Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“I don’t want him to move here.”
Hayden laughed. “No one does. Although I’d love to see what the Crafty Cathys do to him.”
“Me too.”
And Crow. If he had his way, Chad would end up in the slammer for the night.
“Maren wants to move back.”
Hayden nodded. “I’m sure Conor wants to move back to Wyoming, because that’s what he knows. Kids like things to be easy. People move all the time. Kids adjust. She hasn’t been here very long, and her father is yapping in her ear about how much he misses her. If I had to bet, I’d put money on Chad telling her she wants to move back.” He shook his head and looked out to the field, where Maren and a couple of boys were tossing the ball back and forth.
“Has Maren told you she wants to leave?”
Devorah shrugged. “After I got off the phone with him, I asked her. She misses her friends, which I get.”
“And she’d spoken to him beforehand?”
Devy sighed. “Yeah, I think so. Although I don’t know when he’s calling.”
“As much as I hate the guy, at least he’s calling her.”
“There’s that.”
“Look at her, Devy. Does she look like a kid who hates it here?”
Maren stood among her teammates, laughing. Conor stood next to her, doing the same. To anyone watching them, they looked like happy, well-adjusted children.
“No, she doesn’t.”
“At least take that into consideration before you make a decision. And if you decide to go back to Chicago, let me or Colt help you. I don’t want you making that trip alone.”
Devorah nodded and leaned into his arm as it extended over her chair. She squeezed his hand again.
Hayden leaned over and pulled Devy’s sunglasses down a bit. “You owe me.”
“Oh God. Did I puke on you last night?”
He smiled as her eyes widened. “No, I’m only teasing.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” she told him.
“Oh yeah? How?”
“Dinner, or I’ll wash your truck.”
“Dinner it is.”
Crow and Colt, along with Lee and Darcy, joined them right before the game started. The six of them cheered until their throats went raw. Each time Conor or Maren came up to the plate to bat, Hayden and Devy went quiet. With every pitch and every swing, Devy would grip Hayden’s arm, while his heart did somersaults.
When the last out was called, the six of them cheered wildly, along with the other parents and grandparents. Oyster Bay had won the game.
Maren and Conor ran toward them, laughing.
“Mom, did you see my hit?” Maren asked.
“I did! It went so far. You ran really fast,” Devy said.
“Did you see my hit?” Conor asked.
Hayden held his hand up for a high five. “Great hit, bud. You ready to go fishing?”
“You’re going fishing?” Devy asked as she looked at Hayden, then at her dad, both nodding. “Oh.”
“We won’t be gone long. Home by dinner,” Crow said.
“Well, it looks like it’s just us,” Devy said to Maren. “These guys are going to go catch dinner.”
Maren’s face scrunched. “Fish is gross.”
“Corn dogs for you then.”
“Can I have corn dogs?” Conor asked.
Devy looked at Hayden and laughed. “We still need to go to Hank’s Fish Fry!”
“Next weekend, for sure!”
“Maren and I will go to the store and grab a few things for dinner. Darcy, would you like to join us?”
Hayden’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared from Dev to his mom.
“I’d be honored. I’ve wanted to spend some time getting to know your daughter.” Darcy came over and put her hand on Maren’s shoulder. “Come on, we’ll use Grandpa Lee’s credit card and buy up the entire store. Tell me, Maren,” Darcy said as they started walking. “Do you like chocolate chip cookies?”
“I love them.”
“Me too!”
The men stood there and watched as the women left them at the park. Lee sighed, shook his head, and looked at the others. “Happy wife, happy life. Now come on—the boat is gassed up, and I’m ready to drop a line or two.”
Twenty-One
Devorah
While the men fished, Darcy, Devorah, and Maren shopped. After buying more than they needed, they headed back to Crow’s and started cooking. Devy had never cooked with another woman before, let alone someone’s mother. Everything she knew how to make, she’d learned by following recipes or from the various cooking channels. Not having a mother growing up had been hard on Dev, and she was determined to make sure Maren learned everything.
Darcy took control in the kitchen. Handing out directions. Offering suggestions. And showing Maren what it would be like to have a grandmother around. Not that Darcy would ever be Maren’s grandmother, but the sentiment was there. A few times during the day, Devy stood back and watched Maren and Darcy work. It was like they’d known each other forever and not just for a few hours.
A nine-year-old could only take so much cooking and eventually disappeared into her room with her new bestie, Cordelia, leaving Darcy and Devorah in the kitchen. While Dev breaded a hot dog on a skewer, Darcy peeled potatoes for a salad.