The Super Mum

Angela loved seeing that sparkle in her son’s eyes. She’d missed it the past few weeks. If cutting down a Christmas tree would help put a smile on his face, she’d freeze off her toes and fingers again tomorrow. She was also willing to try to put her reactions to David into deep freeze, too. “If Coach Moore’s willing to saw it for us, I guess we can.”

“That’s a plan, then,” David stated. “Why don’t I meet you at the Christmas tree farm around two?”

“Two will be fine.” Angela told herself she was just looking forward to the outing because it was something Anthony wanted to do for a change. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that David would be along.

After Simon had taken off for his family’s car, David opened the door on her side of the van. “I’d better be shoving off.”

“Wait,” she called, before she thought better of it.

Already out of the van, David closed the door and stood before her window.

When she pressed the button, it rolled down a bit. “Thank you,” she said softly, meaning it. “Are you sure you want to go tomorrow?”

“I’m sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve cut down a Christmas tree. I’ll see you at two.”

With a wave, he headed off toward his SUV, and Angela couldn’t help staring after him. He was three years younger than she was, a bachelor and way too intriguing. Reluctantly, and with a sigh, she came back to reality. She was a single mom with responsibilities and no spare time. This outing tomorrow was for her children’s sake, and she wouldn’t forget that.

After Anthony closed his side of the van, she switched on the ignition. “Buckle up.”

As the kids fastened their seat belts, she did the same, all the while remembering the feel of David’s body around hers as they’d sped down the hill. For those few moments, she’d felt young and free and alive again.

With another sigh she backed out of the parking place and started for home.

As Olivia, Michael and Anthony ran from tree to tree, squabbling about which one would be perfect in their living room, David asked Angela, “Do they ever agree?”

She laughed. “Once in a great while. I’m just so glad to see Anthony is a part of this today. He’s actually excited about something. He’s been moping around for so long, I was afraid he’d forgotten how to have fun.”

To his surprise, David was having fun, too. He usually related to kids one-on-one, not in a family setting. This was different. But there was no other way to reach out to Anthony and have him reach back.

As spokesman, Anthony ran over to them and pointed to a Douglas fir. “That’s the one we want.”

Michael complained, “I like the one over there.”

“It’s not as tall,” Olivia berated him. “We want a tall tree.”

Out of the blue, as if he’d been thinking about it all day, Anthony asked David, “I know you don’t play in the NFL, but do you know guys who do? I mean, you went to their training camp and all.”

“I’ve kept in contact with a few. Do you know Duke Smith of the Redskins?”

“Wow! Duke Smith! Yeah, I watch him on TV.” Anthony looked at the tree and then back at David. “Maybe you’d like to help us put up the tree. Whaddya think, Mom? Can he?”

“And he can stay for supper,” Olivia piped up.

Angela looked flabbergasted by her daughter’s invitation.

If he helped with the tree, David knew more questions about football were going to come up. He also knew something else might come up that he should probably tell Angela about. It was the incident that had started him mentoring in the first place. Yet all of it was personal, and he and Angela weren’t on that level yet.

When he was silent, Angela recovered her composure and asked, “Do you have other plans? You probably cherish your free time on weekends.”

“I do. But I haven’t helped put up a Christmas tree in years. Are you sure you want me there?” he asked Anthony, looking straight at him.

The boy met his eyes this time. “Yeah. Last year Mom tried to do it herself and the whole thing fell over the next day. It was a mess.”

When Angela laughed self-consciously, David could have kissed her. She was so cute when she blushed. “Your son is a practical kid.”

“He doesn’t want more of his favorite ornaments to break. I can’t say I blame him.”

“At least they picked a straight tree.” He grinned, as he took his saw from the sled they’d brought along to transport the tree.

After David cut down the fir and arranged it on the sled, Anthony asked if he could pull it, and Michael insisted on helping. David motioned down the trail to the barn where the proprietor of the farm was bagging the trees so they were easier to take home. All the kids started down the hill, cooperating for a change.

“That won’t last long,” Angela said with a smile.

