CHAPTER FOUR 

It was a clear, breezy night in Hope Hull. Jack had taken Nora to Memphis for the evening, and the kids didn’t expect them back until late. Hailey walked in from the back porch holding a spiral notebook in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

Jessica was sitting on the living room couch with one knee pulled to her chest as she painted her toenails while watching a muted VHS of The Bodyguard and singing I Will Always Love You as tears lined the bottom of her eyes.

“Are you crying?” Hailey inquired as she sat down next to her sister. “Who watches a movie with the volume turned down anyway?”

Jessica finished belting out the classic ballad before turning the television off and glancing over at Hailey. “I’m a hopeless romantic; what can I say?” she smiled as she went back to focusing on the task of coating her toes in chic black nail polish.

“Have you seen, Grant?” Hailey asked, flipping purposefully through her notebook. “I need to ask him a question about this homework assignment. I promise you I don’t even know how I managed to get through school before he came to town.”

“He’s outside on the front porch talking on the phone,” Jessica said without looking up.

“It’s probably his sister Joanna again,” Hailey said, glancing over at the window. “Yesterday, I overheard him telling her about his plans to get out of dodge after his birthday.”

“He said that?” Jessica asked curiously.

“Well, maybe not in those exact words,” Hailey shrugged.

“I’d go with him if I could,” Jessica said, stars in her eyes. “We would rent a convertible and drive with the top down and the radio blaring, just us and the open road, and I’d have him drop me off in Nashville before he got on to wherever it is he’s getting to.”

“Not me,” Hailey shook her head. “I mean, I couldn’t imagine ever leaving here. I can’t believe that in only a matter of a few months I’m going to have to pack up and move to Knoxville. I know it’s just for college, but it’s a big step.”

“There is always the University of Memphis,” Jessica shrugged. “It’s closer to home!”

“I’ve spent my whole life dreaming about playing basketball at the University of Tennessee,” Hailey shook her head. “I want to be a Lady Vol more than anything in the world; it’s just that it’s always been a dream; now it’s getting close to becoming a reality, and I’m not sure I’m ready for the change.”

“It will definitely be a big change,” Jessica agreed.

Hailey smiled at her sister, but her smile quickly faded into a frown. “This year you rode on an airplane for the first time. You ventured out and saw things that I’ve never seen and did things I’ve never done. I might not have told you, but I was proud of you for doing that.”

“It’s not like I even left the state, Hails,” Jessica gulped. “But I really think I could do it,” she added with determination. “I think I could chase after my dreams…and know that this place would always be here if I needed it.”

“What do you think Daddy will do if we both leave?” Hailey gulped.

“I don’t know,” Jessica sighed. “Maybe things will work out between him and Nora. I mean they did go out to dinner tonight…that’s a start, huh?”

“I don’t know,” Hailey shook her head. “I think he’s just a good friend; she’s hurting and needs a place to stay, so he’s willing to sleep on the couch and wait things out while she either works things out with her husband or decides to go through with the divorce.”

“Emily says it will break Nora’s heart if Grant leaves town before graduation,” Jessica admitted.

“Well, I don’t think Grant has ever been the type to be right up under his mother’s wing,” Hailey scoffed. “He’s going to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it.”

“So, you think he’ll really leave?” Jessica asked.

“Who knows where Grant will end up?” Hailey frowned.

“He strikes me as the sort of guy who has a plan,” Jessica said, watching Grant in the distance as she screwed the lid back on her bottle of nail polish.

“He loved his grandfather, and he talks about Boston sometimes,” Hailey shrugged. “I mean…he did…we really don’t talk about that sort of thing anymore.”

Jessica smiled broadly as she reached up and tightened her peppy looking ponytail. “I’m glad we’re finally alone now. Isn’t it long past time you tell me about what you did on your summer vacation?”

“I don’t know, Jess. It was personal,” Hailey said hesitantly.

“How personal?” Jessica inquired interestedly.

“I don’t really feel comfortable talking about this,” Hailey shook her head as she glanced over her shoulder out the window.

“Did you kiss him?” Jessica whispered.

“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jessica clapped excitedly.

“We might have kissed a couple times,” Hailey admitted shyly.

“Oh my goodness, Hailey! I can’t believe you have been holding back on me,” Jessica gasped. “You’ve got to tell me everything. I’m going to need details.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” Hailey shook her head.

“Hailey, do you have any idea how incredibly boring my life is?” Jessica began pleading. “Living vicariously through your Danny meets Sandy summer romance would be the most interesting thing I’ve done all month.”

“Sorry…I don’t have much of a Hollywood script for you,” Hailey rolled her eyes.

Jessica waved her hand dismissively. “Just cut to the part about the summer lovin’.”

Hailey thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I saw him; he saw me, and it just sort of happened.”

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Jessica shook her head. “You were walking around in those totally unflattering, knee-length, mesh shorts you’re so fond of; your hair was, no doubt, tied back into some hideous knot; you were probably all sweaty and gross, and what little there is of your nonexistent cleavage was undoubtedly flattened by a fashion disaster of a sports bra…and Mr. Abercrombie model out there just walked up to you and was all like, ‘hey, Baby!’”

Hailey groaned. “See, this is why I don’t talk to you. You’re ridiculous! No one said, ‘hey, Baby!’ or anything of the sort! If he had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. Give me details. Where were you when you first saw him?” Jessica begged.

To Hailey’s surprise she began telling her story. “The guys had their camp going on at the same time as ours, and we were all the time passing by them in the gym or between buildings. They were always in the cafeteria when we went in to eat.”

“Yeah,” Jessica nodded. “And…”

“And I was walking back to my table, holding a tray of breakfast food, and I passed by this guy who just stood out.”

“Because he was so hot?” Jessica nodded.

“No,” Hailey shrugged. “I don’t think so. I think it was more about the way he carried himself. He wasn’t like the other boys there. He seemed older and more confident, not silly like the knuckleheads throwing food across the room and not nervous or flirty like the dweebs who constantly tried using ridiculous pickup lines on the pretty girls who somehow managed to find time to come down to breakfast in full makeup.”

“Okay, so you noticed him, and he noticed you. What happened from there?” Jessica begged for more.

Hailey shrugged. “He was sitting alone like he was there strictly for the food and totally uninterested in socializing with anyone around him. He didn’t look lonely, just ready to get on with his day. I have no idea what possessed me to do it, but I went and sat down straight across from him.”

“What did he say?” Jessica exclaimed, much too excitedly.

“I think he was probably a little peeved at first,” Hailey laughed, “but he hid it with a little smirk.”

“What did he say, Hailey?” Jessica blurted. “Gosh, why am I having to pull this out of you? Can you please just tell me how the guy who has it all managed to fall for you?”

“Listen,” Hailey said, irritated. “We met; we got close. I totally embarrassed myself by sneaking over to his dorm after curfew; then, when we got caught breaking the rules, he hurled me under the bus and played innocent…an act he pulls off much too easily. I got in trouble for something that was totally out of character for me; then we left, went our separate ways and never spoke again until the day he showed up here.”

“So you were mad at him when you left?” Jessica frowned.

“Furious but lovesick at the same time,” Hailey confessed. “It was an odd emotion.”

“I think you’re still hot for him, if you ask me,” Jessica declared.

“Well, I didn’t,” Hailey shook her head.

Jessica frowned before letting out a loud sigh. “So he kissed you; he made you fall in love with him, and then he tossed you aside and moved on? He sounds like a player to me…”

Hailey shook her head, surprised by the shiver that ran down her spine as she heard her sister’s words. “He hurt me, Jessica, but I don’t want you to change your entire opinion of him. All of two seconds ago you were convinced that Grant Cohen is everything other guys ought to be.”

“You know how fickle I can be,” Jessica admitted. “One week I’m all about Justin Timberlake and by the next week it’s back to my main man Toby Keith. All I’m saying is, if you ask me, the guy sounds like a player.”

“I admire your loyalty and Misty’s,” Hailey smiled, “but the two of you seem to forget that both of you liked the guy when you met him. Nothing has changed; the past is still the past.”

“I like him fine,” Jessica insisted. “I’m just not sure you realize what I have come to realize in the last few minutes. Namely…you’re crazy about him, Hails! You would give him a second chance to make up for breaking your heart this summer! Wouldn’t you? You’re dreaming of a future with Grant, and all he can seem to think about is how fast he can get out of town. That sounds like a perfect recipe for heartbreak if you ask me.”

“Again…I didn’t,” Hailey shook her head.

“He’s not the sticking around type, Hails,” Jessica sighed. “You need to make peace with that fact right now before you set yourself up to get hurt all over again.”

Hailey thought for a long moment before softly declaring, “still, there is just something about me and him together that seems so right. I just wish I could get a sign or something.”

Jessica wrinkled her nose. “More like…here’s your sign, girl! You got your second chance; all the two of you have done is fight, and now he’s planning to leave. How could you possibly think he’s interested in you, or that the blast from the past you’re holding onto is worth the risks?”

“I thought you were supposed to be some sort of hopeless romantic?” Hailey frowned.

“This isn’t a movie, Hails,” Jessica sighed. “There is no scripted happy ending, and I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Hailey smiled sweetly at her sister, her eyes so full of hopeful innocence. “Ever since I was a little girl, Daddy always instilled in me how important it is to pray, so last summer when my heart was breaking, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I spent time talking to God. My intention when I started praying was to ask God, beg Him really, to miraculously make Grant mine, but, when I started talking, my feelings all just sort of came out and set me on a completely different track than I had intended. Daddy has always told us that just because we don’t get what we ask for when we pray, that doesn’t mean that God wasn’t listening…it might just mean that the answer was no…or no for now.”

Jessica listened.

“I took Dad’s words to heart, and, so instead of begging for something I wanted so badly, I just asked God to do His will in my life. I told Him that I only want what He wants for me. I only want the one person that He has prepared especially for me. I told Him how I felt about Grant, and I asked that if Grant was not part of His course for my life that He take him off my heart. Time went by, and, though the heartache of the summer healed with time, I never stopped thinking about him, Jess. Silly things made him cross my mind out of the blue. On bad days I thought about him, and something that he had said would make me smile. On great days, I wondered how in the world it was possible that someone I cared so much about wasn’t around to share in my happiness.”

“That’s sweet,” Jessica gulped.

“I said all that to say this,” Hailey shook her head. “He never left my mind, and, more importantly, he never left my heart. Then, when I least expected it, when I thought that I had finally moved on, when I had accepted the fact that he would be nothing more than a sweet memory I always carried with me…well, there he was standing in my living room! So, you asked me how I could possibly think this could be right? I guess I just believe that everything happens for a reason.”

“But he wants to leave,” Jessica sighed.

“He has big goals,” Hailey shrugged. “His dreams are too big for this town, and my life is here.”

“Why is it that around here things seem to follow an expectant path that is never discussed, just followed?” Jessica blurted. “Everyone just sort of follows the same pattern. Most just finish high school but even those who do venture off to the University of Memphis or the University of Tennessee for four years come back to Hope Hull to take over work on the farm, get married and raise children who will inevitably follow the same pattern.”

“That’s just the kind of town this is I guess,” Hailey shrugged.

“And you’re okay with that?” Jessica asked.

“Sure,” Hailey nodded. “I mean…I like it here if that’s what you’re asking…it’s home, you know?” Nora got out, but she ended up right back here, she thought but didn’t say.

“Maybe I’m just fooling myself that I’ll ever run off and conquer Nashville,” Jessica sighed.

“At least you have a goal,” Hailey gulped. “Beyond basketball, I just don’t know…”

“We all have our goals, Hails,” Jessica argued. “Surely you have some idea of what you want to do. I mean, I might dream of the Grand Ole Opry, but that doesn’t mean I don’t dream of other things like meeting Paul Walker, purchasing something from Kitson and learning all the words to Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Grant closed the front door behind him as he smiled. “Let’s get real, Jess. I doubt even Freddie Mercury really knew all the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody.”

“Grant, what is it that you want out of life?” Hailey blurted before she could stop herself.

“Right now,” Grant grinned, “I’d settle for a bottle of water and a back massage.”

“I’m talking long term,” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“You look miffed,” Grant commented as he tossed the cordless phone onto the couch.

Hailey threw her hands up in the air. “That’s because I asked you a question, and, rather than answering it, you made a joke…and, sorry, but I’m just not in a joking mood.”

“Regrettably I don’t currently have a printout of my life’s itinerary to give you, but I have an abundance of interests,” Grant said with a raise of his eyebrow. “The rough draft goes a little something like this…Law School at Harvard… maybe land an internship at Meet the Press and trade notes with Tim Russert before I ever have to sit across the table from him and go toe-to-toe… maybe be a Senator’s aide for awhile… clerk for a Supreme Court justice. I could see myself working, in some capacity, for a campaign I believe in during the midst of all that. I’d like to do a lot more traveling and visit some of the places I’ve never been…maybe go back to Africa with a reputable charity at some point…there are lots of things I want to do.”

Hailey took a moment to soak in everything Grant had thrown at her. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the idea that anyone her age could have such clear cut ideas about what it was he wanted to do. She realized that she had never even so much as thought about her dreams beyond playing basketball. She wasn’t even sure what she planned to major in while attending college. She remembered talking to Grant about all the places he had been and being amazed by how much of the world he had seen at such a young age. “Where is your favorite place you have ever visited?” she asked, trying to make conversation without bombarding him with the question she really wanted to hear the answer to.

“My favorite place I have ever been?” Grant repeated with a shrug. “I don’t know that I can narrow it down. Each place I have been is special in its own way; I took something away from every place I lived or visited. Germany feels as much like home as anywhere to me, so I’m inclined to call it my favorite, but there are other experiences I treasure. I went to Africa with my sister because she was working with an organization that had raised money to provide food, clothing and medical care to an orphanage there. Many of the young children I met were around my age, so, over the course of that trip, it would have been nearly impossible not to grow up a little bit. I will always be in debt to my parents for allowing me to go and to Joey for being willing to take on the responsibility that came with having a little kid tag along because the impact of that trip was life-altering for me. As a kid growing up in middle-class America, you can read about poverty or even watch special reports on the news and see the horrific pictures, but, until you experience it first hand and all five senses are engaged, it is nearly impossible to imagine. That was a special trip for Joey and me and part of the reason we are as close as we are today. She looks out for me even when I drive her crazy, and I love her for that. My dad has a close friend with the USO, and I was able to travel with him and a few professional athletes and cheerleaders over to Afghanistan to visit the troops. That was definitely a neat experience, but, probably, the trip that stands out in my mind is going to Vietnam with my dad when I was fifteen. When I was a kid I had an opportunity to sit down to dinner with Hal Moore on more than one occasion, and, no matter where life takes me, I’ll carry his words with me. I don’t have too many heroes, but he’s on the short list. He is a legendary commander who actually grew up in Kentucky but moved to Washington to give himself a better chance of receiving an appointment to West Point, which, I have to believe, is the basis of his longstanding friendship with my father. They are equally hardcore. He was a Harvard man as well, which is no doubt why he is so dang cool. I ask my dad all the time if Mel Gibson is ever going to portray him in a blockbuster, and it really gets his goat every time! But, being able to go to Vietnam with my father and see where the Battle of Ia Drang took place as I recalled stories I had heard told about the Valley of Death was surreal…something I will never forget.”

