"Rudy, will you and Eden walk a loaf of bread and a jar of jam down to Miss Georgie?"
He groaned inwardly.
"Walk?" It was one thing to drop off a loaf to the elderly neighbor, but why did Mom want him to walk it to her house?
Mom scoffed. "It's only a mile. Eden has worked so hard today, I think she'd enjoy a little fresh air."
A little chill swept over him despite the still sweltering heat of the kitchen, and a knot settled in his stomach.
Mom's playing matchmaker.
If it were with any other woman, he wouldn't mind. But he could easily fall for their house guest, and it would kill him when she returned to the city. And she would leave, just like Meredith, his high school sweetheart, did.
Besides, falling in love wasn't in his plans. Not for a few more years anyway.
His gaze jumped to Eden who dried her hands on a dish towel. She looked exhausted, but she still had that glow of excitement and accomplishment about her. He didn't want to spend more time with her, and he had no desire to choke down Mrs. Georgie's rock-hard shortbread cookies, refusing to go would be rude to Mom though, and Dad had never tolerated that.
"Fine." He gave Eden another smile. "Would you like to meet one of Providence's worst cooks?"
"Be nice, Rudy," Mom chided. Then she turned to Eden. "Seriously though, don't eat her cookies. You're likely to break a tooth."
Within minutes, Rudy found himself walking beside Eden. He carried a jar of jam, and she carried a loaf of bread.
"Do you think it's going to rain?" She asked, looking up at the sky.
Rudy studied the scattered clouds in the sky. Although there were quite a few of them, they didn't look like they carried rain. "No. We'll be lucky to get a sprinkle, if we get any moisture at all."
Despite their numerous awkward interactions and Rudy's fear he'd say something that might come out wrong, they managed to make small talk on the walk to Miss Georgie's house as he shared stories about his neighbors.
When he spotted Chase Williams out in his driveway in his wheelchair shooting baskets, a sense of guilt swept over him, as it did every time he saw his neighbor. He wasn't responsible for the accident that paralyzed Chase, but he was responsible for the accident that took Chase's older brother.
He turned to Eden. "Do you mind if we stop and visit Chase for a few minutes?"
"Not at all."
* * *
Eden saton a short retaining wall to the side of the driveway and watched Rudy and the young man he called Chase.
The young man’s eyes lit up when Rudy dashed in and grabbed the rebounding basketball. Chase's smile grew when Rudy feinted then darted around him to go in for a layup.
Rudy grabbed the ball and threw it to Chase. "Let's see what you got, Williams," he challenged as he crouched in front of Chase, who looked to be in his late teens.
Chase bounced the ball a few times before dropping it on his lap and rolling himself first to one side then the other, causing Rudy to dart back and forth across the driveway. When it looked like he might zip back a third time, Rudy shifted, and Chase lifted the ball and shot.
Eden couldn't help herself, she clapped when it went through the net.
Rudy shot her a scowl. "I see how it is."
Clouds continued to gather in the sky as the two continued to play, each round becoming more and more aggressive. There were times when Eden was sure Rudy let Chase score, but then there were other moments when she could tell the younger man surprised him.
And Rudy surprised Eden.
She knew he was friendly to everyone and an all-around good guy, but the fact that he took time out of his day to play basketball with Chase touched her. It was obvious he'd had other plans when his mom insisted he take bread to Miss Georgie, yet he wasn't rushing through the unpleasant task. Instead, he took time to make his neighbor's day. And it only made him that much more attractive.
Both men had worked up a sweat and shared a lot of laughter before Rudy finally clapped Chase on the shoulder. "Okay, man. One last shot before I go." He grabbed the back of Chase's wheelchair. "It’s all you. I'm taking you in for a lay-up. You ready?"
Without waiting for an answer, he pushed Chase from the back of the driveway, circling to the right and allowing Chase to dribble the basketball as he glided across the concrete. The young man shot just before rolling under the basket, bouncing the ball off the backboard and through the net.
