A Mother's Homecoming(67)
Pam grinned at the eyesore. “What does it say about me that I kind of love it?”
“That you two are made for each other.”
“YOU ACTUALLY WORE IT.” Nick stood at the front gate of the football stadium, grinning as she approached. Pam had ridden over with Dawn, but Nick had promised to get her home afterward. They would probably take Faith for a milk shake after the game.
“Of course I wore it! I’m just sorry I didn’t have time to make a blue-and-gold arm garter for you.” She’d entertained the idea for a few minutes even as she’d known she didn’t have the time, materials or energy.
Frankly, she wasn’t sure she had the energy for tonight. Part of her had wanted to simply curl up under a comforter and go to bed early. It wasn’t just the hectic week, it was a groundless melancholy that had been growing all evening.
As she walked toward Nick, she had to kick ribbons free as they tried to tangle around her legs. “Fair warning—this thing trips me, I sue.”
He laughed. “I believe you. I know how much you want to buy a dishwasher for that house.”
“Not to mention roof repairs and a ton of stuff for the backyard.”
On her skills and budget, though, she’d come about as far as she could. While she knew that roof repairs would come up during a property inspection, she thought it would be more a point of negotiation for closing costs, not enough to scare away prospective buyers. It wasn’t a half-bad little house. The foundation was solid and the potential was there.
It was time to put it on the market.
“Faith’s already inside,” Nick said. “She and this Bryce kid are sitting a couple of rows in front of us. Enough room that we won’t be eavesdropping on their conversation, but we should be able to see if he tries anything funny. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but …”
“Yes?”
“We’re sitting with Leigh and A.J.”
At the mention of his sister, she sighed. “Joy. No, that’s fine, I can get along with anybody for one night.” Especially when she was too drained to be feisty. “I don’t suppose she brought more cookies with her?”
“Sorry, no. If you’re hungry, we can hit the concessions stand.”
“I was kidding about the cookies, but a soft drink sounds pretty good.” Maybe the caffeine would give her the jolt she needed to get pumped up for the game.
It seemed like the entire county had turned out for the football game, and she held Nick’s hand to keep from losing him in the crowd. At one point, a man jostled into her with significant forward momentum. The force of impact separated her from Nick. She staggered slightly but didn’t fall. Meanwhile, rather than stop in the middle of pedestrian traffic, Nick let himself get swept into the crowd. She saw him stop at the side of the walkway a few yards ahead, waiting for her.
“Sorry,” the man said. He had a little girl on his shoulders and was walking with a woman who had an even younger toddler at her hip.
“I’m all right.” Pam did a double take, recognizing him as Jake Stein from AA. She smiled, but he wasn’t really focused on her. His eyes look glazed. “Jake, are you okay?”
He didn’t bother answering. His only response was a puff of air blown through his lips, a not-quite raspberry that made it clear he was annoyed by her question.
“I’m sorry, you are …?” The woman next to him, who must have been Mrs. Stein, darted her gaze from Pam to Jake. “Honey, do you know this woman?”
He gave a shrug that bounced the little girl on his shoulders and made her giggle. “It’s M’mosa. Everyone knows everyone. C’mon, let’s get the girls to the bleachers. She’s heavy.”
Pam stood to the side of the narrow walkway as the family passed. Was it her imagination, or was Jake’s gait unsteady? It was possibly the result of walking with a fifty-pound child on his shoulders, for all she knew. But her misgivings were strong enough that instead of turning toward Nick and getting those soft drinks, she stood planted where she was, unable to take her eyes away from the Stein family. When she’d been a kid, she’d developed a sense of impending doom that always started with the pit of her stomach.
You have an overactive imagination, and you were already in an irrationally bleak mood. She was advising herself to shake it off and get her soda when the man staggered again in the crowd. Pam’s mind registered what was going to happen a split second before her eyes processed it.