Listening to Grant talk, Hailey had no trouble recalling what had first attracted her to him. He spoke with such intelligence and confidence that it drew her in. Though he spoke of things she knew absolutely nothing about, hearing him describe them left her wanting to know more. “You have really had an amazing life,” she said in awe.

Grant shrugged. “I witnessed my dad doing the nasty with a woman no older than my sisters. My brother blabbed the dirty details to my mom; now my parents are getting divorced, and somehow I got shipped here to the middle-of-nowhere to finish out my high school experience rehashing third grade with teachers who know no more than what the text books tell them about the subjects they teach. Lucky me.”

“You would leave if you wanted to,” Hailey fired back. “You don’t need anyone, not even your parents, to give you permission to do whatever you want to do in life.”

“No, I don’t need permission,” Grant shook his head, “but there is something to be said for financial stability, and, since I lack a high school diploma, not to mention a college degree, which is a prerequisite for any job worth having, I figure I better hang tight until my birthday, when, thank God for Pops, I will have the means to do anything I want to do.”

“So all you’re really waiting on is the money?” Hailey gulped.

“You sound surprised when you say that?” Grant replied.

“No, not shocked, just disappointed, I guess,” Hailey admitted.

“Disappointed?” Grant asked. “As in you were hoping I would stick around?”

“That whole off-handed comment you made the other day about me stealing your heart,” Hailey shrugged, “was that just some slip of the tongue that you regret, or are you just so accustomed to feeding a line of bull to whatever girl happens to be sitting next to you that you didn’t even realize you said it?”

Despite his impressive repertoire of snappy comebacks, Grant seemed at a lost for words.

Hailey glanced over at Jessica, who, it appeared, had no intention of giving them any privacy. “Grant, can we go outside and sit on the porch?”

“Sure,” Grant began, “just hang on and let me get…”

“Here,” Hailey said, reading his mind and shoving her bottle of water at him. “I haven’t even opened it yet. Let’s go.”

“What are the odds of me getting that massage?” Grant grinned as Hailey practically backed him out the front door.

“Not good, not good at all,” Hailey laughed as she closed the door behind her.

There was a long silence between them, yet it wasn’t awkward.

“Hey, Grant?” Hailey said almost shyly as she sat next to him on the front porch swing.

“Yeah?” Grant said, capping his water and sitting it to the side.

“I wrote you ten e-mails,” Hailey gulped, refusing to continue to ignore the fact that she and Grant eventually had to brave the subject of the summer.

“Yeah, I got them,” Grant nodded casually. “By the third one some of the hostility seemed to have faded.”

“So you read them?” Hailey sighed. “I had started to think maybe you weren’t getting them…that maybe I had the e-mail address wrong or something…but you got them…and you chose not to write back?”

“What did I have to say to a girl like you, Hailey?” Grant shrugged. “I figured the sooner you got over me, the better off you’d be.”

“And, what, in any of those letters, gave you the slightest inclination that I was back home pining away for you?” Hailey snapped.

“Come-on,” Grant smiled. “Do you really write not one, not two, but ten letters to someone you’re not thinking about?”

“Ten letters without a response,” Hailey thought aloud. “Wow…that is pretty pathetic when you think about it, huh?”

“I don’t know,” Grant shook his head. “To tell you the truth, I was sad when they stopped coming.”

“Well, I’m sorry that some of them were a little mean, but I was angry about how things ended between us,” Hailey admitted.

“Yeah, I gathered that,” Grant nodded.

“When I wrote the first letter, I was angry about what happened at camp…how things ended between us,” Hailey said. “But…in the second letter…” Hailey looked away, embarrassed.

“What about the second letter?” Grant asked.

“I wasn’t angry in the second letter,” Hailey shook her head confidently.

“Then you should really work on your communication skills,” Grant laughed, “because letter number two was decidedly more damaging to my ego than letter number one.”

Hailey stood. She walked down the porch steps and into the yard, nervously fidgeting with her hands as she walked. “Yeah,” she smiled coyly, “but I wasn’t angry about what happened at camp. I wasn’t angry about getting caught in your room and being made by coaches and counselors to feel like some promiscuous girl that I’m not. I guess I was angry though…angry that you hadn’t replied to my first letter.”

Grant followed Hailey into the yard. “You mean to tell me that you intended me to reply to that first letter?” he exclaimed.

“Duh,” Hailey nodded.

Grant raised his eyebrow. “Well, I’m sorry, Snookums, but I have always been under the apparently misguided impression that, and I quote, ‘I am thankful you and I will never have a reason to speak again,’ meant that a letter from me was the last thing you wanted.”

“Read between the lines, Grant,” Hailey huffed.

“I wrote back,” Grant nodded, staring at the ground.

“What?” Hailey gasped. “I didn’t get it.”

“That’s because I couldn’t bring myself to hit SEND,” Grant shook his head.

Hailey seemed confused. “Why?” she rolled her eyes. “Because your insults were more pointed that mine, more hateful, coldhearted and clever, and you thought your expansive vocabulary and your off-beat sense of humor might crush my poor, little, country girl spirit?”

“Something like that,” Grant lied.

“I have to know… what was I to you, just some hookup?” Hailey practically yelled. When Grant didn’t respond, Hailey shoved him away from her.

“You know,” Grant smiled, “you really have some anger management issues that need to be addressed.”

Hailey hit him again, harder this time.

“Alright, Sweetheart,” Grant said sarcastically. “Hit me again, and I’m gonna ignore the fact that, despite your best efforts to mask it, you’re technically a girl, and I’m gonna start treating you like you’re just one of the guys.”

“You’re all talk,” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“Try me,” Grant shrugged.

Hailey shoved Grant again, popping him upside the head for good measure.

“Okay, you asked for it,” Grant laughed.

Hailey giggled as Grant grabbed her arms, spun her around and pulled her close to him, squeezing her tight. “Whatcha gonna do now, huh?” he smiled.

Hailey raised her eyebrow as she smiled up at him. “If this is how you’d deal with one of the guys, then maybe you’ve got some issues of your own that need to be addressed.”

Grant laughed easily as he and Hailey locked eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Hailey said, wrinkling her nose.

Grant shook his head. “While I am choosing to abstain from physical violence at this point, I reserve the right to look at you any way I so desire.”

“Have it your way,” Hailey smiled, “but if anybody else sees you looking at me that way, you’re gonna have a hard time convincing them that the longing look in your eyes is actually a clever disguise intended to hide the intense repulsion that overcomes you while in my presence.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” Grant smiled back.

“No, of course not,” Hailey shook her head.

“Should I pick a fight with you, just to be on the safe side?” Grant suggested.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Hailey agreed. “That way we’re both comfortable.”

“Daddy’s girl!” Grant fired at her.

“Army brat!” Hailey barked back.

“Tomboy!” Grant laughed.

“Pretty Boy,” Hailey said, sticking her tongue out victoriously.

“Hick,” Grant winked.

“Prrrr…” Hailey opened her mouth to fire back at him, but she stopped, blushing.

“Say it, Hailey!” Grant urged with a bump of his hip.

“No,” Hailey giggled, slapping him. “I can’t say that!”

“I set you up for the burn and everything,” Grant shook his head. “All you had to do was take it!”

“I can’t stand you!” Hailey giggled.

“I can’t stand you more!” Grant replied as he stared back at her in awe.

Hailey laughed. “Come-on,” she said, grabbing Grant’s arm, “I have to show you something.” Hailey led Grant around back to the barn. “See those woods?” she pointed.

Grant nodded as he glanced at the brush behind the barn.

“I want to show you something back there,” Hailey said, pulling him along with her. The fall night was illuminated by flood lights on the sides of the old barn.

“Wait,” Grant said, stopping short of the trees. “First, there is something I want to tell you.”

Hailey looked into Grant’s eyes, waiting to hear whatever he had to say.

“You asked me if what we had at camp was just a careless fling,” Grant said in a tone less guarded than Hailey had ever heard him use. “The truth is…I never sent the letter I wrote you because it was so honest it scared me.”

“What did it say?” Hailey asked softly.

Grant thought for a moment. “It said that the two weeks I spent with you were the best of my entire life. It said that I thought about you, and I missed you, and I hoped you would forgive me for disappearing like I did.”

“Why didn’t you want me to know how you really felt?” Hailey sighed.

“Because,” Grant confessed, “I’ve spent my whole life meeting people and losing touch. I know how to pack up and abandon one life for the next…friendships don’t last…relationships are brief…. I can walk away from anyone and not think twice about it, but, Hails, walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and thinking I would never see you again…”

“We could have stayed in touch,” Hailey replied. “That’s what I wanted more than anything…that’s what I expected when we left…I never dreamed I wouldn’t hear from you. You were all I thought about.”

“I know,” Grant nodded, “and I can’t tell you how sorry I am Hailey. It’s just that in my world…you cut ties… people always leave. I knew I had to forget you, even though all I wanted to do was see your face again.”

“Did you forget me?” Hailey asked.

“I tried,” Grant replied.

Hailey smiled. “What happened on our last night wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who snuck into your room. I think that’s why I was so angry…I wasn’t angry at you…I was angry at myself. I was angry at myself for being somewhere I had no business being. I was angry that I compromised what I believed in, hoping you wouldn’t leave thinking I was this snow-white picture of innocence who had no idea what she was getting herself into. I was angry that I got caught…angry that we got in trouble…angry that you were upset with me for that reason.”

“I wasn’t upset with you,” Grant assured her. “It’s just that my natural reaction when confronted has always been to blame somebody else, so that’s what I did; I was wrong to let you take all the blame. I have to start taking responsibility for my own actions and stop blaming others…it’s what I wish I had done that night.”

“If my dad knew about this…” Hailey sighed.

“We were just kissing,” Grant smiled.

“Trust me,” Hailey laughed. “My dad paid a lot of money for me to go to camp and polish my basketball skills, not my make-out skills…he would definitely kill me…and you!”

Grant laughed as he looked toward the woods. “What was it you wanted to show me?” he asked.

Grant followed Hailey through the woods in the dark.

“You can’t tell anyone this is back here,” she said as she made her way past tree branches she seemed to know by heart but Grant struggled to navigate. “It’s my secret spot.”

“Your secret spot?” Grant laughed. “You have a secret spot?”

“There it is,” Hailey pointed.

Grant stared up at the faultily constructed contraption in the tree in front of him. There was a row of wooden pegs nailed into the trunk of the tree, and they led up to a shoddily crafted shack. Its crooked, splintery boards looked as though they could collapse at any time, and Grant found himself pondering how this hangout, this secret spot, had managed to survive wind, rain and snow.

“I don’t know whose tree house it was,” Hailey said as Grant examined the rotting wood, “but ever since I found it when I was playing back here as a kid, it has been my hideout. It’s where I come when I’m mad, sad, confused…so I spent a good bit of time up here last summer.”

Grant touched the bottom rung of the ladder, almost sure it would crumble at his touch.

“Go on up,” Hailey pointed. “There’ll be a flashlight on your right.”

“Hailey!” Grant protested. “If you think I am about to crawl up into this little safety hazard of yours…”

“It’s stronger than it looks,” Hailey promised.

Against what he knew was his better judgment, Grant climbed up the ladder in the dark, crawled into the tree house and felt around for the flashlight. He shinned it on the wall, and a giant grin stretched across his face as he read the words written across the wall in big, bold, red letters: I HATE GRANT COHEN.

“Nice touch!” he called.

“Mature, huh?” Hailey laughed as she started up the ladder.

“I like it,” Grant nodded. “It’s challenging; it’s got personality…just like you.”

Hailey poked her head into the tree house entrance, and Grant helped her inside, praying the secret hideout didn’t collapse under both their weight.

Grant and Hailey sat cross-legged across from one another, and Hailey blinked as Grant playfully shined the flashlight in her face. “Stop it,” she giggled as she lunged for his hand, and they found their lips inches apart.

“What do you say you give me one more chance?” Grant whispered, and Hailey melted at the sound of his voice.

“You look like you want to kiss me,” she gulped.

“Guilty as charged,” Grant whispered as he flipped the switch on the flashlight, dropped it to the floor and took Hailey’s face in his hands as they began to kiss.

Hailey was lying awake, hiding under her covers, shuddering each time a flash of lightning lit up the dark room. Jessica and Emily were sound asleep, despite the rain pounding against the roof, the wind howling across the field, the booming thunder and the striking lightning that illuminated the entire room with a loud pop. Hailey had been scared of lightning all her life, but, in the room where she grew up, there was no window, at least not one that wasn’t covered entirely by a chest of drawers. She eased herself from her bunk and tiptoed out the bedroom door. She crept through the hall and snuck into her old bedroom, easing the door closed behind her. “Grant,” she whispered loudly. She tiptoed over to the bed and shook Grant’s shoulder. “Grant, wake up,” she insisted as she turned on the bedside lamp.

“What?” Grant grumbled.

“You have to trade beds with me,” Hailey whispered.

Grant rolled over and looked up at her. “What are you talking about?” he groaned.

“Grant, I’m scared,” Hailey insisted. “Get up and go sleep in my bed.”

“I just got comfortable; I’m not moving,” Grant insisted.

“I can’t sleep in the other room,” Hailey gulped. “The lightning flashes in the window, and I can’t stand it.”

Grant threw the covers back. “If you’re really scared of the storm, then you can sleep in here with me.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re not wearing any clothes!” Hailey exclaimed as she averted her eyes.

“You’re so dramatic,” Grant rolled his eyes. “I have boxers on…socks even.”

