Free Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey Page A

workout equipment, so walking is my way of staying in shape.”
    â€œIt’s definitely working for you,” he said without thinking.
    She tilted her head to look sideways at him, her expression unreadable. “Thank you.”
    He couldn’t think of anything else to say, but it didn’t matter because Coach opened his front door at that momentand stepped outside. “Thank God you two are here. Helen made a roast in the slow cooker and, after smelling it for hours, I’m absolutely starving.”
    He wasn’t kidding. As soon as he stepped into the foyer, Chase was hit by the aroma of seasoned beef, and his stomach growled in response. When he winced and put his hand over his abdomen, Kelly laughed.
    â€œMom’s cooking has that effect on people, remember?”
    He definitely remembered. Most of the time he spent at the McDonnell table, he’d been struggling through homework, but sometimes Mrs. McDonnell would invite him to stay for supper, and those had been the best meals. Not that his mom couldn’t cook—baked goods being a notable exception—but there was something about the meals Coach’s wife put on the table that made him think of family and home and television shows like
The Waltons
and
The Cosby Show
.
    As they dug into the roast, buttery corn and some creamy mashed potatoes with gravy that didn’t come from a jar, Chase tried to keep his eyes on his food for the most part. It wasn’t easy, since he was sitting across from Kelly. The V-neck shirt she was wearing accented the fact that her breasts weren’t large but were probably the perfect size to cup in his hands, and he’d really like to test that theory.
    Then he was afraid decidedly
not
looking at her would be as weird and noticeable as looking at her too much, so he stopped staring at his plate and tried to divide his attention among the three McDonnells as naturally as possible.
    â€œChase, your mom called today,” Mrs. McDonnell said, which definitely got
all
of his attention. “She wanted to see how you were doing, but she said you weren’t answering your cell phone.”
    â€œThe battery died and I couldn’t find my car charger in my truck. For all I know it was sold in the yard sale.”
    â€œOr the trash on your floor ate it,” Kelly muttered, and she smiled when he frowned at her.
    â€œShe just wanted to see how you liked being back, and she asked how the fund-raising was going. I told her I’d have you give her a call when you came in.”
    His mom cared a lot more about reminding him it was Father’s Day than she did checking in on Eagles Fest, but he didn’t say so. Denial was definitely his mother’s state of mind when it came to the relationship between her husband and their son. “I’ll call her in a little while. Thanks.”
    When they were done eating, Chase helped clear the table, but he wasn’t surprised when Mrs. McDonnell shooed him and Coach out of the kitchen. “It’s Father’s Day. You two go relive the glory days for a little while we clean up and then we’ll have pie.”
    â€œHey! He’s
my
father,” Kelly said, her hands on her hips. “How come I don’t get to go relive the glory days while Chase washes the dishes?”
    He would have teased her about being a girl, but she’d probably had some kind of hand-to-hand combat training in the police academy, and getting his ass kicked in Coach’s kitchen would be the highlight of the entire Eagles Fest. For everybody else, of course. Not so much for him.
    â€œBecause you get every Father’s Day with him, and Chase has been gone a long time.” Mrs. McDonnell handed her daughter a sponge. “And he’s company.”
    â€œDid I tell you Chase volunteered to do a double shift in the dunking booth at the street fair?” Kelly’s voice was all sweetness and light as she lied to her mother, but the