Homecoming (A Boys of Fall Novel) (2 page)

Nine days later, Sam drove into Stewart Mills and paused at the main intersection. He let his truck idle at the stop sign a little longer than was necessary to avoid getting a ticket, since there was a crop of new signs and it was easy to forget them. Then he started toward Coach’s house because, dammit, he needed a hug from the man.

When he left after high school, he never thought he’d ever return to this town. But now he was back in his hometown for the second time this year, and this time he’d be staying awhile.

“I
am
not
okay with this.” Jen grabbed the corner of the fitted sheet and snapped it over the end of the mattress. She was helping her best friend make up a bed for Sam Leavitt to sleep in and she couldn’t make sense of it.

“You’ve said that every five minutes since you got here,” Kelly said. “I’m about to slap you in the back of the head because your brain seems to be stuck on that song like an old jukebox.”

“He wasn’t supposed to come back.” That’s what Jen’s brain was
really
stuck on. He wasn’t supposed to come back to Stewart Mills anytime soon, and especially not
so
soon. At the very least, he could have waited until Jen found a man who could finally kill the memory of Sam’s hands on her body. Then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about temptation.

Of course, it would probably be easier to find that guy if she went out once in a while, but there weren’t exactly any social hot spots in Stewart Mills. And the guy she’d been meeting the night Coach had his heart attack turned out to be a jerk.

“I know you’re not happy about it, but he’s supposed to be here today, so you should work on not saying that out loud quite so much. And he’s going to be pretty busy. You’ll probably barely see him.”

“He’ll be hanging out at the high school. You know, that big brick building where my office is?”

Jen took the bottom end of the top sheet and spread it over the foot of the bed. They were making Kelly’s old bed at Coach and Mrs. McDonnell’s house so it would be ready for Sam to sleep in. She tried not to imagine that tall, lean body stretched out on the new tan sheets, but her mind seemed determined to torture her. Would he snuggle under the blue-and-tan-plaid comforter, or throw the covers back?

What did he wear to bed? Being a guest in Mrs. McDonnell’s home, he’d probably wear sleep pants or sweats. At the very least, he’d wear boxer briefs, like the navy pair he’d slid low on his hips that night they had sex under the summer night sky.

“Okay, you’re definitely going to have to work on
that
,” Kelly said, breaking into her thoughts.

Jen looked at the perfectly tucked sheet end. “Work on what?”

“You were just thinking about having sex with Sam on the hood of your car. I can tell because you’d look like you’re having the world’s worst hot flash except for the fact you’re biting your bottom lip to keep from smiling.”

“Damn.” She was
definitely
going to have to work on that.
If just wondering what he’d look like lying on a bed was enough to flush her skin, what was going to happen when she actually ran into him? Just the memory of his mouth made her want to fan herself. When she could stare at it—watch his lips moving—she was going to be in trouble.

“Will it really be so bad?” Kelly asked. “I mean, he’s a good guy and you said the sex was freaking amazing. If it’s that good on a car when neither of you saw it coming, just imagine how good it could be when you have the space and privacy to take your time and explore a little bit.”

Oh, she had. Jen had spent more time than she wanted to admit picturing in very graphic detail just how many delicious ways she and Sam could curl each other’s toes. “Sexual chemistry’s great, but it’s not a good foundation for a long-term relationship.”

“Of course it is.”

“It’s important, but don’t you think having personalities that complement each other and similar life values and goals are more important? Too many people use having a healthy sex life as proof they have a healthy relationship, and it’s not always true.”

“You can’t overthink love so much, Jen.”

She tossed a pillow at her friend, frowning. “We’re talking about sex, not love.”

“You’re the one who brought long-term relationships into the conversation.”

“Not only am I thirty years old, but my two best friends will be getting married soon and I’ll be the fifth wheel. So I’d like a relationship, yes, but I’m not holding out much hope for the kind of love you and Chase have. Or Gretchen and Alex.”

“Tell me why you can see yourself having great sex with Sam, but not a relationship.” Jen shrugged. “No, I’m serious. Because I’m your best friend and I’m going to nag you into getting all the hot sex you can unless you’ve got a reason you shouldn’t that I can wrap my head around. And based on the look in your eyes when you think about him, it’s going to have to be a damn good reason.”

