The Keeper by Jillian Liota

Author:Jillian Liota [Liota, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jillian Liota
Published: 2016-11-14T22:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

“Hey Mack!”

A teenager in full uniform comes barreling towards us after the game. I can only assume it’s Dean, and my heart sings when the two embrace in a full hug, Mack leaning over the short fence. If I remember correctly, guys in high school aren’t big on hugs. But when Dean steps out of the hug and looks up at Mack, I can clearly see the admiration in his eyes.

“Awesome job, man,” Mack responds, clapping Dean on the shoulder pads. “Proud of you.”

“Thanks! Hey, I’m heading to grab burgers with some friends. We still on for tomorrow?”

Mack nods.

“Absolutely. I’ll pick you up at four.”

“Sweet. Later!” Dean jogs back along the field in the direction the rest of his teammates.

“Ready to go?” Mack asks, and begins to lead me out to the parking lot. “Where are you parked?”

“In the boonies,” I say, with a hint of a laugh. “I think I may have been the last one here.”

We continue to walk towards Trusty Rusty, the silence at once both comfortable and alight with underlying tension.

After meeting Cherise, we’d walked back to the bleachers and spent most of the game just watching, not really talking apart from commenting on the game. It seemed like Mack wasn’t ready to talk about it, even though I was fairly certain that Cherise was the woman from his car accident. I’d been bursting with questions, but decided to let Mack lead the conversation at his own pace. That pace just happened to be standing completely still, because he hadn’t said a word about it for the entire second half of the game.

When we get to my car, Mack whistles.

“Wow. Didn’t realize you were driving a legend.”

I laugh.

“Yeah, well, she was what I could afford when I got to college.” I run my hand along the top. “But she’s my baby. Jeremy and I fixed her up and she runs great.” I look back up at him with a smile. “Nothing like that swank truck of yours, though.”

“Nah, my truck’s nothing special. Just a ride when I need one.”

I nod. When he doesn’t continue, I take that as my cue and pull my keys from my pocket.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna head off..”

“You didn’t ask me about Cherise.” His expression shows he’s not angry or upset, just confused.

I shrug and twiddle the keys in my hand.

“It’s your story to tell. I didn’t want to pry.” He doesn’t say anything, just continues to assess me. “I figure she’s important to you, since you talked me into watching two hours of high school football so I could meet her for five minutes.”

I want to ask more questions. How long have they known each other? Did he move to California to be closer to her family? How are they on speaking terms when he played a part in her current wheelchair-bound state? But as the stream in my head continues, I keep my verbal filter firmly in place.

Mack exhales loudly, resting his hands on his hips. He looks around, then turns to lean back on my car, looking out at the emptying parking lot.

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