Chapter Seven

“I forgot how much my mother loves you.” Mia shot Reed a quick smile as he opened the passenger door of his car and waved her inside.

“What can I say? I have that effect on the ladies.” He winked and waited until she was seated before closing the door and hurrying around to the other side.

Mia held her breath as memories of her previous ride in this very car came flooding back. Well, maybe not the ride specifically, but the things that had happened afterward. On her couch and then later in her bedroom.

Oh, yes. Reed Fletcher definitely had a way with women. And if she ended up in River Bend for as long as she suspected she’d be there, she’d probably bear witness to more of his wily ways than she cared to. Just like high school all over again.

For the briefest of moments, she let the old, too-familiar pangs of jealousy niggle in her belly. Until she remembered that the ball had been in her court before Christmas. Instead of kicking it back, she pricked it with a pin and let the air out.

“What’s that for?” Reed asked as he drove toward downtown Cameron, the county seat, where the hospital was located and where his office was located, too.

“What’s what for?” She rested her head against the back of the seat and covered a yawn.

“You sighed.”

“Oh.” She had? “Just tired, I guess.”

“I thought maybe you were thinking about my stellar prowess.” One of his dark brown eyes winked playfully, and she laughed.

“Still full of yourself, I see.”

Smirking, he turned the car into the Subway parking lot and killed the engine. “Keeps things interesting, don’t you think?”

“Being a cocky ass?”

“An ass?” When he feigned insult, she rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Reed. We both know your reputation leaves something to be desired.”

“Desire. Now we’re talking my language.”

“Oh, my God.” She’d walked right into that one, hadn’t she? “Let’s just get my mother some food.”

He held the door open for her as they went inside and approached the counter where a young woman with red braids restocked the vegetables. She flashed a bright grin full of metal when she glanced up and spotted Reed.

“Hey, Coach. What are you doing in Cameron this late?”

“Hey, Lacey.” Reed pressed a hand to Mia’s lower back and pushed her ahead of him. “Just getting my friend Mia here something to eat. How have you been?”

Mia watched quietly as the two exchanged a short conversation about the upcoming football game. The Homecoming game, apparently, that Lacey was especially excited to cheer at, considering it was her last year at River Bend High School.

The girl was beautiful with her freckles and deep, auburn locks, but Mia couldn’t recall any of the cheerleaders having braces when she’d been a coed. Amy, Ally, Natalie, and Kayla had been perfect in every way. Every way that Mia wasn’t and they’d used every opportunity possible to remind her of that, including the Homecoming game her senior year.

“Mia...” Reed’s fingers brushed against her arm, pulling her back to the moment. “Did you want to order?”

“Oh. Um, yes. Sorry.” She rattled off a basic turkey sandwich for herself and a meatball with mozzarella for her mom. Lacey was wrapping up the first sub when a tall, broad-shouldered boy came from the storage room with a tray full of containers.

“Coach,” he stuttered at the sight of Reed, and nearly upended the tray. “H-hey.”

Reed’s brow drew together as he looked the kid up and down, seemingly surprised to see him in a Subway uniform. “Donnie.”

“Uh, you got their order under control, Lace?” Donnie muttered to his redheaded coworker, avoiding eye contact with Reed if Mia read him correctly.

“Yup. Just about done.”

“Great. I’ll leave this stuff here then and—”

“Donnie, can I have a word with you?” Reed cleared his throat, and the kid’s face flushed almost as dark as Lacey’s hair.

“Uh, I’m on the clock, Coach.”

“Won’t take but five minutes and, if your boss gives you crap, I’ll take the fall.” He angled his head toward the front door and Donnie came from behind the prep station without another word. Rubbing his hands on the front of his pants, he led the way into the mid-September night.

“Yikes,” Lacey said when the two men were out of earshot. “Donnie had hoped Coach Fletcher wouldn’t find out about him working here.”

What was wrong with a teenage kid having a job? “Why’s that?”

“He’s supposed to focus all of his attention on football. Coach’s rules.”

