Mitch paused. “Candy.”
“Wait. What?” Simon hooted. “Candy?”
“Hey, I got her when I was a kid, and she looked like a caramel. I guess I was addicted to those things back then. My dad used to bring them home from the garage, where he kept his secret stash. My mom would bust his chops for getting me and Deacon addicted to sugar.” He smiled at the memories. “Then one day he brought home a shivering stray. We had no idea she’d get so big. I was four, I think. And I thought she looked like candy, so that’s what we named her.”
“That’s sweet.” Becca smiled. “And I didn’t mean that in a pun-like way.” She chuckled at his groan. “What happened to Candy?”
“She died after twenty years of good livin’. My parents then got two cats, who make life hell. I like to call them Evil One and Evil Two. They hate me.”
“Oh? I hear animals can sense evil…”
“That’s true, Mom.” Simon gave Mitch the same look Becca liked to give him, then added a demonic laugh.
“You two are so alike,” Mitch said, wondering if Becca realized what a great kid she’d raised. For all the boy’s tendency to try to boss the coaches around, he never hogged the ball, he praised his teammates, and he had always been polite around adults and other kids.
“No way. I’m unique and exceptional,” Simon argued.
“A real special snowflake,” Becca muttered, and they all laughed. “But we’re not getting a dog.”
“How about a cat?” Simon asked, ever hopeful.
She sighed.
Mitch said, “You don’t know what you’re missing in life until you wake up with a cat staring down at you, sucking away your soul while it claws you to consciousness.” He rubbed his chest, still feeling dagger-sharp nails. “My parents’ neighbors watch the beasts when they travel. Now that Mom and Dad are both retired, they’re RVing their hearts out.”
“Must be nice,” Simon mused. “We never go anywhere because we’re poor.”
“Simon Bragg.” Becca looked embarrassed.
“What? It’s the truth.”
She frowned at the road. “It’s not the truth. We’re just not obscenely rich like half the people in town. No offense, Mitch.”
“None taken.” He did his best not to laugh. Becca was so cute when she turned pink. “You know, the money part of playing football was great. But I didn’t play the game for the pay. Sounds corny, but it’s true—I just love the game.”
“Yeah, me too.” Simon nodded. “But if I got rich and famous, I’d buy Mom a big house with a yard. Then she could get a big dog.”
“Thatyouwant,” she said under her breath, but Mitch still heard her.
“And then she could sell the shop and relax.”
Becca gripped the steering wheel, and Mitch wondered if he was hearing a familiar argument. In a patient voice, she said, “Simon, I know you don’t understand this, because you’re young. But I love running Bragg’s Tea. It’s fun. I get to bake, which I love. I get to talk to people and see friends every day, and I feel like part of the community.”
“See, that’s what I want,” slipped out before Mitch could censor himself.
“And that’s what makes you a member of the community.” Becca clearly approved.
Warmth unfurled, that he’d pleased her.God, I am so gone for this woman.
They sat in silence the remaining minutes while she drove him to his front door, only the smooth tones of Clapton filling the car.
“Thanks for the ride,” he said as he got out.
“Mitch?”
He paused before shutting the door. “Yeah?”
Becca chewed her lip, her nervous tell. He waited.
