“No parent should have to bury a child. Come here, honey,” she said and hugged him.
She was at least four inches shorter than Natalie, so he had to lean way down to hug her. Touchdown nestled against his leg, sensing he needed the comfort. He wiped away a few tears and sniffed when he shifted away from her.
“Well, now… You’re still looking fit as a fiddle, I see,” she said, playfully pinching his bicep like she’d often done in the past, trying to bring some humor into the tense moment.
He shrugged his shoulder, playing along. When Kim had been in the hospital, there had been a steady stream of joking or teasing to lighten the mood. He and his family had done the same with Adam. Otherwise, the atmosphere would have been too oppressive to bear.
“My friends are wondering how soon I’ll start to get fat now that I’m not playing.” Even he knew retirees lost some of their muscle mass, so he was trying to make peace with the change. No one could maintain the bulk of a professional athlete without being a professional athlete.
“I can’t imagine you ever getting fat. Not that you wouldn’t still be cute as a button with a few extra pounds around the middle like the rest of us.” She patted the small rise of her belly.
“Come on, April. You’ve had five kids, and you still look fabulous. Will you come inside for a drink?”
“I’d love to,” she said and followed him into the house. “How do you like it here? I imagine it’s a big change from the Denver house.”
Yeah, and he loved that place almost as much as he’d prized his first football. He planned to keep the house until he knew what his future held, but he would have to make a decision about it at some point. Without Natalie in it, it was like a faded old door, stripped of its original glory.
“This is fine.”
In truth, none of this new house felt like him. It was almost like he was living in a hotel suite with four acres. He planned to build a new place once he and Natalie reconciled, or at least that’s what he dreamed of doing. Sunlight streamed in through the skylights in the vaulted ceiling, and the mahogany wooden beams crossing the ceiling gleamed in various shades of brown and red. The architect of this two-story craftsman had favored an open-rustic floor plan. There were worse places to live.
“What can I get you? I have water, juice, beer.”
“How about a beer?” she said and laughed when she saw his expression. “Just kidding. Water is fine.”
He added a lemon to it to be fancier and grabbed one for himself too. Drinks in hand, they headed out to the open flagstone deck in the back, where they settled onto the comfy tan patio furniture arranged in a square near the grill station and fire pit. The hot tub gurgled softly off to the right.
“It’s funny how different things are out here,” she said “I don’t know if I’d like the quiet. Or not being able to see another house. I’m a fraidy cat about remote places.”
“But you grew up in Dare Valley.”
“In town. Big difference.” She took a half sip of her water, bobbled the glass, and rose out of her chair as it splattered on her cream capri pants. “Oh, I’m so clumsy.”
She wasn’t usually. Which meant she was nervous. “Let me grab a towel.”
When he returned, she dabbed at the spot as best she could and finally laid the towel aside. “Well, you’re here.”
Only three little words, but they summed up his whole life right now. “Yes.”
“I’m glad actually. I’ve been worried about Natalie for some time…ever since Kim was first diagnosed. She hasn’t dealt with that—or leaving you. I can’t say I’m not worried about how she’s going to react to having you around, but I don’t think the status quo is good enough for her.”
No, it hadn’t been for him either. Even football couldn’t put a dent in the subterranean loss he’d felt when Natalie walked out of his life. The failure of Adam’s health, and his eventual death, had only made it worse.
“There’s already been some conflict in the family over your return. She fought with Moira and Caroline about you.”
He held his tongue, not wanting to get into the internal Hale family dynamics. He’d known his return would put pressure on her relationships, but he hadn’t seen another way.
“I talked to Andy and Matt.”
“Yes, they told me.” She reached for his hand. “I’m really happy to hear about your plans for this camp. Adam would be so proud. I bet your parents are too. It’s already the talk of the town.”
It surprised him more than it should have. The statement they’d released to the press had been picked up by national outlets. He’d wondered how the locals might react.