Reed had forbidden the kid from working? “You’re kidding.”

Lacey gave her head a quick shake as she made the meatball sub. “I’m not sure if he’ll say anything, but just in case he doesn’t, maybe you could let Coach know that Donnie’s got some crap going on at home.”

Mia’s stomach tightened a bit. “What kind of crap?”

“Not sure. He’s been in a mood for a week now, and he grumbles under his breath every time his phone goes off. Says his dad is giving him a hard time, but I don’t know what about.”

Interesting. “Let’s hope he tells Reed.” Not that Mia wouldn’t—she had a soft spot for kids going through tough times—but it was always better when the story came straight from the source.

Which was just another reminder that time was ticking on coming clean to her parents about no longer working in the legal department at M & A. And, worse, how she’d moved up the ladder of success as quickly as she had. With a man whose moral compass pointed South to their North.

“Did you say you wanted pickles on this one?” Lacey smiled.

“Um, yes, please.” Mia swallowed down the tightness in her chest.

The sooner she told the truth, the better off everyone would be.

* * *

“What’s going on with you? First the attitude on the field and then a job you forgot to mention?” Standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, Reed shook his head, not sure what to think about seeing Donnie in a Subway visor.

The kid stuffed his hands into his slacks and glanced down the street. “I can’t quit, Coach.”

“I’m not saying you have to.” Yes, he might’ve implied that working was a distraction he didn’t want for his players, but he couldn’t fault a kid for taking on the extra responsibility. “I just want to know where your head is at.”

Donnie scuffed the toe of his shoe on the concrete and continued to look away, his jaw twitching. “You don’t have to worry about it getting in the way of football. I’m never scheduled during games or practice.”

“Donnie...” Reed’s hand brushed the kid’s arm and he flinched. “I’m not talking about football right now. If there’s something going on, you can talk to me. You know that.”

The quarterback nodded, casting his gaze down to the ground. “I know, Coach. But not right now, okay?”

What the hell did that mean? “You’re not in any trouble, are you?”

“No, sir.”

“Your grades okay?”

“Same as always.”

“Your girlfriend knocked up?”

Donnie gave a light laugh. “Don’t have a girlfriend, Coach.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Girls are nothing but trouble.”

The kid finally met his eye and smirked. “Says you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heat crept up the back of Reed’s neck and he thanked God it was too dark to give him away. Christ, he hated small towns sometimes. Everyone knew when he took a shit, for Christ’s sake.

“No disrespect, but I think you know what it means.” Donnie chuckled again. “Look, I just need the cash, okay? Nothing you need to worry about. I’ll be at practice tomorrow like always and we’ll kick ass on Friday night like always, too.”

Reed didn’t doubt that was true, but something was going on with Donnie, he was sure of it. He’d coached the kid for four years and he’d never once disobeyed the rules. Even the implied ones. Reed wanted to push but needed the kid in a good frame of mind come Friday night. He didn’t need him thinking about this conversation any more than he already would be.

“All right, but I meant what I said. You need to talk about shit, you call. You’ve got my number.”

Donnie nodded, then tipped his head toward the door. “Thanks, but I have to get back to work before I get canned.”

Clapping the kid on the back, Reed opened the door as Mia approached. Donnie stepped aside to let her pass through first.

“Have a good night, ma’am. Enjoy your dinner.” 

“Thank you,” she replied, but as soon as the door closed, she pressed her hand to her chest. “Ma’am? Seriously?”

“What can I say? I’ve taught my boys well.” Reed winked, but the amusement was superficial. “But apparently not everything sunk in like I hoped it would.”

“Is he okay?”

“Not sure.”

They were halfway back to the hospital before Mia opened her mouth to speak, then quickly snapped it shut again.

“What?”

“I don’t want to get her into trouble, but...” Pushing a hand through her hair, she sighed. “The girl behind the counter thinks something is going on with Donnie and his dad.”

“She told you that?”

“She asked me to tell you in case Donnie didn’t.”

“Really?”

Mia nodded. “She seemed to know why you’d want to talk to Donnie alone. Care to clue me in?”