David knew Olivia’s invitation had taken Angela aback. “I don’t have to stay for supper. I know you weren’t prepared for that.”

For a few moments, she looked over the rows and rows of fir trees, as if debating with herself. Then she said, “All the kids want you there. I think they’re starved for a father figure. The question is, do you want to be that? Mentoring Anthony is one thing. Having two other kids pile on is another.”

“You’ve got great kids. I’m a novelty right now. Hopefully Anthony and I can form a friendship that will help him. But if your other two kids want to be part of that, I don’t mind. I intend to give Anthony alone time, though, because I think that’s what he needs.”

“You’re right about that. He and Jerome never spent a lot of time together, but whenever he could, Anthony tagged along with his dad.”

“We could just stop for a pizza on the way home,” David suggested, not wanting to put her to any bother.

“Pizza’s okay once in a while, but I try to get them to eat wholesome food whenever I can. I have leftover roast beef in the fridge. I’m thinking of hot roast beef sandwiches, if that’s okay.”

“That sounds fine. You really do try to be Super mom, don’t you?”

She bristled a bit. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No. Not if it doesn’t wear you out.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “It does. But as long as I can do it, I’m going to try.”

They could hear the kids chattering as they trudged down the trail. They could see them. But David knew the trees blocked the kids’ view of them. No one else had followed them into these rows of trees, and it almost felt as if they were alone in the middle of nowhere.

Angela was looking up at him with those big, blue eyes. He’d taken off his gloves after he’d cut down the tree so he could rope it to the sled. Now he was glad he had. Her swingy hair brushed against her cheek, and he pushed it back, letting his thumb linger on the softness of her skin. Her eyes grew bluer and wider, and he saw the same desire there that he was feeling. They were both wondering—wondering what a kiss would be like…wondering if a fire would start…wondering if the earth would move.

He rarely acted on impulse anymore. But now, desire drove him to seize the moment, answer some of his questions, discover if the chemistry he was feeling was real. When he bent his head, she raised her chin. His lips covered hers.

Did the kiss last for an instant? Or maybe an hour?

There was no time as heat exploded in his body…as he pushed his tongue into her mouth…as she responded quickly and fiercely.

When her children’s laughter soared up the hill to them, he broke away and stepped back, feeling turned inside out.

That was impossible. The kiss had begun and was over in a few seconds. How could he be so fully aroused? How could he want to lay her down in the pine needles and the patches of snow and take the passion she seemed willing to give?

He’d thought his questions would be answered after a kiss, but there were only more of them. “I shouldn’t have done that. The way Anthony is feeling right now, if he senses anything going on between us, he’d never let me become his friend.”

“You’re right,” she murmured. “And I’m not looking for…for…for an involvement. I don’t have time. I don’t have the energy. Men cause me nothing but disappointment.” She brought her hand to her lips when she realized she’d said out loud what she was thinking.

“I’ll try not to disappoint you where Anthony’s concerned,” he vowed solemnly. “Come on. We’d better catch up.”

She didn’t argue, and he knew she didn’t want to linger, either. She’d obviously been hurt, maybe by someone other than her ex-husband. They both had scars that would keep anything from developing except a hot affair.

And it would be hot. That sample kiss had told him that.

But he had to put Anthony first.

He’d make sure he stayed away from Angela Schumacher. That was the only reasonable thing to do.

Chapter Three

Later Sunday evening when the doorbell rang, Angela was still reeling from David’s kiss at the Christmas tree farm. It had practically knocked her boots off, yet she’d acted as if nothing had happened and he’d left after a quick supper. Now, for a change, all three kids were watching the same program on TV while she tidied up the empty ornament boxes.

When she opened her front door, she found Rebecca Peters. Rebecca was the newest neighbor on Danbury Way and Angela had liked her immediately. She was one of the most stylish women around, with gold highlights in her dark-brown hair, blue eyes and a very fashion-forward wardrobe.

She, too, had found romance.

“I thought you and Joe were away for the weekend.”

“We didn’t go. Joe couldn’t find somebody to cover for him at the clinic.” Joe Hudson was a veterinarian and took his responsibility for his furry friends seriously.

