The boy looked up at Theo hopefully. He held a baseball glove in one hand, and his face was red and sweaty, covered in freckles and more than a little dirt, as if he had been playing hard in the sun all day.
He reminded Theo of summer nights playing baseball and capture the flag with Grant and Ford on these same fields when they were kids.
Theo fished around for his wallet and handed the kid a five. The boy’s face lit up, and with a ‘thanks!’ he took off running to the baseball field where a crowd of kids waited.
Northfield’s only school, a red brick building just outside the village, was packed with families for the outdoor movie night. The field was covered in blankets and lawn chairs set up in front of the portable movie screen blown up against the side of the building.
The town hosted several of these over the summer months, but this was the first time Theo had attended. It wasn’t that he disliked movies, or even socializing on a warm summer eveningwith the community, but Theo had never considered his presence at these types of events as welcome.
He didn’t have a family to bring, or a wife, or even a long-term girlfriend that he would consider bringing to a family event like this, and he felt stiff and more than a little out of place. He had called Ford to see if he wanted to come and bring Landon, but they had plans to see a ball game already, although he was meeting him at the Pub for a drink later. Most of his other friends didn’t have kids yet, but he had agreed to Amber’s schedule changes, and he always kept his word.
And that’s how he found himself surrounded by a mass of children hyped up on cotton candy and popcorn on this Sunday evening instead of reviewing the annual budget report with a cold beer and a ball game on TV. And Puddin’. She was particularly attached to his favorite chair, often snoring loudly while he worked until late at night.
Lately he had found himself looking forward to having another living, breathing thing in his house, even if it was a diva of a dog with an equally ridiculous name. His house was too quiet now, which he had never minded before. It was funny, but he found himself often listening for the tap-tap-tap of a sexy pair of heels.
As dry as his usual Sunday evenings could be, they were less intimidating than walking into the chaos in front of him. It wasn’t a black-tie event with a seating chart, or a meeting he had an agenda for, and he didn’t recognize many faces in the crowd as he would at his usual community events.
Theo hadn’t picked those events either, but his father and grandfather had attended them religiously, and he had taken them over when he was elected. Golf charity events, black-tie dinners, art exhibits; he knew exactly how to navigate those. They were attended by people he knew because they all went to the same events, year after year.
But this was entirely different. He recognized a few people and stopped to exchange pleasantries, but everyone seemed to have their own groups of families and friends to enjoy the night with. Blankets as far as he could see were spread out in a patchwork of connected quilts and lawn chairs. Theo didn’t have either.
He wandered toward the concession tables and bought a package of Red Hots. Talked with the organizers of the event. A little girl dropped her popsicle and cried next to him, so he bought her a fresh one.
And he stood there, uncomfortably aware that he was out of his league.
He considered calling Amber to see if she was there already, but he didn’t want to disturb her night off with her family. She had been so excited talking about it in her kitchen yesterday. Almost as excited as when he touched her breasts and bit her neck.
Theo forced those images out of his mind before he further embarrassed himself. The attraction between them had simmered on the edge of exploding for so long, he wasn’t sure how much longer they could hold out. But it would change things between them.
Working with her already had. He was more aware than ever of how dull life had become lately. Work had taken over his life for so long, he didn’t know how to enjoy a simple summer evening. Worse, he had no one to share it with. It was a sobering thought, but the part that made him deeply uncomfortable was the realization that perhaps all his ideas about the town had only taken into consideration the wants and needs of a small part of the community.
He had been so focused on continuing his family’s legacy, the one his father and grandfather had shaped, that he was missing the chance to create his own legacy. His campaignpromise had been to move forward, but it was becoming clear he was mired in the past.
Amber had known that instinctively. She had told them all of her first day working his office what he needed to do, and he hadn’t listened. He wished now that he had.
The sunset had taken away some of the heat of the day. Crickets started singing from the trees around the field when the lights strung haphazardly around the blacktop lit up and music began to play from the speakers.
And then, from the middle of the makeshift dance floor, he heard her laughing. She was spinning two little curly-haired girls in a circle, all three laughing as they spun faster and faster. They all wore glow sticks around their necks and the girls twirled around in princess dresses while Amber’s white sundress swirled around them. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she turned around and smiled. Warm, genuine, delighted. Theo felt something shift in his chest.
“Look girls, it’s the mayor,” Amber said, pointing. Two round, blond heads followed her finger.
And one of them charged.
“Oof.” Theo swayed at the force of her little body launching into his legs. “Ah, you must be Savannah,” he said.
The blond cherub shook her head. Theo frowned. “Tessa?”
“Savvie,” she said, eyeing him in what looked like extreme disappointment.
“My apologies,” Theo said gravely. She patted his leg and smiled up at him. Warm, genuine, mischievous. Just like her aunt.
“Say ‘hi’ to the mayor, ladies,” Amber said. She was slightly out of breath, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright with laughter.
Tessa waved shyly.
Savvie reached up her arms. “Up.”
Theo's eyebrows shot up. He looked at Amber who just shrugged and grinned.
