Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(74)
Author: Brenda Novak

She’d stay an hour, two at most, then leave, she decided. Patti or Russ could drop the boys off later, if they wanted to stay longer.

“Wow, you look great, Mom.”

Hannah smiled as Kenny walked into the kitchen. “Thanks.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion.” Hannah had been craving something new so badly she’d finally gone shopping. She’d found an attractive teal-colored sweater on sale for forty dollars, and the weather was just cool enough to wear it. Since the truth had come out, Sly’s mother had sheepishly backed off the request that Hannah pay for Sly’s stitches, so Hannah didn’t feel too badly about spending the money on herself.

“Dad’s going to be hating life when he sees you in that,” Kenny said.

Hannah laughed. She thought, “Russ deserves to be hating life,” but said nothing.

The front door slammed shut behind Brent and Lazarus, who finally came running into the kitchen. She’d already called them twice. “Are we going to the party now?” he asked.

Hannah noted the grass stains on her youngest son’s knees, considered making him change, then decided not to worry about it. He’d only roll around in the grass at Patti’s and get even dirtier.

Retrieving the pasta salad she’d made, she told Kenny to get the gift—a portrait she’d done of the two boys—set her VCR to record NFL Countdown, and headed out.

The drive took less than ten minutes. Soon Hannah was jockeying for a parking spot amidst all the vehicles that clogged the drive. She recognized Donny’s truck, Pug and Violet’s Cadillac, Patti’s car. There was even a white sedan parked behind the van. The sight of it almost made Hannah turn around. Patti had invited Deborah Wheeler to the party.

“Mom?” Kenny said when she didn’t get out right away. “You coming?”

Hannah took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. I miss you, Gabe had said. She missed him, too. He’d never know how much…. “Of course.”

“Are you sure Patti won’t care that we’re bringing Lazarus?” Kenny asked as they walked to the door.

“I checked with her,” Hannah said. “She told me he could come if we keep him in the backyard.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Brent said. “He won’t want to be out there all alone.”

Hannah opened her mouth to say that the dog would probably be okay for a little while, but Patti must have been watching for her because the door opened almost immediately.

“Hi, Hannah,” she said, but didn’t hug her, as usual.

Hannah shifted the bowl in her arms to camouflage the fact that she didn’t make any move to embrace Patti, either. “Hi.”

“Everyone’s watching the pregame show.”

“Sounds great,” Hannah said, refusing to let Patti or anyone else make her feel any more out of place than she already did.

Patti hugged the boys and took the salad, and Brent ran off to show Lazarus off before the dog had to be relegated to the backyard. Kenny hung back. “You okay, Mom?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“Don’t let anyone make you feel bad,” he said softly. “I know Coach Holbrook really likes you.”

Hannah nodded because it was too late to say anything more. Violet had come out of the kitchen.

“Hello, Hannah,” she said. “How nice of you to come.”

Polite. Distant. They were treating her like a traitor.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Hannah said. “Here’s Pug’s gift. I hope he likes it.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“I’ll tell you what I’d like,” Pug called out.

Hannah hadn’t realized he was within hearing distance, and braced herself for the worst. Sometimes Pug said the rudest things, all the while acting as though he had the right. At least he was generally undiscriminating with his gruff remarks. “What’s that?” she said.

“I’d like my favorite daughter-in-law to get her head out of the clouds and be satisfied with a good man who loves her.”

“Gabe is a good man,” she said stubbornly.

“But that boy’s in New York, where he’s going to stay. It said in the paper that ESPN is offering him a two-year contract.”

“I hope he signs it,” she said. “It’ll be good for him.”

“I don’t care what’s good for him. I’m worried about what’s good for you,” Pug said.

“I don’t want her anymore, anyway,” Russ snapped.

Pug made a noise of disgust. “Then you’re an idiot.”

Trying not to smile, Hannah sauntered into the living room, where she could hear Gabe’s voice on the television.

Deborah Wheeler watched her cross the room and sit down before bothering to say hello. Hannah eyed her for a moment, giving her a taste of her own medicine, then nodded in acknowledgement.

Donny completely ignored her, but not because he felt any animosity. He was just consumed by his own pain. He looked tired and depressed.

“Gabe seems a little nervous today,” Deborah said.

Hannah knew she was trying to stir things up. “He’ll be fine,” she said with a little shrug.

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. Russ kept looking from the television to her, with his lip curled in disgust. And Pug kept shaking his head as if it was a damn shame everyone couldn’t just do what he said.

Finally, Hannah got up to see if Patti needed any help. But she only made it halfway to the kitchen before Kenny called her back.

“Mom! Come quick.”

“What is it?” When she stuck her head into the living room, no one answered. They were all transfixed by the television.

Hannah shifted her focus to the screen and, for the first time since arriving at Patti’s, really listened to what Gabe was saying.

“So you’re not going to be a regular part of the show?” Steve Young asked him.

Gabe shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Steve.”

“That’s too bad. I was hoping we’d see a lot more of you.”

“I like it here, but there are a few things at home I’d rather not miss.”

“Like…” Steve gave him a you-can-trust-me smile.

Gabe seemed hesitant to answer at first, but when the camera panned to his face, he slowly grinned. “I’ve met someone I’m hoping to marry.”

It was easy to tell that Steve Young was surprised by Gabe’s answer. But Steve wasn’t an idiot. He knew this would be of great interest to America in general, and football enthusiasts in particular, so he kept at it. “Can you tell us who the lucky lady is?”