“Not much to say other than I prefer my players give all of their extra time to the team from August through October.”

“You played and worked at the same time, didn’t you?”

He shot her a sidelong smile. “Yeah, but I had to. I couldn’t have afforded to fucking eat if I hadn’t.”

“Maybe that’s the case for Donnie.”

It wasn’t. His folks both had good jobs and the Parkers, in general, were one of the more well off families in River Bend. They’d paid for the kid to go to all of the most expensive football camps, too. “So, what’s up with his old man?”

“She didn’t say. Just that Donnie gets bent out of shape when his dad texts him. Enough, apparently, that she thought she should mention it.”

Hmm. Looked like Reed had some investigating to do first thing tomorrow morning. “Thanks. I won’t mention that Lacey said anything.”

Mia gave a small smile as they pulled into the hospital parking lot just before nine o’clock. “It’s really weird for me that you’re essentially Mr. Randall now, though I suspect you’re a lot more patient than he ever was.”

“Most days.” Reed chuckled, remembering his old high school coach. He was also a math teacher and one of the orneriest men Reed had ever known. “I learned a lot from that crabby old bastard. A lot of what not to do, especially.”

Laughing softly, Mia eyed the hospital’s front entrance through the windshield. “I should get up there before the doctor comes in.”

“You still want me to stick around?”

She nodded. “Dad’s going to rehab tomorrow. I can’t listen to the doctors without crying and neither can Mom. You might catch something we miss.”

“Got it. I’m happy to stay.”

“Thank you. This aphasia is some scary stuff, and so is a stint in rehab.”

“Aphasia?”

“Not being able to speak like he used to.”

“Ah, well, Grand Island isn’t too far, at least.”

Mia bit her lower lip. “I’ll go with him to get him settled, but I want to come back and take care of the diner so Mom doesn’t have to worry about it.”

Knowing what he did about Mia’s career in Omaha, he couldn’t imagine her behind the counter at the diner, making milkshakes and homemade green chili like old times. Yet, he suspected that’s exactly what she needed to do, both for her parents and for herself.

“They’ll appreciate that, M.” Reaching across the console, he squeezed her hand. “Can you get away from work for that long?”

“Connor offered to take on my clients indefinitely, but if that doesn’t work out, I’m prepared to do whatever my parents need me to do.” She lifted her chin in that adorably determined way he loved.

“I’m proud of you,” he said quietly, mindlessly bringing her knuckles to his mouth for a soft kiss. “And for as long as you need me, I’m yours. Just tell me what to do.”

She eyed him for a moment and then whispered, “Keep being my friend, even if I flake again?”

“Always, M.”

* * *

“You’ll be transported to Grand Island via ambulance first thing tomorrow morning,” Dr. Ambrose told her father, who’d woken up for the visit, but still looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “There, you’ll meet an incredible team of neurologists and therapists who will take over until you’re batting a thousand again.”

Jose nodded as Mia patted his hand. “Mom and I will go with, but I plan to come back and take care of the diner.”

With a furrowed brow, her dad opened his mouth, but the only sound that came out was a garbled sigh.

“Papi, I can handle it. I worked at the diner for more than half of my life, not to mention that Pam and Bobbie Jo will be there, too. And when I’m not working, I’ll come to Grand Island.”

On the other side of the bed, her mother glanced down, but not before Mia saw the tears.

“It’s the least I can do, Mama. Please don’t cry.”

Reed rubbed Stella’s back as she wept quietly. “The most important thing is getting you healthy again, Jose. If it’s any consolation, I’ll keep an eye on Mia. Make sure she isn’t working too hard.”

Her dad’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as he nodded up to Reed with appreciation. Mia suspected he wouldn’t be as accepting of her next statement, but she planned to say it anyway.

“I talked with the social worker for a few minutes earlier and she told me that you’re worried about the hospital bills.” Her mother’s watery eyes snapped up to hers, but before she could refute, Mia lifted a hand. “I’m going to take care of everything the insurance doesn’t cover. I don’t want either of you to stress about money or cut corners because of the cost. Daddy’s health is far too important.”

