Shadows of Hope by Georgiana Daniels

Author:Georgiana Daniels [Daniels, Georgiana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781683225478
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 29

Colin

Congratulations, for the second year in a row—city champs!”

The group of boys cheered loudly enough to startle the rest of the customers in the pizza joint. Colin looked over the group with pride. These kids were like a second family. He would do anything for each one of them, and they all knew it. After a few more encouraging words, the pizza arrived at the tables and the hungry boys dug in.

“Good job, bro.” Adam offered a firm handshake and a wide grin. “Time to celebrate.”

“Kind of sad to see the season end.” Colin sank into a booth and slung his arm over the back of the seat.

“It is, but Lani is going to be glad to have me home more.” Adam slid a slice of meaty pizza from the metal tray onto a paper plate and shoved it in front of Colin. Then he served himself. “How about Marissa?”

Colin scoffed. He hadn’t meant to, but after days of trying to coax Marissa out of her funk, he’d given up. This time she was going to have to pull herself out.

“Dude, what’s happening now?” Adam leaned close and spoke in low tones covered by the whirrs and beeps of the video games nearby. “She’s not excited to have you around more? Have you told her?”

Colin glanced over his shoulder. The kids all busied themselves with cheese and pepperoni, and the parents were huddled in their usual clusters, talking about the game-winning home run—as he should be. Putting on a game face during an actual game was one thing, but schmoozing parents after the fact when he was so broken inside was another. He leaned over the table. “Yeah, I told her. Things went from bad to worse.”

“What you told me was about as bad as it could get.” Disapproval lurked in his eyes. “Does she want to leave you?”

Colin grabbed a straw and tapped it until it tore through the paper. “She hasn’t said so. But then, she hasn’t said anything.”

“Nothing?”

“She stayed in bed the last three days. She may have gone to work yesterday, but I’m not sure.” He picked up his cup and twirled the ice with his straw.

“You don’t even know if your wife has been out of bed?” Fire lit Adam’s eyes and his hands balled into fists. “Then what are you doing here?”

Colin slammed his cup onto the table, harder than he’d meant to. A few parents looked his way but quickly resumed their own conversations. “I had to coach the game. I’m not going to let these kids down.”

“But you’ll let your wife down?”

Colin hated the judgment in his friend’s expression. Too bad he’d told his secret—he’d known at the time it was a bad move. “You have no idea what it’s like to be with Marissa when she goes into one of her moods.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” Adam’s eyes pinched at the corners.

Colin looked away and focused on the lights and buzzing of the games, the laughter of happy children, the smell of cheap pizza—anything but his life.

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