Leaving Oxford Page 3

  The sun shimmered on the water as the boat released from the hitch and floated, sending small ripples in all directions. Had coming out here been the right choice? She bent down on the dock and dipped her fingers in. “Still cold. Hope this boat pulls me up quickly.”

  The truck parked, Jess jogged back, hopped in, and cranked up the engine. He yelled over the roar. “Don’t worry. This may not have a primo exterior, but the motor’s top notch. It’ll pull up a two hundred and fifty pound man on a dime.” His eyes ran over her as he grinned. “Not that you’re two hundred and fifty pounds or anything.”

  The open bow looked inviting—and far from Sam—so she headed to the front and settled in for the ride. The boat took off with a jerk, and the love of the water coursed through her. The wind ran its fingers through her hair. The sun and the scent of spring chased away her fear. No anxiety, no worries. Thank You, God, that I still have this.

  The water was smooth, perfect for skiing.

  Once they reached a quiet spot, Jess cut the motor. “Who’s up?”

  Nick waved toward Sarah Beth. “Guests first.”

  “Y’all go ahead.”

  “No need to be polite,” Nick said. “Ignore Sam. If you need lessons, we’ll be delighted to assist.”

  She studied Nick’s kind hazel eyes. “To be honest, I’m cold natured. You guys can test the water. I’m soaking in the sunshine first.”

  “In that case, I’m up.” Nick stood and pulled on a vest. “I need to leave after lunch to relieve the babysitter. Mind if I try your slalom?”

  “That’s why I brought it.”

  The guys all took their turns with the equipment, Jess last. Once he boarded, he grabbed his T-shirt, made his way to the captain’s chair but stopped before he took a seat. Several scars ran across his muscular shoulder, front and back. He leaned around the windshield. “Sarah Beth, man up and hop in.”

  “You sound like my brother.” She laughed, walked to the stern, and jumped over the edge into the water.

  Cold. Her skin tightened, and chill bumps popped up. “I’ll take the slalom.” She hustled to slide her feet in the bindings, then grabbed the rope.

  “You good?” Jess called.

  She gave him a thumbs up. The boat yanked her out in seconds. The handle felt right in her palms. Curling her fingers tighter, she skimmed the surface of the lake. As close as I’ll get to walking on water. The cold spray from her ski tickled her calves. Bliss.

  Time to jump the wake. For Sam. She angled her ski and giggled as she came down on the outside of the rippled water. Holding on, she continued the jumps until her arms and legs shook. Finally, she signaled for Jess to cut it. He circled the boat to pick her up.

  Sam gave her a hand up the ladder and glared. “You were waiting for the water to warm? I think someone was waiting to see what we had, so she could make us look like idiots.”

  Nick punched Sam in the bicep. “Doesn’t take much to make some of us look like idiots.”

  “Very funny.” Sam slurred as he popped open what was probably his sixth beer. “Isn’t anyone gonna help me drink this?”

  Nick shook his head. “I have a four-year-old to watch when I get home, and Jess doesn’t need a DUI in his position.”

  “You know he could get out of it. And you need to find a woman to help you take care of the kid.”

  Nick shot Sam a dark look. “The kid’s name is Katie, and do not, I repeat, do not try to fix me up again.”

  Jess laughed and eyed Sarah Beth. “Why’d you stop the show?”

  Her muscles still wobbly, she squeezed the water from her hair and dried off. “I’m so out of shape.”

  “Your shape looked good to me.” Jess’s eyes wandered her form.

  Rolling her eyes seemed the best way to handle the comment and the gaze.

  “Sorry.” Jess’s lips mashed together before he focused his attention on the steering wheel.

  She remained on the bow, but listened to the guys rib each other. Their quips reminded her of days on the water with her brother. But their conversations turned to football and Ole Miss’s chances the following season, which dredged up painful memories of Adam. She closed her eyes and tried to block out everything but the feel of the sun on her skin.

  Some time later, Nick cleared his throat. “I need you guys to drop me back at the dock. Daddy-duty calls.” When they neared the pier, he turned to Sarah Beth. “I’m glad you came. You made a sunny day a little bit brighter.”

