Quarterback Draw

“A thing? What kind of thing?”

“A charity function for the Merritt Foundation. They do all kinds of great things for disadvantaged youth.”

“Sounds right up my alley.”

“Good. You just need to make an appearance, take some pictures and sign some autographs. Can you make time for it?”

“I can, as long as it doesn’t interfere with practices or the game.”

“It won’t. I’ll send you the details.”

“Okay. How’s the little one?”

“She’s great, thank you for asking. Getting bigger all the time. Starting to crawl, which means I need two more sets of eyes and about four more hands.”

He laughed. “Good thing you’re multitalented like that. And you have Gavin to help you.”

“When he isn’t playing baseball, which is nearly all the time. But I have his family to help out, so it’s all good.”

“You were lucky to marry into the Rileys, weren’t you?”

“Thanking my lucky stars every day, Grant. Now play good, and I’ll be in touch.”

“See ya, Liz.”

He hung up, and thought about New York, which reminded him of Katrina. He was going to have to do something about connecting with her when he was in town. He’d thought about her a lot since the shoot. Practice and games had kept him busy, but he hadn’t forgotten he’d promised her he’d see her, even though he figured she hadn’t believed he’d pursue it.

He wanted to pursue it, and her. He wanted to meet her brother and sister.

He intended to follow up.

SIX

“HEY, KIDS, I’M HOME.”

Katrina laid her bag down in the entryway and headed down the hallway into …

Dead. Silence.

Never a good sign.

She picked up her phone to check the time. It was four p.m., which meant both Anya and Leo should be home by now.

She checked the living room, but saw no sign of them. They weren’t in the kitchen, either, so she rounded the corner and went down the hall toward the bedrooms. The doors were open to both their rooms.

Both empty.

Goddammit.

She went to her room, though they wouldn’t go in there, but still, she checked anyway.

Not there.

Their bathroom was empty as well.

There were no messages on her phone, either.

Shit.

Just as panic was about to set in, she heard the front door open, and the sounds of their voices, both of them laughing. She hurried to the front room.

“Oh, hey,” Anya said. “You’re home.”

Both of them had Styrofoam cups, Leo sucking from a straw.

“Sup,” he said.

“Where were you?”

“We went down the street to get a drink.”

“There are drinks in the refrigerator, and you know you’re not supposed to leave the apartment.”

“Chill, Kat,” Anya said, sliding onto one of the couches. “We went to the market. It’s just a block down the street.”

“Without texting me to let me know where you were. Without permission.”

“Uh, okay, Mom. We’re fine,” Leo said, heading to his room.

“Stop.” Her voice came out sharper than she intended. “We need to talk about this.”

Leo kept going, and then closed his door.

Sonofabitch. She hated raising teenagers. She had never been like that when she was their age. She’d been cooperative and respectful. Where did all this attitude come from?

With a sigh, she took a seat on the sofa, feeling tired and defeated. It had been like this for about a year now—the constant battles, the defiance. She had no one to turn to for advice. No relatives, no friends to talk to. She was a novice at this. She hadn’t even gone through her own period of rebellion, because at barely eighteen she’d been in charge of two young children. She’d had to grow up in a hurry.

“You need to relax about this, Kat,” Anya said, leaning back against the sofa cushions, her feet up on the table as she scrolled through her phone. “It’s no big deal.”

She was too tired to deal with them. She’d been on the road for three weeks straight, and then after barely unpacking had spent an entire day in meetings.

At least she’d be home for a while now. Maybe they just needed some attention. And some reminders about the rules.

“I’m going to take a bath.” She pushed off on her knees and stood, heading down the hall.

“Oh. Hey, Kat?”

She stopped, turning toward her sister. “Yes?”