Hometown Hero's Redemption

“Good to see you.” Drew opened the door for her.

She entered the restaurant. “Let’s find a table.”

Drew stopped at the hostess station. The girl behind the stand held a stack of menus. “It’s a thirty-minute wait inside, but we have a few tables open on the deck.”

He looked at Lauren. “Do you want to eat outside, or is it too cold for you?”

“Outside is fine. It’s a beautiful night. What do you think, Wyatt?”

Wyatt was eyeing the fish and deer heads mounted on the pine walls.

“Wyatt,” Drew said.

He flushed. “Huh?”

“Do you want to eat outside?”

He peered at the crowd. Large windows displayed views of the lake. “Yeah, sure.”

They weaved through the tables on their way to the patio doors. Drew didn’t look left or right. He concentrated on following Lauren’s graceful movements.

“Gannon?” A voice boomed over the lively conversation. “Gannon the Cannon?” The man leaped out of his chair and stood between Drew and Lauren. Wyatt instinctively huddled closer to Drew. He kept his arm around the kid’s shoulders.

“It’s me, Mike Schneider. Man, I haven’t seen you in ages. How’ve you been?” Mike clapped him on the back, his face beaming.

Drew’s inner serenity crumbled faster than a week-old cookie. Mike Schneider had been a linebacker on the team, one of the guys he ran around with. Someone who had thought he was above getting in trouble. The same way Drew had been.

“Good to see you, Mike.” He nodded, hoping to bypass the reunion and get to the deck ASAP.

“So what brings you to town? You visiting?”

“I’m actually moving back. I start at the fire station next week. You still live here?”

“Just visiting my folks with my wife—you remember Tori?” He pointed to the corner of the table, where Tori waved above several empty beer glasses. Another vaguely familiar couple sat across from her. “My sister, Paige, joined us. This is her husband, Brent.”

“Good to see you, Drew. You’re looking good.” Tori winked. He gave her a tight nod. Tori James had flirted with Drew throughout high school and, if his memory served him correctly, had never had a nice thing to say about Lauren. The same way he hadn’t.

The ladies began to whisper as Mike continued. “Hey, remember sneaking out to the Flats with Brittany? Man, did we have fun. Late-night swimming has never been the same.”

Shame lit a bonfire in his gut. Drew stepped forward. “Yeah, well, we’re holding up traffic.”

Mike ran a calculating gaze across Drew over to Lauren, and his eyes about bugged out. “Am I seeing things or what? Is that Prim—”

“It’s Lauren Pierce.” Drew frowned. Lauren’s face was a polite mask—nothing was getting through it.

“What? Are you two together?” Mike chortled as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Is this your kid?”

“This is my godson, Wyatt. Good to see you.” Drew clenched his jaw and propelled Wyatt forward. His veins felt like they were going to explode. Every table they passed seemed to be staring, pointing and whispering, but maybe it was his imagination. The patio doors were merely a few yards away.

“What’s wrong, Uncle Drew?” Wyatt rubbed his biceps as soon as Drew let go when they made it to the deck.

“Nothing.”

“Are you mad?” Wyatt sounded worried.

“I’m fine.” Drew studied the people seated outside but thankfully didn’t see anyone familiar.

Lauren led them to the most secluded table. She patted the chair next to hers and smiled at Wyatt. “Drew hasn’t been home in years.”

Wyatt didn’t look convinced. He began to nervously chew his fingernail. “Let’s go home.”

What was bothering him? He’d been okay when they had arrived.

“Do you want to go home?” Lauren asked, her voice calm and reassuring.

“I don’t know.”

His face looked pale. Drew ticked through possible reasons Wyatt had gone from excited to jittery so quickly. Was he getting sick?

“Are you sure you’re not mad, Uncle Drew?”

“I’m not mad,” Drew said. “Like Lauren said, it’s been a long time since I’ve been here, and I guess I’m nervous.”

Lauren tapped Wyatt’s arm and pointed to the lake. “The water is so shimmery tonight, and, look, there’s a duck and her babies.” Slowly Wyatt’s color returned, and he seemed to relax. A waitress stopped by for their orders, and a family came outside with a young girl and a boy about Wyatt’s age.

“Hey, Wyatt.” The boy waved and sped over to their table. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight. Want to go try to win a prize with the claw?”

Yearning and fear collided in Wyatt’s expression. Drew hitched his chin. “Go ahead. I thought I saw the claw machine inside those doors. You can see us from there.”

“I’d better stay here.” Wyatt shrank into himself.

Lauren smiled at the other boy. “Why don’t you pull up a seat? You two can talk a bit and play on the claw machine a little later if you feel like it.”

“Okay, let me tell Mom and Dad.” The boy ran off.

Wyatt straightened, clearly happy with her solution. A round of Cokes arrived, and the kid returned, taking the seat next to Wyatt.

“I’m Wyatt’s uncle Drew, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Hunter.”

“Nice to meet you, Hunter.”

The kid had already turned away and was asking Wyatt about a video game. His enthusiasm must have been contagious because soon Wyatt couldn’t stop talking about the world he was building, whatever that meant. Drew guessed it had something to do with his new video game.

Now that Wyatt was occupied, Drew could focus on Lauren. He’d been waiting all day, wondering if their conversation Wednesday had changed her mind about him. She’d been less prickly when he’d told her about life after football, but she’d had time to process it all since then. He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to be around him. Especially not when Mike had just reminded her Drew had been such a jerk before.

He’d just have to show her he’d changed. For good. “I’m glad you came tonight.”