  At least she’d made one friend today. With Jess and his appreciative glances, and Sam’s enormous chip on his shoulder, she wasn’t sure about the other two.

  ~~~

  Jess still held the rope by the dock as Nick drove off. If he didn’t deal with Sam’s drinking now, someone could get hurt. How long would his friend carry the bitterness from the broken engagement? Of course, Sam’s controlling father didn’t help matters. “Sam, clean out your cooler at the trash can or put it in your car.”

  “I’m fine.” Sam scoffed. “I have a high tolerance for alcohol.”

  “That’s not how I play, and you know it.”

  “You’re not so perfect yourself.”

  “Made plenty of mistakes. Will make plenty more.” He squeezed Sam’s shoulder and glanced back where Sarah Beth still reclined on the bow. “Let’s have some fun, man.”

  “Fine.” Sam lugged his cooler up to his Mazda, came back, and plopped down, his lips mashed tight.

  Jess motioned to the driver’s seat. “Sarah Beth, you’ve driven a boat. Go ahead and take over to get used to how she handles.”

  “Sure.”

  Once she was seated, Jess knelt next to her to demonstrate the controls. A strand of coffee-colored hair fell from her ponytail and blew across her face. He couldn’t resist reaching out and brushing it back from her cheek.

  Stiffening, she gave him a side glance. “I’m good. Let me know when to hold up for someone to ski.”

  He could take a hint. She piloted the boat, her dark hair and eyes so brown they were almost ebony. Although taller than most women, about five-ten, she was feminine. Muscular, but delicate.

  After a few rounds, Sam’s bellow interrupted his thoughts. “I’m ready. I’m going with the wakeboard this time. But, Jess, you’re driving me.”

  Slowing, Sarah Beth cut the motor, moved from the driver’s seat. “Not a problem. I’ll watch for you, and Jess can drive.”

  Letting out a sigh, Jess took the captain’s seat and accelerated at her signal. He hadn’t planned to put up with a drunk. His football players put him in that position often enough. Now he had to babysit a grown man when all he’d wanted was to have a fun day with a pretty woman.

  Shadows fell across the edge of the lake. Maybe he should’ve called it when Nick left. But the sun, the spray of the water, the wind against his skin always brought him back to his days growing up in Florida. If only Oxford had a few orange trees...and a professional football team.

  “He keeps jumping the wake and spinning pretty high.” Sarah Beth’s tone grew urgent. “Are you worried about him? He has to be tiring, plus all that beer.”

  Worried and ticked off. “Yeah. Signal for him to stop at this next bend.” Jess glanced back over his shoulder.

  Sam spun up in the air before Jess had the chance to slow. The board flipped to the side, Sam lost it, and hit the water with a slap.

  “He’s down.” Sarah Beth pointed as they came back around. “And he’s bleeding!”

  Adrenaline took over. “I’ll get him.” Jess traded places with Sarah Beth and dove in. A shiver ran across his midsection as he skimmed through the chilly water to grab his friend.

  Sputtering, Sam struggled against Jess’s grip. “I’m fine, man. I just got off balance and took some board across the lip.”

  Staying close until they reached the ladder, Jess pushed Sam up first and then followed.

  “Here.” Sarah Beth held out a towel to Jess. “Press this against the cut to stop the bleeding.”

&nb
sp; Once Sam took a seat, Jess took his chin and examined him. “You’ve got a busted lip and a nice goose egg on your forehead. We should get you checked out at the ER.”

  “No way.” Knocking away Jess’s hand, Sam scowled. “I used to get harder knocks every week in football.”

  “We’ll see when we get back on land. The team doctor could take a look at least.”

  Sarah Beth piloted back to the dock and helped Jess hitch the boat to his truck. She knew what she was doing. He had to respect that. Too bad the day was ending like this.

  Sam ambled toward his car while they finished up.

  “Not happening.” Jess sprinted to block his path. “Give me your keys. You can ride home with me, and I’ll have someone come get your car later.”

  “I can drive.”

  “Not an option, man.”

  Sam stood motionless. The man could be stubborn. Finally, his mouth drooped, and he gave in with a sigh. “I’m not leaving my car out here. It’s my baby. You bring it.” He tossed his keys toward Sarah Beth. “Now.”

  The keys fell through her hands to the ground. She stared at them like they were a water moccasin, paralyzed with her eyes wide and mouth clenched shut.

