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“Why don’t you warm up with a run to the park,” I said. “I’ll meet you there.” It was a dick move and Chris knew it, but he took off.
Skye stuck her head out the window and barked at him when we passed. I parked on Main and snapped a leash on her before grabbing all the gear. I found a bench beneath a shade tree and dropped everything in a pile while Skye settled on the ground. Pushing down the erotic replays of Rowan that kept entering my thoughts, I let the quiet of the park ease the lingering tension from my conversation with Chris. Aiden took a seat beside me just as Chris turned into the park.
“He’s fast,” Aiden said without so much as a hello. “I watched him sprint down Main Street.”
“And dedicated. I’m glad you came.”
Aiden shook his head. “Believe me, I tried not to. But I was curious. I might bust Theo’s balls, but he has a great eye, especially for someone who hates sports.”
Chris ran toward us. I stood and Aiden did the same, eyeing my dog with the usual apprehension.
“Chris, this is Aiden. Aiden, Chris,” I said, introducing them. “Aiden played quarterback with me for years.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Chris said with a smile. “Ann took me to my first game when I was in kindergarten. I made her take me to every one after. Your senior year was epic.”
Aiden nodded. I knew the compliment was bittersweet, and Chris, being the observant kid he was, seemed to sense it and changed the subject.
“Did Cal tell you I’m trying out to be a wide receiver on the varsity team?”
“He did,” Aiden said.
“I’m pretty confident about my speed and timing,” Chris continued. “My hand skills have improved a lot since I started working with Cal. I’m catching passes I would have missed last year, but I’m not consistent. Would you mind watching me catch a couple times?”
“Sure,” Aiden said sinking down on the bench. Skye walked to him and flopped on the ground at his feet. Aiden glared but didn’t ask me to move her.
Chris and I completed running passes back and forth until Aiden called us to the bench.
“You’ve got a good read on your skills,” Aiden said. “But anyone can catch a ball when no one is trying to stop them. My granny could have completed all those passes.”
“Don’t take that too hard,” I said, slapping Chris on the back. “His grandma taught him everything he knows.”
Aiden shrugged. “Everything except how to take a tackle. She tried, but she doesn’t weigh a hundred pounds wet. Let’s see how you do under pressure. Toss me the ball.”
Chris threw the ball to Aiden, and he flipped it in his hands a few times. “Ok kid,” he said with a big smile. “Let’s see how you do while Cal tries to get in your way. Go.”
Chris and I sprinted through the park. I blocked Aiden’s first pass and intercepted the next, but as we continued throwing the ball back and forth, Chris caught more and more.
“Get back over here,” Aiden called. My lungs felt like they were about to burst as we made our way to him, but I couldn’t erase the smile from my face.
“You’re not watching the ball into your hands,” Aiden said to Chris. “You’re thinking ahead to what’s going to happen after thecatch. Focus on the moment. It doesn’t matter if you avoid the tackle if you drop the ball because you’re not watching it.”
Chris nodded.
“I’d have you run some more routes, but Cal looks like he could use a break. See that wall over there,” Aiden said, pointing to the playhouse that Skye had hid inside. “Bounce the ball against it until your arm feels like it wants to fall off or a kid gets in your way. Vary the speed and angle with each throw. Every time you miss the catch after it bounces, drop and do ten pushups.”
Chris took off for the playground equipment, and I joined Aiden on the bench after chugging half my water.
“So,” Aiden said a while later as Chris dropped to do a set of pushups. “How’d it go with Rowan last night?”
I rubbed my forehead. “Great. This morning, not so much. Theo and I got into it, and I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
“Is that why the asshole isn’t here?”
I shook my head. “Poppy got sick, so he stayed up all night watching over her. He only left when I brought Rowan home at five this morning.”
“Huh,” Aiden said and shifted on the bench. “I didn’t think she was that shitfaced. Did anyone check on Lauren? She had almost as much as Poppy.”
“I think Rowan did after I left.”
