The Homecoming Read online

  But Iris did not understand. He obviously didn’t remember the details the way she did because that was the end of their friendship. There was something mysterious about girls and proms because he couldn’t remember Iris ever being so angry. She’d beat him up a few times when they were little kids but even then she hadn’t been so mad. He apologized about a hundred times, but she was through. She wasn’t going to help him with his homework, listen to him moan and groan about his love life, cheer him on through all his bigheaded accomplishments and then just sit home with her mother on prom night. Over. Done. Find yourself another sap to be your pal.

  From that day on, they were only cordial. When he’d been in the car accident at age twenty, she’d sent a card to the hospital. When her mother died, Seth came back to take his mother to the funeral. He also bought the biggest bouquet he could afford. They’d run into each other a few times over the years. They exchanged news, said nice things to each other, then...nothing.

  He’d reached out to her. “Iris, are we ever going to be friends again?”

  “We are friends,” she had replied.

  “I mean real friends. Like we used to be.”

  She wouldn’t even consider it. “No. I’m afraid not.”

  “Why?”

  She’d sighed deeply. “Because you could always count on me and it turned out I couldn’t count on you. I don’t do friendships like that anymore.”

  Now he was back. Policing this town was going to be a big job. Mac had told him to be prepared to be on duty all the time whether he was on duty or not. There might be four deputies on the clock in town as well as the whole Sheriff’s Department not all that far away, but as the supervisor he could be called upon whenever a supervisor was needed. Seth understood; he knew that when he’d signed on.

  Along with a commitment like that, he had two other impossibly big projects ahead. He had to somehow make amends with his father. And he had to get Iris back. He was going to find a way to show them both he might have been a shiftless, inconsiderate kind of teenager, but he was not that kind of man.

  * * *

  Iris popped into the diner on Saturday at around one. She was wearing running tights and shoes, a fleece vest and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Her thick chestnut hair was pulled into a ponytail and poked through the back of her cap. She sat up at the counter.

  “Out for a run?” Gina asked.

  “Sort of. I told Spencer I wanted to bump into him this weekend and he said he’d be around all day today. So I thought a jog out across the beach was a good idea. That made me hungry and I’m thinking BLT, fries and a chocolate shake. I know, I should be looking for cottage cheese and fruit but Stu might burn it.”

  “Stu makes a great BLT and fries.” Gina slapped the ticket on Stu’s counter. “You work closely with Spencer?”

  “It’s only his second season, but if he sees me as a friend rather than administrator or counselor, we can keep the whole football team playing. If I know where those guys stand on schoolwork I can line up tutors before anyone goes delinquent because of grades.”

  “Do you get tutors from the high school?”

  “Some. And some from town. Scott will take at least one science or math student, I can take a couple, Laine Carrington can tutor in a number of areas including Spanish. Lou McCain teaches middle-school English so she can handle high-school English tutorial—she’s willing to help with a couple. Then there are teachers. Some of them get a little pissy about the attention the athletes get, but that’s in their minds—I’m paying attention to every student. Tutors are everywhere I look, including some students. I’d ask you, but I figured with a new husband and four kids...” She laughed. “And of course I have the usual number of requests from football players for pretty girls. I’m afraid they’re going to be disappointed.”

  “Are they basically in good shape with grades?” Gina asked.

  “They are, but it only takes one tough class to sideline a player. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about high school boys, they’ll die before they ask for help. That’s why we watch the grades so closely. And the football players, in danger of being suspended from the team for failing grades, are a lot more visible.”

  “Iris, what made you decide to be a high school counselor?” Gina asked.

  “I thought the fact that I didn’t have it that easy in high school gave me something to offer. Especially to the girls.”

  “Grades?”

  “Oh, hell, no,” she said with a laugh. “Other vitally important things—like hair.” She sighed. “I was awkward, not very popular, lonely...like a lot of girls. Boys, too. Even football players.”

  “You’re so smart to make a career out of something that also gives something back. Or pays something forward.”

  “Smart was never my problem. Like I said, it was fitting in, having good self-esteem, identity—like about ninety percent of the girls I know. The job is very fulfilling.”

  The bell dinged and Gina turned to pick up Iris’s BLT. “Speaking of football players, an old football star is back in town. Seth Sileski.”

  “Hmm,” Iris said, chewing her first bite. “I heard. Then I ran into him—we were both getting gas.”

  “Didn’t you date him in high school?”

  “Me?” Iris asked. “Oh, God, no! He was the most popular kid in school! The homecoming king and star football player. He dated the pretty girls.” She took another bite.

  Gina laughed. “Excuse me, Iris, but you’re beautiful.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve grown into my looks a little bit, but back then? Ugh. Seth and I grew up next door to each other and we were friends. In fact, I helped him with English and biology. And I helped him prepare for SATs, which he could’ve cared less about since he was banking his entire future on football.”

  “How’d you do on the SAT?”

  Iris grinned. “I killed it.”

  “Good for you! Big dumb jocks. Hey, what happened to his amazing football career? It seemed like it was here and gone awful fast.”