“But…” Rebecca drawled, holding out her hand to Angela.

“It’s beautiful!” Angela stared at the simply exquisite solitaire on Rebecca’s finger, then gave her friend a huge hug. “This is wonderful. When are you getting married?”

Taking Rebecca by the hand, Angela tugged her toward the kitchen. “We’ll have a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it.”

Rebecca laughed as she followed Angela into the wine-and-spruce-green kitchen with its island in the middle, eat-on counter along one wall and numerous birch cabinets.

After another look at Rebecca’s diamond under the brighter kitchen lights, Angela said, “I knew this would happen sooner rather than later.”

“Me, too,” Rebecca confided with a shy smile. “I love him to death. Since he had to go to the clinic, I told him I was going to come over and tell you our good news.”

While Angela put on the tea kettle, Rebecca wiggled her hand under the recessed lighting. “We’ll probably be planning the wedding for spring. I want the works—from wedding gown to flower girl.”

They chatted for a few minutes about the type of gown Rebecca might choose, about colors she liked for her attendants, about possibilities for facilities for receptions.

The teakettle whistled, and Angela brought it over to the counter where she poured water into two mugs.

Adding the teabags, Rebecca admitted, “I really came over here to find out who that hunky man was in your driveway this afternoon.”

“You weren’t too busy to notice someone in my driveway?” Angela teased.

Although Rebecca’s cheeks turned a little pinker, she admitted, “Joe and I can’t spend all our time in bed.”

Both women laughed. Then Angela sobered up quickly when she thought about David. He was going to pick up Anthony on Friday to take him to the movies. They’d settled that much. Actually, there wasn’t anything else to settle, she told herself firmly.

“He’s going to be Anthony’s Big Brother, although Anthony still isn’t sure he really wants one. We all went sledding yesterday, and then this afternoon we found a Christmas tree.”

“Anthony’s Big Brother,” Rebecca mused. “Hmm. Are you sure that’s all he’s going to be?”

“He’s younger than I am,” Angela said lamely.

“How much younger?”

“Three years.”

“That’s nothing.”

“Maybe.”

“Is he single?”

“Oh, yes.”

“What’s he do?”

“He owns a sporting goods store in the same plaza as Felice’s Nieces.”

“This is David Moore we’re talking about?” Rebecca asked, sounding concerned.

“Do you know him?”

Rebecca’s blue eyes clouded. “No, I don’t. But I’ve heard things.”

Trepidation danced up Angela’s spine. “What kind of things?”

“He’s a football coach.”

Angela nodded. “I know that.”

After hesitating a few moments, Rebecca went on, “Now, I wasn’t there, understand. The incident happened before I moved here. But he was involved in some kind of brawl on the football field and ended up with community service because of it.”

Shocked, Angela leaned against the island. “You mean an actual physical fight?”

Rebecca nodded. “Yep, an actual fight between him and another coach.”

“I don’t understand. How could he keep his coaching position? Why would the community center put him on a list to be a mentor?”

“I don’t know the ins and outs of it. How did Anthony relate to him?”

“By the time David left tonight, they were talking football. I think he’s coming around. But now I don’t know if I want David Moore around him.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Rosewood was one of those communities where gossip spread like an epidemic. Their neighborhood was the perfect example. For a long while, Megan had been the butt of it. Everybody had thought her sister was sleeping with Carly’s husband before Carly and Greg had broken up, which hadn’t been true at all. Still, Rebecca didn’t gossip idly, and a brawl on a football field would have had plenty of witnesses.

“I’m going to have to find out what this is all about,” Angela decided soberly. She’d call David tomorrow and ask him to meet her for coffee. They’d get this straightened out one way or another.

Pushing her own concerns aside for the moment, she said to Rebecca, “Now tell me what you want Joe to wear for the wedding.”

When Angela entered Rosewood’s trendy coffee shop, Latte & Lunch, residents on their way to work or up early for whatever reason were drinking lattes, macchiatos and espressos. Angela hadn’t had any caffeine yet so she couldn’t blame her increased heart rate on that. She’d told herself this meeting with David could be a confrontation, and she was simply nervous.

