Sorry I abandoned you."
The instant he said those words, her expression changed. "Nick, I've got to go home now."
"Did I do something wrong?" He sensed that something in Paula had snapped.
Paula shook her head. "No, Nick, it's just that . . ." How could she explain how conflicted she felt with him looking at her with those big dark eyes, his face inches from hers? Everyone she had ever loved took off and left her alone. Even Nick. "It's been a very long day."
He pursed his lips and nodded. "Okay, I'll take you home."
Steph's mother started to argue with her when she said she was leaving. But after a glance in Nick's direction, she scrambled to get some food packed up for Paula to take home. He must have gestured or mouthed something, but at this point Paula didn't care what it was. She needed to be alone. Nick obviously sensed her instant panic, and just like he used to, he gave her the mental space she needed—without filling it up with chitchat.
All the way to her house, she thought about Nick's choice of words. Yes, he'd abandoned her—so had her dad the summer before middle school. Her mother never let her forget it either.
Sometimes Paula wondered when she'd stopped being the daughter and become a parent to her mother. It had happened so gradually she hadn't seen it coming. Every time her dad was even mentioned, Paula's mother took advantage of it and made a verbal jab at his character. She knew her father hurt her mom deeply, and she never wanted to make it worse. Even after all these years, Paula didn't dare mention her dad to her mom.
Paula's mother had tried to fill the void with material things—mostly from thrift stores—and their tiny house had become packed with stuff they didn't need. She said she deserved everything after all she'd been through. Paula understood her mother's bitterness over her dad being unfaithful, but it seemed like she wasn't willing to put any of those feelings behind her—not even for the sake of her daughter.
A couple of blocks from her house in Palm Harbor, Nick pulled over and stopped. "Paula, I don't know exactly what happened back there, but if I caused you to be upset, I'm sorry."
She hung her head as she stared at her hands—the hands that had worked so hard to stay busy and keep her mind off the fact that she didn't have any family of her own. Most of the time she
"Hey, man, you gotta concentrate on the game or you're gonna get hurt," Michael said as they had another turnover.
"We're not supposed to be playing tackle," Nick argued.
"Maybe not, but I don't wanna throw the game away, just because you can't keep your eyes off Paula."
"Can you blame me?"
"Nah, but you gotta decide what you wanna do right now, dude—play football or be with your girl."
"Good point." Nick jumped up and caught the football before the intended receiver from the other team could get to it. "This'll be my last play." He took off running for a touchdown then threw the ball hard at the ground. "I'm done for the day."
A few loud whistles and cheers came from the guys on his team. "Why didn't you do that earlier, Nick?"
"I didn't want to show off." He waved and headed off toward Paula and his cousin.
Steph turned around when she heard him. "Who won?"
Nick folded his arms and quirked his eyebrows. "Who do you think?"
"Don't be so full of yourself, Nick."
"I am not full of myself. Those guys are tough competitors."
"I'm sure." Steph took a step back and lifted her chin in a nod. "One's a pastor, one's a techno-geek, and one's . . . I'm not sure what that new guy Zach does, but I don't think he's a jock. Good job, Nick. I'm going to go see if I can round everyone up and call it a day."
"Good luck with that," Nick said. "Your mother is in the house concocting something else to feed the animals."
"Then I better hurry." She turned and jogged up the steps to the house, leaving Nick standing there alone with Paula.
"So what's going on?" he asked. "Sorry I abandoned you."
The instant he said those words, her expression changed. "Nick, I've got to go home now."
"Did I do something wrong?" He sensed that something in Paula had snapped.
Paula shook her head. "No, Nick, it's just that . . ." How could she explain how conflicted she felt with him looking at her with those big dark eyes, his face inches from hers? Everyone she had ever loved took off and left her alone. Even Nick. "It's been a very long day."
He pursed his lips and nodded. "Okay, I'll take you home."
Steph's mother started to argue with her when she said she was leaving. But after a glance in Nick's direction, she scrambled to get some food packed up for Paula to take home. He must have gestured or mouthed something, but at this point Paula didn't care what it was. She needed to be alone. Nick obviously sensed her instant panic, and just like he used to, he gave her the mental space she needed—without filling it up with chitchat.
All the way to her house, she thought about Nick's choice of words. Yes, he'd abandoned her—so had her dad the summer before middle school. Her mother never let her forget it either.
Sometimes Paula wondered when she'd stopped being the daughter and become a parent to her mother. It had happened so gradually she hadn't seen it coming. Every time her dad was even mentioned, Paula's mother took advantage of it and made a verbal jab at his character. She knew her father hurt her mom deeply, and she never wanted to make it worse. Even after all these years, Paula didn't dare mention her dad to her mom.
Paula's mother had tried to fill the void with material things—mostly from thrift stores—and their tiny house had become packed with stuff they didn't need. She said she deserved everything after all she'd been through. Paula understood her mother's bitterness over her dad being unfaithful, but it seemed like she wasn't willing to put any of those feelings behind her—not even for the sake of her daughter.
A couple of blocks from her house in Palm Harbor, Nick pulled over and stopped. "Paula, I don't know exactly what happened back there, but if I caused you to be upset, I'm sorry."
She hung her head as she stared at her hands—the hands that had worked so hard to stay busy and keep her mind off the fact that she didn't have any family of her own. Most of the time she
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