For His Brother's Wife

“I would have thought you were more of a football fan,” she said, arranging pillows behind her. “You were Royal High School’s star running back and played varsity all four years.” She paused as she thought back on their high school days. “And didn’t you play in college?”

“Yup, I went to Texas State on a football scholarship. It’s my favorite, but I played just about every sport Royal High had to offer,” he said, nodding. “I was on the baseball team all four years, as well.”

“I probably didn’t notice because I was in dance class and always had practice for our spring dance recitals,” she said, leaning back against the pillows.

“That’s not surprising,” he said, folding his arms behind his head. “You move like a dancer.”

“You watch me move?” she asked, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

He turned his head to look over at her. “Sweetheart, I’ve always watched the way you move.”

“Even when we were in school?” If the look in his eyes was any indication, he must have liked what he’d observed.

“Actually, it was one of the first things I noticed about you the day I saw you coming down the hall toward me,” he said, smiling. “You were wearing blue jeans and a green sweater that made your hair look a little more red than auburn.”

She couldn’t believe he had remembered so many details, but that wasn’t what she’d been wearing the first day they’d met. “I probably wore that sweater another time. But the first day we met, I had on a peach-colored shirt and khaki slacks.”

His slow smile sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine. “I didn’t say it was the first day we met. I said it was the first time I saw you walking down the hall. It took me a couple of weeks after that to work up the nerve to introduce myself.”

She couldn’t believe Cole Richardson—the school jock and heartthrob of the Royal High School senior class—had been nervous about talking to a lowly sophomore girl, who was almost as flat-chested and taller than most of the boys her age. “I had no idea,” she said, completely stunned by the revelation. “Why on earth were you nervous about talking to me?”

“Probably because I thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen,” he admitted. “And I wanted to ask you out. But I was afraid a girl as pretty as you would turn me down flat.”

“But I wasn’t allowed to date, as you found out,” she said, wishing her parents hadn’t been so strict. Maybe if they had allowed her to date at a younger age, she and Cole would have been high school sweethearts and her life would have turned out differently.

Cole shook his head. “Your parents were probably right about that. Although I had the best of intentions, I was still a teenage boy with more hormones than good sense. And no matter what guys say, at eighteen that’s about all a boy has on his mind.”

Deciding there was no better time, she asked him the question she had wondered about for more than ten years. “Why didn’t you ask me out after I graduated like you said you would, Cole?”

He stared at her for several long seconds before he sighed heavily. “I had to take some classes that summer, Paige.” He unfolded his arms and reached over to touch her cheek with his index finger. “Believe me, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But it was the only chance I had.”

“I thought you had forgotten,” she said, her skin tingling from the contact.

“No, I couldn’t forget you,” he said, pulling her over to rest her head on his shoulder. “After my classes were over, I had football practice and the season started.”

“And I had started dating Craig,” she said, unable to keep the resignation from her voice.

“Things don’t always work out the way we plan,” Cole said, wrapping his arms around her.

“No, they don’t.” She was supposed to have been happily married with two or three children by now. Instead, she was the childless widow of a man she hadn’t loved.

“But sometimes, when you least expect it, we get a do-over,” Cole said, his tone philosophical. “We just have to be brave enough to take those second chances when they come along.”

Was Cole telling her he wanted that for them? Or was he asking her if she had the courage to try?

Unsure, she remained silent as they settled back to watch the baseball game. She didn’t want to assume too much or read something into his statement simply because she wanted it to be there. She also needed to decide if she wanted to enter into a relationship so soon after Craig’s death. It had only been a little more than six months since that fateful day. Also, for the first time in her life, she was on her own. She was just beginning to realize her potential and who she was as a woman. And it felt good.