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. Denise shrugged, feeling a pang of unease. Just the usual.Kyle s been keeping me pretty busythese days. They always do.How s he coming along? He s had a good summer, that s for sure.Haven t you, Kyle? Yes, he said quietly.Judy turned her attention to him, beaming. You sure are getting handsome.And I hear you regetting pretty good at baseball, too. Bessbaw, Kyle said, perking up, finally looking away from the box. Taylor s been helping him, Denise added. Kyle really likes it. I m glad.It s a lot easier for a mother to watch her children play baseball than football.I usedto cover my eyes whenever Taylor played.He used to get crunched all the time-I could hear it inthe stands, and it gave me nightmares. Denise offered a strained laugh as Kyle stared, uncomprehending.Judy went on. I didn t expect to see you here.I figured you would be with Taylor right now.He told me hewas going to spend the day with you. Denise ran her hand through her hair. He did? Judy nodded. Yesterday.He came by after he got home. So.hes back? Judy eyed her curiously.The next words came out carefully. Didn t he call you? No. As she answered, Denise crossed her arms and turned away, trying not to show herdiscomfiture. Well, maybe you were already at work, Judy offered softly.But even as she spoke the words, both of them knew it wasn t true.Two hours after she got home, she spotted Taylor coming up the drive.Kyle was playing outfront and immediately started for the truck, racing across the lawn.As soon as Taylor opened thedoor, Kyle jumped up into his arms.Denise stepped out onto the porch with conflicting emotions, wondering if he d come becauseJudy had called him after running into her at the store.Wondering if he would have comeotherwise.Wondering why he hadn t called while he was gone, and wondering why, despite allthat, her heart still leapt at the sight of him.After Taylor put Kyle down, Kyle grabbed his hand and the two of them began making theirway to the porch. Hey, Denise, Taylor said warily, almost as if he knew what she was thinking. Hi, Taylor. When she made no move off the porch toward him, Taylor hesitated before closing the gap.Hehopped up the steps as Denise took a small step backward, not meeting his eyes.When he triedto kiss her, she pulled back slightly. Are you mad at me? he asked.She looked around the yard before focusing on him. I don t know, Taylor.Should I be? Tayer! Kyle said again. Tayer s here! Denise reached for his hand. Could you go inside for a minute, sweetie? Tayer s here. I know.But do me a favor and leave us alone, okay? Reaching behind her, she opened the screen door and then led Kyle inside.After making surehe was occupied with his toys, she returned to the porch. So what s up? Taylor asked. Why didn t you call while you were gone? Taylor shrugged. I don t know.I guess I just didn t have the time.We were out all day andI was pretty worn by the time I got back to the motel.Is that why you re mad? Without answering, Denise went on. Why did you tell your mother you were going to spend the day here if you didn t plan ondoing so? What s with the questions? I did come by-what do you think I m doing now? Denise exhaled sharply. Taylor, what s going on with you? What do you mean? You know what I mean. No, I don t.Look, I got back into town yesterday, I was beat, and I had a bunch of things totake care of this morning.Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I m not making a big deal out of this- Yes, you are.If you don t want me around, just tell me and I ll get in my truck and leave. It s not that I don t want you around, Taylor.I just don t know why you re acting the way youare. And how am I acting? Denise sighed, trying to put it into words. I don t know, Taylor.it s hard to explain.It s like you re not sure what you want anymore.With us, I mean. Taylor s expression didn t change. Where is all this coming from? What-did you talk toMelissa again? No.Melissa has nothing to do with this, she said, becoming frustrated and a little angry. It sjust that you ve changed, and sometimes I don t know what to think anymore. Just because I didn t call? I ve already explained that. He took a step closer to her, hisexpression softening. There just wasn t any time, that s all. Not knowing whether to believe him, she hesitated.Meanwhile, as if sensing something wrong,Kyle pushed open the screen door. C mon, guys, he said. Let s go inside. (C mon, guys.Wess go issite)For a moment, however, they simply stood without moving. C mon, Kyle prodded, reaching for Denise s shirt.Denise looked down, forcing a smile, before glancing up again.Taylor was grinning, doing hisbest to break the ice. If you let me in, I ll give you a surprise. As she thought about it, Denise crossed her arms.Behind Taylor, in the yard, a bluejay calledfrom the fencepost.Kyle looked up expectantly. What is it? she finally asked, giving in. It s in the truck.Let me go get it. Taylor stepped backward, watching her carefully, realizingthat her comment meant she was going to let him stay.Before she changed her mind, hemotioned toward Kyle. C mon, you can help. As they walked back to the truck, Denise watched him, her emotions warring within her.Again,his explanations seemed reasonable, as they had for the past two weeks.Again, he was great withKyle.So why didn t she believe him?After Kyle was asleep that night, Denise and Taylor sat together on the couch in the livingroom. So how did you like your surprise? It was delicious.But you didn t have to fill my freezer. Well, mine was already full. Your mom might want some. Taylor shrugged. Hers is full, too. How often do you hunt? As much as I can. Before dinner, Taylor and Kyle had played catch in the yard; for dinner, Taylor had done thecooking, or rather part of it.Along with the venison, he d brought some potato salad and bakedbeans from the supermarket.Now, relaxing for the first time, Denise felt better than she had forthe past couple of weeks.The only light came from a small lamp in the corner, and a radio wasplaying softly in the background
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