20
After the dance lesson, Jewel ran outside to play with the dogs, and Charlotte joined Hildy in the kitchen. She stood at the sink, filling a pitcher with water.
“She’s really sweet,” Charlotte said. “Maybe we could arrange for her to join a dance class or two?”
Hildy turned off the faucet, stuck a wooden spoon in the pitcher, and stirred. “Are you teaching?”
Charlotte sat on a stool opposite the counter. “I’m hoping to buy the dance studio. I’ve mentioned it to Connor a few times, but I haven’t heard back yet.”
“What a great idea,” Hildy said. “That would make Julianna so happy.”
“I hope so.” Charlotte wanted nothing more.
“I know so,” Hildy said. “Julianna would love seeing you here.”
Charlotte glanced out the window, then back to Hildy, who now leaned against the sink, arms folded across her chest. “Has Cole always volunteered here?”
“Oh, no.” Hildy put her glasses on and flipped through the photo album that still sat on the counter. She turned the book around and pushed it toward Charlotte, pointing to a photo of three boys, leaning against a fence, a big black horse behind them. “He lived here, for several months actually. He and those two boys were like brothers.”
“He lived here?”
“It’s a long story. We all fell in love with Cole. The quiet, troubled ones always steal my heart. The two boys in that photo stayed on the straight and narrow thanks to Cole Turner. Even then, even when everything was falling apart, he still had the biggest heart of anyone I knew.”
“Cole.” Charlotte studied the photo for several seconds, finding it hard to believe that the man she knew had anything but a heart of stone. He was about as warm and fuzzy as a boulder.
“Don’t let his act fool you. He might have a brick wall around him now—and for many good reasons—but if you can get past that, you’ll find a pot of gold.”
The sound of happy screams from outside caught their attention, and both Charlotte and Hildy moved toward the window overlooking a large lawn at the side of the house. Cole had set up a scrimmage of sorts and even roped Steve in to playing a game of touch football, something that had all the boys shouting and laughing.
Hildy motioned toward one of the boys, the one who appeared to be the youngest. “See that one?”
Charlotte nodded.
“Asher’s littlest brother, Henry. Asher is the quarterback on Cole’s team.”
Charlotte watched as the dark-headed boy tentatively joined the game. Cole knelt down next to him and explained something Charlotte was sure she wouldn’t understand. Then, he stood up, slapped Henry five, and set the boy up in line next to him.
The play began, and while Charlotte couldn’t understand any of what they were doing, she gathered it was good for Henry because he ended up with the ball, which he promptly ran all the way to the other end of the lawn while Cole and another boy blocked the others.
Henry reached the end, rolled on the ground, then stood up with the ball over his head, a huge smile on his face. Cole raced over to him and picked him up on his shoulders, then took him for a victory lap while the rest of them cheered.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen Henry smile since he’s been here,” Hildy said quietly.
Charlotte watched as Cole put the boy down and set them up to go again. Maybe Hildy had a point—maybe there was an actual heart hidden underneath that wall Cole had built around himself.
“Does he come around here a lot?” Charlotte asked. “Cole, I mean.”
“Every Sunday for dinner,” Hildy said. “You’re more than welcome to join.”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to impose,” Charlotte said.
“Are you kidding? I’d love the chance to feed you a real meal.” Hildy smiled, peering over at her sideways. “You’re curious about him.”
Charlotte turned her attention back to the yard. When she did, she found Cole standing there, looking in their direction. Hildy raised a hand in a wave, and Charlotte stood there, dumbly, like a statue.
He waved back and one of the kids came out of nowhere, plowed into him, and they were back at it.
After a few more minutes of watching, Charlotte and Hildy moved away from the window, but within seconds, the commotion outdoors brought them back, and this time the screams didn’t sound so happy.
Charlotte peered down over the yard and found Cole locked in what appeared to be a standoff with the one Hildy called Asher. Asher jabbed a pointed finger in Cole’s chest, and Cole swatted it away.
Asher yelled something Charlotte couldn’t make out, and Hildy groaned.
“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m not sure I want to know,” Hildy said.
But Charlotte definitely did. She raced outside and into the yard, wondering if whatever was going on might finally give her a peek into the man who had proven to be a mystery.
Cole hadn’t expected Asher to take the game from friendly to serious, but maybe the kid had more aggression to work off than he let on.
They’d been in the middle of a play when Asher barreled into Cole out of nowhere, knocking the wind out of him. Cole pushed Asher off of him and stood.
“What was that about?” he asked—and not quietly. “We’re not playing rough with the other kids around, Ash.”
Asher stood and scrambled off in the other direction, not responding.
“Asher.” Cole followed him.
“What’s the matter, Coach, you can’t handle it?” Asher shoved him square in the chest.
Cole stumbled back but quickly righted himself. “You’re forgetting yourself, son.”
“What do you want, Coach? Why are you here? You think you can bully me into coming back to the team—I told you I’m done.”
Cole frowned. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“Asher, knock it off.” Steve put a hand on Asher’s arm, and the kid shook it off.
“Watch it,” Cole warned.
“Or what?”
Cole reminded himself that Asher was angry—and not at him—not really. He’d seen this kind of behavior a hundred times. Heck, he’d had the same mad-at-the-world attitude when he was Asher’s age.
“What are you doing?” Cole took a step closer to him, and Asher moved away. “What’s this really about?”
“I’m sick of you, that’s what.”
“That’s fine,” Cole said. “I can go. But if I hear one word of you treating Steve and Hildy like you’re treating me right now, you will live to regret it.”
Asher scoffed. “You don’t scare me.”
Cole grabbed him firmly by the front of the shirt. “Well, I should.”
Asher pulled away from Cole’s grasp, breathing heavy. “What do you care, anyway? I’m off the team. I’m not your problem anymore.”
“You think that matters to me?” Cole shouted. “The only thing that matters is that you’re doing what’s best for you, and right now, this isn’t it.”
“Yeah, right,” Asher said. “The only thing that matters to you is that I come back and play so you have a chance of winning games.”