Where Angels Tread by Clare Kenna

past three years, that the accident had never happened.

CHAPTER 7
    Heidi poured the freshly squeezed lemonade into two tall glasses, added a generous helping of sugar to each, and stirred vigorously until the sugar was completely dissolved. She tossed in a couple of ice cubes and swirled them around in the glasses to cool off the lemonade before serving it. Despite the chill in the air signaling the first hint of winter, she could see through the window that Zachary and Shane were dying for a cold drink. They had been out there for hours, she realized, glancing at the clock. These days, she kept her distance from Shane, who had gallantly stuck with his promise to train with her son until he was ready for tryouts.
    Thankfully, Heidi thought, tracing her finger along the days marked on the calendar, tryouts were being held that same week for the school’s spring basketball league. Zachary, who hadn’t skipped a day of school since Heidi received the letter from his principal, had worked hard in the ensuing weeks to keep his grades up, and Heidi was proud to find out that he was eligible to join the team.
    She set the lemonade on a tray and added a plate of chocolate chip cookies before carrying it out to the boys, who were seated on the driveway discussing tactics. “Remember what I said about passing,” Shane was saying as Zachary nodded along seriously. “You have to make sure you take your time to look around and see who is open and has the best chance of making the shot. Don’t just lob the ball at the first guy you see.”
    “How’s it going out here?” Heidi asked as she passed each of them a glass.
    “Great!” Zachary said, tearing off a chunk of his cookie. “I’m ready for tryouts, and Coach Whitt said that he’s throwing a pizza party for the whole team so we can get to know each other!” Heidi smiled fondly at her son, delighted at the gleam of excitement in his eyes. He turned to Shane. “You’ll be able to come to tryouts, right?”
    “Zachary,” Heidi warned, “Shane has done more than enough already. Your tryouts are in the middle of the day, and he has to go to work. You can tell him all about it when you’re finished.”
    Shane took a casual sip of lemonade and gave Heidi a tight smile. “Actually, I already told the chief that I’d need to take a couple of hours off.” He ruffled Zachary’s hair. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Not when we’ve put so much time into it!”
    “Can we try that bank shot once more, Shane?” Zachary asked, running his fingers along the basketball nervously. “I’m not sure I have that one down yet.”
    Shane set down his cookie and brushed the crumbs from his fingers, then motioned for Zachary to pass him the ball. “Sure, let’s do it right now. This is going to be the last practice before your tryouts, so I want to make sure we go over everything again.” He caught the ball, then stood up and stretched his arms over his head. As he did, the t-shirt he wore rose a few inches above the waistband of his shorts, revealing the muscles of his stomach. Heidi glanced away quickly; try as she might to ignore her feelings, she still found herself wildly attracted to Shane.
    “I’ll get out of your way,” she said, collecting the empty glasses and hurrying back up the sidewalk to the safety of her house. Once inside, she closed the door firmly behind her. In the weeks since Shane had asked her out, she had done her best to keep her distance from him. They had remained cordial to each other, but Heidi knew from the way she sometimes caught Shane looking at her that she had hurt him deeply with her rejection. She also missed his company, the ease of their conversations, and the way they could joke around with each other. Heidi had hoped that there would be some way for them to stay friends, but sadly the awkwardness they now felt around each other prevented that from happening.
    Once Zachary made the team, Shane would have no reason to come over