  “Car accident,” Iris said, chewing. “He had a good year with the Ducks, then dropped out of college to take a contract with the Seahawks and played one season, or mostly watched one season with the pro team and then had a car accident. He was injured pretty badly. That was the end of his pro football career.” She took another bite, washed it down with chocolate shake. “We try to impress upon these young men that education really does come in handy. Football careers are fragile. Unpredictable.”

  “Ah, I heard something about that, but no details.”

  “As far as I know it was an accident. An unfortunate accident.”

  “That’s where the limp and the scar came from?” Gina asked.

  Iris nodded. She looked down at her plate and picked at a couple of fries. “It’s not that much of a limp,” she finally said. “He never told me exactly what happened.”

  But Gwen Sileski had. Gwen told Rose and Iris everything about Seth. He’d fractured bones in his right leg and required rods, plates and screws just to hold him together. He’d had a lot of other injuries and was lucky to be alive. He’d had several surgeries to save the leg. The injury and the repair had left his right leg a little shorter and he wore a lift in his shoe. His mother said he wasn’t in pain, but it had taken a lot of therapy and training to get to that point. Iris couldn’t imagine how hard the police physical exam must have been.

  “The accident. A leg injury,” Iris said. “But that scar...it almost does something for his looks, don’t you think?”

  Gina smiled. “It would take a lot more than that to make Seth Sileski hard to look at.” She drew an invisible line across her cheek with her index finger.

  “I know,” Iris said, patting her mouth with the napkin. “Do you remember him in high school? What a lady-killer.”

 
“I dropped out at fifteen because of a lady-killer,” Gina reminded Iris. “At that time in my life, they were everywhere. But I admit, I wasn’t paying too much attention to your slightly younger crowd. I remember Seth better from the past ten or twelve years, the times he came through town and sometimes stopped here for a burger or cup of coffee. Gwen must be so thrilled to have her son back in town.”

  “I think so,” Iris said. “Listen, can I have the rest to go? I don’t think I’ll get through the whole plate.”

  “Sure. I can’t put the shake in the carton for you.”

  “I’ll work on that a little more. So, while I do that, tell me about married life and your new family.”

  “Very complicated,” Gina said. “We have two college freshmen, my daughter and Mac’s daughter, still living at home and each working part-time, applying to universities to attend next fall. Mac’s schedule is going to be different—he’ll work nights for at least a year. Then there’s an eleven- and thirteen-year-old committed to lots of teams, clubs and lessons—that means driving. My college girls help a lot but their time is at a premium because of studies and jobs. But life as Mrs. Mac?” She shot Iris a very large smile. “I didn’t know I could be this happy.”

  Iris sucked the last of her shake through the straw, making it gurgle. “You took your sweet time finding the right guy.”

  “I know. Or he took his sweet time moving to town. Who cares? He was worth waiting for. Are you seeing anyone, Iris?”

  “Nah. Not at the moment. There have been a few I thought had potential, but in the end I preferred my own company.” She stood and fished into her pocket while Gina transferred the rest of her BLT and fries into a carton.

  “And the company of high school students,” Gina teased.

  “They keep me on my toes. But I have my eyes open for an older, more settled model—say thirty-five, single, sexy and really into me....”

  The diner door opened and Seth Sileski walked in, as if made to order. Beautiful Seth. High cheekbones, chiseled chin, moody eyes, white teeth, thin scar slanted across his cheek. Iris’s mouth fell open and Gina just laughed.

  “Well, hello, ladies,” he said, taking off his deputy’s hat. “Iris, what are the chances you’ll let me buy you a cup of coffee?”

  “Unfortunately, I’m on the run. I have plans that won’t wait. In fact, I could already be late.” She grabbed her to-go carton. “Thanks, Gina. See you around.”

  “Why do you always seem to be rushing off the second I show up?” Seth asked.

  “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Next time, Seth. I’d better go.” She gave him an accommodating smile and headed out the door. She took off at a gentle jog down the street and up the hill toward home.

  Why? she asked herself. Why the hell does he have to be here? Is this just some vindictive angel’s idea of a slow and miserable death for me? What did I ever do to deserve this? He could be here for a long time! How am I going to avoid him? Especially if he’s the person I have to work with if I have teenagers in trouble?

  Really, hadn’t she been through enough in high school?

  Two

  Iris had loved Seth since she was about four years old. He kissed her when they were six and she beat him up and that’s when she knew she’d probably love him forever. When kids teased her because she was named after a flower, he stood up for her. He punched Robbie Delaney for saying she looked like a scarecrow. Of course, she had punched Robbie other times, but it was still nice when Seth avenged her. When her curly hair was flat on one side and springy on the other, Seth laughed but then he said sorry. Then he laughed again and said sorry again. They used to play house, until his older brothers caught him and teased him—then he said it was rocket men and aliens or nothing.