“I’m scared of him.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud. She wasn’t even sure it had been a cohesive thought until she opened her mouth and the words came out.

She watched as what she’d said sank in and Kelly’s expression changed to her “cop face,” as Jen and Gretchen liked to call it. She even drew herself up into her “cop stance,” even though she didn’t have the heavy utility belt to rest her hands on. “Scared of him?”

“Not like that. Not physically scared.” She watched Kelly relax a little, though her face was still guarded. “He’s rough and . . .”

Kelly lifted an eyebrow. “And . . . rough how? Or should I say how rough?”

“Again, not like that.” Jen blew out a breath and sat on the edge of the bed they’d just made. “He’s got a lot of baggage, with his parents and his background and stuff. And he’s a runner. He took off for fourteen years. I’m not just looking for great sex. When push comes to shove, I’m looking for somebody to spend the rest of my life with, and the father of my children.”

“I’ve known you my whole life. You’re one of my two best friends. And, professionally, I’ve seen you counsel so many kids through crises. So I know you’re not dismissing a man’s
ability to be a good father because his father was abusive and his mother is a recovering alcoholic.”

Jen felt the hot flush across her cheeks. “Of course not. Let’s just say I didn’t get the impression he’s a guy who believes in white picket fences, minivans and happily ever after.”

“I don’t know about picket fences, but he believes in family. Maybe it’s
my
dad and not his own, but twice now he’s uprooted his life because I asked him to on Coach’s behalf.”

“If I ever need help with football, I’m sure he’ll be on my list of people to call.”

Kelly laughed. “Considering how often the guys on the team are in your office, you might want to put him on speed dial.”

“Not funny.”

“A little bit funny.”

Jen shook her head and then looked around the room that had been Kelly’s growing up and then again after her divorce brought her back to Stewart Mills. There weren’t many of her personal belongings in it, so it looked like a typical guest room, but Jen felt a pang of nostalgia thinking about the many hours they’d spent in the room as teenagers, talking about movies and music and boys.

There were three of them. Jen. Kelly. And Gretchen Walker, who’d completed their circle of best friendship when she moved to town to live with her grandparents in fifth grade. There had been no secrets between them, and they never broke each other’s confidences. They knew how rough Gretchen’s life had been before her no-good parents had essentially traded her for her grandfather’s new truck. They
all knew Kelly had secretly crushed on Chase Sanders, the star running back for her father’s football team, and had pretended not to like him in order to hide it.

And they all knew Jen’s head had been filled with fantasies of bad boys that her very strict, white-collar parents would disapprove of. Boys who grew up to be men like Sam Leavitt, she thought, fussing with the knit throw blanket draped over the easy chair in the corner so Kelly couldn’t see her face.

But she’d grown up and her view of her parents’ marriage had grown with her. What had seemed boring then was now stability. What had seemed, when she was a teenager, like a lack of passion for each other, she could see now was the kind of quiet, constant love that got two people through decades of marriage together.

Teenage Jen may have daydreamed about guys like Sam, but adult Jen wanted what her parents had. Quiet, constant and stable.

A door slammed outside and Jen whirled to the window. “That’s not him, is it?”

Kelly pulled back the curtain to peek. “Yup. Sam’s here.”

“I wanted to be gone before he got here, dammit.” She knew it was childish, but she wanted to avoid him for as long as possible. “I can go out the back.”

“Really?” Kelly rolled her eyes at her. “You’re being ridiculous. Besides, he parked behind you. You’re blocked in.”

“Shit.” Jen closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath, centering herself. She dealt with awkward situations a lot being a guidance counselor, whether she was working with the kids or meeting with parents, so she could certainly handle saying hello to a man she’d known her entire life. “You’re right. I’m being ridiculous. We had sex.
It happens. Maybe not as memorably as that particular sex happened, but it does happen and there’s no reason for me to avoid him.”

“I’m glad you’re going to be adult about it even if it does mean I don’t get the joy of watching my mom catch you trying to sneak out the back door.”

Jen snorted, all too able to imagine Mrs. McDonnell calling her out. “Yeah, I think I’ll just give him a polite ‘welcome back’ and ask him to move his truck.”

—

S
am wasn’t surprised when Mrs. McDonnell opened the front door before he could ring the bell. She pushed open the screen door and hauled him in for a hug.

“Thank you so much for coming, Sam. I can’t tell you what it means to us.”

