Pulling out some cash from his front pocket, Bodie paid the boy who then handed him three glowing balls.
Bodie cupped the balls in his hands, examining each one for about a millisecond before choosing one and handing the other two to Sarah. “You want to go first?”
She looked at him in question. “What?”
“Go ahead.” He gestured for her to throw.
“No sports, remember?” she reminded, knowing her throws would be a waste of his money.
“Me, either, remember? It’s for fun, right?”
“Right.” She eyed the board, aimed the best she could, then underhand tossed the ball toward the deer’s missing nose. The glowing ball bounced off the board and onto the ground.
“Whoops,” the teen said. “Try again.”
Sarah looked to Bodie to see if he minded her wasting a second one of his chances. He nodded for her to go ahead. She aimed and this time tried throwing overhanded. The ball bounced off the board again and was further away from the opening than the first time.
She laughed and turned to Bodie. “Okay, that was all kinds of ugly. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Taking off his jacket and handing it to Sarah, along with Harry’s leash, Bodie eyed the opening with such a serious expression he seemed to be mentally calculating thrust velocity and wind dynamics as he took aim, flicked his wrist just so, and threw the ball toward the deer’s face.
The ball went straight into the nose opening.
“You got it!” Sarah exclaimed, bouncing with excitement and giving him a congratulatory hug. Harry awarded him with a single bark, too.
“Hey, dude. You win,” the teen said, impressed.
“I thought you said you didn’t play sports,” Sarah teased as she handed his coat back.
Bodie grinned. “By choice—not from a lack of skill.”
Sarah imagined there wasn’t much Bodie couldn’t do if he set his mind to it.
“Pick your prize,” the boy told Sarah.
While Bodie put on his coat, she glanced over the stuffed Christmas toys and picked a silly-looking elf because it made her think of the joke she’d told when they’d unpacked Aunt Jean’s ornaments.
The joke made her think of Bodie’s laughter. Which made
her feel warm inside. She looked down at the big-eared elf in its green hat and outfit and smiled. She couldn’t have made a more perfect choice.
As they walked away, Bodie eyed the toy. “Now I know why Santa’s elf had low elf esteem.”
A bit breathless that his mind was on the same wavelength, Sarah hugged the elf. For a few moments, they walked along in silence, but finally, Sarah couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I’m wondering why you didn’t play sports. That’s some throw you have.”
He shrugged. “I was interested in being a soldier, not in sports. That doesn’t mean I never played with friends or in pick-up games. Just that I never had interest in devoting myself to a sport.”
“What other hidden talents do you have?”
Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he shook his head. “None I’m telling you about.”
The reminder of how very different his life had been from hers hit full force. He’d seen and done things around the world unlike anything she’d ever see or do.
She was content with that. Some, like Claudia, dreamed of traveling the world. Sarah believed everything she wanted, needed, was right in Pine Hill.
Would Bodie ever consider settling down in one place? Her chest constricted a little that their dreams weren’t more in sync.