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FOURTEEN
    TROY’S MOM LAUGHED OUT loud. “What? What job?”
    â€œAt . . . Troy’s school.” Seth spoke carefully. “Well, the high school.”
    Troy looked down at his hands. He hadn’t been certain Seth was even listening to him when he called him up the other night.
    â€œHe’s in junior high,” Troy’s mom said.
    â€œBut he could play in high school, right?” Seth said. “We go pretty good together, don’t you think? The Georgia Junior League state title?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Troy’s mom began to sputter. “I’ve never heard of an eighth grader playing in high school.”
    â€œI have.” Seth twirled a bundle of spaghetti onto his fork. “He has to pass a physical test and you need a doctor to sign off, but a high school coach can bring a kid up to varsity from junior high if he’s good enough. Ha. And we all know Troy’s good enough.”
    Seth jammed the spaghetti into his mouth and looked around the table to see if anyone disagreed. A current of excitement pulsed through Troy’s body at the mention of playing on varsity.
    â€œHow much have you grown the last few months?” Seth asked him after swallowing.
    â€œFour or five inches. I’m five ten.” Troy sat up straight.
    â€œBig enough.” Seth went back to eating.
    Troy’s mom looked at Troy and spoke slowly. “Was all this . . . your idea?”
    Troy shrugged and forced a smile. “Sort of.”
    â€œSort of?” she asked.
    â€œWell,” Troy said, “really it was Mr. Bryant’s idea.”
    She frowned at Troy and said, “A pipe dream, isn’t that what he called it? But I thought I made it pretty clear that was the end of it.”
    â€œI told you Seth would like the idea.” Troy clenched his hands beneath the table. “Mom, what’s wrong with it? Aren’t you glad he’s here?”
    â€œOf course I’m glad.” His mom blushed and turned to Seth. “But I know what you want to do and where you want to be. I can’t believe coaching some terrible high school football team in New Jersey is going to help you get there faster than Furman.”
    â€œI think you made it pretty clear after Troy signed his contract that you weren’t twisting my arm to leave everything and come here,” Seth said, “but I hope you’re not gonna twist it for me to leave, either.”
    Everyone in the room looked at Troy’s mom. The others might not know the importance of her reaction, but Troy did. He knew if his mom didn’t want him there, Seth would be back on a plane to Atlanta by midnight.
    His mom kept her hands in her lap and looked down at the table. Troy studied her face. He could see she was thinking, but didn’t know what. He had stopped a while ago trying to figure out why adults did some of the things they did, especially when it came to love—and he was pretty sure his mom and Seth loved each other.
    Finally, she cleared her throat and stood up.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    TROY’S MOM MOVED OVER to where Seth sat. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
    â€œI think I needed you to come up here in spite of me, not because of me,” Troy’s mom said. “Does that make sense?”
    â€œHonestly? Yes.”
    Troy looked at Ty and rolled his eyes.
    â€œGood.” Troy’s mom straightened up and then sat back down. “Now all we have to do is figure out how to get you that job.”
    â€œWell, I’m already working on it,” Seth said. “I landed at one and went right to the school. Mr. Bryant helped me get an application together and he introduced me to the athletic director, Ed Biondi . . . Mr. Biondi to you guys. Great guy. He’s going to interview me tomorrow. You should have seen the look on his face. He was pretty excited not to have to coach this year.”
    â€œIs