“I seem to have a hard time saying no to McDonnells.” He pulled back to look at her. Based on Kelly’s age, he guessed her mom was somewhere in her early fifties—not that he’d ever ask—and she was a beautiful woman. But he could see the toll that worry had taken on her lately. First the stress of Eagles Fest and fighting to fund the football team, and now her husband having a heart attack. She was having a rough year. “How’s Coach?”

“He’s . . . as well as can be expected, I guess. He’s weak and he needs to avoid stress and not cheat on his diet while he recovers—or ever again, if I have my way—but God knows it could have been worse. Come on in and see him.”

Sam tried to brace himself as he followed Mrs. McDonnell to the living room. Coach was not only the closest thing he had to a father, but he’d always seemed larger than life
somehow. His brush with mortality had Sam off-kilter and he had to concentrate on keeping his face relaxed.

Coach was kicking the foot of the recliner into place as Sam walked into the room, throwing aside a fleece throw. He looked tired and pale, with shadows around his eyes. He’d also lost a few pounds since Sam last saw him, but when they made eye contact, he saw that Coach might be down, but he wasn’t out.

“Don’t get up,” he said, walking over to the recliner.

“You drove halfway across the country just to do me a favor. I think I can get up out of my chair to say hello.” He pulled Sam into a hug and slapped his back. “Thanks for coming, Sam.”

He heard footsteps on the wooden staircase and turned, expecting to see Kelly. She had her own place, but Sam imagined she’d be around a lot to help her mom out while her dad recovered.

Kelly was coming down the stairs. But right behind her was Jen Cooper, and once his gaze locked onto her, he couldn’t seem to look away. She was so damn pretty, with long blond hair and blue eyes. Her skin was soft—and damn, he knew just how soft it was—and she had a smile that warmed him like a crackling fire on a winter night.

When her eyes met his, her cheeks turned pink and her lips parted as her chest hitched in a quick breath.
Oh yeah, she remembers
, he thought. When she looked at him, she remembered how explosive they’d been together and, like him, she was doing her damnedest not to show it.

“You made good time,” Kelly said, giving him a quick hug. “We didn’t think you’d be here for a few more hours.”

“The flow of traffic was good. Hi, Jen. It’s good to see you again.”

She gave him a tight smile from the bottom of the staircase. “Hi, Sam. Welcome back.”

“Welcome
home
,” Mrs. McDonnell said. “He may live in Texas, but Stewart Mills will always be home.”

Because Jen was in his peripheral vision, Sam saw her lips tighten and the look she gave Kelly. The coach’s daughter was obviously amused by it because she grinned at her best friend. Sam tried to ignore them both and keep his attention on Mrs. McDonnell, but it wasn’t easy to ignore Jen being in the room.

“I’m glad I’ll be here for fall,” Sam said. “I miss having seasons. I’d forgotten how much I love fall foliage and the chill in the air.”

Coach laughed. “Guess you’ve also forgotten starting your truck when it’s ten degrees and there’s a mound of snow plowed up between you and the street.”

“I should probably buy a coat before long,” he said, but he was actually hoping to be back in Texas before there was snow on the ground.

“I hate to say hi and run,” Jen said, “but I have some errands I need to do. I think you parked behind my car, but Kelly can move it for you.”

“I don’t mind moving it,” he said.

She shook her head, probably more vehemently than she meant to. “You just got here and you’re talking to Coach and stuff. We can do it.”

And she wouldn’t be outside with him, out of earshot of two people he was certain had no idea anything had ever
happened between him and Jen. Kelly probably knew, but he seriously doubted anybody had told Coach and Mrs. McDonnell. He wondered if she just wanted to avoid talking to him or if she was afraid they might find themselves wrapped around each other again.

Sam wasn’t sure how he felt about
that
possibility yet, so he tossed his keys to Kelly. “Thanks. I’ll see you around, Jen.”

“Probably.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Mrs. McDonnell said. “Sam will be spending a lot of time at the high school.”

Jen gave Coach’s wife a huge, fake smile. “Great!”

He heard Kelly chuckle as she followed her friend down the hallway toward the front door, confirming his suspicion she knew what was up.

“Do you want something to eat, Sam?” Mrs. McDonnell asked. “You should at least have something to drink before you start unloading your truck.”