  “Are you okay?” Jess studied her expression.

  She bent down to pick up the keys. “Yeah.”

  Were her hands shaking? What was that about? He wanted to question her, but now wasn’t the time. Jess opened his truck door for Sam. “Let’s go, buddy. I’m calling the team doctor to meet us at your house if you won’t go to the ER.” He got in the truck, shut the door, and waited for her to follow. He took another look in his rearview mirror. Maybe Sam’s wipeout—maybe the sight of blood... But something was wrong with Sarah Beth.

  Chapter 4

  Sarah Beth’s face went numb. Another road. Another little sports car.

  No. This was Sardis Lake. Not L.A. Only a few miles to the center of Oxford. God, please help me. She turned the key to the Mazda. Earsplitting rap music blared. She cringed and scrambled to find the volume.

  Jess waited in the parking lot. Sam was hurt. She had to drive this little car.

  “Lord, I know it was selfish to pray for myself first. I ask for Sam to be okay physically, and for him to find You. Let me shine Your light to him and Jess and Nick and anyone in my path. Help me to see them with Your eyes, hear them with Your ears, speak to them with Your words. Lord, I feel so clueless about the right things to say.”

  The drumming in her chest subsided, and she pressed the gas and followed the taillights of Jess’s truck. The tree-lined country roads looked like home, and they arrived back in Oxford in minutes.

  Sam’s house stood in one of Oxford’s newer upscale neighborhoods a mile or two farther out than the historic homes near the Square. She parked his car in the driveway beside the truck, released a long breath, and got out.

  Near one of the tall white columns of the home, the doctor waited under the shade of the porch for Sam and Jess. Once they disappeared inside, Sarah Beth leaned against the hood of Jess’s truck. The band of tension around her midsection released bit by bit.

  Minutes later, Jess came out. “Sam’s going to be okay, but I’ll keep his keys for a while. Just throw them in the glove box.” He opened the door of the truck for her and waited until she got in.

  Once he took the driver’s seat, he cranked the engine and turned to face her. “Sorry about ruining a perfectly good day. I promise to make it up to you.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong. Sam needed to show better judgment.” She glanced in his direction, her voice soft. “And thanks for opening my door.”

  “You’re welcome.” His lips lifted. “Doc used some of that super glue on Sam’s cut. He didn’t think Sam had a concussion but told him to take it easy for a few days. Sam will want to strangle me when he feels better, because I called his mother to let her know what happened. She’ll check in on him later.” Jess massaged his right shoulder.

  “Did you hurt yourself?” The scars she’d noticed earlier came to mind.

  “Just an old injury.”

  “I heard about that. You were predicted to be the top draft pick your senior year at Florida. Sorry.”

  Jess shrugged. “Water under the bridge. Playing pro football may’ve been what I thought I wanted at the time, but I’ve loved every minute of coaching. And there’s a chance I could coach on the pro level.”

  Sarah Beth studied Jess as he drove. Watching him handle Sam, he seemed strong and competent, not so superficial like she’d thought that first day in her office. “Are Sam’s parents nearby?”

  His head bobbed. “His father manages the New South Bank where Sam works.”

  “Is Sam’s father Teddy Conrad?”

  “None other.”

  “Oh.” She let that sink in. Teddy served on the Foundation committee with her, and she had a meeting coming up with his wealth management department. “How did you guys become friends?”

  “Sam was a backup quarterback for the team my first year as a coaching assistant here. His family and bank are big supporters of the school. He’d been a high school hero in Oxford. I know you might find this hard to believe, but he had a bit of an ego. A few of the guys weren’t too fond of him.”

  “What a shocker.” She should kick herself. “That wasn’t nice. I don’t know Sam, and I’ve made an idiot out of myself more than once.”

  “He’s not a terrible guy. Bitter about...a couple of things in his life, but he grows on you. Sort of. I can’t imagine you making an idiot of yourself, though.” Jess’s mouth curved upward as he shot her a quick look.

