“I’ll be surprised if Brandon even gets in the game,” Maggie said. She was wearing mirrored sunglasses and a Bo-Keys T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Her pale skin almost pink from the bright sun, her reddish hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was a thin girl, a little too skinny, and Caddy wished like hell she’d try just one donut. One donut wouldn’t ruin whatever health kick she’d been on, wanting to eat nothing but vegetables and no animal products at all. No damn eggs. No damn butter. How could a person live like that?

“It’ll come,” Caddy said, watching the boys trot off the field. The defense taking over, Jason sometimes filling in as outside linebacker. “This is Jason’s third year on the team. They can watch football all they want. But until they do it, it’s tough to understand.”

“I just don’t want his brains scrambled.”

“They’re just kids,” Caddy said. “Not the pros.”

“Even soccer players can get hurt.”

“The worst Jason’s been hurt is a pulled muscle,” Caddy said, clapping as Jason went back onto the field, lining up against the tight end, the Booneville quarterback stepping back in shotgun formation. “It’s fine.”

“Has Quinn told you about the woman they found?” Maggie asked.

Caddy eyed her mother and gave her a knowing look before turning back to the field. The Booneville quarterback got the ball and ran the opposite direction of Jason, looking downfield for his receiver. Jason rushed toward the quarterback’s turned back. That kid was so fast it looked as if he was flying.

“We don’t talk about work,” Jean said. “Quinn doesn’t like to talk about work.”

“But that girl—”

“Come on,” Caddy said, getting to her feet, yelling, “Go, Jason.”

“That’s Quinn’s business,” Jean said.

Jason reached out his hand just as the quarterback let the ball go, grabbing the boy’s jersey and pulling him down. The ball sailed twenty yards down the field and out of bounds, Jason and the quarterback falling into a heap.

“Can I ask y’all something?” Maggie said, pretending to watch the game. Her son milled about on the sidelines while Jason gathered with the defense, ten minutes left until the half. Those goddamn boys from Booneville huddling up like they were playing for Ole Miss.

“Can you hold on?” Caddy said, yelling, “Come on, now. Come on!”

Third down and long. That Booneville quarterback taller than Jason, those boys on the line rough-and-tumble country boys, ready to knock Jason and the rest of the Tibbehah Junior Wildcats up into the stands. The ball was hiked and the quarterback dropped straight back, Jason rushing hard and fast toward him.

“I just want to know one thing,” Maggie said.

“Shh,” Caddy said.