Hometown Hero's Redemption

For the briefest moment, she wanted the same. For Drew to chase her and do whatever it took to keep her safe and make her happy.

Which proved how messed up she was.

She’d had her life planned out since she was sixteen. Devote her life to neglected kids, eventually get married, have a family of her own. That was the funny thing about life. Plans changed. Not always for the better.

Now what? She had no plan. Temporary jobs didn’t fulfill her. She wanted a new life purpose. Something to dig into. Something to make her feel alive again.

In the distance Drew rose and kept his arm around Wyatt. He pointed to a black truck. While Wyatt trudged to the passenger door, Drew marched back to her.

“That was my fault,” he said, head high. “I took a chance bringing you two together, and it blew up in my face. I’m sorry. But I’m still asking you to consider it. Don’t decide now. Give it a few days. I’ll call you.”

Please don’t.

He strode, tall and confident, back to the truck.

She grabbed the ice-cream containers and threw them in the trash. Drew didn’t need her. He thought he did, but Wyatt would be better off with someone else.

Anyone else.

For months she’d avoided thinking about her next move, but this meeting drove home the fact that she needed a long-term plan. A new career. A way to get out of this nothingness she’d been in. But what?

Drew Gannon was dangerous. He tempted her with the one forbidden fruit she’d promised herself she’d never take a bite out of again. Her purpose no longer included helping kids with hard lives. Not even ones who wiggled into her heart and made her want to feel again. Not even Wyatt.

* * *

“See how I’m holding the rod? You want to bring it back like this, then flick it forward while you hold the reel’s button.” At the end of the dock in front of their cabin, Drew demonstrated a perfect cast.

After leaving JJ’s Ice Cream, he’d driven to the elementary school to sign papers for Wyatt’s enrollment. The kid hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten home an hour ago. Wyatt held a fishing rod in his hand, but he’d yet to attempt to cast a line. “Try it.”

With a loud sigh, Wyatt laid the pole on the dock and slouched in one of the camping chairs Drew had brought down. He stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt pockets and stared out at the sparkling blue water.

Drew was ready to pull his hair out. Today had been bad. Really bad. What had made him think springing Wyatt on Lauren would help his cause with her? He shouldn’t have badgered her. Shouldn’t have expected her to help him out, not after the way he’d treated her years ago. Not only had it backfired big-time, but he was no closer to finding a babysitter than before. Unless the college kid she mentioned... No. He didn’t want anyone but her.

Did Lauren still have the same impression of him from way back when?

What did it matter?

If he could just figure out how to get through to Wyatt. He’d always been a big part of the kid’s life. Chase’s career as a wide receiver kept him training and traveling nine months of the year, so Drew had helped take care of Wyatt off and on during football season. Wyatt’s drug-addicted mom had never been around. Even if she had been, she certainly couldn’t have taken care of him.

“Don’t you want to show off your fishing skills when your dad gets out?” Drew kept his tone light. Chase made mistakes—big mistakes—but Drew believed in him and hoped Wyatt would, too.

“Six years from now.” Wyatt kicked at the dock with his sneaker.

“His lawyer said he’ll get out in three if he models good behavior.”

Wyatt looked up at Drew. “Do you think he’ll do it? Get out early?”

Drew lowered himself into the chair next to him, ruffling Wyatt’s hair with his free hand. “Yeah, I do. He’ll do anything to be back with you. He loves you.”

Wyatt’s face fell again.

“What did you think of Lauren?” Drew asked.

He shrugged.

“We went to high school together. I wasn’t very nice to her.”

“Is that why she left without eating her ice cream?”

“Maybe she wasn’t hungry.” Drew cranked his line in a little ways. “I don’t think she left because she held a grudge. Like I said, I was mean to her in high school, but she was probably the nicest person I knew. Very genuine.”

“Why were you mean?”

Drew kept one eye on the bobber out in the lake. “I was stupid. When I was fourteen, I had a crush on her. One of my friends told me she’d never go out with me. He said she was too perfect. I asked one of the other cheerleaders if she thought I had a chance with Lauren, and she laughed. She told me Lauren would never date me, that she thought she was better than everyone. I took their word for it. And my pride made me say things and treat Lauren in ways I regret.”

