Nowhere but Home A Novel - By Liza Palmer Page 0,134

of pom-poms, which they can’t help but shake throughout our little sisterly chat.

It’s game day.

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” I say, sliding into my pair of Converse All Stars. I spin around and let Merry Carole approve my outfit. Jeans and a genuine Cal Wake jersey. WAKE #5. She nods her approval.

“Yes, it’s beautiful. Now let’s go!” Merry Carole says, rolling her eyes at the little girls like I’m crazy. The girls titter and shake their pom-poms.

It’s finally cooling off a bit, so our walk to the high school’s football field is turning into a pleasant one. I hold Amelia’s hand as Merry Carole holds Rose’s. With Reed coaching, it’s up to Merry Carole to take care of the girls. She couldn’t be more excited. We fall in line with the rest of the town as we queue for the stadium. Merry Carole searches the crowd.

“Dee said she was going to meet us,” Merry Carole says.

“I’m sure she’ll find us,” I say, holding tight to Amelia as the crowd ebbs and flows. Merry Carole picks up Rose as we make our way to the entrance. We’re early enough that we get great seats right in front, on the fifty-yard line. Merry Carole settles the little girls on their cushions. I scan the crowd. Whitney and Wes sit just a few bleachers over with their two little ones. We share a narrow-eyed acknowledgment of one another. As the bleachers fill, Dee and Shawn find us. They are both wearing Cal’s jersey. They sit their boys down next to Amelia and Rose and settle in themselves. Fawn and Pete weave through the crowd and squeeze in next to Merry Carole. They’re also wearing Cal’s jersey. Six Wake jerseys all in a row. We are eleven in total. From the back it must look like quite the Wake army.

Shawn and Pete go on a food run and come back with kettle corn and Cokes for everyone. Shawn looks like a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Dee tells me he couldn’t be happier with the sheriff’s.

I see the Coburn clan gathering on the side of the field for their turn at the coin toss. Even though Reed asked Everett to do it, he’ll probably have the entire dynasty come up.

The marching band plays as the crowd gets ready. I’m sandwiched in between Amelia and Dee as we wait for the game to start. The cheerleaders line up on the side of the field, carrying the painted banner that’s for the Stallion Batallion to burst through. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, allowing myself this moment. I am surrounded by family. I deposited my savings in the local credit union and managed to secure a small business loan. I have meetings with a few contractors starting next week. I’ve turned that spiral notebook I hid in my luggage into a journal, a sketchbook, and a menu planner all in one. I’ve sent two letters to Shine Prison addressed to Cody and Harlan Dent, letting them know that when they get out, they have a job waiting for them in North Star. I even sent a thank-you card to that jerk Brad Carter at the McCormick.

I’m okay.

The cheerleaders run onto the field, pulling the painted banner across the walkway. I sit up straight and crane my neck to see if the team is gathering behind the banner yet. I can see Everett taking his place on the field, flanked by his family. He’s talking to Gray about something, resting a hand on his shoulder. Gray bows his head just enough so he can hear Everett over the marching band and growing crowd noise. Everett re-situates his cowboy hat as he leans in to speak to Florrie. He picks up one of her little girls who absently plays with the buttons on his shirt. I notice the kids, and even the grandkids, for that matter, don’t really interact with Felix and Arabella. All that childlike joy and exuberance is probably bad for his heart. Or so Arabella would have us believe.

The team gathers behind the Stallion banner and the crowd goes wild. The marching band launches into the school song. We all stand, hooting and hollering. Amelia and Rose stand up on the bleachers shaking their pom-poms and wooohoooing with all their might. The buzz of the team gets louder and louder and louder, sounding like they’re going to be blasted on the field from a cannon. The first player tears through