on his thighs and took a deep breath. "Let's say you win and give it a rest."
Jake shook his head. "Uh uh. I need the workout. Getting too old for this?" he needled.
Nathan suddenly stole the ball from his friend and casually dribbled it between his feet. "You played with Oscar, Lorenzo and Joe before I got here."
Jake came around the community center once or twice a week to mingle with the kids, to remind himself how much he had needed a role model at their age. "They're seventeen. No strategy. Now you...I have to use my brain as well as my reflexes when I go against you." Picking up his bottle of water on the sidelines, Jake took a few swallows.
"So, how's the marriage going?"
Jake took another swallow then set the bottle on the ground once more. "Subtle, Bradley. Like an eighteen wheeler. At least with Gillian, she gives me a lead-in before she probes."
Nathan shrugged. "Gillian says you're as tight as a clam on this subject. What gives?"
Jake swiped the ball from Nathan, aimed, and sank it. "Nothing. Sara and I concentrate on Christopher."
Nathan's voice floated over Jake's shoulder. "Twenty-four hours a day? After he's in bed?"
Jake shrugged, as if he hadn't spent more than one hour in his office, so distracted by Sara's presence in the house that he couldn't concentrate. "You know what it takes to be a parent. I'm learning how to handle him." Jake grimaced, remembering Thursday afternoon when he'd lost control of the situation. "And he's learning to handle me."
Nathan grinned. "You mean get away with murder. The girls tried that with Gillian but she was too smart to fall into that trap. We stood together and they realized they couldn't bamboozle either one of us." He paused. "Are you and Sara standing together?"
"We're trying." Jake retrieved the ball and jogged back. He gazed at the building that could use a good sandblasting, the teenagers shooting baskets at the other end of the lot, the few gathered on the asphalt watching the others. "Not many kids here today."
Nathan didn't accept the change of subject. "You can't ignore your marriage."
Jake knew his friend wouldn't give up once he'd started something. "Ignore it? I'm trying to deal with it," Jake shot back. Nathan only pried because he thought he could help, but the prying was irritating nonetheless.
"Have you ever considered how Davie's death affected you?" Nathan asked, his eyes serious.
Silence fell between them. Finally, Jake broke it. "Of course, I have. His death is the reason I quit being a cop, the reason my marriage fell apart!"
"More than that. It made you trust nobody but yourself. It was bad enough being a cop. You had to depend on your gut instinct, your training, your reflexes. But when it came to Davie, even those skills weren't enough."
"So what's your point?"
Nathan shifted on his sneakers, but didn't back down. "You don't give of yourself easily. Your guard is up most of the time."
"I let it down once with Sara," Jake murmured, remembering that one night, when she'd held him, when she'd cried his name in ecstasy...
"Are you giving her a chance now?"
Jake closed his mind to the pictures. "A chance to burn me again? I don't think so. I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not. You're angry. About the way you had to grow up too fast, your mother's death, Davie, your divorce, Sara leaving you at the altar. What's that anger going to get you?"
Jake snapped the ball to his friend and Nathan caught it reflexively. "Protection. Like a bullet proof vest. Don't worry about me, Nathan. I know the score and so does Sara. We're aiming at peaceful coexistence. The fates willing, one day we'll have it." A voice asked, Peaceful coexistence? Is that why you were ready to kiss her again?
Jake shut out the voice. The longer he was around Sara, the less she'd affect him.
Nathan dribbled the ball in front of Jake. "Christmas is coming
Jake shook his head. "Uh uh. I need the workout. Getting too old for this?" he needled.
Nathan suddenly stole the ball from his friend and casually dribbled it between his feet. "You played with Oscar, Lorenzo and Joe before I got here."
Jake came around the community center once or twice a week to mingle with the kids, to remind himself how much he had needed a role model at their age. "They're seventeen. No strategy. Now you...I have to use my brain as well as my reflexes when I go against you." Picking up his bottle of water on the sidelines, Jake took a few swallows.
"So, how's the marriage going?"
Jake took another swallow then set the bottle on the ground once more. "Subtle, Bradley. Like an eighteen wheeler. At least with Gillian, she gives me a lead-in before she probes."
Nathan shrugged. "Gillian says you're as tight as a clam on this subject. What gives?"
Jake swiped the ball from Nathan, aimed, and sank it. "Nothing. Sara and I concentrate on Christopher."
Nathan's voice floated over Jake's shoulder. "Twenty-four hours a day? After he's in bed?"
Jake shrugged, as if he hadn't spent more than one hour in his office, so distracted by Sara's presence in the house that he couldn't concentrate. "You know what it takes to be a parent. I'm learning how to handle him." Jake grimaced, remembering Thursday afternoon when he'd lost control of the situation. "And he's learning to handle me."
Nathan grinned. "You mean get away with murder. The girls tried that with Gillian but she was too smart to fall into that trap. We stood together and they realized they couldn't bamboozle either one of us." He paused. "Are you and Sara standing together?"
"We're trying." Jake retrieved the ball and jogged back. He gazed at the building that could use a good sandblasting, the teenagers shooting baskets at the other end of the lot, the few gathered on the asphalt watching the others. "Not many kids here today."
Nathan didn't accept the change of subject. "You can't ignore your marriage."
Jake knew his friend wouldn't give up once he'd started something. "Ignore it? I'm trying to deal with it," Jake shot back. Nathan only pried because he thought he could help, but the prying was irritating nonetheless.
"Have you ever considered how Davie's death affected you?" Nathan asked, his eyes serious.
Silence fell between them. Finally, Jake broke it. "Of course, I have. His death is the reason I quit being a cop, the reason my marriage fell apart!"
"More than that. It made you trust nobody but yourself. It was bad enough being a cop. You had to depend on your gut instinct, your training, your reflexes. But when it came to Davie, even those skills weren't enough."
"So what's your point?"
Nathan shifted on his sneakers, but didn't back down. "You don't give of yourself easily. Your guard is up most of the time."
"I let it down once with Sara," Jake murmured, remembering that one night, when she'd held him, when she'd cried his name in ecstasy...
"Are you giving her a chance now?"
Jake closed his mind to the pictures. "A chance to burn me again? I don't think so. I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not. You're angry. About the way you had to grow up too fast, your mother's death, Davie, your divorce, Sara leaving you at the altar. What's that anger going to get you?"
Jake snapped the ball to his friend and Nathan caught it reflexively. "Protection. Like a bullet proof vest. Don't worry about me, Nathan. I know the score and so does Sara. We're aiming at peaceful coexistence. The fates willing, one day we'll have it." A voice asked, Peaceful coexistence? Is that why you were ready to kiss her again?
Jake shut out the voice. The longer he was around Sara, the less she'd affect him.
Nathan dribbled the ball in front of Jake. "Christmas is coming
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