  His deep brown eyes only made his finely textured blond hair stand out. Her eyes drifted across the stubble shadowing his jaw. With glints of gold, it didn’t look unkempt, but instead looked...roughly attractive. She’d never cared for facial hair, but somehow, he pulled it off. He could hold his own with the movie stars in Hollywood.

  Los Angeles. Adam’s sky blue eyes.

  A shiver worked its way through her core.

  “Are you cold? I can turn the air down.”

  Words choked in her throat.

  “Sarah Beth?”

  Blinking, she turned and focused on him. “Sorry.”

  “I’m so captivating that you fell asleep? I said, I can’t imagine you acting like an idiot. And, are you cold?”

  She needed to speak. “No to the cold, no to the sleeping, and yes to the idiot behavior. I used to live my life very differently. I’ve changed.”

  He stole another glance. “What happened?”

  “It’s such a long story. One I’m not sure you’d care to hear.” Not one she was dying to tell. “The simple answer is that I gave my life back to God.”

  The words hung in the air.

  “Are you going to tell me the long story?” His voice softened.

  This was unexpected. God had opened a door, but could she make herself walk through it? A lump formed in her throat. Sarah Beth tapped her fingers on the armrest. “I can condense it, I guess.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me in pieces? That is, if you’re willing to ski with me—or us again?”

  “I had a good time, right up until the end.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m not sure where to start. I was a prodigal, if you know what I mean.”

  “I’ve been to church. So, you took your parents’ money and wasted it?”

  One side of her mouth lifted. “I was a prodigal child in the spiritual sense. I took all the love God gave me, all the values and wisdom my parents gave me, and walked away from it to do what I wanted to do.”

  “And what was that?”

  Sarah Beth looked out the window at the passing landscape, but memories filled her vision. “I guess, at first, it was going to parties that were pretty wild, that I knew weren’t God-honoring. Eventually, I joined in on the drinking, the language, the irreverence. The parties where anything goes, drinking games, people in the back rooms doing who knows what.”

  “We had those
in Florida, too.”

  “It was sad, though, because my family believed in having good, clean fun. My parents taught us to work hard, but they liked to play hard, too. That’s how I learned to ski and kick a soccer ball. Mom and Dad loved to have a house full of family and friends.

  “Somehow I made my good grades, and then I met a guy. We got involved and moved to Los Angeles together, where we both pursued our professions. It took some years, some heartbreak, and some soul searching—and I know it’s overused, but it really fits to say that I had a God-sized hole in my heart. I begged God to take me back and asked if He couldn’t forgive me, to let a tree fall on me or a satellite land on me. I’d made a mess of my life and my heart, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I asked Him to put me somewhere I was needed.”

  This was harder than she thought. Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision, blurred her world.

  They pulled into the parking lot at the dock. Jess put the truck in park, then fixed his gaze on hers. He took her hand as she unlatched her seatbelt, his expression intense. He seemed to peer into her past. “That was honest and deep, and I appreciate how open you are.” He offered a gentle smile. “I also appreciate the fact that no trees or satellites fell on us today.”

  The comfort of his hand both warmed and ripped at her emotions. Emotions she couldn’t handle. Forcing a smile, she pulled her hand back and opened the door. “Thanks. I think.”

  Jess helped gather her equipment and walked her to the SUV. “So, is the guy still in the picture?”

  She blinked at his question.

  “The one you went to L.A. with?”

  That familiar ache wrenched around her heart and twisted. “He’s not. And I’m not getting involved with anyone for—let’s just say, a long, long time.”

  “Once bitten, twice shy?”

  “Something like that.” The ache sharpened. More like a cleated shoe to the chest. Words squeezed from her throat. “I should go.”

  Jess rubbed his stubbly chin. “That’s right, you have plans this evening. Could you, or rather would you, be willing to come skiing with us again next weekend? I won’t let you get thrown under the bus rescuing drunken skiers. And it’s not a date.”