“I’ll do whatever it takes.” Keeping her dreams alive got her through her parents’ deaths, and she wanted to keep her family’s traditions alive by passing down those recipes in a place of her own.
Joseph was reluctant for the evening to end, but other than partying at one of the clubs, he felt it best to just head home. With Jewel by his side, he tucked her into his car, and headed back to his place for whatever the evening might bring. He knew now that he wanted her in his life for more than just a fling. Their talking about their dreams had sealed the deal for him. He just hoped she felt the same way. That her life in the future included him because he was going to do whatever it took to make that dream a reality.
Chapter 16
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Joseph, with a large net bag of soccer balls swung over one shoulder, headed into the gymnasium and the equipment room.
The sounds of young men laughing and sneakers on the shiny gymnasium floor reached his ears. The high school kids who started school later then the younger kids seemed to be finishing up their game. Glancing at the court, he recognized two of the very tall players. Wesley and Lesley looked good. They played well together. Their speed on the floor, from being on the track team and years of conditioning, gave them a clear advantage over their peers. They’d never mentioned basketball to him in their brief encounters. It was only ever about track and field that they talked about. Both were excellent long distance runners, but they preferred the track and field events. Tall and sinewy, their speed kept the other two boys on the team constantly on the defense. The game wrapped up, and he was able to catch Lesley’s eye as the boys walked towards the exit after shaking hands briefly with the other players. They all headed to the exit. Wesley turned after a brief word with his brother, and he too gave Joseph a quick nod before exiting.
He’d been busy for weeks. Campaigning hard, and he and Jewel hadn’t had a lot of time together since their Saturday night date. They squeezed in a quick meal, coffee together twice, and they had managed to slip away up to his room upstairs twice this week, but he hadn’t been around the boys much.
He quickly threw the net of balls in the storage closet and began to exit the gym. He hoped to catch up to them and have a quick word. Maybe make plans for the weekend for all of them. He hoped to get to know her brothers better before the end of the year and they went off to college. And that was happening soon. He wanted to make an effort with them, not only because he was beginning to want Jewel in his life permanently, but he knew from his own experience that having a male role model at that age was important. Something he desperately missed. True, many of his mother’s friends through the years had stepped in and provided him guidance when he needed a male perspective, and that had helped. Tom Watson, the head of security, had been one of those men. A close friend of his uncle’s. But it was not like having a steady guiding hand. Other than Tom, his grandfather who’d passed away when he was sixteen, and Senator Silver, who never had children of his own, his wife had been too ill to raise children, he’d had no other male role models during a critical time in his life.
He quickly walked to the corner of the block where he had seen the boys’ pick-up truck parked earlier. He saw them standing beside their car. And what he witnessed stopped him short. He ducked behind the fence and watched as Lesley handed the two other boys several bills, counting them from a roll he pulled out of his pocket. The one young man, who he recognized as the young man from the coffee shop, was shuffling his feet nervously. But the other confidently pulled an envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Wesley who clapped him on the back, and then turned, pivoting on one heel. He was smiling broadly, and then made his way round to the driver side door. Lesley laughed at something, and then he, too, got in the truck.
His earlier suspicions returned in a heartbeat. What were these kids up to? And why were they handling that much money? He couldn’t fathom it. The only thing that was logical was gambling. It made him think of the conversation he’d had with Jewel last week. How gambling addictions led to other problems. Like perhaps theft to feed the addiction. He didn’t want his thoughts to lead him there. But he just couldn’t help but wonder what these two boys were involved in. And who was that fourth young man? He didn’t recognize him at all. Not from the youth center or his dealings with the tribe and his recent campaigning.
He was unsure of what to make of the situation. Should he mention it to Jewel? That had not gone over well before. He knew she was doing the best she could, but did she know what else the boys were up to? Their other extra-curricular activities?