Grant turned abruptly to the girls. “Stop speaking,” he nodded with a fake smile as he held Jessica to his side.
“Y’all really went to that party, didn’t you?” Nora sighed, and hot waves of what could only be described as a mix of disappointment and embarrassment rose from her heart all the way to her cheeks.
“Mom, you’ve been reading too many of those Sherlock Holmes novels,” Grant rolled his eyes.
Just then, Jack’s truck pulled up in the driveway, and the girls gasped as the headlights shone in the window.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Hailey confessed, tearfully, “we were there. We just wanted to see what all the fuss was about…that’s all! Please don’t tell Daddy! Please, I am begging you! If I don’t get to play in the Christmas tournament…”
“Please, Mom,” Grant broke in, his brown eyes fixed on hers, begging her to defend him. “Hailey has a lot riding on this weekend…and…well, Jess is totally smashed, so unless you want Jack to blow his top…”
“Go! Go! Go to bed!” Nora nodded as she darted into the kitchen and grabbed a can of air freshener, which she began frantically spraying.
“Quick, quick…” Nora whispered as the kids scampered down the hallway.
“Where are our kids?” Jack asked as he barged through the door.
“They got home a little bit ago,” Nora said, doing her best to seem unphased. “They wanted to wait up for you, but Grant and Hailey said they needed to get plenty of rest before tomorrow, so they went on to bed.”
“What is that smell?” Jack asked as he sniffed the air. “It smells like a lemon exploded in here!”
Nora shrugged as she moved to straighten the cushions on the sofa. “I was tidying up while you and the kids were out.”
“I found two of my starting players at that party,” Jack sighed, discouraged. “I’m gonna go change for bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I dread telling Doc Mason that Paul will be benched for the tournament. I know his daddy had high hopes for this tournament…with the scouts and all.” Jack shook his head in disgust. “I’m just glad that when Paul and Misty decided to go check out that party, Hailey and Grant had enough sense to stay away.”
Nora nodded, unable to speak.
“You’re coming to the tournament, right?” Jack asked, pulling the extra pillow and blanket from the closet and tossing it onto his spot on the couch. “I left you a map on the dash.”
“Yes, of course,” Nora promised. “The girls and I may sleep in, but we’ll drive over and have Jessica there in time for the national anthem before the first game.”
“Well,” Jack sighed, “I promise you one thing…it should make for an interesting weekend!”
“You asleep?” Hailey whispered as she slipped into Grant’s room.
Grant flipped the bedside lamp on, and only then did he notice that Hailey had been crying.
“You okay?” Grant asked.
Hailey nodded, the thought of disappointing her daddy weighing heavily on her now. After Jack had fallen asleep on the couch, the girls had each taken turns creeping across the hall to the bathroom to grab quick showers before slipping into their pajamas. Hailey had glanced down the hallway and seen her daddy asleep on the couch. She had wanted to run and wake him up and confess and tell him she was sorry, and, even now, a part of her knew that her inability to do so would be her punishment. “I had fun with you tonight, but that just wasn’t my scene…”
“Mine either,” Grant shook his head. “But you experienced an Austin Harper party, so you can graduate from Hope Hull High a fulfilled girl!”
Hailey sighed.
“It’s okay, Hails, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Grant insisted.
“That’s not exactly true,” Hailey exhaled. “I don’t like lying.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Grant sighed.
“It was my fault,” Hailey swiped at her tears. “I was the one who wanted to go, but I definitely did not enjoy anything about that party, minus the time I spent with you. I kept asking myself: ‘If Jesus came back this very moment, is this somewhere you would want to be?’… and it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to be…I didn’t feel comfortable around the people or the atmosphere or the wild abandon. I’m embarrassed that people saw me there.”
“If it makes you feel any better, most of them won’t remember,” Grant offered.
Hailey smiled at Grant. “It’s just not one of my proudest moments.” She paused. “And I really didn’t like the part where we had to run for our lives,” she exhaled, sounding exhausted from the whole experience.
“At least we made it out,” Grant smiled back.
“No thanks to you,” Hailey grinned as she nudged him with her elbow.
Grant nodded. “I know; I’m sorry…it just wasn’t in me to leave Emily and Jessica there alone.”
Hailey looked slightly confused. “Even if it meant we couldn’t play in the Christmas tournament?”
“Don’t misunderstand…I wanted to bolt as badly as you did, Hails,” Grant promised. “It’s just that I looked around, and a lot of those guys were starting to get pretty drunk. A lot of them had been there drinking long before we arrived. They were all starting to act like jerks, and I didn’t want my sister or yours around any of them. I didn’t trust the guys I saw…not when they were sober and especially not after they were drunk. Emily and Jessica are both too naïve to be left in such a compromising situation. If I didn’t look out for them, who was gonna?”
“I think it’s really sweet and admirable that you’re so protective,” Hailey smiled as she cuddled next to Grant. “I guess I’m just being selfish because there was a part of me tonight that wished that protecting me had been most important to you.”
“You don’t understand,” Grant shook his head. “This was bigger than a basketball game, Hailey.” Grant took a deep breath, contemplating how much he should say. “I’m glad that because you were with me, you felt safe in that situation. You’re always safe with me. That’s a promise that you can take to the bank for the rest of my life, whether we’re together or not.”
Hailey stared at Grant, the tears welling up again.
“But you’re naïve,” Grant warned. “Somebody would have had to kill me before I left you in that situation alone. Emily and Jessica were in real danger…even if you couldn’t see it…and even if it meant getting benched, protecting them was worth a whole lot more than some game. I couldn’t protect every woman there, but I could protect Emily and Jess…and I had to do that.”
Hailey nodded. “You did the right thing,” she agreed. “I’m sorry I got frustrated with you.”