“I can’t sleep in here with you!” Hailey insisted.

“Why not?” Grant shrugged.

“Because,” Hailey gasped. “You’re a boy; I’m a girl, and those are the rules!”

Suddenly, thunder crashed, and Hailey yelped as she jumped into the bed. The wind whistled, and she began to sob. “I’m so embarrassed,” she sighed. “I didn’t want you to know what a big scaredy-cat I am.”

Grant put his arm around Hailey. “If you don’t tell me the things you’re afraid of, how can I protect you from them?”

Hailey reached down and picked up Grant’s t-shirt off the floor. “Will you put this on?” she gulped.

Grant pulled his shirt over his head. “Do you want me to get out of here and leave you alone?”

“No,” Hailey shook her head. “I want you to stay; I feel safer with you next to me. It’s just that it’s you, and it’s me, and I don’t know if I trust myself around you.”

Grant grinned. “Well, it is my birthday,” he winked.

“Gosh!” Hailey said, slapping his chest. “You’re so bad.”

Grant’s mind drifted to the low key celebration that had taken place over dinner. Granny Miller had come over, and, after supper, Nora had put a candle in a Zinger, so everyone could sing Happy Birthday. Nora had deliberately forgone the decorations and fanfare that were her signature because, though she tried to hide it behind her loving smile, she knew that Grant’s eighteenth birthday brought with it the independence he had always wanted. Surely, he would disappear, set out to forge his own path and rarely, if ever, think to call and check in with his mother, and that wasn’t something she was in the mood to celebrate. Granny had managed to be relatively pleasant, even if her persistently curled lip spoke volumes about her disapproval, not only of Nora’s living arrangements but of Grant’s budding friendship with Hailey. So, naturally, Grant had made sure to show Hailey a little extra attention, massaging her shoulders and going as far as feeding her a bite of his cake just for the sheer pleasure of watching Granny squirm.

“What are you thinking?” Hailey asked softly.

“I’m sorry,” Grant said after a moment, “it’s just that my brother and his wife called earlier to wish me a happy birthday, and talking to them really got me feeling rather introspective.”

“And that means?” Hailey drew the words out with a little laugh.

“I’ve been doing a little soul searching I guess you could say,” Grant exhaled.

“Grant, before you say anything,” Hailey sighed, “I’m sorry I wasn’t in the best spirits for your birthday; it’s just that you keep saying…”

“I’m gonna stay,” Grant cut her off.

“Really?” Hailey seemed shocked. “I thought…but…okay…wow…why?”

Grant shrugged, and a coy grin flashed across his face. “Well, there’s this girl…”

Hailey swallowed. “This better not be your idea of a joke!”

“I’m good at taking the easy way out,” Grant admitted. “This time I think I’ll stick around and see what happens.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” Hailey smiled.

Grant thought about the money that awaited him and gone were visions of a lavish home in Hyannis Port with its regulation-size, indoor basketball court with a dome ceiling, a complete library with a comprehensive collection of books on everything from political science and military history to Faulkner and Capote, and a silver Camaro parked in the garage. “While I was talking to my brother tonight, something struck me,” he said seriously. “He put his little girl on the phone; she has Autism, and she doesn’t talk or anything, but my sister-in-law said she responded to my voice…she knew it was her Uncle Grant…and she got excited.”

“That’s sweet,” Hailey sighed.

“You’ve got to meet Leah,” Grant beamed. “She’s awesome! And she’s like the cutest kid you’ve ever seen in your life!”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Hailey said seriously.

“She’ll probably be really shy at first,” Grant warned, “but I’ll hold her, and I’ll put my arm around you, like this,” he demonstrated, “and she’ll warm up eventually.”

“You are so sweet,” Hailey marveled.

“Or was that whole story just a clever ploy to get my arm around you?” Grant winked.

Hailey rolled her eyes.

“David and Melissa have really been stretched to their limits with Leah,” Grant explained, and Hailey could tell that his brother’s situation was weighing heavily on Grant’s mind. “Melissa has all but put her life on hold to try and get Leah the best help she can get her. There’s no cure. There’re no guarantees. But they hold on to hope. My brother works overtime trying to make ends meet, but with Leah’s doctors’ bills and all the money they are shelling out on various therapies and specialized diets, they’re really getting behind. Insurance doesn’t even begin to cover all of it. Bills are piling up, and it’s all David can do to keep his head above water right now. I was just a kid when Pops left me his sizable fortune, and I’ve always thought of it in terms of what I was going to buy. I thought about where I wanted to buy a house and what kinds of cars I would drive. He left everything to me, and all this time I thought it was because I was his favorite or something, but that’s not it at all! Pops left the money to me because he trusted me to do the right thing with it. I’d rather ride a bike between classes at law school and struggle for awhile to pay off any student loans than know that my brother goes to sleep at night wondering how he’s going to get up in the morning and start all over again, working from can to can’t and still not knowing how he’s going to pay the next doctor who comes along dangling hope in front of them.”

“We should pray for Leah together,” Hailey suggested.

“That would be really nice,” Grant agreed, moved by Hailey’s genuine compassion for a child she had not yet met.

Hailey reached for Grant’s hand and wove her fingers between his.

“David and Melissa can use the money to pay off what they owe,” Grant thought aloud, “and they can seek further treatment for Leah without having to weigh the costs. They can seek out the most successful therapists in the world, regardless of their ridiculously expensive fees. They can get a newer, nicer house and design a special room for Leah that might help stimulate her mind somehow. They can research and travel and find the best care available. Melissa has always talked about working with a charity that raises money to help kids like Leah, and this will give her the resources to go out and feel like she’s making a difference in her daughter’s life and in the lives of other kids who are prisoners to Autism.”

“You really love Leah, don’t you?” Hailey said, touched.

“You’ll fall in love with Leah the second you meet her,” Grant declared. “It’s impossible not to…she just radiates everything that is good about this world.”

“Do you think you’ll have kids one day?” Hailey pondered.

“Me?” Grant laughed. “I doubt it.”

“Why not?” Hailey asked seriously.

“I just don’t see myself being somebody’s Daddy!” Grant shrugged. “But maybe one day…many, many, many years in the future after I have school under my belt I would think about it. I mean it would be a shame not to pass on genes like these, right?”

Hailey laughed.

“Okay, so what about you?” Grant countered. “Do you see yourself having kids?”

“Are you kidding me?” Hailey shook her head. “There is no way that I would ever even dream of giving birth.” She shivered. “I don’t see how women do it. I have no desire whatsoever to torture myself. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t be opposed to having a baby to love and take care of, but the thought of actually getting it here freaks me out.”

“Okay…and now moving on,” Grant laughed.

“You know,” Hailey said as she cuddled up to Grant’s chest. “I embarrassed myself by letting you know just how scared I am of lightning storms, so how about you tell me something that I don’t know about you?”

“Well, that’s easy; I’m not scared of anything,” Grant laughed.

“Oh, you must have some deep, dark secrets,” Hailey smiled.

“What do you want to know?” Grant asked.

“Well,” Hailey thought, “what is the most scared you’ve ever been?”

“What is the most scared you’ve ever been?” Grant replied.

“Okay,” Hailey nodded, “I’ll go first. The most scared I have ever been would have to be the day you hit your head, and you were unconscious, and I didn’t know if…” Her voice trailed off. “It’s your turn,” she gulped.

“Can we skip scariest day and move on to something else?” Grant sighed.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “Okay…here’s a goodie…what is the biggest trouble you have ever been in?”

“Pass,” Grant grinned. “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” Hailey laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in too much trouble…not until basketball camp when I met you!”

“Figures,” Grant nodded.

“Oh! I remember!” Hailey exclaimed. “Once, when I was twelve, Paul and I were playing a game, and he was being so obnoxious, so, to shut him up, I punched him where the sun don’t shine.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Grant grimaced. “I’ll be sure to keep you on my good side from now on.”

“I got in so much trouble,” Hailey recalled.

“Really?” Grant laughed. “How much time did you do in juvie for that offence?”

“Shut-up,” Hailey rolled her eyes. “It was a big deal for me; I don’t like to get in trouble.”

“Well, I don’t think any of us like to get in trouble,” Grant commented. “Some of us are just more accustomed to it than others, I assume.”

“Hush,” Hailey scoffed. “It’s not like you have ever been to Juvenile Hall either!” She paused. “Right?”

“Only because my dad and my brother have connections and the power to make some things disappear,” Grant replied quickly. “Most kids don’t get sent away to military school to whip them into shape, and most sixteen-year-olds don’t get a tour of a maximum security prison just for kicks.”

“Was that scary?” Hailey gulped.

“Terrifying,” Grant said honestly. “You take a sixteen-year-old kid from middle- class suburbia who thinks he’s too tough to care, and you put him face-to-face with a bunch of murderers and gang bangers, and he gets a reality check really quickly.”

“Did you cry?” Hailey gulped.

“No,” Grant scoffed.

“Did you want to?” Hailey fired back.

“Heck yeah,” Grant sighed. “We were in there about ten minutes before the punk who had walked across the parking lot telling his dad what a stupid waste of time his idea was had become the little girl doing the best he could to hide behind the six-foot-six general. There was a guy with a swastika tattooed on his head, and he was reaching out from behind the bars, bragging about how he bludgeoned his brother to death. The wardens were telling us stories about murders occurring inside the prison, the most creative weapons crafted by the inmates; we walked along death row; we saw the guys in solitary confinement, and they yelled vulgar things at us as we passed by. My dad knew I was doing my best to put on a brave face, but he knew I was scared.”

“Most scared you’ve ever been?” Hailey raised an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately not,” Grant gulped.

Hailey nodded understandingly. “Okay,” she said. “Biggest regret?”

“That’s a little personal, don’t you think?” Grant grinned.

“I’m sorry,” Hailey rolled her eyes. “I thought that was the point of getting to know someone.”

“What’s your biggest regret?” Grant asked with a frown.

“My biggest regret is that I don’t remember my mama,” Hailey said honestly. “My biggest regret is that she never got to braid my hair or teach me to put on makeup, not that I would ever wear it, but I think that’s what mothers do. She never got the opportunity to see me grow up or watch any of my basketball games.”

“Hailey,” Grant sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve been really open and upfront, but, for my sake, can’t we start out with an easier question? I guess I’m not very good at this game.”

“Okay,” Hailey conceded hesitantly. “What is your favorite snack?”

“Yellow Zingers, hands down, but you already knew that, right?” Grant replied confidently. “What about yours?”

Hailey thought for a moment. “Cheese pizza,” she said finally.

“That’s really less of a snack and more of a meal,” Grant shook his head.

“Shut-up!” Hailey laughed as she slapped his arm.

“Just sayin’,” Grant shrugged.

“Yes, you were just saying something sarcastic in hopes of making me forget that you have not answered one serious question,” Hailey blurted.

“You’re right,” Grant nodded. “I’m sorry. It’s just not as easy for me as it seems to be for you.”

Hailey gently ran her fingers through Grant’s hair. “You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything,” she whispered.

“There is one part of me that wants to tell you everything, but there is this other part of me that knows that would be a mistake on so many levels,” Grant shook his head. “I don’t let people get too close.”

“Even me?” Hailey asked innocently.

“Especially you,” Grant nodded. “Like I told you before, Hailey, I walk away from people. That’s what I do; that’s what I’ve had to do all my life. I’m good at it! I’m good at lying because it makes things easier on everyone. I can walk away from anyone and never look back. At least I could, until this past summer when I let my guard down for a brief moment and let this amazing girl into my world. You wrecked my head and my heart, Hailey. I pulled away; I tried to break ties; I tried to forget you, but I couldn’t. You are the only person in this world that I can’t walk away from, and that scares me more than you could possibly know. I’m scared of getting close to you because experience tells me that would be a colossal mistake. In your world, you’ve spent a lifetime building relationships with the same people. You’ve had the same friends since you were a kid; you know how to be honest about your feelings; you trust people not to hurt you. That’s not my world, Hailey. In my world, you don’t get close to anyone because you’ll eventually get hurt. You don’t get personal with people because those people won’t be around long. You want to know something personal about me? Do you want to know what I fear the most? What scares me more than anything right now? What scares me most is that I’ve violated the one rule I live by…for the first time in my life, I’ve given someone the power to break my heart.”

“I scare you?” Hailey gulped.

Grant took a deep breath before answering. “You terrify me because as much as I wish that I didn’t care…I do.”

“Grant,” Hailey shook her head, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s not true,” Grant replied quickly. “In fact, it is ridiculous! We’re both going somewhere. In a few months, we’re going away to college. You’re going to play basketball at the University of Tennessee, and I’m going back to North Carolina to do the same.”

“Come to Tennessee with me,” Hailey smiled.

“Come to North Carolina with me,” Grant replied.

“Grant, going away to college doesn’t mean losing touch,” Hailey insisted. “We’ll talk everyday; we’ll write; we’ll visit all the time.”

“Take it from someone who knows,” Grant sighed. “Promises of return visits are meant to pacify us in the moment; it makes us feel better to say, but, in reality, they almost never happen. Life happens…things come up…friends drift apart.”

Thunder boomed, and Hailey’s heart jumped. She buried her face in Grant’s chest, and he held her close. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re safe with me.”

Hailey looked up at him. “I feel safe,” she said softly. “So how is it that the same person can make me feel so safe and so scared at the same time? How is it that the first time I ever met you I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it? Grant, I have grown up in this little town, reading love stories, watching romantic comedies, dreaming of finding that someone who would take my breath away. For the longest time, I thought those stories only happened in the movies. In fact, I was sure the guy I dreamed of was a figment of my imagination who simply didn’t exist. I know I’m only eighteen, but I had already started to think that I might never find the guy I dreamed up in my head. I’ve known the guys around here all my life, and they are great friends, but none of them can make my heart flutter; none of them intrigue me; none of them make me feel like I’m playing the lead role in a great eighties coming-of-age movie. But you…you do all of those things…only this isn’t a movie, and, as ready as I am for the happy score to start playing, all the complexities to be understood, all the stumbling blocks to be eliminated and the hero to sweep me off my feet and carry me off into happily ever after…I just don’t know if that is ever going to happen with us.”

“This guy you dreamed up in your head,” Grant gulped. “Was he really anything like me?”

“No,” Hailey said, tears lining her eyes, “he wasn’t nearly as amazing because until I met you I had no idea how special one person could be.” She put her hands on Grant’s chest. “He was cute…you’re handsome. He was smart…you blow my mind. He was funny…you make me laugh even when I know I probably shouldn’t. He had admirable goals…you are destined to do great things. He understood me…you complete me.”