“She deserved it if she thought she was better than you.”

“No, she didn’t. No one does.” Drew shook his head. “I trusted people who didn’t have my best interest at heart. I should have asked Lauren myself, instead of listening to my so-called friends.”

“What do you mean?” Wyatt’s face twisted in confusion.

“Looking back, I think every guy in my class had a crush on Lauren.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yeah, and some of the cheerleaders were jealous of her.”

“Oh.”

“They had their own reasons for not wanting me to ask her out. Lauren kept to herself, but it didn’t mean she was stuck-up. I hope you think about that as you get older. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

“Like about my mom.” Wyatt got a lost look on his face again.

Whenever Drew tried to talk to him about his mother, Wyatt’s mouth shut tighter than a vacuum-packed seal. Maybe this was the opening he needed. “What about your mom?”

“Forget it.”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“People said things.”

“People say a lot of things.”

Wyatt’s sad eyes met his. “They said she was on drugs and owed that Len guy money, and that’s why he killed her.”

Drew reeled in the rest of his line as he tried to figure out the best way to respond. Missy and Chase had never married. They were together for only a few years before Missy left and got mixed up with drugs. “You and I both know she went to rehab last year and was trying hard to live a healthy lifestyle.”

“Yeah. I was glad when she moved by us. We’d play games with Dad and go to movies.”

“Your dad cared about her. They were even talking about getting back together.”

Wyatt nodded, the corners of his mouth drooping. “Do you think she was in a lot of pain before she died?”

While he was glad Wyatt was finally talking, it hurt to think he had to have his conversation. No kid should have to deal with this. A murdered mom? A dad in jail? Wyatt deserved an intact family—didn’t every kid?

“No. The police said she died quickly.”

“Do you think she’s in heaven?”

He squirmed. This was another one of those tricky areas. Drew had no idea what Missy had believed. “The Bible says as long as you trust in Jesus as your savior, you go to heaven.”

“But what if she didn’t?”

“I wish I could tell you your mom is in heaven. I hope she is, but I don’t really know. What do you think?”

“I want her to be.”

“Me, too.”

Wyatt grabbed his fishing rod and stood at the end of the dock. “How do I do this again?”

Drew showed him the steps. Wyatt’s first attempts didn’t get the line far, but after a few more tries, he cast it out several feet. Drew gave him a high five.

“Hey, Wyatt, we’re going to be all right.” He put his arm around him. “I hope you know that.”

“Do you think Lauren would stay with me while you’re at work?”

Drew’s chest expanded. The kid liked her. Wyatt had already opened up more in the last ten minutes than he had since Chase went to jail three months ago. But Lauren didn’t work with troubled kids anymore. She’d made that clear. What had happened in Chicago to make her quit?

“I don’t know.” This conversation alone hammered it home—Wyatt was dealing with much more than the average kid. He didn’t need a college student around to watch TV and heat up chicken nuggets. He needed to make sense of his shattered family. He needed Lauren. She might not believe she could help him, but Drew knew she could.

And maybe in the process, he could help her, too. Her sunny smile had grown cloudy since he’d last seen her, and he wanted to bring her joy back.

He’d just have to figure out how to get her to say yes.

Chapter Two

“I’ve been talking to Stan, and we think you should offer a class.”

Lauren looked up from her computer screen at the reception desk of LE Fitness the following afternoon. Megan Fellows, one of the Zumba instructors, stood in front of her. Since moving back in January, Lauren had reconnected with Megan, two years her junior, and they’d become good friends, partly because Megan was so upbeat and made it her mission to not let Lauren dissolve into a puddle of depression. What would she think of Drew’s offer?

It didn’t matter. Lauren had made her decision. She needed to stay strong and say no when Drew called. If he called...

He would call. His take-charge personality assured her he would not let this matter fade away.

“What kind of class?” Lauren typed in a new client’s information.

“A tumbling class for cheerleaders.”

A tumbling class? The idea didn’t horrify her. “I don’t know.”

“You keep saying you’re figuring things out, but you don’t have a plan.” Megan’s brown ponytail bounced as she drummed her fingernails on the counter. “And Laney will be back on Monday. What are you going to do?”