  When they were older, but not that much older, they each helped out with their parents’ businesses—Seth at the gas station and Iris in the flower shop. Because it was just Iris and Rose running the little flower shop, Seth would sometimes help with the heavy chores, if he could get away from the Sileski gas station where Norm’s boys all had chores. Seth knew, from paying attention to adult conversation at the dinner table, that Rose didn’t pull much income out of that little shop so he refused pay from her. He’d haul trash, and there was a ton of trash every day. He’d sweep, mop, clean shelves, deliver flowers on his bike and sometimes he even helped Iris make arrangements, but he made sure he was out of sight. He always claimed he was helping Iris get through her chores so they could play Doom or Super Mario Bros.

  In high school when he helped out he used the excuse that he wanted to free Iris up so she could help him with homework. She was always a little ahead of him in school. When she was a sophomore, she didn’t make cheerleading, was devastated and he even let her cry all over him. In fact, it shook him up—Iris hardly ever cried. Even when she took a softball in the face!

  The Sileski family did well financially. Flower shops in small towns are not the hottest ticket. Gas was a necessity, flowers were a luxury. Plus, there were no men in the McKinley family...except Seth. He cut their grass and was the guy they called if something heavy had to be moved or lifted. Since Iris’s mom and Seth’s mom were best friends, this pleased them both.

  And Iris was the one Seth talked to. His brothers didn’t have a lot of time for their baby brother, except to burst their buttons proudly when he played some amazing football. Seth and Iris never walked to school together—they stuck with their friends of the same gender during school hours. They were only friends. Good friends and neighbors. But away from school, dates—which Seth had a lot of—and practices, they spent hours together. Iris had more girlfriends than usual her junior and senior years because Seth lived right next door and all the girls were hot for him. Seth had his buddies, but when it came down to confidential stuff, important stuff, they had each other. Of course, by high school Seth was confiding in Iris about girls he crushed on. He asked her advice all the time. Sometimes he fixed her up so they could double date, a special kind of torture.

  Then in the spring of their senior year, when homecoming king Seth was planning to take homecoming queen Sassy to the prom, there was a little crisis. Sue Marie Sontag, known to everyone as Sassy because she was, cheated on Seth. She snuck out with Robbie Delaney and let him touch her boobs. Seth and Sassy had a big fight and they broke up.

  Seth, destroyed by hurt and betrayal, went to an unsupervised party and downed a bunch of beer, something he was not known for. By some miraculous twist of fate, Iris had been at the party. She was hardly ever invited to cool parties. She didn’t drink, not because she wasn’t any fun but because she was a little nervous about what the cool kids might do to her if she got drunk. She’d heard tales. And since she had no experience with alcohol, she was afraid to sip a beer because they might strip her and nail her to the door.

  But there was Seth, stumbling, falling down, blabbing his head off about Sassy cheating and dumping him, and good old Iris grabbed him. “Jesus, you’re disgusting,” she said. “Come on, let’s get you out of here. You’re trashed.”

  She put him in the flower shop van. “I can’t go home yet. I’ll get in trouble,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, because you’re wasted,” she said. “Smart.”

  And then he poured his heart out. He couldn’t believe Sassy did that, went out with another guy and let him feel her up and everything. And the guy was someone Seth thought was a friend!

  Iris couldn’t believe Seth hadn’t known that Sassy had the most handled boobs in the senior class. And Seth went on and on and on, as though Iris enjoyed these conversations about other girls. He actually nodded off now and then in the middle of his tirade.

  He was completely toasted and she saved his ass, as usual. She drove out to a popular make-out spot, a lookout just off Highway 101, and parked the van that said Pretty Petals all over it. She listened to him moan and groa
n about his lousy luck with girls.

  Then there was a twist.

  “Why am I not with you, Iris? Why isn’t it you and me? We’d never do that to each other. You’re the only girl I ever loved anyway. You’re at least the only girl I ever believed in. Or trusted. You’ve been my best friend forever. I’m taking you to the prom, that’s what I’m going to do. It’s what we should do anyway.”

  He started snuggling and nuzzling her. It occurred to her to push him away, but it was the first time he’d made sense as far as she was concerned. They had been best friends forever. They always got along better with each other than anyone else. And he was right—they’d never cheat on each other. If they went to the prom together, he wouldn’t have to worry that she’d flirt with other guys or pout or sulk. She’d have fun every second and make him laugh all night long. Of course, she wasn’t sure she could afford a prom dress, but she could work that out later. She had the love of her life telling her he’d finally seen the light and knew she was the right girl for him. At last.

  He was kissing her. Not just nuzzling but full-on kissing, pulling her closer. Iris’s insides went all squishy. He was literally climbing on her, but there was a steering wheel in the way.

  “Come on,” he said, pulling her out of the driver’s seat and onto the passenger seat on the other side of the console. He made room so she would be under him. He reached down to recline the seat as much as he could, hovering over her, resuming the hot, wet, fabulous kissing, his hands running all over her. He was pushing his pelvis against her and it felt so good she pushed back. She instinctively assumed a kind of pelvic circular, rhythmic motion.