Underneath that, there was something else and she couldn’t deny it. She’d gone through the motions with him on Sunday evening as they’d decorated the tree and then had supper, all the while still tingling from their kiss at the Christmas tree farm.

Now the tingles were anticipatory ones and she simply didn’t know how to shut them off.

He was waiting for her at a table for two in the corner. When he stood, his expression was serious. “I would have ordered for you, but I didn’t know what you’d like.”

She could see he was already nursing a cup of what looked like black coffee.

“I’ll get something and be right back.” Postponing the inevitable, she thought, not really wanting a cup of latte. But she needed something to do with her hands…something to focus on other than him.

Back at the table, the busyness of the place was almost a comfort because no one was paying attention to anyone else.

“Is this about that kiss?” he asked.

That kiss. She hadn’t given him any indication on the phone of why she wanted to meet. “No. I found something out and I thought we should talk about it.”

“You found something out?”

She could feel her cheeks heating up. “I heard gossip—about you.”

“I see. Want to fill me in?” His hazel eyes were steady on hers, not evading her, and she hoped Rebecca was all wrong about what she’d heard.

“One of my neighbors told me something that was disturbing to me. She said you were in a brawl on the football field while you were coaching.”

Time ticked by as conversations and people swirled around them. “I see. The references I gave you didn’t reassure you?”

“They reassured me when I didn’t know about the fighting. But if you’ve got a temper, if you have anger that erupts like that, how can I trust you with Anthony?”

“Have you seen any sign of anger?” he asked. His voice was stiff and defensive.

“No, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I’ve only been around you for two days. And men who have anger issues can sometimes keep them well hidden.”

Looking down at his coffee, he turned it around in his hands. Then he met her gaze, his voice crisp. “What happened is a matter of public record. I’ll admit, I was angry after my accident. My life had been torn apart and taken a turn I never expected. But I funneled that anger into recovery, into working in a lumber yard until I had enough money to buy my own store. While I did that, I coached.”

“That one particular night, I was coaching a game and one of my players got clipped. The two boys started a fight. The other team’s coach got involved, and so did I, shouting back and forth. In the midst of the ruckus, Coach Witherspoon turned on my player, who was mixing it up with his. I told him to move away, and he swung at me. I defended myself by swinging back. It wasn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever done, but I felt I was defending my player.”

Of course, this situation wasn’t cut and dried. Angela sighed, not knowing what to think. Before her divorce she’d thought she was a good judge of character. David’s demeanor toward the kids had told her he was kind and wouldn’t fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. But she’d been wrong in so many ways about Jerome, and she could be wrong about this man, too.

David took her silence as a request for further information. “The chief of police was in the bleachers, and before either of us could throw another punch, he split up the fight. Since practically the whole community had seen what happened, Chief Raymond didn’t feel he could let it drop. So he suggested we both do fifty hours of community service, mentoring needy kids. That’s how I got into the program.”

“That coach shouldn’t have been mentoring kids if he couldn’t keep his temper in check. What was the chief thinking?” Angela asked, outraged.

“He was thinking that sports can sometimes bring out the worst, as well as the best. He was thinking we’d both gotten caught up in the moment, as well as the players. Witherspoon isn’t a bad guy. I got to know him afterwards. He should never have swung in the first place. And I should never have swung back, no question about it.”

She liked the fact David was taking responsibility for what had happened.

“I can’t speak for Witherspoon,” David continued. “I can only tell you about me. I was twenty-three then and trying to find my way. I’ve learned a lot in five years, and my life has stabilized. I’ve kept mentoring kids all that time and not one of them, or their parents, has had a complaint. Other than the references I gave you, you can go to the community center files to check out the recommendations and reports yourself. Most of all, I think you should look at the man I am today, rather than the man I used to be.”

“I don’t know who you are today.”

“You’re a parent, and you don’t want to take anybody else’s word for it. I get that. All I can say is that experience taught me the kids should come first. I think I’ve learned that lesson well. But you’re going to have to take it all into consideration and then make your decision. Anthony’s your son and you don’t want him around anyone who wouldn’t be the best influence.”