The million-dollar question. She had no idea. Megan was right about her not having a plan—every time she tried to figure out her next step, she froze. It was difficult letting go of the dream she’d had for most of her life. She couldn’t handle the heartbreak of social work, but she still liked kids. Tumbling classes might be something to consider.

“I don’t want you to go all hermit-like in your apartment again.” Megan rested her elbows on the counter. Her face had the concerned look that poked at Lauren’s conscience.

“Well, I have been offered a babysitting job.”

“Babysitting?” Megan grimaced. “What ages are we talking? Three? Five?”

“Ten. Do you remember Drew Gannon?”

“Do I remember Drew Gannon?” Megan rounded the counter in a flash and took a seat next to Lauren. “Tall, built and studly? Oh, I remember.”

“That’s him.” Lauren had probably been the only girl in school who hadn’t drooled all over Drew.

“I’ve had a crush on him since I was in second grade. I know he’s a little older than me, but how could a girl not like him?”

“Every girl in this town liked him at one point or another.” Lauren straightened the papers on the desk. “He’s back. Hired in at the fire station. He’s taking care of his best friend’s son.”

“Why?” Megan’s screwed-up face almost made Lauren laugh.

“I’m not getting into all the gory details, but Wyatt will be living with him for several years.”

“A single dad. Maybe he needs some help...from yours truly.”

Lauren swatted at her arm and laughed. “I’m sure once word gets out he’s back in town, there will be plenty of willing female bodies at his door.”

“He’s single, then?”

“Seems to be.”

“So how do you fit into all this?”

“His schedule,” Lauren said. “Twenty-four hours on. Forty-eight off. He needs someone to stay with Wyatt while he’s at work.”

Megan pressed her index finger to her lips. “Why you?”

“My degree. Experience. His mom recommended me.”

“Please tell me you jumped at the chance?”

She shook her head. “I can’t, Megan. You know I can’t.”

“I know no such thing. You can. And you should.”

“Uh, no. I’m not putting myself through it. No more emotionally damaged kids. My heart can’t take it. I’m finally getting back to normal.” If normal included not sleeping well, avoiding any public event and refusing to date any of the men brave enough to ask her out since she’d moved back...

Her new normal sounded sad. Add a few more felines, and she could be a reclusive cat lady.

“You love kids. And this is only one kid. It would be perfect. You wouldn’t be trying to find him a foster home or visiting him at a crack house. You’d be heating SpaghettiOs and helping with math problems. Easy.” Megan snapped her fingers.

Megan always made things sound easy. Unfortunately, Lauren knew better. There were so many factors making the situation impossible. Like the fact that Drew had been a complete jerk to her for years. Sure, he’d seemed caring with Wyatt and had apologized yesterday, but it didn’t guarantee he was a stand-up guy.

And then there was Wyatt. Withdrawn, emotionally shattered—it was written all over him. She couldn’t be simply a babysitter. She didn’t have it in her. No matter how much she told herself not to grow attached, not to fall in love with the kids, she did. She’d love him. And she’d get hurt. If she took care of Wyatt and made a bad decision, it could send him back to square one.

“You want to say yes,” Megan said. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“He was so skinny and small and withdrawn. He was sweet, too. I felt an instant connection.”

Megan smiled slyly. “And did you feel the connection with his temporary dad?”

Oh, yeah. When she agreed to meet Drew, she’d been sure she wouldn’t find him attractive at all. His personality in high school had made him unattractive to her. But watching him interact with Wyatt? Seeing the way he pushed and pushed for Wyatt’s sake?

Made him enticing.

“Um, I guess a little bit. I mean, I have a pulse, and he looks like...”

“A hot fireman.”

“Yeah.” Lauren glanced up as someone headed her way. Phew. Saved by the shift change. “I’m out of here.”

“I think you should go for it,” Megan said. Lauren grabbed her purse out of the drawer, ignoring her. “If not, consider the tumbling class.”

She gave Megan a backward wave and walked out, soaking in the afternoon sunshine. Why was she still thinking about Drew’s offer? She wasn’t changing her mind. She’d made her choice.