Grant stared passionately into Hailey’s eyes as she giggled softly. “What’s so funny?” Grant smiled.

“I don’t know,” Hailey glowed. “Did you know that I had never kissed a boy before I kissed you?”

“Really?” Grant grinned, rather proudly. “I was your first kiss?”

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be any good,” Hailey nodded. “I was so nervous; I didn’t even really know what to do, but it all happened so fast. Was it good for you? I mean…could you tell that I was new at it?”

“Nope, you were a natural,” Grant smiled.

“Don’t smile at me like that,” Hailey shook her head.

“Smile, how?” Grant sighed. “There was no pretense in that smile. It was a generic, run-of-the-mill smile with no subtext whatsoever. However, I would be willing to scowl at you from now on if you prefer that.”

Hailey rolled her eyes, and a dimple that Grant had never noticed before shown in her cheek.

“Oh, see, when you do that it is impossibly difficult for me to maintain my scowl,” Grant grinned.

Hailey put her hands in Grant’s hair again.

“And when you do that, it’s impossible for me not to kiss you,” he smiled.

The kiss was long and sweet; Hailey didn’t even notice the blowing rain or the popping lightning. She was lost in the moment until Grant began running his hand up her thigh, and then her instincts kicked in, and she swatted his hand with hers. “Hands to yourself, Mister,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Grant laughed. He raised his hands into the air. “Better?” he grinned as he began kissing her again.

Hailey laughed as she took Grant’s hands and put them on her waist. “Move ‘em or loose ‘em,” she giggled.

There was something so innocent and appealing about Hailey that Grant found irresistible. She wasn’t a tease; she was simply exploring new boundaries, discovering feelings she didn’t know existed. He couldn’t believe the words that were pouring from his mouth, but, after another long kiss, he showered Hailey’s cheeks with rapid fire, playful kisses. “Alright, let’s not get carried away,” he smiled.

“You don’t want to kiss me anymore?” Hailey sighed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to kiss you,” Grant said, laughing to himself. “I just want to talk to you instead.”

“Okay,” Hailey nodded. She sat up and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Grant shrugged. “I thought I would tell you about the scariest day of my life, maybe my biggest regret while we’re at it, and anything else you think you might want to know.”

Hailey smiled broadly. “Gosh, I’m a really good kisser,” she nodded proudly.

“That’s a fact,” Grant grinned. He looked into Hailey’s eyes, and he froze. “But, I don’t really know where to start.”

“We don’t have to get too deep if you don’t want to,” Hailey said, trying not to sound disappointed.

Grant sensed the dissatisfaction in her voice, and, not wanting to disappoint her, he promised himself he would make a concerted effort at sharing his feelings. “Over the years, as I moved from place to place, things in my life changed. There weren’t a whole lot of constants, and, somewhere along the way, basketball became my focal point. It crossed cultures…it didn’t matter what language people spoke or what color their skin was, they knew the game. The rest of the world is soccer obsessed, so that might have been a more natural choice, but it’s not nearly as much fun to play by yourself. As much as I loved basketball, growing up in my house the mantra wasn’t Wanna be like Mike… but Wanna be like Ike. My older brother did no wrong in my father’s eyes. He was the perfect role model in every way, and, though I don’t remember him at all, I was always expected to live by the example he set. He spent his entire life blazing a path toward West Point, and when I fail to live up to those expectations, my father is going to see me as the failure he’s always feared I would turn out to be.”

“Not going to a particular college doesn’t make you a failure,” Hailey said so defensively it surprised both of them.

“My dad doesn’t see it that way,” Grant shrugged. “In his mind there is nowhere else, so I think my biggest regret is probably that I’m never going to live up to the expectations he has for me.”

Hailey was quiet as Grant thought about the scariest day of his life. He could practically feel the intensity of the heat from the flames burning the hair on his arms. He could smell the thick smoke and see the old man lying on the ground, looking terrified and helpless. His throat burned as he tried to find the words to explain away a year’s worth of lies.

“Are you going to tell me about the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?” Hailey asked softly.

“Well,” Grant thought. “Once when I was hiking through the Amazon, I was viciously attached by an Anaconda, and I had to fight him off with my bare hands.”

“How very MacGyver of you,” Hailey grinned with a nudge of her elbow.

Grant grinned. “Once I had to go with my sister Rachel to watch her boyfriend’s band perform at some dive in town, and they were pretty scary. Honestly.”

“Scarier than the guys in the prison?” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“Yes, only because none of the inmates have the potential of becoming family,” Grant quipped. “That is, of course, unless Joey falls for a convicted client, but I don’t see that happening.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her it’s a serious concern of yours,” Hailey laughed.

“We’ve beat around the bush long enough,” Grant shook his head. “Now it’s about time we tackle life’s truly great questions like, at what point did Jesse Cochran become Jesse Katsopolis? Who in the world is the random, dark-haired boy seen hanging out with the family during the opening credits of season one of Step by Step? And how many versions of Cory and Topanga’s first meeting can there really be? I mean, if they had so little faith that their viewing audience was actually paying attention, then why keep making new episodes? Boy Meets World, but how the heck did boy meet girl?”

Hailey laughed out loud. “I like to think there is a lost episode of Full House that will one day be ripped from the cutting room floor, and we’ll finally find out exactly how Jesse suddenly became a Katsopolis.”

“Yeah, that I’d have to watch,” Grant grinned. “They can air it as a special hosted by the Olsen twins.”

“I’ve got one for you,” Hailey smiled. “What was your favorite episode of Saved by the Bell?”

“I was pretty fond of the Girls of Bayside Calendar,” Grant shrugged.

“Especially Ms. December, right?” Hailey winked.

“Who didn’t love Belding?” Grant laughed.

“Remember that one episode when the younger, cooler Belding brother showed up, but Mr. B had to save the day in the end?” Hailey recalled.

“How about that cell phone Zack carried around?” Grant laughed. “As big as it was, he should have just hauled around his own phone booth.”

“I wish our school had a payphone in the hall. And I wish I could freeze time like Zack did!” Hailey giggled. “How cool would that be to narrate your own life? Timeout!”

“Now that I think about it,” Grant contemplated, “that dude they called Ox reminds me of a much smaller version of Billy Wayne.”

“That is so mean!” Hailey laughed. “But…yeah…I see it!”

“I liked that one episode during which Zack was apparently a star on the basketball team,” Grant added, “though we never heard mention of his prowess on the basketball court before or after that episode.”

Hailey giggled.

“What about his band… The Zack Attack?” Grant laughed.

“Jessica so wanted to be in their band!” Hailey exclaimed.

Thunder boomed, and Hailey snuggled close to Grant.

“Remember how Screech’s curly hair looked after he got struck by lightning; I wonder if that’s how yours would look?” Grant said for no other reason than to prove his theory that Hailey was especially cute when she got all riled up.

Hailey pounded Grant’s chest. “Don’t make lightning jokes! I’m scared!”

“But it’s better in this room, right?” Grant said softly.

“Yeah,” Hailey admitted.

“I can go sleep in the living room if you want me to,” Grant offered after a moment.

Hailey frowned. “Unless you plan on sharing the couch with my dad, I’m guessing there isn’t too much room in there. I’ll just make myself a pallet on the floor.” Hailey doubled the quilt and laid it next to the bed. She took one of Grant’s pillows and fluffed it before dropping it into place.

“You take the bed, and I’ll take the floor,” Grant smiled.

“You sure?” Hailey asked.

“Believe it or not, I do know a thing or two about being a gentleman,” Grant scoffed.

Hailey crawled back into bed, and Grant stretched out on the floor.

“Goodnight, Grant,” Hailey smiled, her arm dangling off the bed.

Grant wove his fingers into Hailey’s, and, bringing her hand to his lips, kissed it gently. “Goodnight.”

Hailey and Grant were already sitting in the bleachers waiting for the rest of the team to arrive when Paul walked in flanked by Joe John and Billy Wayne.

“Well, if it isn’t Athos, Porthos, and Aramis,” Grant quipped.

Hailey looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

“The three musketeers,” Grant rolled his eyes.

“And that would have been too simple to say, huh?” Hailey shrugged.

“What’s the deal?” Paul asked as he dropped his backpack to the floor. “We got the message that Coach doesn’t want us to dress out for practice.”

Coach Nelson walked in as the rest of the team slowly straggled in behind him. “Glad you could all make it to practice today,” he announced. “Go on and have a seat. I’ve been talking to your teachers, and today, instead of scrimmaging, we’re going to take some time out to get caught up on our studies.”

“Dad,” Hailey sighed, “all day while we’re doing school work, we look forward to practice where we’ll finally get to let loose and do what we love.”

“And we’ll get back to that tomorrow,” Coach Nelson nodded, “but today, we are going to exercise our minds.”

“You’re joking, right, Coach?” Joe John laughed.

“No,” Coach Nelson shook his head, “come-on, guys, stop wasting time and get out your homework. I’m going to pair you off, so you can work with a partner.”

“What if we prefer to work by ourselves?” Grant rolled his eyes.

“This is an exercise in teamwork, Grant,” Coach Nelson said evenly. “Why don’t you and Billy Wayne start out working together?”

“Coach, are you freaking kidding me?” Grant grumbled. “Bubba ain’t got both oars in the water.”

“Grant, be nice. He’s not stupid,” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“You’re right. He would have to get smarter just to be considered stupid,” Grant smiled.

“And you’d have to get nicer just to be considered a cold-hearted grump,” Hailey declared.

Grant winked back at her, and Hailey couldn’t help but grin.

“That’s enough,” Coach Nelson waved his hands. “Hailey, you turn around and get to work with Paul.”

“I didn’t fare so good on my vocabulary quiz this week,” Billy Wayne frowned as he pulled the test paper from his backpack. “I guess I just don’t get it,” he said, examining the paper cluelessly.

“It was matching, Billy Wayne,” Grant exhaled, fighting the urge to bang his head against the bleachers.

“Uh huh,” Billy Wayne nodded unphased, “but some of these here words I ain’t never heard before. I studied the list she give us, but I got these marked wrong. What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?”

“I don’t know, and I couldn’t care less,” Grant said, deadpan.

A doe-eyed Billy Wayne stared back at Grant, confused, as though he had been certain that Grant knew everything.

Hailey bit her bottom lip as she tried to stifle a giggle.

“Grant don’t know these answers either,” Billy Wayne frowned.

Grant leaned back in the bleachers, getting comfortable for what he knew would prove to be a very long afternoon. “You know, Billy Wayne, a very wise man once said, ‘tis better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.’”

“Dad!” Hailey called insistently. “Can I please switch partners? Paul doesn’t understand this math homework any more than I do. This is not helping either one of us.”

“Okay then,” Jack nodded. “You and Billy Wayne go ahead and trade places.”

Hailey gathered her book and her notebook and slid over toward Grant. They began working through her math homework, and she was amazed by the uncharacteristic patience with which Grant talked her through the problems.

“Don’t do it for me; teach me how to do it,” she smiled when Grant got in a hurry.

“I’m sorry,” Grant nodded understandingly. “Okay…let’s look at this again.”

Grant had an easy way of making her understand things. Though he understood the complexities of the equations on a much deeper level than she could grasp, he was able to explain each step in laymen’s terms that made solving each problem a piece of cake. There was a kindness in his voice when he spoke to her, and, as he helped her with her homework, for a brief moment, she felt like they were the only two people in the room.

“As much as I keep trying to tell myself that you and I are meant to be,” Hailey whispered, “reminders keep creeping in as if to thrust me back into reality. And the reality is…you and I couldn’t be more different.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Grant countered.

Hailey closed her book. “You’ve been to China; I’ve never even been to a Chinese restaurant. You’ve been in a prison; the only time I’ve ever been to jail I could not pass go and could not collect 200 dollars. You speak nine languages, and I’ve recently discovered that I barely speak English. You’re a genius, and I’m…well, apparently too dumb to even come up with a creative word for dumb right now!”

“Okay,” Grant said with a sarcastic raise of his eyebrow, “well, thankfully I’m brilliant enough to decipher your English; I’ll buy you a thesaurus, take you to a Chinese restaurant, and, FYI, while I have been inside a prison, I haven’t been in a prison per say, and we don’t really want anyone getting confused about that, so if you could keep this particular rant down a decibel or so, that would be fantastic.”

“I hate you,” Hailey rolled her eyes.

“Back at ya, Sista,” Grant winked.

“Could you two please stop all your whispering?” Paul bellowed.

“Paul, quit wasting time looking around and get to work,” Coach Nelson snapped as he looked up from helping one of his freshmen proofread a book report.

“Coach, I just don’t understand this stuff,” Paul whined. “And I’m not exactly working with Einstein here.”

“Perhaps another one of your teammates would be willing to help you,” Coach Nelson nodded.

“I’d rather fail,” Paul said coldly.

“Fail and sit out or swallow your pride and ask for help; it’s totally up to you,” Coach Nelson shrugged.

Paul rolled his eyes. “Cohen,” he grumbled, “can you help me with this calculus?”

Grant flashed a hateful glance in Jack’s direction.

“He’d be happy to,” Jack nodded. “Right, Grant?”

“Thrilled,” Grant rolled his eyes.

“Working together and learning to rely on one another is the whole idea behind this experiment. Come-on, we’re a team, guys,” Coach Nelson shook his head.

Grant snickered as he looked around. “Exactly, we’re a basketball team, and obviously not one vying for the title at the next Scholar’s Bowl, so can we just play some hoops and skip the bonding session?”

“Why can’t you ever be positive?” Hailey snapped. “It’s one negative after another with you!”

“Well,” Grant snapped back, “if you and your buddy Paul would ever catch on to the simplistic fact that two negatives make a positive, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation, now would we?”

“Coach, can’t we just get back to doing what we’re good at?” Joe John Jordan pled.

“Too bad I’m not in the mood to go milk a cow,” Grant muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?” Joe John insisted. “Why don’t we take it to the court?”

“Let’s be honest,” Grant scoffed, “you didn’t exactly hone your skills with cousin Michael.”

“Who?” Joe John bellowed. “I ain’t got no cousin Michael.”

Grant smiled as he rolled his eyes. “I was referring to the Jordan with a slightly better tan and, also in contrast to you, an entire arsenal of skills essential to this game.”

