A chorus of groans resounds around the boys, but they lay their stuff down and do what I ask.
The kid with the hate in his eyes passes me, grumbling about running being stupid, but I choose to let it go for now.
Tanner is the last one on the field, and he stops in front of me before going out. He doesn’t meet my eyes when he asks, “Are you mad at me?”
My brows furrow. “Why would I be mad at you, kid?”
“Because of how things happened the other day?”
“I would never be mad at you for that, Tanner.
He shrugs. “Mom was.”
My jaw tightens. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
But from the sound of his voice, I can tell it does. Two days in, and Tanner is already suffering.
I sigh, pulling my ball cap out of my back pocket and shoving it on my head to prevent him from seeing what I’m thinking. He doesn’t need to see just how much I resent his mother. Scrubbing my face, I think about what to say to prevent that.
“Look, kid. You have every right to say what you feel, and I hope that’s what you did with the judge. But it’s also not my business what you said. I won’t get mad at you for it. I just hope you know that everything I’m doing is to protect you. Okay?”
“At the end of the summer, when this is all over, are you going to leave again?”
The question is an arrow striking its target right in the center of my chest, but I don’t blame him for asking it. I haven’t given him a lot of reasons to have confidence in me.
“No, Tanner, I’ll still be right here.”
He shakes his head. “That’s what mom says.”
I shouldn’t ask. I know I really shouldn’t ask. Everything that comes out of Josephine‘s mouth has always been a targeted attack. She’s meticulous in the way she manipulates. But even though I can see the manipulation from a mile away, I still fall into the trap.
“And what else does she say?”
He continues to avoid my gaze when he says, “That you aren’t the staying type. That you’ve never even been in a real relationship, and that when this is all over—and the judge gives her custody—you’ll leave.”
I’ve hated Josephine for a lot of things in my life, but I don’t think I’ve ever hated her as much as I do at this moment.
Stepping forward, I place my hand on my son’s shoulder. “First of all, I’m not going anywhere, Tanner. I know I’ve given you noreason to believe that, but I’ll prove it to you. And second of all, your mother knows nothing about my relationships. Sometimes, people value privacy, and I’m one of those people.”
Tanner swallows hard and then nods, looking out onto the field. “I better get out there.”
He takes off jogging, leaving me behind.
A sour filling sticks in my stomach as I mull over what he said. Josephine thinks I have no personal connections, and apparently, the one I have with our son isn’t enough for her. Or the judge.
My mind goes to what Hayes said about Lily and me. I can never offer Lily anything real, but maybe I could offer her something useful. A fake relationship could benefit us both. I need the court to see me settling in here in Benton Falls, and in return, I could help her with her job.
Rolling my neck, I run over to where Hayes and Campbell stand in the middle of the field. They are watching the boys run, tracking their time in form. Hayes looks up from his clipboard when I stand beside him.
“Good talk?” he asks, but I don’t answer him. Instead, I nod at the kid I noticed earlier.
“Who is that?
He follows my gaze, and something dark passes over his face.
“That’s Morgan Ellis. He’s a heck of an athlete, but he has a terrible attitude.”