She drove to her apartment over the hardware store on Main Street. Maybe Megan was on to something with the tumbling class. Lake Endwell High used to have an elite cheerleading program, but it had been several years since they had won any competitions. Tumbling classes would help, but not enough to get the program back on top.

What Lake Endwell needed was a boost to its cheerleading program.

Cheer academies had popped up all over Chicago while she lived there. One of the foster moms she knew owned one, and Lauren had visited it several times. The students came from surrounding school districts, and they traveled all over the country for competitions. Most of them went on to cheer in high school.

She parked in the lot behind her building. Years of gymnastics and cheerleading qualified her, but she hadn’t choreographed in a long time. And own a business? She wouldn’t know where to begin. While making her way to the back door, she checked her phone for messages.

Drew stood near the entrance. “I called the fitness place, and Megan Fellows told me you just left. She said I could find you here.”

I’ll get you back for this, Megan. She plastered a smile on, ignoring the way her heartbeat stampeded at the sight of him. “What can I do for you?”

“I feel bad about yesterday. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”

“No need to feel bad or buy me coffee. We’re good. Your conscience can be clear.” She tried to push past him, but his broad shoulders blocked the door. He wore loose-fitting jeans and a dark gray pullover. By the strained look on his face, she’d say she annoyed him. Good.

“Will you please hear me out?” The words were soft, low. She let out a loud sigh.

“This isn’t necessary. I hold no ill will against you. I hope you have a wonderful life.” Without me in it.

“You were never good at lying.” The side of his mouth quirked up, and challenge glinted from his brown eyes.

“You’re right. I’m not.” Hiking her purse over her shoulder, she tipped her chin up. “I like Wyatt. I’m tempted to help you because of him. But I never worshipped you like the rest of this town did, and I don’t plan on it now. So go ahead and demand your way, but you won’t get it—not from me. All you have to do is walk three steps and you’ll find someone else who’s more than willing to do whatever you ask.”

He scowled. Maybe she’d gone too far. She hadn’t seen him in years, and it wasn’t his fault her life fell apart, so why was she taking her anger out on him?

And why was she so angry, anyhow? She’d been keeping it together reasonably well for months.

“I don’t want anyone to worship me. I’m just a guy. Someone who messed up most of my life.” Drew crossed his arms over his chest. “I admire you for being straight with me. Don’t worry—I’ll leave you alone.”

“Wait.” She caught his arm. His muscle flexed under her hand. She swiftly pulled back. “I guess one cup of coffee wouldn’t kill me. I know you’re trying to help Wyatt.”

“The Daily Donut?”

She shook her head. “Closes at two. Have you been out and about yet since moving back?”

“No, why?”

Tapping her chin, she realized he had no idea what was about to hit him. “Then let’s skip the coffee and go to City Park.”

“Isn’t there another coffeehouse in town?”

“You’re missing the point. When word hits around here you moved back, you’re going to be bombarded.”

He grimaced. Had he paled? “City Park it is.”

Drew Gannon, scared? She’d never thought he could surprise her, but never was a long time. Why wouldn’t Mr. Hometown Hero have made the rounds when he arrived?

“Give me a minute to drop off my purse.” Maybe a little chat in City Park wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *

Drew strode next to Lauren along the sidewalk. If he was going to have any chance at getting her to help Wyatt, he needed to show her he’d changed. This would probably be his only shot. She smelled fresh, the exact same way she looked. He’d always thought she belonged on a California beach. All-American, pure sunshine.

But the sunshine had sharpened to lightning over the years—she certainly hadn’t held back with her opinion a minute ago. The way she’d put him in his place had shocked him at first. But, oddly enough, he liked her even more because of it.

He’d dated too many women who had their own agendas. He couldn’t remember any of them saying exactly what was on their minds.

How long had it been since he’d been on a date?

Five years? Six?

“Where’s Wyatt, by the way?” She easily kept pace with him.

“School. His first day. I’m picking him up at three thirty.”

“School already? You don’t waste time, do you?”

“I wasted enough time when I was younger. I don’t see the point in waiting when something has to be done.”

“What do you mean?” They reached the last store on the street. A quarter mile and they’d be at the park.