Hailey grabbed hold of the back of Grant’s t-shirt. “Excuse us for just one second,” she grumbled as she forced Grant to his feet.

“Oh, come-on, Hails,” Grant sighed, “you know he would never even step foot on the court if he wasn’t Principal Jordan’s son. The guy was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.”

Grant and Hailey disappeared around the corner of the bleachers, and, for a long moment, they just stared at one another.

“I’m not impressed!” Hailey declared.

“Well, pity, my latest attempt to woo you hath failed,” Grant shrugged sarcastically.

“I mean it, Grant,” Hailey scolded. “Would it kill you to resist one snide remark every now and then?”

“Oh, trust me, I show considerable restraint,” Grant nodded confidently.

“I just don’t get it,” Hailey frowned. “You’re amazing in every way. You’re sweet; you’re kind; you’re caring, but, for some reason, you don’t want that secret getting out.”

“Hailey,” Grant sighed, “when I made the decision to stay, it had everything to do with figuring out what is going on between us and nothing to do with anyone else. I know these guys are your friends, and that’s fine, but…”

“I’m not asking you to hang out with them outside of school and team obligations,” Hailey argued insistently, “but, for me, can’t you just be a little less of a smart-aleck and a little more of the sweetheart I know you to be.”

“For you, huh?” Grant smiled.

Hailey winked at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him. “Please?”

“Okay,” Grant sighed, hugging her, “you got me. I know I can be stubborn, but I like that you believe in me, even if the primary reason seems to stem from the fact that you’re too trusting and goodhearted to know any better.”

“If having faith in you is a mistake, then I guess I’m going to find it out the hard way,” Hailey declared.

Grant kissed the top of Hailey’s head. “What do you say we get back before we blow our cover?”

Hailey glanced up at Grant and smiled. “You might have chains around your heart, Grant, but, someday, someone will find the key.”

As Grant watched her walk away, he could only nod as he closed his eyes and massaged the temples of his head.

Paul worked in the school office during fourth period, and, since there wasn’t much to do, he was usually just asked to straighten papers or dust the desk. This particular day, his eyes fell on the file cabinet, curiosity got the best of him, and he couldn’t resist taking a little peek. He checked to make sure no one was coming, and, once the coast was clear, he began glimpsing through the file folders. When he ran across a large, red folder, reading COHEN, GRANT, he just couldn’t resist a peek. As he began to scan through the papers, he knew he had struck gold.

Grant was standing in front of his locker, thumbing through a spiral notebook, looking for his fifth period homework when Paul walked up practically licking his chops. Hailey and Misty were standing next to Misty’s locker when Paul zoomed past without so much as a word.

“Hey, Cohen?” Paul called.

“How may I help you, Mason?” Grant said, not looking up from his notebook.

“We need to talk,” Paul said, grabbing Grant’s arm. “It’s about Hailey,” he added.

“What about her?” Grant shrugged, stepping away from Paul.

“She’s my friend,” Paul began.

“Congratulations,” Grant said as he tossed his notebook into his locker, slammed the door shut and started to walk away.

“I want you to stay away from her,” Paul said sternly, as if there was an unspoken threat attached.

Hailey and Misty walked toward the boys. “What’s going on?” Hailey asked, glaring at Paul.

“Hailey, there are some things about Grant I think you should know,” Paul insisted.

Grant glanced questioningly at Paul, wondering what he could be talking about. “Oh, great oracle of Hope Hull High, what great maxim shall you impart upon us today?” he asked sarcastically.

“I read your disciplinary file,” Paul nodded with a fake smile.

“What? You read his file?” Misty exclaimed.

“Well, most of it,” Paul nodded, undeterred by his girlfriend’s implication that he had done something wrong. “I couldn’t get through all of it…it’s pretty thick…huh, Grant?”

“What’s your point?” Grant replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Just as I suspected all along, this guy is nothing but trouble,” Paul said as he turned to Hailey. “He’s bad news, Hails.”

“Yeah, and if you’d read enough, you’d know you’re messing with the wrong guy,” Grant said confidently.

“See what I mean,” Paul pointed. “He just threatened me! He’s a real punk, Hailey, and I’ve got proof.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Hailey shrugged.

“You’re the one living with a criminal,” Paul sighed as he put his hand on Hailey’s shoulder. “Hailey, I’m concerned about you being in the same house with this guy… I’m talking fraud, multiple assaults, disorderly conduct…arson.”

“Espionage and treason,” Grant added with animated sarcasm.

Hailey turned to Grant. “Is he lying?” she asked hesitantly.

“He’s exaggerating,” Grant gulped.

“Someone comes out here and accuses you of being a criminal, and that’s all you and your high-powered vocabulary can come up with to defend yourself?” Hailey sighed.

“What do you want me to say?” Grant shrugged. “I don’t have to defend myself to anyone. Not to you and certainly not to him.”

Hailey nodded. “No, I guess you don’t,” she sighed. She thought for a second. “I guess I just thought you might want to.”

“Hailey, I saw it all in black and white,” Paul persisted. “Arson, assault…any way you spin it, it’s a big deal!”

“And you couldn’t wait to come and tell her about it, could you?” Grant snapped.

“I’m protecting her,” Paul insisted.

“From what?” Grant huffed.

“From you,” Paul pointed. “I’m warning you to stay away from her.”

Grant started to reply, but the fact that he didn’t have to brought a smile to his face.

“You have no right to come out here accusing him of things you read while snooping around in his file, you hypocrite,” Hailey said angrily.

“Hailey?” Paul pled, shocked that she had shifted the blame to him.

“No,” Hailey shook her head. “You had no right to read his private file, just like you have no right to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with! Who in the world do you think you are, Paul Mason?”

“I thought I was one of your best friends,” Paul fired back. “I was only doing what friends do.”

“Hailey, he’s only trying to look out for you because he cares about you,” Misty reasoned, trying to defend Paul’s actions.

“He’ll drag you down with him,” Paul told Hailey.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “He’s not dragging me anywhere, Paul. Where is all this coming from?”

“He’s trouble, Hailey,” Paul insisted. “And…and…well, I just don’t think he’s good for you, the reputation of our town, our school or our basketball team.”

Hailey nodded slowly as she crossed her arms. “Oh, I see,” she chuckled. “This isn’t about me at all…it’s about you.”

“What?” Paul argued.

“You’re jealous of him,” Hailey fired back. “He’s a better basketball player than you are; he’s got bigger muscles, a better shot; everyone knows he’s a lot smarter than you’ll ever be, and he’s a bit of a hottie to boot…you’re jealous. You’re so jealous in fact that you’ve turned into somebody I don’t even know anymore. This isn’t about protecting me; it’s all about protecting you, your scoring record and your precious ego.”

“Hailey!” Misty exclaimed. “Do you hear yourself?”

Hailey laughed angrily. “You are so used to being number one. You’ve spent your whole life playing the role of the big man on campus, and now it is eating you up to have to step back and concede the fact that the new guy in town is superior in every way.”

“I don’t believe this,” Paul barked back at Hailey. “Does our friendship mean nothing to you?”

“Hailey, he’s just trying to keep you out of trouble,” Misty interjected on Paul’s behalf. “You don’t have to be so mean.”

“The only one who has done anything wrong here is him, Misty,” Hailey said calmly. She turned to Paul. “I can’t believe you would go into another student’s file…it’s just not right…you should be expelled!”

“Maybe so,” Paul conceded, “but, regardless…I did go in his file, and I read it, and I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t share with you the things I discovered. It’s ugly, Hails…like nothing you’ve ever been exposed to…and I’m worried about you. He’s dangerous.”

“That’s not true,” Grant shook his head.

“Of course it’s not true,” Hailey agreed.

“Tell that to all the people he’s hurt,” Paul scoffed.

“Hailey, I can explain,” Grant insisted.

“Go ahead,” Paul shrugged. “Did the fire start itself?”

“What fire?” Hailey gasped.

“Did you not hear me mention arson?” Paul pled.

“I wasn’t really sure what that meant,” Hailey admitted. “I was going to ask Grant later.”

“It means that this pyromaniac burned down some gas station in North Carolina,” Paul declared.

“Paul, what are you talking about?” Misty begged.

“I don’t care what he tells you. I did not start that fire,” Grant said, looking deep into Hailey’s eyes. Suddenly his eyes flashed to Paul. “And if you had researched a little more thoroughly, you would know that a judge agreed with me.”

“Maybe so, but your basketball coach didn’t believe you, did he?” Paul fired back. “Nah…you promptly got kicked out of tournament league, and you were on probation with your school team, weren’t you? That’s sad, really…I mean as good as you are at basketball, and still you were too much of a liability.”

Grant glanced at Hailey. She was taking in everything Paul was saying, and he saw uncertainty filling her eyes. Suddenly she didn’t know who to believe, and that worried her. She thought back to the summer; it all flooded back to her in a way it hadn’t since she and Grant’s worlds had collided for a second time. Maybe Grant had done some things she wouldn’t approve of, but she knew there was something about him that just wouldn’t let her let go of the hope that beyond the tough exterior existed the boy who had changed her life the day he entered it. As Hailey looked at Grant, his forehead wrinkled in frustration, she was suddenly sure that, though she couldn’t seem to define it, she felt a certain way about him that she’d never feel about anyone else.

Grant turned away. “I have to go,” he said. When Paul dared to step in his way, Grant was pushed to his breaking point. Without a second thought, he buried a right hook in Paul’s jaw. Instantly, the two began to throw punch after punch, slamming each other into lockers as they went back and forth across the hall.

“Fight!” an excited freshman announced. “Fight!”

From the onset, it was obvious this wasn’t going to be a little tussle that occasionally breaks out in school hallways; instead, it was a screaming, cursing, blood- flying, knock-down-drag-out. A crowd of onlookers gathered, and Hailey and Misty clinched hands, forgetting that they were mad at each other.

Paul slung Grant into a row of metal lockers, his back slamming against them so violently that the sheer momentum threw him back toward Paul. Hailey screamed, but Grant retaliated with the quickness that made him one of the top high school point guards in the country. He tackled Paul to the ground, and his punches came one after the other without restraint. As Grant took control of the fight, Paul’s friends, who previously felt content to stand by and watch, came to his rescue, and, what had been an intense one-on-one fist fight, quickly escaladed into a terrifying five-on-one brawl.

Hailey watched as two boys pulled Grant off of Paul. Thinking that they had stepped in to break up the fight, she breathed a sigh of relief. As she realized that they, nor the two who were helping Paul to his feet, had no intentions of stopping the fight, her heart jumped. Grant jerked away from the two teammates holding his arms; his eyes moved back and forth quickly as he stood in the middle of the circle that Paul and the others had formed around him.

“Y’all, stop it!” Hailey screamed. “Stop right now!”

“Help!” Mrs. Simmons called as she hurried down the hall from her classroom. “Principal Jordan! Coach Nelson! There’s a fight! Kids, go on now…the rest of you get on to your classes!”

No one budged.

Hailey turned to Misty. “Misty, I’m scared,” she gulped, and she could tell by the look on Misty’s face that she was scared too. She glanced behind her at Jessica and Emily, who stood frozen by fear of what would happen next.

Hailey had seen enough. She charged toward the circle, but, before she could sling herself in front of Grant and dare her friends to move, Joe John grabbed Grant from behind. “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us,” he said as Paul buried his fist in Grant’s stomach. Two more hard punches followed, and Grant sank to the ground, the other boys converging on top of him, each taking their shots at him as he did all he could to fight back.

“Get off of him!” Hailey cried as she began tugging at the top of the pile. “Stop it! Are y’all crazy? Get off him!” As she tried desperately to clear the pile, she was inadvertently hit with a sharp elbow and landed hard on her backside in the middle of the hallway floor just about the time Coach Nelson and Principal Jordan heard the ruckus and arrived to break up the fight.

Misty and Jessica moved to help Hailey to her feet. “Are you okay?” they sighed.

Hailey didn’t reply. She jumped to her feet and rushed to Grant’s side, eager to know that he wasn’t seriously hurt. He was bleeding, gasping and coughing as she threw her arms around him and looked around at her teammates feeling lonely, furious and betrayed.

“Okay, show’s over! Get to class!” Jack yelled forcefully as he shuffled the onlookers away. “Who started this?” he demanded, and a piercing mixture of anger and disappointment shot from his eyes.

“He did! Grant started it,” Paul pointed, his nose gushing blood onto his shirt and the floor.

Grant didn’t say anything; he just began to stand slowly, eyeing Paul as though he was somehow eager to begin round two.

“Hold up…” Jack said as he threw his arm in front of Grant.

“You aren’t nothin’ but trouble are you, boy?” Principal Jordan laughed as he moved toward Grant.

“Oh, come-on, John,” Jack barked. “You haven’t even heard his side of the story.”

“Joe John, tell me what happened here,” Principal Jordan demanded of his son.

“Paul didn’t start the fight,” Joe John shook his head as he faithfully placed his hands on Paul’s shoulders.

“Why don’t you tell your daddy how you jumped in and held Grant back while Paul took free shots at him?” Hailey yelled. “I thought you were raised better than that Joe John; I really did.”

“What was I supposed to do, stand there and let my best friend get his butt kicked instead?” Joe John argued. “Unlike you, I’m not interested in turning my back on my friends. I don’t know if you’ve got a crush on lover boy or what, but you’ve changed, Hails. We used to be a team…now look at us.”

“I did look, and do you know what I saw?” Hailey exclaimed. “I saw Paul getting pulverized, and rightfully so, before you and the rest of you numbskulls loyally rushed in and turned a fight into a dangerous game of payback.”

“Hailey, calm down, Darlin’, so we can get to the bottom of this,” Principal Jordan shook his head.

“Grant didn’t do anything, Daddy!” Hailey insisted. She walked toward Paul and poked him hard in the chest. “Paul went snooping in Grant’s disciplinary file,” she announced. “That’s how this whole thing got started. It’s Paul’s fault.” Then she reared back and kicked him in the shin.

“Coach!” Paul squealed as he grabbed his leg.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Come here, Fireball,” he groaned as he grabbed his daughter’s arm.

“Who threw the first punch?” Principal Jordan asked, and he looked at Grant for the answer.

“Not me,” Paul shook his head with a grin.

“Oh, you’re asking for it,” Hailey declared as she hauled off and kicked Paul again.

“Coach, do something with her!” Paul yelped, almost in tears as he rubbed his shin.

