My Twist of Fortune by Rayne, Piper (little red riding hood read aloud txt) 📗

To my surprise, he agrees, and she squeals in delight. Standing, I push in my own chair. Laurie picked out this table, but it’s falling apart the bigger the boys get.

I call upstairs, “Hey, Adam, do you want to go with me to install a hot water heater?”

He runs down the stairs, always my eager helper. “Sure.”

“Cade, you’re in charge.”

I walk out the back door with my eleven-year-old son and start up my new truck, staring at my old truck with Cade’s football bag in the back. I understand how he feels. Hell, Jeff and I went round and round in high school too, but he was two years older than me. At least by the time I was a senior, I was the only Greene in Sunrise Bay High School.

* * *

I knock on the door of the McAlisters’. It’s quiet, but there’s a brand new truck in the driveway that wasn’t here this morning. I’m not sure whose it is. Maybe Marla isn’t alone. Not that I should care.

“So I heard Xavier talking to Clara and I guess her mom said they can’t have any more sleepovers,” Adam says next to me.

“Why?” I peek through the windows and don’t see anyone headed toward the door. I knock again.

“You know, because they’re teenagers now. He’s a boy and she’s a girl, even if they are just friends. I think Clara’s mom is worried about… you know.”

“Do you know?” I look down at him with wide eyes. One super thin silver lining that came from Laurie’s death is that I know my kids way better than I ever did before.

“We had the talk last year, Dad.”

Now, I can be out of it sometimes, but I know for sure I never had the talk with Adam. And if his brothers beat me to it… Lord help him. “No, we didn’t.”

“Not you and me.” He signals with his finger between us. “Me and the school. You know, where they split up the boys and the girls and talk about the girl stuff and the boners.”

The front door opens, and a little girl stands there looking up at us. “Who are you?”

“I’m Hank and this is your second cousin, Adam.” I thumb toward him. “What’s your name?”

“Wouldn’t you know that if we were related?” She slams the door and the lock clicks in place.

I glance at Adam, who’s laughing. “She’s sort of right. Don’t you think it’s weird you don’t know her name? I mean, we do share blood, right?”

“You don’t share blood, but you are related by blood.”

“That’s what I meant,” he says.

I knock again and Adam presses on the doorbell. I shoot him a glare and he shrugs.

“The little girl isn’t gonna let you in, so we need to wait for an adult.”

A shadow comes from the house and I hear some murmurs behind the door. As it flies open, all I hear is the little girl saying, “Stranger danger.”

Marla looks from her daughter on the couch back at us. “I’m so sorry. Posey is really protective.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “Sorry about the delay earlier.”

She’s dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Her hair is done and she’s wearing makeup now. She’s more put-together and just as beautiful. “Believe me, I understand delays.”

A set of headlights pulls up the driveway and she glances around us and sighs. Could she have a date? Or someone from high school visiting her?

“Come on in,” she says, stepping back and waving us in.

“Pizza!” A boy as tall as Cade, who I suspect must be Jed, slides down the stair rail. “I’m starving.”

“Jed!” Marla scolds.

He stops, but I’m not sure if it’s because he’s listening to his mom or if he sees us. “Who are you?”

“He’s supposedly our cousin or something,” Posey says, crossing her legs on the couch, clicking the remote.

“Cade’s dad?”

I nod.

“And your first cousin once removed, actually,” Marla adds. “And you are… Adam?” She guesses correctly, which makes me the asshole who doesn’t know her kids.

“I am.” Adam sounds as surprised as I am.

“I’m Marla.”

“Hey,” Adam says.

“You’ll call her Mrs. Greene,” I correct.

The room falls silent.

“Like Grandma?” Adam says.

I shake my head. Damn, this is weird. Especially when I already know late tonight when I’m all alone, I’m going to be thinking of Marla and not as my cousin’s ex-wife.

“Fine. You can call her Marla,” I say and the tension in the room eases.

“Excuse me,” the pizza guy says.

Marla’s head snaps up as she grabs her wallet next to the door. “Yeah sorry.”

We step farther into the house.

“I didn’t want to interrupt the family reunion,” the guy says.

Adam sits down next to Posey, watching whatever game show she is. Jed and I stand there awkwardly.

“I heard about practice today,” I say. “Cade said you’re quite the quarterback.”

His smug face says he knows how good he is and he’s already positive he’s beat Cade out of the starting quarterback spot. I’m not usually a ra-ra guy when it comes to boosting my kid’s ego. I teach my kids that you earn what you get and if Jed is better, then he deserves it, but the cockiness oozing out of this kid reminds me of his father. Unfortunately, that makes me go into “protect Cade” mode.

“Cade’s been the quarterback for three years. The boys all play well together. Must be rough getting used to a new team?”

Marla shuts the door, and Jed takes the two pizza boxes from her hands. A thank you never leaves his lips.

“I guess that’s the good thing about quarterback. As long as I throw the ball to them and they score, it keeps everyone happy.”

I nod. “The boys are tight. Maybe Cade could take you under his wing, show you around?”

“That’d be wonderful.” Marla’s hand touches my arm.

Something like a bolt of electricity zings up my forearm straight to my heart, making it beat a little faster. It’s been way too long since I’ve had a woman’s touch if a hand on the forearm gets me going.

“Nah, I’m