“You know how I was in high school?” He didn’t glance at her, not wanting to see how she viewed him. He could guess well enough. “I thought I was somebody. Didn’t work hard at anything but football, and by senior year I wasn’t even giving that my all. I believed my hype. Thought I was special.”

“Well, everyone around here agreed, so you probably were.” Her dry tone made his lips twitch.

Keep it serious. Show her you mean this.

“I was unprepared for college. I actually thought the coaches were going to fawn over me the way it was here, not that you would know what I mean...”

“I know what you mean.”

“Yeah. I guess you would, but I had no clue. I got to college and was a nobody. Third-string quarterback. For the first time in my life, everyone around me was as talented—more talented—than I was.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to feel sorry for you.”

He shot her a look. There was the megawatt smile he’d missed. He chuckled.

“I had it coming. I struggled at practices, and instead of working harder and giving it my all, I complained about the coaches. Told everyone they didn’t like me. That I deserved to be a starter.” He gestured to the park entrance, and they headed toward the gazebo. “Do you know how many snaps I took in games?”

She made a face and shrugged. “None?”

“Two.” He almost shuddered. “None would have been better. I threw two interceptions. The sum total of my freshman year stats. Two plays. Two interceptions. I gained weight, lost muscle, didn’t attend a team meeting. And I was so dumb, I was actually shocked—and I mean shocked—when I was cut from the team. No more scholarship. No more college.”

“I’m sorry, Drew. I didn’t know all that.”

“Well, you’re the only one from this town who didn’t. I have my doubts about moving back.”

She hopped up on a picnic table and perched on the top, facing the water. Seagulls landed in the distance, and two ladies power walked on the bike trail. The unmistakable smell of the lake filled the air.

“Why did you come back?” Lauren pushed her hair to the side of her neck. The LE Fitness lime-green T-shirt she wore under a black formfitting warm-up jacket hugged her slender body. He liked the way it looked on her.

“Chase asked me to. He wanted Wyatt to grow up in a healthier environment, away from the reporters and the private school full of kids with wealthy parents. He always joked I was the most normal person he knew. He wanted normalcy for Wyatt.”

“You? Normal? Debatable.” She leaned back, resting her hands on the table, and grinned. Understanding knitted between them. The peace of the lapping waves nearby mellowed his senses.

“You gave me the ten-second version on the phone, but what really happened to Wyatt’s mom? And how did you become his guardian?” Lauren crossed one leg over the other and faced him.

“It’s kind of a long story.”

She propped her elbow on her knee. “I’ve got all afternoon.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Where to start? “Chase and I met in college. We were roommates. We had a lot in common, liked the football lifestyle. The girls, the parties, the accolades.”

She snorted. He opened his hands as if to say, This is what you get.

“Chase was more grounded than I was. The guy was pure talent. And he worked his tail off to be the best. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I would have followed his example.”

“Yet he’s in jail, and here you are.” The words were barely audible.

“True. Anyway, he’s my best friend. I refused to come back to Lake Endwell after getting kicked out of college. And even if I could have afforded out-of-state tuition, I had no desire to continue. I was bitter. Worked at a gas station, shared an apartment with a group of potheads. I couldn’t face life without football. Couldn’t face my parents. Certainly couldn’t face my old buddies from home.”

“Some of them would have been supportive. There are some good people here.”

“You’re probably right, but I couldn’t handle it. I’d gone from being the hero to a nobody. Chase was the one who kept me going for two years. He told me I was better than that. Helped me realize I could do something with my life besides football. He fronted the money for me to take classes to be a firefighter and an EMT. A few years later I decided to continue my training and become a paramedic. It was brutal. I almost quit. Chase didn’t let me.”

“Sounds like a great guy.”

“He is.” Drew leaned forward, his clasped hands dangling between his knees. “He met Missy while I was working at the gas station. She was gorgeous, and she liked to party. That was all Chase looked for in a girl. At the time it was all I looked for, too. They fought a lot, but they’d make up just as quickly. She got pregnant his junior year. Moved to Chicago with him when he got drafted. They never married. She left when Wyatt was two, taking him with her, and the next year Chase was traded and moved to Detroit.”