Free Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey

is.”
    Chase turned onto the bumpy dirt road that led back to the big, white farmhouse that had seen better days. Gretchen was doing her best, but without being able to pay for labor, she and her grandmother were on their own. He drove past the house and hooked a left onto an even worse track of dirt that led to the barn. It took them only a few minutes to unload the bed of his truck, and then he drove her back into town, stopping at the curb in front of her apartment.
    â€œI guess I’ll run into you soon,” he said.
    â€œVery soon. I’m going to run home and take a shower, and then I have to get to my parents’ house for dinner.” When he gave her a blank look, she cocked her head. “It’s Father’s Day, remember?”
    â€œOh. Sure.” He clearly hadn’t remembered. “I’ll probably go to O’Rourke’s or something. Maybe grab a pizza. But I’ll get out of the way.”
    â€œCoach specifically mentioned looking forward to both of us being there for his Father’s Day dinner.”
    He shrugged, but she could see the tension around his eyes. “Okay. I’d rather eat your mom’s cooking, anyway.”
    Kelly didn’t bother asking him if he’d called his dad or not. She suspected Father’s Day wasn’t a big deal for the Sanders family, not only because Chase had clearly forgotten the holiday, but because she knew Chase and his dad had always had a rocky relationship.
    None of her business, she told herself as she got out of his truck and gave him a wave. Nothing about Chase’s personal life was her business, and what she did know wasn’t good. His life was a mess and, if there was one thing Kelly didn’t want in her life, it was another mess.
    â€”
    C hase put what must have been the tenth card he’d read back on the greeting card rack in the drugstore. Coach wasn’t his dad, grandfather or uncle, so card shopping wasn’t going too well. There didn’t seem to be a
Dear Coach, thank you for making me the man I am today
sentiment in the bunch.
    Of course, Chase would rather be the man he was six months ago, with a successful business and a wonderful girlfriend he thought loved him. Coach would have been damn proud of that man. Now? Chase wasn’t sure what was next for him but, whatever it was, he’d be going into it with his debts paid and his head held high. He guessed Coach would be pretty proud of that guy, too.
    He finally settled on a blank card with a funny picture of a pug in a bow tie on the front. He’d write his own message, which would probably be something along the lines of
Happy Father’s Day, Coach. From Chase.
    Since he was there, he grabbed a few magazines to keep him occupied in the guest room after Coach and Mrs. McDonnell retired for the evening, along with some candy to stash away. Then he grabbed a tube of toothpaste and a box of condoms. Not that he thought he’d need them in the near future, but a man should be prepared in case opportunity knocked.
    When he pulled into Coach’s driveway, he pulled the card out of the bag and shoved the rest under the seat to bring in later. After digging around his center console for a few minutes, he found a pen and—ignoring the pang caused by seeing
S & P Builders
on the side of it—wrote a quick note inside the card and sealed it.
    In the side mirror, he caught sight of Kelly walking up the driveway and got out of his truck, thankful she hadn’t caught him holding the almost transparent bag with the brightly colored condom box inside.
    â€œDid your car break down?” he asked, realizing she hadn’t driven into the driveway and there were no vehicles parked along Eagles Lane.
    â€œI walk whenever I can,” she said, falling into step beside him as they made their way toward the door. “Stewart Mills doesn’t have a gym, and I don’t have the space or self-discipline for home