I almost swerve off the road looking at the money in my son’s hand. “He paid you? For what?”
Eli puts his hand on the dash as if he’s steadying himself. “For working. I get there almost two hours earlier than everyone else, and I work mucking stalls and feeding horses.”
“Eli, he’s already paying for your spot in the camp. I don’t know...” I let my voice trail off when I see the look on his face. He looks so disappointed. He was so happy and filled with pride only moments ago. I can’t ruin this for him. I can’t.
“How about frozen pizza? I picked it up at the store.”
His eyes light up again. “Yum! That sounds great, Mom.”
He happily starts talking about the ranch again. Every other word is King this and King that. The only quiet time I get is when he’s in the shower while the pizza is baking. I send a text to King. “Thank you again for the scholarship but we are not a charity case. You shouldn’t have paid Eli.”
I wait for him to respond. Eli and I eat, but it tastes like cardboard to me. This day has been too much, and I would give anything to shower and just go to bed.
The doorbell rings, and instantly Eli is up. I hold my breath, thinking it could be King and sort of hating myself that I feel hopeful it is him. He’s a player, I remind myself.
Eli comes running back with the neighbor boy. “There’s a playoff game at the park. Can I go watch? Please, Mom? I’ll stay in the park, I won’t talk to strangers, and I’ll be back before dark.”
I want to say no. I want to keep him here where it’s safe, but I also know that I can’t smother him. The park is literally across the street, and I can see him from the front door. “Fine. Be good and be back before dark.” I barely get the sentence out before he takes off running with his friend. I hear the front door open. “I love you, Mom.” And then the door slams an instant later.
Only a few minutes go by and there’s a knock on the door. Assuming that Eli forgot something, I open it without looking out the peephole. Instantly I regret it because I needed to prepare myself before seeing King Bryant again.
Chapter 12
King
When I got back to the barn, all the campers had left, including Eli. I had picked up my phone to call Natalie when a text from her came through. It was short, and when she finished by telling me she’s not a charity case, I knew immediately I needed to go see her. She’s independent, and I know it probably rubbed her the wrong way that I paid Eli, but I knew if I explained she would understand. Plus, quite honestly, after thinking about her all day, I wouldn’t mind another night of watching TV with her and Eli and hopefully another kiss from Nat.
I shower, grab a sandwich from the kitchen, and head into town. Just as I’m pulling in, Eli and another boy are walking through the parking lot. “Hey, Eli. Where you going?”
He points across the street. “To the park to watch a baseball game. You want to come?”
I pat him on the back. “I do love baseball, but I need to talk to your momma, okay? Maybe next time.”
He nods, and I watch him and his friend as he crosses the street before I walk up the steps to the apartment building.
I knock and stand back, waiting in anticipation to see Nat again. It feels like it’s been forever.
I smile when the door opens, but as soon as I see the frown on her face, my smile drops. “Hey, Nat.”
She stands, blocking the door and merely juts her chin at me. If her lack of a hello isn’t a clue, the way she’s glaring at me is a good indication of how mad she is.
“You’re mad. Can you let me explain?”
She still doesn’t answer; she just shrugs her shoulders, so I continue. “Eli earned every bit of that money. He works for two hours every morning before camp starts. Heck, he gets more work done than some of our hands do in a whole day. He’s a hard worker, and I just wanted to pay him what he was owed.” I swallow because she’s not softening at all. She’s still glaring. “You’re still mad. Look, Nat, I don’t think you or Eli are a charity case.” I flinch just saying it.
She stands taller, pulling her shoulders back but still not opening the door any further. “Okay.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Okay?”
She nods. “Okay. Is there something else?”
Well, hell. I swear I’ve never had to work this hard to talk to a woman in my life, but I know she’s worth it. Obviously, there’s something else going on here. “Yeah, you going to let me in?”