“Because you made that rumbly noise my stomach sometimes does when I get really hungry.”
Emily laughed but tapped her chest, pretending to clear her throat.
“That means your uncle should have eaten a snack while he was handing them out today.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head.
“Yes, even from where I was sitting, he looked a little cranky.”
I shut my eyes at my mother’s voice behind me.
“I’m not cranky.”
She patted my shoulder without glancing back at me and reached for Maddie.
“What a game!”
Maddie popped off the bench and hugged my mother’s waist.
“Did you see me, Grams? I almost kicked a goal twice!”
“I did. The ribbon was a great idea since I could spot you the whole time.”
Mom tugged on the frayed edge of the ribbon before coming up to Emily.
“I made a nice big lasagna for tonight, and we would love it if you stopped by to eat it with us, Emily.”
Maddie sucked in a gasp and folded her hands under her chin.
“Please come! Grams makes the best lasagna.”
“I remember,” Emily said, flashing my mother a warm smile. “I don’t want to impose?—”
“When did you ever impose? I used to make a big tray of lasagna whenever Coach Emily had a big game,” my mother told Maddie while keeping her gaze on Emily. “Maybe we can restart the tradition this season.”
Restarting anything where Emily was concerned was probably a bad idea, but I couldn’t stop my mother any more than I could stop myself.
“Please,” Maddie pleaded as she tugged on Emily’s hand.
“We’d love it if you’d have dinner with us. Please,” I said, my voice dipping to a lower and needier octave than my niece’s. I couldn’t stop wanting her, but I needed her to be at a distance for a lot of reasons.
The adoration my niece had for Emily was a big one. My own longing for Emily seemed like it came from my bones, deepening each day and costing me more sleep every night.
It would be so easy to get lost in her again, and I was already halfway there, despite my weak attempts to hold myself back.
“Okay, then. I’ll bring dessert.”
“Yes,” my niece said, pumping her fist in the air before roping her arms around Emily’s neck.
“I’m excited too,” Emily said, sputtering out a cough after my niece appeared to almost choke her. “I better get home and change out of coach clothes. See you all later.” She lifted her head, her smile shrinking a bit when her gaze met mine.
I dropped my eyes to the ground, the only way to keep from tracking her as she left the field.
“Did you really make that lasagna for everyone tonight or just one person?” I asked my mother when I lifted my head.
“I put it together this morning for later. I knew Maddie would be hungry and maybe we’d have…guests.” She shrugged, hoisting the long strap for the portable chair over her shoulder.
“You don’t usually plan that far ahead forguests.” I slipped the chair strap off my mother’s arm and put it over my shoulder.
“Sometimes you have to in order to get things moving. If this family knows anything,” she said, her eyes narrowed to slits at me, “it’s that time is limited.”
