Misty yells from the back porch.
“See ya tonight.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and Maggie?”
“Yeah?”
“Wear black.”
“Ten four.”
I disconnect the call and turn to face Misty. “What is it, honey?”
“Coach Cash said, ‘Come and get it.’ Then he told me to do this.” She winks. “I don’t know why.” The back door slams as she disappears into the house.
I laugh and make my way back to the porch. When I enter the kitchen, everyone is seated at the table. The only empty chair is next to Cash. I sit and place my napkin in my lap.
The kids pick up their forks, but before they take a bite, Elva says, “Let’s pray.” She extends her hands to Kayla on her right and Jared on her left.
Jared and Cam eye the girls’ hands but take them reluctantly. I take Misty’s hand and then Cash’s. Heat zigzags up my arm when my palm presses against the quarterback’s. Elva blesses the food, and the thoughts and feelings winging their way through my body are decidedly not prayer-worthy.
As soon as Elva ends the blessing, the kids dig into their food.
“Coach Cash, this is the best spaghetti I’ve ever tasted.” Cam slurps a noodle into his mouth.
“Thanks, bud.” Cash grins, then picks up his napkin and places it over his lips while holding Cam’s gaze.
“Oh.” The kid grabs his own napkin and rubs it over his mouth. “Sorry.”
“No problem. It’s easy to forget.”
“Where did you learn to cook?” Kayla asks.
“Yeah, that’s a girl job,” Jared adds.
“A girl job?” I don’t try to hide the indignation in my voice.
Cash chuckles and shakes his head. “Dude, you might want to rethink that opinion or scoot out of the strike zone.”
The kid looks around, genuinely confused. “Why?”
Kayla growls. “That’s not true. Tell him, Coach Cash.”
“What’s he gonna say?” Jared challenges Kayla. “He’s a guy, he knows it’s true. Working on cars and football are man jobs and cooking and cleaning are girl jobs.” He shovels another forkful of food into his mouth and talks around it. “Or like Miss Tiger, she’s a beauty queen. You wouldn’t see a guy being a beauty queen.”
“I want to be a Miss Texas just like you, Miss Tiger.” Marci props her chin in her hand.
“Me too,” Misty chimes in. “You’re soooo pretty. I want to be pretty like you.”
“My brother says you’re hot,” Cam adds.
Jared, the chauvinist in training, nods. “My uncle says that too. He’s the one who told me about girl jobs and guy jobs.”
I try to keep the corners of my mouth in some semblance of a smile. They’re kids—they don’t know that what they’re saying is hitting every hot button I have. It’s not their problem, it’s mine. “Thank you, girls.”
“Jared, darlin’, I hate to tell you this, but your uncle is a knucklehead.” Elva dabs at her lips with her napkin.
“Nu-uh. Tell ’em, Coach Cash.”
The professional athlete shakes his head. “Yeah, you’re on your own in this one, kid. Women are capable of anything they want to do.”
“Woohoo!” Kayla raises her hands over her head.
Elva pats Kayla’s arm. “We don’t woohoo at the table, darlin’. Besides, it’s never good to be a sore winner.”
Kayla grins at the older woman. “Yes, ma’am.”
Cash places his hand on my shoulder. “And girls, I can see why’d you’d like to be like Miss Tiger. She’s pretty great.”
What’s he up to?
“But if you really want to be like her, it shouldn’t just be because she was a beauty queen. Because while she is beautiful, she’s also smart, capable, and one of the most caring people I’ve ever met. And you’ll love this, she’s the boss of a bunch of men.”
“Really?” Kayla asks.
“Really.” He turns his attention to Jared and Cam. “And you two should know that she’s the sole reason the rec center will still be open and available for you and your friends to hang out at.”
I open my mouth to correct him. It wasn’t just me. A lot of people want the rec center to stay open.
“Is that true?” Cam asks.
“It is. If it hadn’t been for her hard work, then the city would’ve torn it down and built a resort where it stands.” Cash sits back and looks at Jared. “I think you owe the women at the table an apology.”
The kid presses his lips together, and he crosses his arms.
“I’m sorry I said that my brother thinks you’re hot, Miss Tiger.” Cam’s puppy dog eyes make it hard not to forgive him.
“Thank you, Cam.”
No one says anything, and it’s clear that everyone is waiting for