Lib Novel Page 74
Sylvester laughed his head off, and then scrambled down to greet the friends and well-wishers who had been there.
Among them were Big Jim Allen and his son.
“Do you have a family member playing today?” Cora asked after they greeted each other.
“We’re just here to support your boy,” little Jimmy said with a smile. “He was great.”
Cora was so amazed and grateful that she didn’t know what to say.
Sylvester had been talking with Ginny, but he turned from her now to greet the Allen men.
“Thank you for coming,” he told them politely.
“Wouldn’t miss your first game, son,” Big Jim told him.
“I’ll bet they heard that one over in Springton,” little Jimmy told him, giving him a hard pat on the back that made Sylvester grin up at him.
Jared winked at her over Sylvester’s head and she felt gratitude threaten to overflow her heart. This town and these people, they cared for each other, truly cared.
“Who’s ready to celebrate with an ice cream sundae?” Jared asked.
“Me, me, me,” Sylvester said, looking like he had just won the lottery.
“We’ll see you all around town,” Big Jim told them.
“And I’ll see you at school,” Cora said to little Jimmy.
“Yes, you will,” the young man replied with a warm smile.
The look in his eyes told her he was grateful. She hoped her eyes told him the same thing, how much it meant to her son to have him here today—to know they all had each other’s backs.
The Allens headed off, and Sylvester dashed back to the dugout to grab his stuff and check out with the coach.
“I’ll just pop over to the diner and get us a table before they get too crowded,” Ginny said. “I’ll see you there.”
“That sounds great,” Jared told her. “Thanks.”
She headed out, leaving Cora and Jared looking out over the field of their friends and neighbors.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Thank you for helping us get back out into the world.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and bent his head to murmur in her ear.
“Thank you for helping me find where I belong,” he told her. “I may never have left Trinity Falls, but you brought me home, Cora Webb.”
Her heart was full as she leaned into her husband’s embrace and they both watched Sylvester sprinting forward at full tilt, a huge smile on his face as he ran back to his family.
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