25

 

Beth shut off her computer, stuffed her grade book in her bag, and made sure to lock her desk before leaving her classroom. She opened the door and stepped into the nearly deserted hallway.

“Beth?”

Antonio approached her.

“I need to tell you something. It’s sort of—”

“Sort of what?” She adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but…” Antonio checked the hallway, but no one else was there. “Long story, but I saw one of my players in the parking lot of this physical therapy center near my gym. I chatted with him and ended up following him inside. And, it’s really weird, but—”

“But what?”

“I saw your friend Mark inside of this place, and he was walking.”

Ten years earlier, when Beth had passed Mark in front of the Hometown Café, even then, he was in a wheelchair. Quite a shock considering she hadn’t known he’d been injured. How could he suddenly walk? It didn’t make sense. Unless…Could Mark be leading a double life? “Walking? Are you sure? He’s been in a wheelchair for several years. It had to be someone else. Maybe someone who just looks like him?”

Antonio threw his arms in the air. “Maybe. But it looked an awful lot like him.” He marched away.

Maybe Antonio thought he saw Mark, but clearly he was mistaken. It wasn’t like Mark to keep a secret from her. Perhaps Antonio was jealous and wanted to make Mark look bad somehow. Antonio once made the comment that she talked about Mark a lot.

Or maybe Mr. Coach was angry one of his players was ineligible. Tough. Football wasn’t everything. Try getting a job without knowing how to read or write.

If he made up a story about someone with a physical disability, that was pretty low. Maybe it was a blessing that things hadn’t gotten serious between her and Antonio.

Come to think of it, she started receiving strange notes around the same time she met him. Maybe he was the one leaving them on her desk and in her bag. The notes stopped coming right before they’d started hanging out. He certainly had ample opportunity. But what was his motive—to make her scared and run into his arms? Who knew what made men behave like that. Perhaps she should confront him about the notes sometime.

Beth left the school and passed Fishy Business on her way home. Maybe it was time to pay Mark and the guys a visit. She pulled into the parking lot and headed toward the entry. Randy waved as he left his truck and walked toward the building.

Tim came out the front door and picked up a phone book left on the front mat then went back inside. Maybe he hadn’t seen her. There was still time to walk away before she might run into Mark and the blonde. The sight would be hard to stomach. Confused and torn, she hurried back to her car and continued home.