Hailey dodged her father’s grasp just long enough to deliver a repeat performance of the most trouble she had ever been in! Paul let out a cry as he fell to the floor that made every other man in the hallway wince.

Though Grant would have previously stated unequivocally that he wouldn’t wish such a fate on his worst enemy, in typical politician fashion, he flip-flopped on the issue. Then he quickly reminded himself that it was in his best interest never to have any reason to be on the receiving end of Hailey’s wrath.

“Would you get ahold of yourself, please, young lady?” Jack scolded, pulling Hailey back toward him. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Grant’s gotta have a little girl fightin’ his battles,” Billy Wayne mocked.

Hailey faked a lunge at Billy Wayne that made him flinch. “You want a piece of me, Big Boy?”

“If you have her under control, I would like to move on,” Principal Jordan gulped, and Jack nodded. “Who threw the first punch?” the principal asked again, and he continued to stare at Grant.

“I guess that was me,” Grant sighed.

“Figures,” Principal Jordan nodded. “I intend to punish you all. Grant, you can come to my office, and we’ll talk expulsion.” He turned away, muttering under his breath, “I had always heard that all you military brats are just alike.”

“Yeah, well so are all of you disciplinarian-wannabes,” Grant shot back. “I’ve got news for you. Your administrative skills make Mr. Belding look like principal of the year. Your law enforcement prowess makes Barney Fife seem competent. And what I know thus far of the good pastor and his family makes me want to send money to Benny Hinn in hopes he can deliver me out of here.”

“Excuse me?” Principal Jordan gasped, his face stiffening in amazement.

“Shall I ask him to aid your hearing as well?” Grant shrugged. Then he spouted off something in rapid Italian and smiled.

“Oh, you’ve done it now,” Principal Jordan pointed.

“You don’t even know what I said,” Grant said in a disgusted monotone.

“What did you say?” Principal Jordan demanded.

“We military brats never reveal our secrets,” Grant winked.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Jack broke in. He faced Grant with a stern look of disapproval. “If you stop now, I might can help you, but if you don’t shut your smart mouth real soon, you’re gonna bury yourself. Do you understand me?”

“The faster I get out of this place, the better,” Grant shrugged.

“I don’t believe that,” Jack replied.

Grant flexed his wrist. “I don’t need this place…”

“I think you’re wrong,” Jack said calmly.

Grant and Hailey met eyes for a long moment before Grant hung his head and softly muttered, “listen, I didn’t mean…”

“Shh,” Hailey said, hugging him and rubbing his back comfortingly. “It’s okay.”

Coach Nelson looked around at his starting line up cut, bloody and bruised. “John, how about letting me handle this?” he suggested as he pulled Principal Jordan to the side. “This really is a team conflict more than anything else. I’ll take care of it on the court.”

“Listen, Jack,” Principal Jordan said seriously. “This kid is bad news for all of us. You would be doing us all a big favor if you let me expel him and send him back where he came from.”

“Being sent to yet another school is the last thing this kid needs,” Jack insisted.

“Jack, do you know this kid’s reputation?” Principal Jordan sighed.

“Yeah,” Jack nodded confidently. “I do know this kid’s reputation, but I also feel like I’m getting to know this kid. Give me a chance to get to know him a little better, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll all end up better off.”

Principal Jordan moved to join his wife in attending interestedly to Joe John’s rather minor bruises. “I don’t know that he deserves another chance after this, Jack.”

“Go on now, Joe John,” Jack urged. “You’re fine. That barely qualifies as a shiner, Boy!”

Principal Jordan stared at Grant, angry that the school day had been disrupted so.

“You stand in the pulpit every Sunday, John,” Jack said with conviction. “You preach moving sermons that give us all reason to pause, and I, for one, am so thankful that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ offered me salvation that I have done nothing to deserve. Shouldn’t we learn something from His shining example and offer this kid our love and our patience, rather than our condemnation?”

Principal Jordan closed his eyes, seeming to take Jack’s words to heart. After a long, thoughtful moment, he glanced over at Hailey, her arms around Grant, and he sighed. “Jack, I’ve known Hailey Jane all of her life, and I know how you’ve raised her. You’ve done a heck of a job as a single parent, but…” He paused before declaring, “this guy could corrupt your daughter.”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded confidently, “he could…or, she might just change him.”

“Alrighty,” Principal Jordan sighed reluctantly, “but if there is one more problem out of him…”

That was all Jack needed to hear. “Boys,” he declared, “go get yourselves cleaned up, and, this afternoon, make sure you wear your best running shoes to practice.”

The team groaned in unison.

“Go on now!” Jack pointed.

Hailey looked up at Grant, and the certainty that had filled her eyes as she passionately defended him with confidence and vigor had faded into a questioning gaze. “Who are you?” she whispered, and the doubt in her voice matched the uncertainty in her eyes.

Grant did as he was told and followed Jack to his office. Jack stopped by the concession stand and fixed a small ice pack in a Ziploc bag. “Put this on your eye,” he said as he tossed it to Grant.

“Thanks,” Grant said quietly.

“Grant, have a seat,” Jack said as he closed his office door.

“Jack, I don’t need a lecture,” Grant protested. “I’ve heard them all before.”

“Are you hurt?” Jack asked.

“No,” Grant groaned.

Jack paced back and forth behind his desk, finally sitting on the edge of it and picking up a Koosh ball. Nodding toward the small hoop on the door, he shot it and scored. The ball fell to the floor, and Grant seemed less than impressed. “I’ve never found lectures to be very productive either,” Jack said as he casually walked over and picked up the ball and tossed it to Grant.

“No thanks,” Grant frowned as he tossed it back.

“Why’d you hit him?” Jack asked as he sat the ball back on his desk.

“It felt like a good thing to do at the time,” Grant shrugged.

“It seems to me you’ve been kicked out of school for fighting before,” Jack nodded as he sat on the edge of his desk again.

“Yeah, so what’s one more, huh?” Grant sighed.

“Every time somebody says somethin’ you don’t like, you can’t start swingin’,” Jack replied sternly.

“You don’t understand,” Grant groaned.

“Then explain it to me,” Jack nodded.

“Are they gonna kick me out?” Grant gulped, and his demeanor seemed to change.

“I don’t know,” Jack replied. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t. All I’ve heard is how you were leaving on your birthday, but it came and went, and you’re still here. Have you changed your mind now; is this your way of making sure you’re sent packing?”

“You don’t understand,” Grant sighed. “If you let him expel me… my dad…”

Jack frowned. He picked up the ball, tossed it up in the air and caught it.

“When my mom finds out about the fight, she’s gonna feel obligated to call him,” Grant went on.

“Ah, the fight wasn’t that big a deal…we don’t have to tell her,” Jack shrugged as he shot the ball again. “We’ll tell her you took an elbow on a rebound. You sure you aren’t hurt anywhere else? You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Grant replied quickly.

“Alright then, Buddy…that’s my story; you took a shot in the eye from a teammate,” Jack nodded. “Not exactly a lie, huh?” he chuckled.

Grant smiled, knowing his mother would find out about the fight anyway but appreciative of Jack’s effort.

Jack went after his rebound. “I got in a fight once…in that very hallway.”

“Really?” Grant raised an interested eyebrow.

“Oh sure,” Jack laughed. “In fact, John Jordan and I went a round or two after the only basketball game we lost our junior year.”

Grant laughed, holding his icepack to his eye.

“I got a shiner and a fat lip about like you’ve got,” Jack recalled. “It was the night before the winter dance, and your mother was furious at me.”

Grant laughed.

“Do you like chicken and dumplings?” Jack asked.

Grant nodded.

Jack grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. “Lets go then!”

“Where are we going?” Grant asked.

“You haven’t had chicken and dumplings until you’ve had the ones Maude makes,” Jack said, licking his lips.

“I’ll be sure to tell my mom you feel that way,” Grant grinned.

Jack chuckled as he squeezed Grant’s shoulder. “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine?”

“Deal,” Grant grinned, moving the ice pack away from his eye. “But what about my classes?”

“Oh please, they can’t teach you anything here you don’t already know,” Jack shook his head.

“I’ve always found that I can learn a lot more hiding out in the library than sitting in class,” Grant shrugged. “Too bad this place doesn’t seem to be big on books.”

“Tell me,” Jack nodded, “do you enjoy any of your classes?”

Grant shook his head. “I think the classroom would be more productive if the system would abandon classic ideology of how high school students should learn, and, rather than forcing us to submit to authority and subject ourselves to conformity, in hopes of obtaining the final seal of approval that says we can bust out of this joint, would instead realize that the school system’s insistence on the reckless indoctrination of America’s youth tends to inhibit independent thought and stifles the budding minds of future leaders with the ability to, should they be allowed to express it, make this country a better place.”

“Like I said,” Jack agreed, “nothing we can teach you here.”

Grant rolled his eyes. “Though I get the feeling you plan to impart some valuable wisdom while we’re making small talk at the diner.”

“Smart boy,” Jack pointed. “I can’t make you listen, but I want to give it a shot.”

“My dad has always told me that no matter how intelligent I might be, wisdom only comes with experience,” Grant recalled. “I might not like to hear it sometimes, but there is a great deal of truth in that statement, so I’m pretty open to listening to other perspectives. Whether or not I’ll agree is a whole other matter.”

Jack walked toward the door shaking his head and laughed as he reached for the light switch. “By the way,” he nudged Grant, “what did you say to Jordan?”

Grant swallowed. “So, best dumplings in town, huh?” he smiled.

Jack laughed. “I see. So how about teaching me a few things that might come in handy with referees this season?”

“You know,” Grant said as he and Jack sat, each indulging in a second helping of chicken and dumplings, “this is the first time anybody has ever taken me out to eat for getting in a fight. My dad is not nearly as generous.”

“Well,” Jack smiled as he took a sip of sweet tea, “I like my farmhands to be well fed; they work better that way.”

“Farmhand?” Grant replied quickly.

“Well, you didn’t think I was going to let you off the hook this easy, did you?” Jack laughed. “I’m a nice guy, Grant, but I’m not that nice. Besides, I’m not the young man I was when I bought that ten acre spread I’ve got.”

Grant smiled and took another bite of his dumplings. There was no doubt that word of his newly blackened eye had already spread across town. From the moment he and Jack had walked into Maude’s, the place had been abuzz with gossip.

Jack called out to Maybelle behind the counter and ordered two slices of pie, then he turned his attention back to Grant. “We’ll have plenty of quality time to get acquainted when you’re helping me make repairs around the property on Saturday morning.”

“I’ll bet,” Grant shook his head with a laugh.

“Now, let’s talk basketball,” Jack said, leaning back in his chair.

“I know,” Grant said, rolling his eyes, “Paul and I have to work through our problems for the sake of the team. It’s obvious they’re loyal to him anyway.”

Jack nodded. “You know…Hailey and Paul have been close friends ever since they were kids. He must not be too bad of guy.”

“Hailey can be friends with whomever she wants,” Grant replied. “It doesn’t mean I have to like him.” He thought for a moment. “But, in case you’re keeping score…most of the things he said about me were true.”

“And why is that?” Jack inquired. “You seem like a good kid to me…what goes on in that head of yours sometimes?”

Maybelle walked over to the table carrying two slices of cherry pie. She sat one in front of Jack and the other in front of Grant. “Is there anything else I can do for y’all today?” she said in a twang so thick it sounded fake.

“I think we’re good, Maybelle. Thank you,” Jack shook his head. “We’re gonna gobble this down and get out of your hair.”

Maybelle put her hands on her hips. “Alice Harper just called in an order to-go, and she ask me had I heard that sweet Dottie’s grandyoungin started trouble up at the school…”

“He didn’t start any trouble, Maybelle,” Jack interrupted.

“I told her that I was lookin’ at the proof right on his face…” Maybelle went on.

“Maybelle, why don’t you just let the kid eat his pie in peace?” Jack laughed.

“Rumors seem to be spreadin’ like wildfire that our team ain’t goin’ to fare very well this season, Coach,” Boone Calhoun called from a booth in the corner.

“Well, then people will be pleasantly surprised, I reckon,” Jack said, taking a bite of his pie.

Maybelle sat down next to Grant, startling him. “So tell me, Sugar,” she said, putting her arm around him, “are the rumors true about you and Miss Hailey Jane Nelson?”

Grant glanced over at Jack, and Jack seemed to enjoy the moment, simply shrugging at Grant as though he wouldn’t mind hearing the answer to that question himself.

“I don’t know. What’s the word on the street?” Grant grinned.

“Bessie Harper said she heard that the two of you were caught holding hands and looking mighty cozy after church on Sunday,” Maybelle practically sang out.

“Wow! Who knew TMZ had operatives in Hope Hull?” Grant shrugged.

“Is it true? Are you sweet on her?” Maybelle nudged.

Grant laughed to himself. “I will say, my affection for her grew immensely today when she unleased a little Kung Fu on Paul Mason.”

Maybelle’s eyes flashed toward Jack. “What in Heaven’s name is this boy talkin’ about?”

“Oh, Maybelle, you know as well as anybody that Hailey can be a little spitfire,” Jack smiled, finishing off his pie.

“Maybelle, how ‘bout a refill on my coffee, Sugar?” Boone called from the corner.

Maybelle stood, hollering, “good grief, Boone, can’t you see I was talking? You know where the pot is as well as I do!” She walked toward the counter with little urgency. “I’ll have to brew a fresh pot; you want to wait?”

Jack shook his head as he smiled at Grant. “Back to the whole reason you and I are sitting here. Would you like to explain to me why you felt the need to give Paul a free nose job?”

“I wasn’t particularly fond of the things that were coming out of his mouth; I guess I missed,” Grant shrugged. He rolled his eyes before shoveling a piece of pie in his mouth and secretly praising Granny Miller’s culinary skills.

“This basketball season could have a profound impact on your collegiate athletic career, so why risk it over a little squabble with a teammate?” Jack sighed.

“I don’t know,” Grant shrugged. “I’ve been told by teachers, coaches and guidance counselors alike that I’m a loose cannon who will sabotage any and every opportunity that comes his way. If fact, when I was twelve, I spent some time on a psychiatrist’s couch, but his brand of healing wasn’t for me, and I wasted a pretty penny telling him horror stories that could have easily landed me in protective custody and the general at the forefront of a nationally televised investigation.”

“Why do you think you do stuff like that?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Grant shrugged. “It keeps things interesting, I assume.”

