Opening game day, to be precise. After four grueling weeks of work, it was time for the kids to put what they’d learned into practice against another team. To make sure everything ran smoothly, Marianne got up an hour earlier than usual. Two coolers, bowls of frozen fruit for snacks, and the first aid kit went into the van before breakfast. The kids could barely eat, but she forced some oatmeal and bananas on them, reminding them both to start hydrating. Church came first, so they wouldn’t be back before the game started at noon. The online weather channel predicted it would be a humid eighty-seven by then. When she decided they’d eaten as much as was reasonable, she shooed them upstairs to get dressed. She was checking things off her list when Ridge came through the back door with a shiny blue-and-gold gift bag in his hand. “What’s this?” she asked as he gave it to her. “For you.
