Take Another Look Read Free Page B

from the press. Even her stern, tomboyish style of dress could not disguise the fact that Harper was a beautiful girl. But then, all the girls at Mirror Lake High possessed a distinct splendor, a signature movement or energy that they weren’t quite comfortable with yet.
    Jane waved back, glad that it was a good day. Since she’d started high school, Harper had vacillated between proudly owning her mother and pretending she didn’t exist.
    Many of the girls called greetings to “Ms. Ryan” and “Mr. Bandini.”
    â€œHey there, Mr. Bandini.” Olivia Ferguson turned toward him, ball in her mitt, and lunged to stretch her long haunches. “Are you coming to watch our game, too?”
    The innuendo was not lost on Jane. Olivia never missed a chance to probe.
    â€œNot today, Olivia.”
    â€œAw. You should stay.” When she stretched her arms overhead, her full breasts protruded against her tight jersey. A woman’s body and an adolescent brain were a dangerous combination. Or maybe Olivia had matured since she’d been a student in Jane’s freshman English class. “No one ever comes to our games.” Olivia pouted.
    Luke did not break stride as he flashed a pleasant smile. “Maybe some other time. Did you ladies have a good summer?”
    The girls gave bland smiles, then turned back to practice.
    Over at the ball field, the girls of the West Green team ran a lap around the outfield, a forest of thick, green giants. Local legend had it that everything grew bigger in West Green. The visiting coach was sharing her roster with the umpire, a stout, gray-haired man with a serious demeanor. It was always a relief to have a calm, seasoned person officiating; teenage umpires were so easily rattled.
    Some of the parents had already set up chairs along the foul line. At the grassy edge of the outfield, Linda Ferguson lay on a blanket reading a book. One bare foot bent back over her butt as if she were a beach bunny. Linda’s husband, Pete, hovered over the coach, who sat on the team bench working on the lineup. Legs crossed and head down, Carrie didn’t seem interested in Pete’s opinion, but no one in the Ferguson family read or respected body language. Although Harper had not played with Olivia yet, Harper had already been strong-armed by seventeen-year-old Olivia during practices. And Jane had been warned by a few of the softball moms that the Fergusons had been at the center of last year’s varsity turmoil. A believer in education, Jane hoped that this year the Fergusons might learn a few lessons about teamwork.
    Fortunately, two of Harper’s friends since grade school were on the team with her, which gave Jane two instant “mom” friends, stable, capable women with a sense of humor and perspective. She headed toward Trish Schiavone, the most down-to-earth mom on the team. Trish squatted beside three grade-school kids, digging through a flexible cooler. “Did we really leave all the juice packs in the car? Kids, Mom is losing her marbles.” Trish stood up and sprinted past Jane. “Be back in a sec.”
    Jane set her bag down and opened the canvas tote. “How are you kids doing today?”
    â€œWe’re okay,” Trish’s daughter said, scratching her freckled nose. “But my mom is losing her marbles.”
    â€œI hate when that happens.” As Jane set up her chair, she eavesdropped on bits of conversation: talk of a new wine bar in town, tales of summer vacation, and something about Olivia Ferguson. Summer camp? Jane recalled that Olivia had spent three weeks at a “superstar” softball camp, a pricey operation that promised amazing results. Harper had begged on her knees for the opportunity—“Please! Oh, please, please, please, Mama-dish! ”—but Jane had explained that they couldn’t afford a camp that would cost the same as a semester’s tuition at the state university.