“It can’t be for attention,” Jack smiled subtly. “I mean, all you’ve got to do is pick up a basketball, and you’ve got everybody’s attention.”

“Oh, it gets his attention alright,” Grant exhaled. “But don’t think I don’t know where you’re going with this…”

“Your dad’s not a big fan, huh?” Jack nodded.

“Nope,” Grant snickered. “But, why am I telling you this?”

“What is it that he wants you to do?” Jack asked.

Grant smiled. “Are you kidding me? He’s been planning my presidential campaign since the day I was born…or at least since I was two because that’s when his big dreams for his golden boy died. Unfortunately, in the general’s biased opinion, the only road to the White House is a straight shot through West Point.”

Jack nodded. “I can respect the fact that a man of your father’s rank would be loyal, and even partial, to the Army.”

“He’s the most hooah guy I know, for sure,” Grant said, sliding his plate away from him. “When my parents got married, they agreed that my mom would name their daughters while Dad was responsible for naming his sons. It’s no coincidence that all three of his sons are named after West Point graduates…but, not just any West Point graduates, of course…West Point graduates who achieved the rank of general and went on to become presidents.”

Jack laughed.

Grant shrugged. “My dad just has an incredible amount of respect for his alma matter, and he wants the best for me, so, in his mind, it’s the perfect fit.”

“What is it that you have against West Point?” Jack asked.

“That seems to be the common misperception,” Grant shook his head insistently. “Just because I don’t choose to attend said school doesn’t mean that I have some personal vendetta against it. I have no issue with the school itself…not morally, academically, etc. I think the United States Military Academy is an institution that should be held in the highest regard because the cadets who graduate are some of the finest young men and women our country has to offer. West Point prides itself on saying that the history they teach was made by the people they taught, and that is really incredible to be able to boast such historically relevant graduates. I mean reading a list of alumni is like reading a who’s who of American history: Grant, Eisenhower, Patton, Lee, Jackson, Bradley, MacArthur, Moore and Schwarzkopf, just to name a few. I have nothing but respect, admiration and intense gratitude for anyone who chooses to dedicate themselves to the defense of this great nation, but I also know that it is not everyone’s calling to serve in the same capacity. My most significant hesitating factor about bucking family tradition and steering clear of West Point is that, by not attending, it would be seen as grounds to question my patriotism. I’ve had the opportunity to study world politics extensively, and my knowledge of other governments and how they operate has certainly made me a more ardent patriot. I’m proud to be an American; I’m proud to be the son of one of the most decorated and well-respected officers in our nation’s history. He’s proud to be part of the Long Gray Line, and I’m proud to say that, because of my father’s dedication to actively mentoring future officers, I have had the opportunity, on more than one occasion, to travel to West Point and meet with college-age boys who traded in the traditional college experience and opted to endure the intense training required of a cadet before he becomes a commissioned officer. I have been to a football game in Colorado Springs and a basketball game in Annapolis and met young people full of class and conviction whose commitment to service I deeply appreciate. I would be proud to serve in any branch of our nation’s military because I love this country…and the thing I love the most is that, as an American, I have the freedom to choose the path that is right for me.”

“Have you ever told your father what you just told me?” Jack nodded.

“Those are just words,” Grant sighed. “Until I go out there and show him, that though I plan to take a different path to get there, all roads lead to the same place, then what I say means very little. My father has never been a fan of rhetoric; he’s a man of action, and, until I prove to him that I will succeed at taking advantage of the opportunities I have been given, what I say means very little to him. Some of the most brilliant men on Earth are the ones who fall farthest off track; Robert Hanssen and Theodore Kaczynski come to mind. Likewise, some of the most eloquent orators I have ever heard are those who spew nothing but hate and propaganda. The most brilliantly stated argument can be as wrong as the day is long. My dad is not a naïve man; he knows that potential plus opportunity does not necessarily equal an affirmative outcome. ”

“Sometimes you sound so much older than your age that it’s hard to remember you’re just eighteen years old,” Jack said, in awe of the boy who sat in front of him.

“Eighteen might be young, but it’s a critical time where decisions have to be made that will impact the course of the rest of your life,” Grant replied quickly. “Unfortunately, by eighteen, some of us have already made some bad choices that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.”

“And some of those things were the things that Paul brought to light today?” Jack asked quietly.

“His motives were wrong; his facts weren’t so off,” Grant shrugged. “If you knew me a little better, you would probably have a little more reservation about the idea of me hanging around with your daughter. You seem to judge me on the sole basis that I’m Nora’s son, but, I assure you I’m not the best example of her parenting prowess. She’s an angel of a woman who’s always tried her best, but what is it that country song says, I’m the only hell my mother ever raised!”

“I have no problems with you and Hailey being friends,” Jack said with a confident shake of his head. “I trust my daughter…and I trust you.”

“That right there shows how little you know about me,” Grant grinned.

Jack tossed a small stack of bills onto the table as he stood. “Just don’t disappoint me, okay?” he said in a tone to let Grant know that, while he meant business when it came to his baby girl, he thought an awful lot of the boy who had his eye on her.

“Maybe my dad will come and watch one of our games this season,” Grant said, as he and Jack walked back toward the school.

“That would mean a lot to you wouldn’t it?” Jack smiled.

“Listen,” Grant sighed, “I’m not going to cry on your shoulder over every difference of opinion my father and I have. I shouldn’t be talking about this with you…”

“Okay,” Jack shook his head, “but I’m here if you want to talk.”

“I’m not going to be the guy who gives you ammo against my dad,” Grant snapped. “It’s no secret that he and I aren’t really on the same page about things right now, and it would probably be pretty easy to get me to say some things about him that I would end up regretting later, but, one thing is certain, my parents are going to get back together. They always do. They have had to navigate through plenty of tough times in their lives, and they will find their way back together again. Their divorce won’t ever be finalized; my mom will never move on with you.”

“You can rest assured that anything you say to me is said in complete confidence,” Jack promised, wisely ignoring the reference to Nora.

“My dad’s a good guy,” Grant sighed. “He’s made some mistakes, but…”

“We all have,” Jack nodded.

“He’s done some amazing things,” Grant offered. “The guy has got some stories to tell. Of course, I’ve always had to be satisfied with hearing them come from other people. I guess he just isn’t comfortable in the role of hero.”

“That’s understandable,” Jack said as he and Grant approached the school.

“Yeah, I guess,” Grant shrugged.

“What is it that you see yourself doing after you graduate?” Jack asked curiously.

“If I’m being honest, I see myself eventually ending up back in Washington in some capacity,” Grant answered. “My dad pulled some strings, and I got to spend last spring semester living at the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence in Washington…I loved it.”

Jack smiled as he opened the door to the school. “It’s not much of a stretch for me to picture you as a lawyer on Capitol Hill; your sister is a lawyer, right?”

“Yes, Sir; she’s a defense attorney in North Carolina,” Grant said as he walked inside. “But she only defends the innocent, of course,” Grant snickered.

John Jordan walked from his office. “Coach, I just got a call from Doc Mason. It seems Paul has a broken nose.”

“He’ll live,” Jack nodded. He put his hand on Principal Jordan’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry about this, John. I will have this team whipped into shape if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I’m trusting you, Jack,” Principal Jordan called after him as Jack and Grant walked toward the gym.

Jack waved his hand in the air as if to say he had it under control.

“While my Dad was working at the Pentagon, I spent a lot of time playing ball,” Grant said when Jack tossed him a basketball out of the equipment closet. “In fact, in D.C. is where I’d say I truly fell in love with the game of basketball. I liked basketball from the time I was a kid because everywhere I went, the customs were different, the language was different, the food was different, but basketball was always the same. Amidst all the change, it was the constant in my life. I loved to watch it. I love to play it. My sister used to record NCAA and NBA games for me and mail them to me. I’d watch the same games over and over again, just studying them. But those courts in D.C.,” Grant shook his head, “those were good times. If I had never played on those courts, I wouldn’t be the player I am today. Those guys were tough, man. I was a lot younger than they were, and I was the only white kid in sight, but those guys didn’t care. I could play ball, and that was all that mattered to them. Before we moved to Washington, I would say I was an above average basketball player, but, when I left, I took a lot with me. ”

“What did they teach you?” Jack smiled as he watched Grant dribble the ball.

“They taught me the hook shot, the behind the back crossover, how to talk trash with the best of them, and a few other things that I probably would have been better off to forget,” Grant recalled as he took a shot.

“Nice shot,” Jack laughed, passing the ball back to Grant.

“You ever played on a court with chain nets?” Grant asked, and his face lit up just thinking about it.

“Redefines swoosh, don’t it?” Jack fired back.

“It’s sweet,” Grant exhaled in reverence.

“And everytime you’ve taken a shot since, you pretend you can hear those chains clanking, and it sends a shiver down your spine,” Jack agreed knowingly.

“You got it,” Grant smiled as he nailed a three pointer.

“How many times have you changed schools, Grant?” Jack asked, suddenly feeling very close to and very protective of the kid standing in front of him.

“I stopped counting a long time ago,” Grant rolled his eyes.

“What was military school like?” Jack asked, trying a different route.

“Academically it was a breeze,” Grant said as he stole the ball from Jack. “The physical demands were really no big deal for me either. Being told what to do and when to do it every moment of the day…well, that sucked.”

“I can’t imagine having to pack up and move as many times as you have,” Jack shook his head.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t trade all the experiences I’ve had for the opportunity to feel more grounded,” Grant admitted.

“Really?” Jack seemed surprised.

Grant nodded. “I’ve seen a lot of things, been a lot of places, but none of that could prepare me for the culture shock that awaited me here. I mean, Paul is more territorial than any lion in the Serengeti.”

“Well,” Jack nodded, “you ready to head back into the jungle? It’s time for practice.”

“After Paul’s little impromptu exposé, I’m not really in the mood to practice,” Grant shrugged, “but if he shows up wearing one of those all-consuming face guards, I think I might could summon the energy to hang around for awhile.”

“You know,” Jack smiled, “if you ever run for public office there will be strong disagreements during the campaign, but I don’t think it would be in the best interest of your political career to take a jab at your opponent.”

Grant laughed to himself because, though he tried to envision he and Hailey out on the campaign trail together, all he seemed to be able to picture was a Fox News Alert announcing that the potential first lady had delivered a crotch shot to an opposing candidate in defense of her man. He shivered as he shook the thought from his head.

Jack and Grant turned to see the rest of the team filing into the gym. Hailey’s eyes met Grant’s, but she quickly looked away, knowing it was probably best if she just did what she was there to do and focused on her game.

Hailey drove her four-wheeler up next to Grant as he shot free throws at the hoop out back underneath the barn’s glowing motion lights. “Hop on,” she urged, smiling.

Grant tossed the ball toward the barn and climbed aboard behind Hailey.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Hailey said, driving slowly across the open field.

“I’m thinking I might just need to go away for awhile and have some time to clear my head,” Grant said, looking out across the pasture as bright headlights lit their way.

Hailey ignored Grant for a moment as she gave the four-wheeler some gas and sped off into the night. Bringing them to an abrupt stop next to a wooden fence, she dismounted the four-wheeler and crossed her arms. “You’re staying; you’re not staying! I want to leave; now I want to stay!” she protested. “Honestly, part of me wants to beg you to stick around, but, if you need me to persuade you of all the reasons why I think you ought to hang around, then maybe you aren’t at the same place that I am with this relationship. At this point, I don’t care either way…would you please just make up your mind already? Lately I feel like a puppet on a string, and I’m sick and tired of letting you dictate my emotions.”

“It has never been my intention to toy with your feelings,” Grant said as he maneuvered atop the fence, sitting with his elbows resting on his knees.

“I didn’t suggest it was part of your plan,” Hailey sighed as she sat next to him, “but that doesn’t change the way I feel. I feel like getting close to you again was probably a monumental mistake because, sooner or later, you’ll get bored and walk away.”

“You know I like being around you, Hailey,” Grant shrugged. “I enjoy the dynamic between the two of us. It’s something I’ve never shared with anyone else, and it’s certainly something I would like to give a chance to materialize. I just think I need a break…not from you…just from everything.”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “I think you’re a stronger person than that. We have our first game next week! You are the starting point guard; you can’t skip town right now!”

“Listen,” Grant shook his head, “let’s not make this a conversation about my loyalty, my integrity or my character. This is about me and what I need to do for myself. It’s just basketball, after all…”

“A game you love,” Hailey nodded.

“And a team I don’t feel a part of,” Grant shrugged.

“This probably isn’t the best time to discuss this; it’s been a long day,” Hailey frowned, poking her bottom lip out, as she tried not to stare at Grant’s black eye.

“It’s about more than the fight,” Grant said, shaking his head. “It’s about me stepping up and getting my life back on track.”

“And why does that have to include quitting the team?” Hailey gulped. “When it comes to basketball, you and I are just alike,” Hailey nodded. Grant started to reply, but Hailey covered his mouth with her finger. “When you run out of the locker room,” she began as she slowly pulled her hand away from his mouth, “leading your team onto the court and they start playing that Rock-n-Jock music…Ready to Rumble… your heart starts beating fast. Not because you’re nervous, but because you’re ready. The music is intense. You can feel it inside of you, and it’s doing something to you that you know it’s not doing to the other guys around you. When they introduce you as the starting point guard, and you shake the opposing coach’s hand, you do it in such a way the he knows he’s in trouble for even thinking his guys could play on the same court with you. You stand there before the game, listening to the words of the national anthem, and you imagine that you’re somewhere else. The crowd you’re staring out at, they’re there to watch the NBA finals, and you’re Michael Jordan. The words of the song, they make you proud to be an American, proud to wear the jersey, and proud that in a couple of minutes when that buzzer sounds, all eyes are going to be on you.”

“Are you done yet?” Grant laughed.

“Isn’t it the truth?” Hailey shrugged.

“It sounds a little romanticized if you ask me,” Grant smiled.

“Well, you’re smiling,” Hailey pointed.

Grant put his arm around her. “It’s hard not to when you’re around.”

“You should know that I called Paul to apologize for my part in everything that went down earlier,” Hailey said, her head resting easily against Grant’s shoulder. “I’m not proud of the way I acted, but I felt like I had to defend you. Now that it’s just me and you, I think I deserve the truth.”

“The truth is I’ve made my share of mistakes,” Grant admitted.

“I’m asking, do those mistakes include starting a fire at a gas station?” Hailey asked softly.

