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Riley
“So,howmanycasserolesdo you think are enough?” my sister asks as she slides another aluminum foil tray into the fridge and pretends to wipe a drop of sweat from her brow.
I scoff as I stand in the Graham family kitchen, helping Shannon and Lulu make food to not only take to the Benson house but also for the post-funeral reception being held at the high school.
“Hey, I said I would help, not that I was any good at it,” my sister teases.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that she extended her trip to help around here. However, I’m not sure our definition of helping is exactly the same. I think Lyla would have been a much better help in this situation. Her motherly instincts and need to take care of people would kick in. I guess I can’t blame Sutton, though. It’s not like there’s a manual for these sorts of things. If there were, I bet it would be a bestseller.
Since we arrived at the Grahams’ house a few hours ago, my sister has played waitress for the men, delivering drinks and snacks in the living room, and has gotten various items for us from the fridge but hasn’t actually touched any of these casseroles. Honestly, it’s probably for the better. We don’t need anyone getting sick from them.
“Food and death have a weird relationship,” Lulu adds. “I don’t know why because, honestly, food was the last thing on my mind during those first few days. Foster had to force me to eat, and even then, it was just a few nibbles here and there. Yet people were constantly bringing food by the house. I think at one point we had nine different lasagnas in the freezer.”
“I think it’s a little weird,” Sutton says as she takes a sip of her wine and pulls out a stool at the island.
Ugh, why couldn’t Sutton Parker have been born with a filter instead of her foot in her mouth?
“Riley, dear,” Shannon calls from where she’s wrist-deep in dough on the other side of the island. “Can you go over to the pantry and grab me another sheet pan?”
“Of course.” Could Shannon tell that I was two seconds away from smacking the hell out of my sister?
I wipe my hands off on the apron tied around my waist and head over to the pantry. Shannon Graham’s pantry is more like a small walk-in closet. It’s so neatly organized that I find the extra sheet pans right away. Everything has its own designated place, and I would bet my life that she would notice if someone put something back incorrectly.
As I turn to head back to the island, something catches my eye out of the back door.
I didn’t even realize that Cooper was outside. I thought he was in the living room with Wade, Austin, Ace, and Foster.When did he slip outside? How long has he been out there?
There’s been a slight chill in the air the past few days as a cold front blew through. I can see his breath with every exhale as he stands stoically, staring out at nothing in particular. His hands are in the front pocket of his black Chicago Knights hoodie, and his signature backward hat is upon his head. I can’t see his full face, only his profile, but I can tell by his tight jaw that he’s fighting through his emotions.
I hate this for him, for us, for this town. I’m watching him close in on himself before my very eyes, and I’m terrified that I won’t be able to help him. Will his grief swallow him whole again? I know losing Coach differs from losing Tanner, but what if those same feelings inside him resurface?
Cold hands touch my skin where the fabric of my shirt hangs off my shoulder.Shit, how long was I staring out the back door?
Shannon gives me a soft smile when I look over my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Shannon. I guess I was just preoccupied.” I hold out the sheet pans in front of us, and instead of taking them and walking away, she calls out to my sister to come and take them. After Sutton retrieves them, Shannon follows my line of sight outside and lets out a heavy sigh.
“How’s he handling all this?”
I lean against the wall, wrapping my arms around my waist. “Not very well.”
When we heard the commotion over at the bar the other night, I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing Cooper and Ace fighting with the Briggs brothers. Rage consumed Coop as his fist rammed into Tripp’s face. I’ve only ever seen that look once before—in the coverage of the game where he threw the punch that ended his career.
Thank God the owners of the Pint didn’t press charges. While watching Ace, Cooper, Tripp, and Leighton getting hauled off in handcuffs wasn’t exactly how we saw our evening ending, nothing prepared me for having to deliver the devastating blow of Coach’s loss.
I had dropped Austin and Sutton back off at the house and taken Austin’s SUV to the county jail to wait for news. There was no point in having us all wait. Austin called while I was outside, waiting for their release.
“Hey, I’m waiting outside the precinct. The officer working the desk said they’ll be out soon.”
“Riley.” Austin’s tone sounded different from usual.
“What’s wrong?” The first thing that came to mind was my sister since she was with him.
“I just got a call from my mom.”Okay, so that wouldn’t be anything to do with Sutton.I pulled back the phone to verify the time. A little late for a friendly chat.
“She okay? Your dad?”
He sighed. “They’re okay. It’s Coach Benson.” I closed my eyes and held my breath as he spoke again. “He passed away tonight.” It’s actually kind of amazing how four words have the power to crush your heart into a million pieces.
