Loving by Karen Kingsbury Read Free Book Online

was supposed to do next. Without the film, what would she do in Los Angeles? Was this her chance to write the book she’d been dreaming about lately? The one for teen girls? And wouldn’t it be easier to do that from Indiana, where she wouldn’t be hounded by paparazzi? But no matter how much of an escape Bloomington might be, how could she even consider leaving Brandon?
    She stood a little taller and tried to find a new level of courage, a brand-new sort of resolve. “I love you, Mom. Thanks.” She knew what she had to do next. She needed to talk to Brandon. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
    “You too.” For the first time in the phone call Bailey heard a smile in her mother’s tone. “I love you, honey.”
    The call ended and Bailey didn’t hesitate, didn’t fight it or second-guess herself. Instead she found a number that had only been in her phone a short while. The number for the producer. This call would be easy. It was the conversation with Brandon she couldn’t bear to think about.
    After being passed from one secretary to another, the voice of Mel Kamp came on the line. “Hello? Bailey?”
    “Yes, sir.” She steadied herself. “I’m afraid I have bad news …”
     

Four
     
    C ODY C OLEMAN GLANCED AT THE SLEEPING FIGURE OF HIS STAR running back in the passenger seat beside him and smiled. DeMetri Smith had already committed to a scholarship at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. But the kid had never been to the campus, ten hours away. When DeMetri asked about making the trip together, Cody didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t imagine a better way to spend spring break. After all, DeMetri had lived with him for most of the past year. He was the only father figure the boy knew.
    So the trip had come together. While most of Cody’s players headed to lakes or fishing spots with their dads or grandpas, Cody and his star running back would spend a few days touring campus and meeting administrators and teachers. Class was in session for Liberty, and their visit coincided with CFAW — College for a Weekend — a special event for incoming students.
    The winding roads and rolling hills outside Roanoke kept the drive interesting and as of the last road sign they were an hour away from Lynchburg. A hundred miles ago DeMetri had fallen asleep, but Cody didn’t mind the break. DeMetri talked almost as fast as he ran the football, and since their predawn departure from Indianapolis, he’d been chockfull of conversation. Now Cody turned up the music and fixed his mind on the drive. His prosthetic lower leg ached the way it did on long road trips, but if he shifted often enough he could handle the pain. Most times he didn’t even remember the injury he’d gotten while finishinga tour of duty in Iraq. He rubbed the area beneath his knee and slid a few inches toward the right side of the seat. As he did, the pain let up.
    The time passed quickly, and five minutes outside of Liberty, DeMetri woke up. “Coach!” He craned his neck as they blew by a road sign announcing Lynchburg, home of the Liberty Flames. “We’re here! We’re in Lynchburg!”
    “We are.” Cody had one hand on the wheel, the other around a cold cup of coffee. A year from now he would miss DeMetri’s enthusiasm for sure. “Another couple miles to the campus.”
    DeMetri sat back hard and stared straight ahead, his smile suddenly gone. “What do you think I should expect, Coach? Do you think the kids will be friendly? You know, like they are back in Lyle?”
    “It’ll take a while to meet people.” Cody chuckled. “But then again …” He shot a quick look at DeMetri. “But then again, the way you are, you could probably have a hundred friends in a week.”
    The kid nodded, like that sounded about right. But then his eyebrows formed a
V
. “You’re kidding, right, Coach?”
    “Okay, maybe fifty.” Cody elbowed his player lightly. “You’ll be fine, Smitty. You won’t have a problem. I promise.”
    The