“Have you noticed how beautiful the moon is tonight?” Grant pointed.

“It’s very nice out tonight; now, answer the question, Grant,” Hailey gulped.

“Your hair smells good,” Grant said as he lifted a strand of Hailey’s hair toward his nose. “What kind of shampoo did you use?”

“The same kind as you did, I assume,” Hailey groaned. “Coconut? Whatever’s in there!”

“Well, it smells nice,” Grant replied.

“I’m not a puppy…you can’t wave a shinny object and distract me! I don’t want to fight with you, Grant, but you’re starting to make me really angry,” Hailey declared, pulling away from him and jumping down off the fence.

“What a coincidence!” Grant exclaimed. “I don’t want to fight with you either, so would you please just drop the inquisition?”

“I only have one simple question,” Hailey said, throwing her hands up. “Were you or were you not responsible for starting a fire in North Carolina?”

“No, I wasn’t responsible,” Grant shrugged.

Hailey nodded. “Well, that didn’t seem too painful, given the protest you put up, which suggests to me that you’re probably lying.”

Grant shrugged nonchalantly. “Would it make you feel better if I confessed to starting the fire? Do you want me to admit to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby or being the Zodiac killer while I’m at it? Maybe I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die! You never know!”

Hailey was tired of fighting, and, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t keep from smiling. “I’m going to choose to ignore your affinity for sarcasm and take something positive from that statement,” she laughed. “You’ve been listening to my CDs again!”

“Yes, I have officially been lured over to the dark side,” Grant shook his head as he slid down from the fence and wrapped Hailey up in his arms.

“What are you doing?” Hailey giggled. “Aren’t we fighting?”

“Sometimes we fight, just so we can make up,” Grant sang, in his best Garth Brooks impersonation.

“Watch it now, or I might just take the notion that you’d look good in a proper cowboy hat, Bucko!” Hailey laughed as she draped her arms around Grant’s neck. Grant slowly moved his mouth toward hers, and, as their lips met, Hailey closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the electricity of Grant’s touch. Time seemed to stand still as the minutes passed, and, when their lips finally parted, Hailey felt two tiny trails of tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Grant wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and, holding on to her face, gently kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there.

“I’m worried you’re going to leave,” Hailey sobbed.

Grant’s heart pounded as he wrapped Hailey up in his arms. It wasn’t the first time he had ever made a girl cry, but it was the first time that the sight of a girl crying had ever made him want to cry too. He wanted more than anything to assure Hailey that her fears were unfounded, but he couldn’t seem to convince himself that she was too far off the mark.

“I’m sorry, Hailey,” he managed, his throat burning, knowing that was the last thing she wanted to hear.

“Grant, what’s going on?” Hailey cried. “Just let me in, and maybe I can help you.”

Grant let go of her and turned to walk away into the night, but he turned back quickly and shrugged his shoulders, looking more insecure than Hailey had ever seen him look. The confident look in his eyes was gone, and, for a brief moment, he appeared vulnerable and exposed. “We all want the same thing right…just to be happy?” he sighed. “I’ve searched for it in a lot of different ways, and I tend to find it in moments, but true contentment seems to allude me.”

“Everyone has bad days, Grant,” Hailey frowned, wiping away her tears.

“I’m not talking about the fight or the black eye,” Grant said, his voice cracking as he fought back tears. “I’m not even talking about living here in this town where it is obvious I don’t fit in. I’m just talking about life in general. I never seem satisfied. I’m never content. I am most comfortable in the role of loner, and, though I thought that maybe that was starting to change, I think I just need to be by myself.”

“Being alone couldn’t possibly make anyone happy,” Hailey shook her head, surprised that she felt sympathetic rather than angry.

“That’s the problem,” Grant sighed. “I don’t know what it takes to make me happy. What makes you happy?”

“Playing basketball, being with you, riding the four-wheeler, fall leaves on the trees…lots of things make me happy,” Hailey said, reaching for Grant’s hand.

“Beyond that,” Grant shook his head as he let Hailey take his hand. “I’m talking on a much deeper level here. From the first moment I saw you, contentment shined from your eyes. Happiness radiated around you like an aura and drew me in even though my natural instinct was to steer clear. There is just something about you, Hailey…”

“I glow when I’m around you because you’re amazing,” Hailey cried. “Before I met you, I had no idea that there was someone out there that could make me feel the way you make me feel.”

“Hailey,” Grant struggled to get out the words, “you are so important to me. The feelings that I have for you are real…very real…too real.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Hailey frowned.

“You’re talking to a guy who likes having all the answers,” Grant laughed, half-heartedly. “And, as much as I would love to swear to you that there is no other man on Earth better suited for you than I am…I just can’t do that. As much as I want to tell you that everything that Paul said about me was a fabrication on his part…it wasn’t. Ask me if I think you deserve better than me, and the answer is a resounding yes. Ask me if walking away from you will hurt like hell, and the answer is yes. Ask me if I care more about what is best for you than how it makes me feel, and, again, the answer is yes. But ask me why I can’t seem to act against my better judgment and get out of town before both of us get hurt, and the answer is I have no idea.”

Hailey crossed her arms and offered a slight shrug. “Well, I didn’t score a perfect 2400 on my SAT; I may not have made a perfect 36 on my ACT; I’ll study all night and pray for a passing grade on tomorrow’s calculus test that you’ll ace in the amount of time it takes me to write my name on my paper. I can’t wax poetic about practically any book ever written; I’m no walking encyclopedia of world politics, but I can tell you one thing in my limited, English vocabulary…even I can figure out what makes me happy, Grant!”

“And I envy that,” Grant nodded.

Hailey started to turn away, but something wouldn’t let her walk away. “You asked me what makes me happy, and I think I finally have an answer for you now,” she smiled, holding both of Grant’s hands securely in her own. She took a moment to think as he avoided looking into her eyes. Suddenly, she wasn’t intimidated by his vast intelligence or worried about what he might think about what she had to say. Instead, she was filled with confidence and conviction as she heard her words flow from her lips with an ease she knew was beyond her own capabilities. “You’re human, so it’s possible, even probable, that you will disappoint me. It’s possible that you will break my heart. It’s possible that at any moment the spark will fade, and you simply won’t care anymore. I could base my happiness around you and be devastated when you walk away. The same goes for my father or my sister…people who I know, without a doubt, love me with all their hearts. Human relationships are fallible because human nature could rear its ugly head at any moment. That is why my happiness, at its core, has to come from a much more reliable source.” She smiled when she saw Grant’s brown eyes staring back at her; he was listening without thought of interruption, even when she paused. “I have Jesus in my heart,” she said, her smile so bright it could have lit up the night. “He loves me more than anyone else ever will or could. He loves me so much that He subjected himself to beatings, torture, condemnation, and, ultimately, death in order to pay the debt for sins that I would commit thousands of years in the future. That is beyond amazing to me that anyone could care that much about little ol’ me. He was pure and sinless and perfect; He didn’t have to die; He had the power to prevent it, yet He was willing to pay the ultimate price in order to offer me a promise of salvation that I do not deserve. He blessed me with a dad who has provided me with everything I have ever needed and a lifetime worth of unconditional love. I’ve had bad days. I’ve cried and felt sorry for myself. I’ve pouted on plenty of occasions. I don’t skip around amongst the rainbows oblivious to life’s problems. Sometimes I wish that I had more control over things. But, when I don’t know which way to turn or what is best for me, He does. Giving up control is not an easy thing; it can be really scary to think that I am not in the driver’s seat of my own life, but it sure is comforting to know that someone a whole lot smarter than me or you, someone whom I trust with all my heart… is.”

“That is a really splendid way of putting it,” Grant nodded, his entire countenance changing. “The world’s most renowned philosophers have debated the definition of happiness for years, yet you make it sound so simple.”

“That’s probably just because I don’t know how to put in any other way,” Hailey shrugged, “but, if you ask me, sometimes all the fancy words just get in the way.”

Grant pulled Hailey into an affectionate embrace. “I think you might just be an angel, you know that?” he whispered.

“Then how come I get the feeling that you might be the one to fly away?” Hailey gulped.

“Maybe…one day,” Grant nodded, “but when I do, I plan to take you with me.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean, Grant,” Hailey gulped.

Grant brushed a strand of Hailey’s hair away from her face.

“Enough standing around and talking,” Hailey smiled. “I don’t know how much longer this roller coaster ride is going to last before it throws me off; I’m not even sure what next month or next week holds for us, but, we do have tonight. Let’s make the most of it.”

Grant glanced over at the four-wheeler. “How fast will this thing go?”

“Hop on, and I’ll show you!” Hailey laughed as she straddled the seat.

Grant joined her, wrapping his arms around her stomach as they puttered along. “In case I get scared,” he grinned.

Hailey rolled her eyes as she mashed the gas and took off across the field. The kids screamed with delight as their hair blew in the night air. The fall air was crisp and refreshing; the pasture was bumpy, and their hearts were on a collision course.

Jessica poked her head in from the back porch to find Hailey and Emily watching television on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. “Hails, have you been outside lately?” she called.

“No, why?” Hailey shrugged.

Jessica’s smile stretched the width of her face as she skipped inside the door. “Grant is outside helping Dad do some repairs on the side of the house.”

“Yeah, so?” Hailey nodded. “He has to do yard work as punishment for that fight at school.”

“Well, picture this,” Jessica smiled, spreading her hands like a canvas. “One perfectly-fitting pair of blue jeans, no shirt and, here’s the kicker… a tool belt.” Jessica fanned herself with her hand.

Hailey turned off the television. “And you told me that story because?”

Jessica and Emily looked at each other and shared a knowing laugh. “I swear, you are the most confusing girl I have ever met in my life,” Jessica groaned. “It’s no secret you’re in love with that boy!”

Hailey shook her head as she stood to walk away. “Ours is a love/hate relationship. Today, given that he was chatting it up with a collegiate coach who might as well be a trillion miles away from Tennessee, it’s heavy on the hate, hold the love.”

As Hailey left the room, Jessica turned to Emily. “I don’t buy it,” she rolled her eyes. “Bessie Harper swears she saw them holding hands, but I just wish we had more proof.”

“Hailey taking a shot at Paul Mason wasn’t proof enough for you?” Emily laughed.

“I chalk that up to Hailey being a brute,” Jessica sighed. “I’m not sure it really meant anything.”

“Somewhere, underneath all those guys’ clothes, Hailey is a knockout,” Emily shook her head.

“Yet she is more likely to literally knock you out,” Jessica groaned. She stomped her foot. “There is just so much untapped potential there…if only she would embrace it.”

“Lately she has been taking much longer in the shower in the mornings,” Emily recalled. “I think she’s shaving her legs everyday!”

Jessica’s face lit up.

“Do you think they’ve kissed since camp?” Emily asked excitedly.

“How could she resist?” Jessica insisted. “Grant is smokin’ hot! You have got to go outside and behold the sight I was referring to!”

“It doesn’t really do as much for me as it seems to do for you,” Emily shook her head. “I think it’s the whole being related thing and all.”

Both girls cackled as Jessica flopped onto the couch next to Emily.

“I do think they’re falling for each other,” Jessica declared. “Let them say whatever they want, but I consider myself a student of this sort of thing, and it’s the inadvertent touching and the subtle looks that are a dead giveaway. They are so crazy about each other!”

“They do seem to have a great natural chemistry,” Emily agreed. She curled the end of her hair around her finger. “Besides, all the proof I need that something is going on between them is that Grant is still here. Let’s just say, I don’t think he’s sticking around for the basketball!”

Later that same Saturday night, Hailey rushed into the kitchen, almost mowing Jack over as she turned the corner.

“What’s your hurry?” Jack laughed as Hailey barely slowed down to notice him.

“I have to go check on the animals and get back before Grant gets the remote, or we’ll spend all night flipping back and forth between Fox News and MSNBC, only to hear him complain about the supposedly ignorant comments made by the guest commentators,” Hailey managed breathlessly.

Jack shook his head as he watched her rush out the back door, slamming it behind her.

Moments later, Jessica hurried into the kitchen, flinging the refrigerator open and quickly gathering the ingredients for a turkey sandwich.

Jack closed the refrigerator door behind her. “Nora is going to be fixin’ supper soon.”

“I’m starving,” Jessica sighed as she pulled two slices of smoked turkey from a package, “and I have to get the remote before Hailey does, or she’ll make us watch ESPN all night long.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Jack shrugged honestly.

“You would take her side!” Jessica declared indignantly.

Grant burst through the back door, his shirt covered in sweat, water bottle in hand.

“Hey,” Jessica snapped at him, “you have to get a shower before you can claim the remote!”

“I’d rather stink than get stuck watching a What Not to Wear marathon again,” Grant rolled his eyes.

“Think of the benefits if it was to have a positive influence on Hailey,” Jessica argued.

“Why would I care what Hailey wears?” Grant shrugged.

“I thought the whole love is blind thing was a cliché,” Jessica grumbled, “not a medical condition requiring a…” she broke off.

“An ophthalmologist?” Grant added casually. “An optometrist?”

“Thank you,” Jessica nodded, irritated by Grant’s calm demeanor. “I was going to say eye doctor…but whatever. You just go right ahead playing coy,” she grumbled as she squirted mustard on her sandwich. “I swear the two of you deserve each other,” she muttered under her breath.

“Do you know that love is blind originated from an observation made by a character named Jessica in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice?” Grant added with a wink, easily derailing Jessica’s ambush about the status of his relationship with Hailey.

“Really?” Jessica beamed. “Cool!”

Just then, Hailey slung the door open, and, for a brief moment, all three eyed each other anxiously before making a break and sprinting toward the living room.

Emily glanced over her shoulder at the oncoming stampede. “Shh,” she smiled, as she lounged on the couch, holding a glass of sweet tea. “My favorite episode of Friends is on.”

Hailey shrugged. “I can handle that.”

“Yeah,” Jessica said, moving Emily’s sock feet out of her seat. “I love this show!”

Grant took a long sip of his water as he sat on the floor in front of the television. “I might as well see the end of this before I head to the shower.”

Nora walked in the back door and unloaded a bag of groceries onto the kitchen table. “Come here. You have to see this,” Jack motioned her toward him. He put his arm around her, and they stood in the living room doorway watching the kids, all glued to the television set, laughing in perfect harmony.

Nora smiled at Jack, pleased. “Call me an eternal optimist,” she whispered, “but I’m starting to think this might just work out.”