“Have you looked at the sketches?”
“No, he won’t show them to me, and I haven’t wanted to invade his privacy.”
“Sometimes parents have to do things they don’t want to in order to protect their children.”
“You think I should check the drawings out without him knowing?”
“They may tell you what’s going on in his head. Try to get him to show you.” Jared swept his arm across his body. “Now, come on out and join the festivities. Have you ever played volleyball?”
“Back in my younger days,” Kathleen replied, her mind dwelling on what Jared had said about Mark’s drawings. She had always respected her son’s privacy before, but— The thought of what she must do made her shiver.
“It’s time to renew your skills,” Jared’s words cut into her musing. “Everyone plays. We rotate teams.”
Stepping outside, Kathleen surveyed the newly mowed yard at the side of the church, the scent of cut grass peppering the air. A volleyball court with a net was set up near the picnic tables located under four large maple trees. “Which unlucky team gets me?”
“Now where’s your positive thinking?”
“When I heard you mention volleyball, I think I left it back in the recreational hall. I’m not very athletic.”
“That’s fine.” He smiled, his blue eyes glittering. “I’ll just make sure I’m on the opposing team.”
Kathleen sat on a bench next to Jared and watched the first two teams play a game, her son, who used to be a good athlete, doing as little as possible. Again she wondered if she’d been wrong to come back to Crystal Springs. Maybe Mark needed familiar surroundings at this stage in his life. This town wasn’t an unknown to her son, but it wasn’t the place where he’d grown up. Self-doubts plagued her. She didn’t know what to do anymore. In the past she’d always had John to talk things over with and to support any decision she’d made.
“This is for fun,” Jared whispered, his arm brushing against hers.
The brief touch drew her attention. Tiny sparks of awareness feathered outward. “I know.”
“I wasn’t sure. Your look of intense concentration tells me otherwise.”
She relaxed the knotted tension that held her stiff and uncurled her fingers. Her nails had left an indentation in her palms. She hadn’t even realized how tense she’d been until Jared had said something. “I’m not the most graceful person when it comes to playing a sport. I was always the last one picked for a team. My reputation preceded me.”
“We don’t pick teams. You’ll be filling in for Anne, who is sick. Your team is up next.”
Kathleen examined the clear blue sky. “Too bad. There isn’t a raincloud anywhere to be seen.”
“Nope. You’re stuck.” He took her hand within his. “I know you’re worried about Mark. I’ll help you figure out what’s wrong. I promise.”
His sweet words, full of confidence, produced a lump in her throat. Jared would discover what was going on with her son. That thought brought tears of relief to her eyes. She blinked, a tear coursing down her face. Jared didn’t say anything, but he brushed his thumb across her cheek, the rough texture of his finger in sharp contrast to his soft touch. He then squeezed her hand gently, silently conveying his support as they both twisted about to stare at the teenagers battling on the volleyball court.
Five minutes later the game ended with Mark’s team winning. Her son gave his cousin a high five, but the elation she usually saw in Mark’s expression when he won wasn’t visible.
Jared stood and extended his hand to Kathleen. “It’s show time. Ready?”
“No, will that make a difference?”
“No.”
“That’s what I thought. I’ll be a sub.”
Laughter shone in his eyes. “There are no subs. Everyone gets to play. That’s the beauty of this setup.”
“That’s your opinion, not mine. I definitely think that’s a major flaw. What if someone gets hurt?”
“We remove a player from the other side and play on.”
“Do you remove the injured player before you resume playing or do you just play around him?”
His laughter spiced the air, much like the aroma of baking bread, warm with cozy thoughts brought to mind. “You’ll be all right. Remember, I’m a doctor.”
“Now that’s really reassuring.”
“You might want to stretch some before the game.” Jared bent over and touched the ground, then did several lunges.
Having been a runner in high school, Kathleen knew the importance of stretching her muscles before a workout. And she was afraid the next half hour or so would definitely be a workout. She ran through a stretching routine, hoping she didn’t make a fool of herself.
She was thankful that she was placed on the back row as far away from the net and spiked balls as possible. On television she’d seen the killer volleyball matches at the Summer Olympic Games. She didn’t want a ball stuffed down her throat.
For the first two serves she only had to shift from foot to foot and pretend she was alert and ready. When the ball slammed across the net for the third time, it came right at her. She had to do something—fast. Miscalculating where it was going to land, she dove the last foot to punch the ball into the air. It shot out of bounds. The other team cheered, Jared the loudest.
By the time she rotated to the front of the line, she faced Jared with only the netting between them. His smile was full of mischief, and she had a funny feeling it would be all directed at her. He leaped into the air and smacked the ball toward her. She positioned herself to return it.
Before she had a chance to connect with the fast-approaching ball, someone knocked into her, yelling in her ear, “I’ve got it.”
She smashed into the ground, her left shoulder cushioning her fall. She blew out gritty sand that made up the court and pushed her hair out of her face. Her left cheek burned where it had struck the sand-covered earth.
A loud roar of triumph filled the air while she brushed bits of grit from her eyes. Through the blur she saw Jared coming toward her, concern on his face. He knelt down.
“Are you all right, Kathleen? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Does all over count as one place or many?”
He ran his hands up her left arm and over her shoulder. She winced.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s broken, but to be on the safe side I think you should let me take you to the hospital and get an X ray.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Suddenly Kathleen felt many eyes on her. She scanned the young people standing around her and Jared. “What happened?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Somers. I thought you weren’t gonna get the ball so I wanted to help. I misjudged.”
“But I was right there.” Using her arms to try and push herself to her feet, she attempted to stand. The pain in her shoulder intensified, and she fell back, sucking in a deep breath.
The young boy dropped his head. “Yeah, but you were there that last time, too, and missed.”
“That’s okay, Aaron.”
“Can I help you to your feet, ma’am?”
“No,” she said so quickly the teenager blinked. “I mean, Jared is going to take me to the hospital. I’m sure I’m fine. It’s just a precaution.” Through the crowd now surrounding