Let Love Shine by Melissa Collins Read Free Book Online Page A

things.
Braden is sitting up in his stroller playing with some of his toys. Reaching up
on her toes, Maddy plants a quick kiss on my cheek and surprises me more than a
little when she slaps my ass.
    “No thanks to Bryan’s superb base running skills,” Dylan
jokingly punches him on the arm.
    “Whatever.” He chugs down his water as Melanie wraps her arm
around his waist.
    “I thought you were great!” I know Melanie means well, but
publicly defending your boyfriend’s non-existent softball skills is only going
to make him the butt of more of our jokes.
    We all walk out to the parking lot as a group. “You guys
want to grab a beer down at Murray’s?” Dylan asks over the hood of his car. A
few of our other teammates decided to head home, needing to ice and rest before
work tomorrow morning, but Todd and a couple other guys are heading to the bar.
Bryan and I look at Maddy and Melanie seeking approval without really wanting
to ask for it—yeah, I guess you could say we’re a little whipped.
    Whatever, I enjoy sex and I fully intend to get some
tonight. So pissing Maddy off isn’t exactly on my radar. Besides, I know that
when Dylan asks to head out for a few drinks, he really needs to talk.
    I can’t ever say ‘no’ to him when he needs to get something
off his chest.
    Answering our silent question, Maddy grabs the keys to the
Jeep. “Yeah, go have fun. We’ll see you guys in a bit.” I help her get Braden
is his seat and toss Bryan a dry shirt from my gym bag.
    “I promise I won’t be late.” As I lean through the window
and kiss her goodbye, she mumbles against my lips, “You better not be.” She
winks at me seductively before her and Melanie pull away.
    We each grab a stool at the bar and order a Bud while
mindlessly zoning out to ESPN. There isn’t much to guys’ conversation on a
Sunday afternoon in a bar. Really, the main reason we go is to get away from
talking. There’s something so very relaxing about just being out with the guys
watching a game on TV—any game, really—and not having to say a word.
    About an hour after we arrive, Bryan finishes the last of
his one and only beer. “I’m out, guys.” He slides his stool forward. “I’m going
to catch a ride with Todd. I’ve got class in the morning and so does Melanie.
I’ll see you next weekend, yeah?”
    “Sure thing, man. Great job today,” Dylan calls out over his
shoulder without really taking his eyes off the screen above the bar.
    The bar erupts into loud screams and cheers as the playoff
game ends in a walk-off homerun. Dylan orders another drink, and when the
volume level returns to normal, he clears his throat.
    “So, I got a call in the office on Friday.” The quiet and
unsure quality of his voice immediately sets me on edge. I twist in my seat to
face him and silently prompt him to continue.
    “It was on the support line and the caller didn’t give a
name, but I swear I knew who it was.” He takes a swig of his beer as he seems
to mentally flip through the hundreds of students we’ve met since the school
year started in September.
    “Dylan, there’s no way you could know. We visit at least two
schools a week and it’s been what, like five weeks now since we started our
fall assemblies?”
    Scrubbing his hand over his face, he puffs out a deep,
frustrated breath. “Yeah, I know. But when I heard her voice on the line, it
just sounded so familiar. She was so sad. I could hear her pain. I could tell
she was crying, but before I could get her to say much of anything, she hung
up.”
    “Maybe it’ll come to you.” I finish off the last of my beer
and slide my glass over to the bartender.
    Dylan’s eyebrows are furrowed together and he looks like
he’s scanning the bar top to try and read something written there in invisible
ink. “I think…I mean, I could be making this up, but I think before she said
she was an anonymous caller, it sounded like her name was on the tip of her
tongue.”
    “Did she say