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“I’ll never say no to any of that.” I smile, sliding my hands into my pockets.
“The boys will be happy to see you again. You’re like a celebrity in our house, Coach Reid,” Evan says proudly.
“Ahh, not officially a coach.”
“You will be,” he insists.
I step back. “Hey, so I brought a friend and wondered if that’s okay? She’s been sad, and I think it might cheer her up to be around people,” I add nervously. Glancing toward the truck, I wonder if this is okay.
Evan shrugs. “Sure, who is it?” He looks over and scans my truck.
I walk to the truck and open the door. “Come on, girl,” I murmur as she sits up uneasily and jumps down out of the truck.
“Oh,” Beth murmurs in a soft voice, “who is this?”
“This is Harley.” Her tail is tucked between her legs, and her head is down as she walks next to me.
“What’s going on with her?” Evan asks, leaning down to pet her.
“She was my buddy’s service dog. He passed away and left her to me. And…well, I think her heart is broken. I’m trying to make her happy again,” I say quietly.
“I remember someone else like that once,” Evan remarks, and Beth shoots him a warning look.
I chuckle and look down at her. “Maybe so. But I’m trying to take her everywhere I go, so maybe we’ll find something she likes to cheer her up.”
“Let’s introduce her to Bossy and Chip, our inn dogs, and get the boys. I bet we can win her over.” Beth reaches down to scratch her ears, and Harley leans in to sniff the baby she’s wearing on her front.
“Hey, Harley, this is Benny. Do you like babies?” she croons. Harley seems to perk up a little bit, sniffing the baby. “Want to go get a treat?”
Harley wags her tail a little, but her head and ears are still down as she looks back at me for permission. I nod to her, and she turns and follows Beth.
“We’ll help make her happy again,” Evan says as we head into the inn.
Relieved, I follow him into the inn. Evan helped me, and I’m hopeful he can help my new dog, too. Sometimes we need our village to help us when we’re broken.
* * *
“Coach Reid, when do you think Kase and I can play football with you on your big field?” Caleb scoots his chair right up next to mine, looking up at me with adoration.
I tousle his hair. “I have two reserved spots on my team for when you’re older.” I really hope I’m still coaching and get the opportunity.
“Mom!” Caleb shrieks. “Kase and I will be Eagles when we get big!”
I look under the table to check on Harley and see Sasha hand her a piece of pot roast. I look up at her, and she grins with a guilty look. “What?” she mouths. Well, maybe Harley can be bought with pot roast.
“I missed you, Sasha. Thank you for having us,” I say and mean it. I ate here countless times in high school. Evan and I used to clean her out of house and home. Back then, we brought our teenage boy, football-playing appetites, and she’d always send extras home with me. Dad didn’t cook much, usually relying on things we could heat up or picking up takeout, so these meals were sacred to me. It’s as close to a mom’s kitchen as I imagined.
“Are you coming to the fall festival?” Allie asks as she passes me a piece of warm apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream. My mouth waters.
“I’ll be there,” I say as I grab my fork. I take a bite and close my eyes. So good. “Allie, you made this?”
“Yep, so be sure to tell everyone you know to come by Baked Inn Love to get one!” she says as she passes more plates out.
“This is fantastic.” I close my eyes. “I’ll be by to get one.”
“Will a beautiful doctor be joining you at the festival, too?” Margie asks with a warm smile. “We’ve missed our Callie girl.”
Evan and Allie’s mom has always been kind to me and treated me like one of the kids who belonged.
