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A bright red sports car drives past slowly, and I frown. I’ve never seen that car before. They must not know exactly where they’re going. I shrug and keep on walking, and I can hear the music from the pep band and the cheers of the crowd. Friday nights haven’t changed a bit in Bitterroot Valley over the past century. The town loves its football team.
To my surprise, the same sports car makes the corner in front of me, still moving slowly.
“I wonder what they’re looking for,” I wonder out loud. But then, they press on the accelerator and zoom off down the street. “Idiot.”
The lights are shining as I approach the tall fence that borders our small field. I pay the volunteer to get in, and then my eyes scan the home bleachers to find the Wild family.
“Polly!” I look up at the sound of my name and see all of them waving at me. I happily wave back and make my way up the bleachers.
Man, there are a lot of them up here. Rem and Erin with their two kids. Brady, Chase, and Summer. Of course, Millie and Ryan are here, and Mac’s sitting next to Ryan. Abbi even came, and she’s sitting next to Erin, with Daisy sitting next to Holly.
The whole gang’s here, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Ryan, with his hazel eyes full of happiness, pats the seat between him and his mom, and I plop down and lean into him as he wraps his arm around me and hugs me.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”
“You’re fine, things are just getting going,” he says and kisses the top of my head. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just rushed, that’s all. Seems to be the story of my life lately, but my mom is going to fill in at the shop for a while, and I trained her this afternoon.”
“Did I just hear you say that your mom is helping out at your adorable shop?” Joy asks me with a smile.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m severely shorthanded, and she’s a godsend.”
“Well, I’d love to work there, too,” Joy says. “Can I put in an application?”
I blink at her, stunned.
“You want to work at my dress shop?”
“Yes, that sounds wonderful. I can help out until you hire a permanent staff, at least. Your mom and I can get you through this transition, honey.” She pats my knee, and I feel tears threaten.
Again.
Jesus, I’m just an emotional wreck lately.
“I would love that. Oh, my gosh, thank you. Can you come in tomorrow morning for some training, or is that too soon?”
“I’ll be there.” She pats me again, and then we turn our attention to the field.
“It’s going to work out,” Ryan murmurs in my ear and kisses me once more. “You’ve got this.”
I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and silently agree with him. Things are looking up.
“Okay, what position is Jake playing?”
“He’s number twenty-seven,” Ryan says, pointing out to the field. Our boys are wearing green jerseys with gold numbers. “He’s a wide receiver.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“He already caught one,” Johnny says, practically vibrating in his seat. “And then he got tackled. It was so cool!”
“Tackled?” I look up at Ryan. “I don’t like that. They’d better not hurt my boy. I’ll kick some ass.”
“Easy, tiger,” Ryan says with a laugh.
The game is fun. We yell and cheer, and by halftime, the bulldogs are up by ten. When the buzzer sounds, signaling the halftime break, Brady stands and smiles at Abbi.
