Straddling the Line(51)

Denise told him she'd set him up with someone just as scary as she was once he moved back to St. Louis.

He couldn't wait.

He'd flown home to Springfield and had a long talk with his mother,  telling her everything he should have told her years ago. She'd cried.  Hell, he'd cried, too, and they'd talked out a lot of shit about his  dad. His mother apologized for not being there to help him, and he  shouldered the blame for hiding everything, explaining about how he was  afraid he was going to end up like Dad.

She'd understood, and she told him she was so grateful he'd had Haven in his life.

Yeah, so was he. He promised to bring Haven there so his mom could meet her and his stepdad soon.

Tonight, Haven's network was broadcasting his interview. His life story.  Which meant the revelation about his dyslexia was going to be  front-page news. He'd already told both his coaches and all his  teammates. No one had thought it was a big deal, and many had asked why  he'd waited so long to talk about it.

But he was talking about it, and he was going to keep talking about it.  After the special, the network agreed to do a public service  announcement about dyslexia and other learning disabilities, including  an 800 number for people to call to find out more about assistance  programs. Trevor had insisted, and Haven's producer had agreed that it  would be a great public service.         

     



 

Trevor and Haven had invited the team over tonight to watch. Trevor was  having the event catered, which made Haven roll her eyes.

"I can cook, you know," she said in between showering and tidying the  place up. She'd wrapped up her interview months ago, then promptly quit  her job with the network, which had shocked the shit out of Trevor.

They'd argued about it, too. Trevor had told her she had all these ideas  for interviews. And she'd told him she was trying to find her place,  and while she'd enjoyed the interview, she'd found something she loved  more.

"You don't need to cook for that many people. And are you sure when you  watch this tonight you aren't going to regret giving up your job as a  sports reporter?"

"Absolutely not. Working with you has reminded me of my first  love-education. I'm doing exactly what I want to do-going back to school  to get my master's in special education, so I can work with kids and  adults with learning disabilities."

"You enjoyed sports reporting, but I've seen a real fire lit under you since you decided to reignite your career in education."

She finished setting the dining room table, then turned to him and  grinned. "I know, right? Before my dad died, he told me to follow my  dream. To do what I love. At the time, I thought that was journalism.  And I did enjoy it a lot. But when I started working with you, I  realized that this is what I was meant to do. This is what really makes  me happy, Trevor."

He came over to her and put his arms around her. "You're what makes me happy."

"What? Not a dual career of baseball and football?"

"Surprisingly, no. You come first."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "So do you. I've never been  happier. And I think this-you and me-would have made my dad very happy."

He brushed his lips across hers. "I hope so."

"It's making my mom extremely happy."

He grinned. "I know. I've always been her favorite."

Haven rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

She started to pull away, but he held her tight. "It's true. When you  were sad and depressed over your dad, she called me and asked me to  help."

Haven frowned. "What? She did? When was that?"

"Right before you got assigned the interview."

Haven couldn't believe he'd done that for her. "You orchestrated that interview for me."

"Partly. And partly to be the focus of a feature story."

"You weren't at all interested in that. You did it for me."

"Yes."

Haven took in a deep breath. Even back then, he cared about her. "That makes me love you even more."

"Wait till you see the interview. I'm handsome, I'm charming, I have charisma."

"Don't go overboard."

"I have a nice ass . . ."

She laughed as he walked away.

She was . . . happy. Content with her life, and looking forward to an  amazing future. And for a lot of that, she had Trevor to thank.

If not for being assigned to interview Trevor, she might not have come  to terms with her father's passing. And without Trevor's admission of  his learning disability, she might not have rediscovered her love for  teaching. She'd been honest with Trevor when she'd told him that while  she'd thoroughly enjoyed her time in sports reporting, when she'd dug in  and started working with him again on his dyslexia, she'd discovered a  newfound passion. And it had taken this journey for her to realize this  was where she was meant to be.

Funny how life had such twists and turns sometimes. And how one person could intervene and change your entire life.

She smiled, thinking about her dad. For some reason, she wondered if he  had something to do with the matchmaking, if somehow, he'd maybe put a  heavenly whisper in her mom's ear to send Trevor in her direction.

Knowing her dad, he would have found a way. Because Trevor had come into  her life when she'd needed him most. He'd turned it upside down and  inside out, but she'd ended up happier than she ever thought possible.

She smiled up at the heavens.

Thanks, Dad.





Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoyed Straddling the Line. Over the past four Play-by-Play  books I've had a blast writing about college roommates Garrett, Gray,  Trevor, and Drew, and you'll definitely see more of them in the upcoming  books. The next Play-by-Play book, Quarterback Draw, introduces a  family dynasty similar to the Rileys. Grant Cassidy, the quarterback  first seen in Playing to Win, is the hero. I think you'll enjoy reading  about Grant and his tight-knit but competitive family. He and his  brothers don't always get along, and they always compete with each  other, but they share a blood bond and are always there for each other.  And yes, each brother will get his own book!         

     



 

My next release is Hope Burns. It's the third book in my Hope series,  contemporary romances that take place in the small town of Hope,  Oklahoma. Carter Richards and Molly Burnett share a past, one Molly  doesn't care to revisit. However, she's returned to Hope for her sister  Emma's wedding, so she has to face her high-school sweetheart Carter and  the town she's avoided for many years.

I fell madly in love with this couple, and I hope you will, too. Read on for a first-chapter excerpt of Hope Burns.


Happy reading!

Jaci





KEEP READING FOR A PREVIEW OF

THE NEXT HOPE NOVEL

HOPE BURNS

COMING SOON FROM HEADLINE ETERNAL





THIS WEDDING WAS GOING TO BE A DISASTER.

Molly Burnett didn't know what had possessed her to agree to come back  to Hope for her sister Emma's wedding. Love for her sister, of course.  But she knew what was at stake. She never came home, hadn't been home  since she'd left when she was eighteen.

That had been twelve years ago. She'd moved around from town to town,  state to state, never setting down roots. Permanence just wasn't Molly's  thing. And she sure as hell had never once come back to her hometown.

Until now. Even as she drove past the city limits sign her throat had  started to close up, her breathing becoming labored. If she  hyperventilated, crashed the car, and died a week before Emma's wedding,  her sister would never forgive her.

Then again, with all the sputtering and coughing her ancient Ford Taurus  was doing, it might just do itself in before she had a chance to crash  it into anything.

"Come on, George," she said, smooth-talking the car. "Hang in there."  She didn't have a new-or a newer used-car in her budget. Old George,  currently age fifteen and she hoped heading toward sixteen, was just  going to have to suck it up and keep working.

At the next stop sign, George shuddered and belched rather loudly,  making the two little kids sitting in the backseat of the car next to  her point and laugh. She gave them a smile, then gently pressed the gas.  Obviously having cleared his throat, George lumbered on and Molly  sighed in grateful relief. Gripping the steering wheel and forcing deep,  calming breaths, Molly drove past the First Baptist Church, her  favorite doughnut shop, the florist, and Edith's Hair Salon. So many  places still stood, all too familiar.

So much had changed in twelve years. So much progress, so many new  businesses had cropped up. New restaurants, the hospital was bigger than  she remembered, and they'd widened the highway. When she'd lived here  before, there'd been only one shop to stop at for gas and sodas along  the main road. Now there was one at every corner.

She purposely turned off the main road, determined to avoid the high  school. Too many memories she wasn't ready to face yet. She headed  toward the main strip of town. There was a new bakery, and on impulse,  Molly decided to stop and buy some goodies for the family.