Chapter 4

I learned about the neighborhood that night, and there was no shortage of willing women willing to jump into bed with you. We were roughly an hour into the party when Shelby, Jennifer, and Tim came out of their home. It was easy to see in the first few minutes that Tim was not well liked. The second thing I noticed was that he was already holding a drink in his hand.

Over the next hour or so, Tim refilled his cup with Jack Daniels and coke several times. The more he drank, the more outgoing he became. I would look over at Shelby several times, and more than once, she would look back. I was sitting at a table eating a small plate of food when Shelby’s daughter, Jennifer, ran up to me.

“Hey Jace, how are you?” she asked.

“I’m doing good. How about you, Jen?” I asked.

“I’m doing okay too. But I’m trying to learn how to play softball. It’s hard.” she admitted.

“Anything seems hard the first time you try it. But the more you practice, the better you get.” I assured her.

“Did you ever play softball?” she asked.

“No, but I did play baseball, and it’s almost the same except for a few rules. All four of my sisters played softball, so I know a lot about it.” I stated.

“Would you show me some stuff sometime?” she asked.

“Sure, I will. If that’s okay with your mommy and daddy.” I promised.

“I’ll ask my mommy... my daddy doesn’t care. He won’t help me.” Jennifer replied.

Jennifer waved at Shelby and started to wave her over towards Rose and me. Naturally, Tim saw his child motioning, so he followed Shelby over to where we were.

“Mommy, Jace just told me that his sisters played softball. And he played baseball and can show me how to play. If that’s okay with you?”, she said, very excited.

“I’m sure this young man has better things to do than to play softball with you, Jennifer.” Tim laughed.

“It’s not a problem. I would be more than happy to work with her a little if that’s okay with the two of you.” I answered.

“If you want to waste your time, I don’t give a crap.”, he laughed.

“Thank you, Jace. That’s really nice of you.” Shelby said, looking into my eyes.

I wanted to walk over to Shelby and take her in my arms and kiss her in front of everyone. I’m not positive I was in love, but if it got better than what I felt for her, sign me up. The three of them walked away and back to the other side of the street. Rose came up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Jace, I may be completely out of line here, but ... Shelby is in love with you. I saw the two of you look at each other. Moreover, I think you feel the same. If I had to guess, you already took her to bed.” she said softly.

“No way, Rose. She’s married.” I said, denying it.

“Married or not, she loves you. You two better be careful. If I can see it, other people can as well.” she said, patting me on the back.

I sat back down in the chair, looking down at the ground. How the fuck did Rose figure it out? Just from the way we looked at each other. She was just guessing ... she had to be. But to be on the safe side, I decided to be even more careful.

I left the party early and went inside before the fireworks even started. I had taken a shower and was in bed by the time the fireworks started. I looked at the clock, and it was almost eleven thirty. Several minutes later, my doorbell rang. I got up and put some shorts on and went to the front door. It was Ted McGown and another man from down the street.

“Jace, we have a problem. Tim Phillips is drunk, and his wife has tried to get him to go inside his house, but he refuses. He wants to fight everyone who tries to talk to him. He’s already pushed Shelby away twice. I don’t want to call the police. Would you try talking to him?”, he asked.

“Ted, I barely know the guy.” I protested.

“Exactly, that’s why it might be better if you do.” he admitted.

“What the hell ... I will try.” I said, closing the door behind me.

I walked across the street with Ted McGowan to where a large group of people were formed. Shelby was still talking to Tim, trying apparently to talk some sense into him. He saw me coming twenty yards away.

“What’s the matter, Ted ... You had to go get the new kid on the block?” he laughed.

“Honestly, I don’t know why Ted came to get me, Tim. But since I’m here, let’s try to make some sense out of all this. Why don’t you call it a night and get some sleep before things get out of hand?” I asked.

“What, you’re threatening me now, boy?” he shouted.