A Cross-Country Christmas(61)

Kathy smiled. “Oh! Are you a reader?”

She nodded in awe. “Huge.”

“I knew I liked you.”

Lauren blushed at the compliment.

“You’re welcome to borrow anything from my library,” Kathy said. “As long as you agree to tell me what you think when you’ve finished.”

Lauren nodded. “Deal.”

Kathy paused. “I would really like that, actually.”

She smiled, tilting her head. “Me too.”

“Anyway, that’s not why I brought you in here, though I could talk about books all night long.” She knelt and pulled out a large red photo album.

The album said “Will” on the front in script-y handwriting. Kathy lovingly ran her hand over the word.

Lauren thought it strange that she was sitting with Will’s mom, about to get a peek into what she assumed were captured moments of his childhood. She would’ve flipped over this when she was younger. But now, everything was just—different.

Will said he liked me. Why couldn’t I have just said, ‘I like you too’ like a normal person? How different would things be if she had?

But no. This was better. This was the best thing for her heart. At least that’s what she was telling herself.

Kathy flipped the photo album open. “Don’t ever tell him I’m showing you this.”

Lauren stifled a giggle. It was nice to have a secret with Will’s mom. It was nice to have a secret with any mom. Kathy flipped through the pages quickly, and Lauren almost asked her to slow down. In spite of everything, she still wanted to know everything about him.

She stopped on a page and pointed to a photo of a very young Will, gap-toothed, sitting on the shoulders of an older man. Will’s arms were wrapped around his forehead. “Will and Pops after Will’s first baseball game. Pops was always convinced Will was something special. Said he had a gift. Nobody ever believed in a kid more.” She flipped the page. “He was the one who taught Will how to pitch. Coached his Little League teams. Studied videos of Will’s form when he started having trouble with his elbow in tenth grade and then came up with a plan to correct it.”

Another page. A slightly out-of-focus shot of Will, on the mound, mid-pitch. “Will making varsity as a Freshman. He only pitched a few games that year, but he won every single one of them.”

She turned a few pages and stopped again, and this page had a newspaper story clipped to the top. Lots of pictures of Will behind a microphone, shaking hands, holding up a collegiate jersey with his name on the back.

“Will on College Commitment Day.” Kathy touched one of the photos.

“I remember that.” Lauren admired Will’s smile in the one where he was holding up the jersey. His mouth was open, grinning, like he couldn’t believe what was happening.

She turned the page. These pictures were of Will, but none on or near a baseball field. One giving a peace sign with a few other guys, one of him making muscles in a kitchen.

“This was just after Will lost his scholarship. I think it broke my dad’s heart.”

Lauren glanced at Kathy, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

“Broke all of our hearts. It was just so hard to see him go through it.” She stilled. “Will isn’t like that anymore, you know.”

Lauren looked at the images in the open album in Kathy’s lap. She didn’t know what had happened to make this sweet kid with the big smile and a family that did nothing but support him make such terrible choices, but she hoped his mom was right. For their sakes.

“How do you know he’s not like that anymore?” she asked quietly.

Kathy flipped the page. “Because he knows how much he hurt everyone, especially Pops. And he promised he’d never do that again. He’s lucky he got a second chance, but I think a part of him will always regret what his choices cost him.”

Will had said as much.

Lauren’s gaze fell to one of the photos on the page. It was Will and his grandpa, standing outside a restaurant with a large sign in the background that read Pop’s Diner. She pointed to it. “Where was this taken?”

Kathy squinted at it, but before she could answer, Nadia walked in the room.

“Mom, you should come back.” She gestured excitedly. “Will’s giving Pops his gift.”

“Okay.” Kathy closed the album and stood as Nadia rushed off. Will’s mom smiled at Lauren. “Thanks for doing this trip with him. I know it couldn’t have been easy on him, and I think it helped having you there.”

Lauren frowned. She didn’t understand, and Kathy didn’t give her a chance to ask for clarification. She stood and ushered Lauren into the living room. Over her shoulder, she asked, “Did you help Will with the gift?”

The question flustered her. “No, I. . .didn’t know anything about it.”

Kathy smiled, and Lauren thought she was just the kind of mother Lauren had always wished she’d had. A gnawing, raw feeling came over her at the realization.

She hung back for a single moment, looking longingly at the red photo album and wishing she could go back to the beginning and learn every story behind every photo inside.

She had a feeling there was a lot more to Will that had yet to be revealed.





Chapter 30