The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks [53]
Like radar, Denise was able to zero in on him almost immediately. He was indeed playing, but he looked hot. She could see how red his face was, even at a distance.
“Um . . . do you think it would be okay if I got him something to drink? A soda or something?”
“Absolutely. What kind does he like? We’ve got Coke, Sprite, root beer . . .”
“Sprite.”
From the corners of his eyes, Taylor saw Melissa and Kim—Carl Huddle’s pregnant wife—coming over to say hello. Melissa was wearing the same triumphant expression that she’d had the night he’d been over for dinner. No doubt she’d seen them walk up together.
“Here, let me bring it to him,” Taylor offered hurriedly, not wanting to face her gloating. “I think a few people are coming over to say hello.”
“Are you sure?” Denise asked.
“I’m positive,” he answered. “Should I bring him a can, or would he like it in a cup?”
“A cup.”
Taylor took another pull from his beer as he headed for the table to prepare Kyle’s drink, narrowly avoiding Melissa and Kim.
Judy introduced Denise around the circle, and after visiting for a few minutes, they dragged her off to meet some other people.
Though Denise had never been comfortable meeting strangers, in this case it wasn’t as difficult as she imagined. The casual setting—kids were running from here to there, everyone was dressed for summer, people were laughing and joking—made it easy for her to relax. It felt like a reunion, where anyone and everyone was welcome.
Over the next half hour or so she met a few dozen people, and as Judy had mentioned, nearly every one of them had children. Names were coming quickly—their own and their kids’—making it impossible for her to remember them all, though she did her best for those who seemed to be the closest to her own age.
Lunch for the kids came next, and after the hot dogs were pulled from the grills, kids came rushing to the tables from all over.
Kyle, of course, didn’t come to the table with the rest of the children, but strangely, she didn’t see Taylor, either. She hadn’t seen him since he’d headed off to the play area, and she scanned the crowd, wondering if he’d slipped back unnoticed. She didn’t find him.
Curious, she looked toward the play area, and it was then that she saw the two of them, facing each other a few feet apart. When she realized what they were doing, her breath caught in her throat.
She almost didn’t believe it. She closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them again.
Frozen, she watched as Taylor gently lobbed the baseball in Kyle’s direction. Kyle stood with both arms straight out, his forearms close together. He didn’t move a muscle as the ball sailed through the air. But as if by some magic, the ball dropped directly into his little hands.
All she could do was stare in wonder.
Taylor McAden was playing catch with her son.
Kyle’s latest throw was off the mark—as many of them had been—and Taylor scrambled as the ball went past him, finally coming to a stop in the short grass. As he stepped over to retrieve it, he saw Denise approaching.
“Oh, hey,” he said casually. “We were just playing catch.” He picked up the ball.
“Have you been doing this the whole time?” she asked, still unable to hide her amazement. Kyle had never wanted to play catch before. She’d tried numerous times to get him interested in it, but he’d never even made the attempt. Her surprise, though, wasn’t limited simply to Kyle; it had to do with Taylor. It was the first time that someone else had ever taken the time to teach Kyle something new, something that other children did.
He was playing with Kyle. Nobody played with Kyle.
Taylor nodded. “Pretty much. He seems to like it.”
At the same time, Kyle saw her and waved. “Hewwo, Money,” he called out.
“Are you having fun?” she asked.
“He throws it,” he said excitedly. (Ee frows it)
Denise couldn’t help but smile. “I see that. It was a good throw.”
“Ee frows,” Kyle said again, agreeing with her.
Taylor pushed up the bill of his hat. “He’s got quite an arm sometimes,” he said, as if to explain why he’d missed Kyle’s throw.