“Baby, you can’t do that...” Stella rasped, and Mia swallowed hard, catching Reed’s encouraging nod from the corner of her eye.

“Actually, I can.” A shaky ball of emotion began to build in her chest, but she pushed on. “It’s a long story and I’ll tell you someday soon, but, for right now, just know that you have nothing to worry about. I promise.”

Jose’s fingers tightened around hers and when she looked up, a single tear slid down his cheek right into the salt and pepper stubble on his jaw. “M-m-m-m-m...” he tried to speak, but when nothing more than that one syllable came out, he closed his eyes in frustration.

Dr. Ambrose closed his laptop and smiled. “Sounds to me like you have a very determined daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Carderas. If I were you, I’d take her up on the offer and use this time to get Jose better.”

They said a quick thank you and goodnight to the doctor before the four of them were alone again.

“Now is as good a time as any to tell your father about the money,” Stella said quietly, catching Mia completely off guard, until she remembered the older woman’s words from earlier: “There’s so much I need to tell you,” Mia had said, to which Stella replied, “Probably not as much as you think.”

“I-I’m not sure what you mean,” she stammered for no other reason than to buy a few moments to gather her thoughts. How could her mother possibly know?

“Mia.” Reed rounded the hospital bed and took a seat beside her. “It’s time.”

No, it wasn’t. Her dad had just had a stroke and couldn’t speak because of it. This was definitely not the time to tell them she’d used her body as bait. That she’d sweet talked her way right into dozens of men’s pockets. And now she was going to pay his hospital bills with her dirty money.

“There’s no point in waiting, M.” Fingertips brushed against her cheek as Reed tucked her hair behind her ear. “Help them understand.”

“Did you tell her?” she rasped around the lump in her throat.

“No, baby, it wasn’t Reed.” Her mother’s smile was sympathetic, but also stern.

“But...” Her bottom lip began to tremble as she met her father’s concerned stare, then glanced back to her mother, who was far too calm for what she apparently knew.

“I’m not as old and helpless as you think I am,” Stella added.. “I know how to use Google. Have for a couple of years, actually.”

A couple of years? Shit..

“For that, I’m just as guilty as you. I could’ve told your father, but I didn’t.”

Jose motioned for his pad of paper and pen anxiously and scratched out a quick, What is going on?

“Oh, Papi...” Mia cried into her hands as Reed wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Just start from the beginning,” Reed whispered against her temple, his touch softer than she deserved. She’d lied to her parents about her work and she’d almost married a man who only thought of himself. All because she’d had this stupid self-confidence issue that seemed to dictate everything in her life. Made her question even the simplest things. Like her parents’ support and love.

“I’m afraid you’ll think less of me,” she began, looking directly into her father’s eyes. “Part of me knows that could never be the case, but the other part...well, that part isn’t sure of anything.”

“Mi-mi-mi...” Again, Jose clenched his eyes closed with a disgruntled huff, and Mia gave in, starting with her position as paralegal for Montgomery & Adler to Ben’s disreputable offer and, more recently, Ben and Connor’s partnership offer.

“I decided against the partnership for several reasons, that we can discuss another time,” she confessed through tears. “Just know that I’m no longer going to be working for M & A.”

Reed’s hand stilled between her shoulder blades, rubbing gently. “And?” he asked quietly, urging her to share the last important detail. Her relationship with the man who’d encouraged her to use her body to make him money like a pimp.

But she couldn’t do it. Not now when things were such a mess. It was too confusing, too complicated...too humiliating.

“And...” she began, blowing out a breath, “I’ve not only given a lot of the money I’ve made to charity, but I’ve invested and banked some, too. Enough to ensure that Dad gets the best possible care and that both of you can retire, if that’s what you want.”

Stella muffled her gasp by pressing her fingers to her lips while Jose’s big, barrel chest shook with a gruff sob.

She’d tell them about the ring in her console another day.

Or maybe not at all.