Another man might have gotten angry with her because she had listened to gossip. But she could see David wasn’t angry. He’d removed himself from her, though. The lights of desire she’d seen in his eyes were gone. To her surprise he wasn’t trying to convince her to think his way, the way Jerome often had and still did. He was letting the facts stand for themselves and allowing her to make the decision.

The thing was, staring into his hazel eyes, feeling the tug of attraction for him even now, she couldn’t make the decision. “I have to think about all of this.”

David stood, towering over her. “You think about it. The community center can find you another mentor for Anthony, but I want you to remember something. Hard experiences can lead to change, and I’ve changed my life into something I like now. Give me a call if you want me to take Anthony to the movies on Friday.” Taking a business card from his pocket, he laid it on the table next to her coffee. “My cell phone number is on there if you need it.”

Then he left the restaurant, leaving Angela feeling…empty.

On Wednesday afternoon, David was explaining the benefits of the Alpina cross-country skis to a customer when the phone on the cashier’s desk rang and his manager picked it up.

“It’s for you,” Edgar Pawalski said. “An emergency.”

After excusing himself from the customer, letting Edgar take over, David picked up the receiver, trying not to panic. His dad lived alone at the farm and anything could happen.

Instead, he heard a high-pitched woman’s voice. “Coach Moore? I understand you’re a Big Brother to Anthony Buffington?”

Immediately David was taken back to his conversation with Angela the day before yesterday. He’d been unsettled by the fact that she couldn’t seem to put her faith in him, and he hadn’t completely analyzed why. He’d hoped he’d hear from Angela, but he hadn’t, though he hadn’t heard from the community center, either. He was sure he would have if Angela had told them she wanted another mentor.

“Yes, I’m Anthony’s Big Brother.”

“This is the principal of Rosewood Elementary School. I’m in a bit of a pickle. Anthony was playing basketball after school. He fell and injured his arm, but I can’t get hold of his mother or his father. He says he has an aunt, but she’s away on a business trip. He’s in a lot of pain. When I asked him who else he might want me to call, he mentioned you.”

That surprised David. “You can’t reach Ms. Schumacher?” That seemed unbelievable to him because Angela would always be available for her kids. “Have you tried Felice’s Nieces?”

“Anthony told us she works part-time there, and we’re wondering if her cell phone isn’t charged or if she might have turned it off in transit. He’s pretty miserable and upset. Maybe you could come talk to him until we can reach her? Nothing we say seems to help.”

“How badly is he hurt?”

“I’m no doctor, Coach, but I’ve seen lots of accidents with kids and I think his arm is broken.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Come to the nurse’s office at the elementary school. You’ll have to stop in at the main office first to get clearance.”

“Will do.”

Ten minutes later David had stopped in the elementary school office, spoken to the secretary, and was walking down the corridor to the nurse’s office. He was familiar with the ins and outs of the high school since he coached there. He’d been to the elementary school gym on a few occasions, but had never entered the recesses of the school itself. Normally, the pictures hanging on the cork strips outside the classrooms would make him smile. With Christmas coming, craft projects seemed to abound—from Christmas trees decorated with popcorn balls to reindeer fashioned from paper plates. But he was too worried about Anthony to appreciate the whimsy of the art projects.

When he entered the nurse’s office, he saw Anthony hunched up in a corner of the cot against the wall. The nurse was sitting at her desk at a computer.

He rapped on the door. “I’m David Moore,” he told the nurse before she could get up.

“Oh, Coach Moore. I just reached Ms. Schumacher. She’s on her way.”

“Mom’s gonna be so mad,” Anthony mumbled, his eyes filling with tears. He was cradling his arm and David went over to sit beside him.

“Why would she be mad? It’s not your fault you fell.”

“She didn’t want me to stay tonight because she was working. She said it would be easier for Zooey if I just came home with Olivia and Michael. But I wanted to stay, and she let me, and now she can’t even work ’cause she has to come get me. She’s going to be mad.”