Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(41)

Layne took a step toward her, Gabby took a step back, Stew, he noted with disgust, took two f**king steps back leaving Gabby shifting in the wind and both Colt and Cal came up to his sides.

“Your situation is precarious, Gabby,” he informed her, his voice low, he was aware they had an audience and that audience was listening. “Do not push me. Understand?”

“Go to hell, Tanner!” she snapped.

He turned away from her and walked back to Rocky. Then he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He felt the tension ebb out of the boys around him and he knew Gabby and Stew had retreated and only then did he tip his head down to see she was staring at the top of the fence and biting her lip.

“Sweetcheeks,” he called quietly and watched her head tilt back. When he caught her eyes he noted, “One ex down, one to go, we’re halfway there.”

She stared at him for a second.

Then she gave him the dimple.

* * * * *

There were a fair amount of people milling about after the game and Layne knew why.

Both Jasper and Tripp were going out for pizza, Jas responsible for getting his brother home so there was only one reason Layne would remain after the game.

Therefore Colt, Morrie and Cal remained too and Rocky’s Dad, Dave and his cronies Ernie and Spike were also sticking close.

So did Gabrielle, but Stew was nowhere to be seen.

Some of the crowd was waiting around to see what Layne would do. The rest of them were likely there to give moral support or, perhaps, set up the ladder for Layne to climb in order to swing Cosgrove’s noose around a stout branch.

The folks in that town liked their football but they also looked after their kids. Cosgrove’s abuse of Tripp had been widely witnessed and an unpopular man struggling to keep his footing in that community had not only slipped, he’d come crashing to the ground.

Most of the players had come out when Jasper and Tripp came out together. When they did, Layne saw that Jasper was so close to his brother, he was crowding him but Tripp didn’t notice. His mind was elsewhere. He’d stayed benched the second half and he’d been humiliated in front of his friends, his schoolmates and half the town.

Jasper saw Layne first and he started with surprise, his eyes darted to his Mom and then came back to Layne.

Gabby closed in on Tripp.

“You okay, honey?” she asked.

Tripp took a quick step away from her, not wanting to be mothered, not anytime at fourteen years old and especially not then.

“Yeah, Mom,” he muttered.

Layne approached but Rocky stayed clear, standing in a huddle with Josie Judd, February Colton, Violet Callahan and Violet’s extremely pretty daughter, Keira.

The minute Layne met Keira between the third and fourth quarters when the women had decided that they’d given it enough time, they’d borne down on Rocky and infiltrated the boys long enough to pull Raquel aside for a quick, voices lowered discussion before they all returned and hung out with the men, Layne could see why Jas had been hooked.

He stopped close to Jasper, Tripp and Gabby and said, “Good game, Jas. Tripp, sweet tag and great run, Pal.”

Tripp tipped his head back just enough to look at his father under his brow and then bent his neck again.

“Great catch, kid,” Cal said, coming up to Layne’s side, Tripp shrugged, not looking at him then Cal went on. “You Jasper?”

“Yes sir,” Jasper replied.

“Layne says you’re goin’ for pizza,” Cal remarked.

“Yeah,” Jasper answered.

“Keira wants to go. You think you could get her there, bring her home?”

This was something Keira had finagled during the fourth quarter (giving cause to her hanging out with the adults) through a girl gang ambush of Cal that included her mother, Feb, Josie and Rocky while Cal stood, arms crossed on his chest, his eyes to the heavens. Rocky had not been wrong. Keira Winters definitely liked Jasper and it was evident she was tired of waiting around for him to make his move. Layne knew this because, during her finagling, she and her posse had succeeded in enlisting Cal for the maneuver he’d just delivered.

Tripp’s head jerked around to look at his brother but Jasper looked toward Rocky, Keira and the other women then he looked back at Layne.

“Why’re you hangin’ around, Dad?” he asked.

Layne didn’t delay in replying. “Waitin’ for Coach.”

Tripp’s body got tight and Jasper’s face got hard before he looked at Tripp then to Cal then to Keira.

Then he yelled, “Hey Keira, can you wait a sec for pizza?”

“Yeah,” Keira shouted back.

“Cool,” Jasper yelled in return.

“Jas, dude, what’re you –?” Tripp began.

Jasper interrupted him. “Waitin’ with Dad.”

“But –”

“Waitin’ with Dad,” Jasper said more firmly and Tripp looked to Layne.

“Dad, it wasn’t that –”

“It was, Pal.”

“But –”

Layne leaned into him and got in his face. “No one puts his hand on my boy. Not like that. Get me?” Tripp looked uncertain and Layne repeated, “Get me?”

Tripp stared him in the eyes, heaved a sigh, nodded once and muttered, “Got you.”