Page 8 of Playing It Forward

I shake the bag of potatoes at him. “Baked potatoes or wedges?”

“Is there sour cream?”

“Of course.”

He rubs his hands together. “Baked potatoes. I’ll get the grill started.”

He rushes out the back door to the porch. Some things never change. My foster sister and brothers might have left the island without a second glance. And I might not live with Dad anymore. But he’s the same person he’s always been. A sucker for a baked potato and a sad story.

When the food is ready, we settle at the table on the back porch to eat.

“How’s work going?” Dad asks.

“It’s going well. Busy.”

He leans forward. “Is it busier since the Steel City Seals have arrived?”

My heart races at the reminder of the football players. Knock it off, heart. There is nothing happening between me and a certain quarterback. We’ve had our fun and now it’s over. My stomach dips but I ignore it.

“I can’t believe Hudson managed to get the team to stay at his resort during training camp.”

Dad is a football fan through and through. I spent every Sunday during football season while living in this house watching games and pretending to listen to him analyze every play, every step, every decision.

Dad played in college and loves the sport. I love him, so I sat on the sofa across from him every Sunday.

“Hudson used to play on the team,” I remind him.

“It was a damn shame when he was injured.”

The entire island mourned when our local hero had to retire early due to his injury. When he came home, the smugglers tried to embrace him. He was having none of it. He practically became a hermit at his resort. Until Nova shoved her way into his life.

“Have you met any of the players yet?”

My hands shake at the question. I set my fork down and fold my hands under the table until the shaking stops.

I go for nonchalant. “They’re around.”

“I should come for Sunday brunch at the resort. Maybe I’ll meet one.”

I perk up. I’ve been trying to get Dad to come for brunch since I started working at the resort a few years ago. He always declines. No brunch is worth fifty dollars unless they serve steak.

“You can come next Sunday. We’ll have brunch instead of dinner.”

“Maybe.”

“It’s my treat.”

He scowls. “I’m not letting you spend your hard-earned money on me.”

“What else am I going to spend it on?”

“You should go out more. Have a good time. Buy yourself pretty dresses. Maybe escape this island once in a while.”

I reach across the table to pat his hand. “I love this island. I have no desire to go anywhere else.”

But I do have a reason to stay. And he’s sitting across from me. Dad isn’t in the best of health, and he doesn’t have anyone else to care for him. Scott and Ricky, my foster brothers, left the island as soon as they graduated from high school. They visit for holidays and summer vacations but not enough to care for Dad.

And Olivia, my foster sister, isn’t around either. She joined the military and is often in places she can’t tell us about. She visits once a year, but she can’t care for Dad either.