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two boys whistled and hooted.
    “Sure,” he replied, “but don’t think I’m going easy on you.”
    He threw the ball to her and she jumped into a smooth three-pointer from the midway line that made the taunting die down.
    “Dang, girl. Where’d you learn to shoot?” the kid with the long brown hair asked.
    “Around. Are we playing or are we yakking? Hey, what’s your name?” She pointed at the first boy. He answered, and she turned to his friends. “Okay, Jose and I against you two.”
    While they played, the stress and panic of the day before fell away. Too bad she couldn’t always be this in control. Consumed by pleasure, the real world faded.
    Bode spent a restless night, and when he woke, he didn’t feel much better. This was his first weekend off in over a month. He wanted to drive out to his favorite camping spot. Maybe do a little rafting. Too much down time made him antsy.
    First, he’d go for a run to finish removing the unsettling introspections from the previous night. He preferred to leave the past where it belonged and live in the moment. After a mile, a flash of color drew his attention to the community center. Only one car in the area was that red and small so he came to a stop.
    What the heck was the lady ADA up to now? This neighborhood wasn’t in the safest part of town. It might be prudent for him to check on her. For David, of course. He reached the back of the building and gaped at the sight. Kelsey, ponytail on the top of her head, played street ball with some tough regulars at the center. How’d she end up with those three?
    She nimbly dribbled around one of the kids and executed a layup that went in as smooth as silk. All four of them were absorbed in their game and oblivious to him. He rested against the chain link fence and watched the game.
    The dark haired kid on Kelsey’s team made a two-pointer and like he’d won a championship, yelled out. “Winner!”
    Kelsey gave her teammate a high-five and then thanked the other players. There was no sign of the haunted woman from the day they met.
    Pure happiness radiated from her like a visible heat source. Beautiful before, now she glowed. The moment she saw him standing there, a natural smile lit up her face. She sauntered over to where he waited.
    “Are you going to stalk me now, too?” she teased.
    “Nope. I was out for a run when the butt kicking going on over here caught my attention. You up for some one on one?”
    Kelsey snorted at his grin. “Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I just got warmed up.” She dribbled back toward the court.
    He trailed behind her. The boys moved to the sidelines and sat on the concrete to enjoy the action.
    Jose taunted him. “Man, she’s going to kick your ass.”
    His attention on the teen, Kelsey charged forward. Her shoulder down, she glided around him to make another layup.
    “Hey, that wasn’t fair. I was distracted by Jose,” he yelled out.
    “No crying allowed. You’ll get the hang of it.” She threw him the ball.
    Holding it high over his head, he winked at her. “What are the stakes? I play my best when there’s a prize. How about this? Loser buys dinner tonight. First person to twenty-one wins.”
    Kelsey answered with a wicked grin. “Just to warn you, I haven’t bought anyone’s dinner in a long time.”
    The game began. This wasn’t a game where the guy lets the girl dribble around a little. He pushed and went for the ball as Kelsey twisted left and right, always working to find an opening or to stop him from scoring. Too busy trying to keep her from winning, he couldn’t enjoy the smooth hands pressed against his body when she played defense.
    She was in possession of the ball and dribbled away from the basket. He didn’t follow since he expected her to make a fast break. At the midcourt mark, she lifted into the air, arm following through for a perfect three-pointer.
    When she landed, she smiled at him. “Twenty-one. Loser buys.”
    The boys on the sideline all