Page 19 of Last Slice of Pie

“You made fifty-four pies in the last, what, eighteen hours?” Suddenly, I feel bad about all the work I put her through.

“That I did. It wasn’t awful, don’t worry. I had plenty of time to prepare the crust and filling, and I just baked them early this morning.”

“If you say so.” I reach for the second case and then the third, and then I move back as she locks up.

Turning toward me, she smiles, and the space inside my chest tightens as my gaze slides over her face, checking for each of my favorite features. “I’m happy to see you,” I tell her.

Her cheeks turn a little pink and her smile grows bigger.

Again, damn what this girl does to me.

“I’m happy to see you, too.”

“You ready?”

She takes a deep breath and glances warily toward the open tunnel. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

Together we push the cart into the open stadium and head toward the end zone, where large white tents have been set up for the food and dining. Our event coordinators went all out this year, and I’m proud to have Lexi here. Other than James, this is the first time I’ve ever had someone with me at one of our family events, and just like I predicted, I already feel curious eyes on us, on her.

“Well, butter my biscuit, if it isn’t the third leg of the tripod,” we hear as we find the dessert tables.

Lexi pauses and turns at the sound of the nickname for her and her friends. She smirks. “Let me guess—you’re Jack,” she says, giving him a once-over.

“The one and only.” He throws his arms out. “And you’re Lexi.” He winks before looking at me and grinning. Lexi laughs and just shakes her head. If I didn’t love the guy, I might strangle him for walking over here and immediately flirting with her.

“Meg was right about you.” She throws the words over her shoulder as she moves toward the tables assigned for dessert. “Come on, Jack, make yourself useful. Help us unload these pies.” She reaches for the first case and lifts the door to open it.

“Meg mentioned me to you?” he asks curiously, looking at Lexi as if she has explanations for all the mysteries of the universe, and then he gets distracted as the sweet smell of home-baked pies hits us both. “Pie,” he mumbles, breathing in. For him, it’s like he’s being rewarded; for me, it’s like going home. This smell is home.

One of the event staff sees us and runs over. “Oh, hi! We were expecting you, and I can take it from here.” She smiles warmly.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” she says.

“Absolutely. Y’all just enjoy your afternoon and eat lots of food. I hear the shrimp salad is to die for.”

“Okay,” Lexi says, clearly hesitant. She glances between the girl and me.

“Come on, they’ve got this, and I want to introduce you to a few people.” I hold my hand out and watch as her eyes drop to it. Shyly, she slips her fingers into mine, and I walk us away from the food and toward Billy and his wife, Missy. Jack remains, waiting patiently for the first piece to be handed to him.

If I thought people were watching us before, they definitely are now, and I find myself not caring. In fact, I feel good. I feel proud, and I stand a little taller. Let them look. Let them all look. Years—I’ve wanted, worked, and waited for this for years, and now here we are.

“It’s so different being down here on the field,” she says quietly, her eyes scanning the empty stadium.

I try to imagine what it’s like to see it from her perspective, but I can’t. I imagine it’s like when you first move into a new house—it feels so big, and then after a while, it just doesn’t.

“Have you never been on a field?”

“No, not since y’all were in high school.”

Huh. My memories swing back to those days when I would look up and see her right under the announcer’s box. That’s where she sat, nowhere else, and I was glad for it, because I always knew where she was, cheering for us . . . cheering for me.

“Well, this is it, my home away from home.”

She glances at me and, with a straight face, blinks as she says, “I’m not impressed.”

What?

Well, that stings.