She grabbed his hand and tilted his chin up with her other one. “The only person I’m willing to skate with is you.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“I’m not. I meant what I said to Gemma. You are worth waiting for.Youare my forever partner. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.” She rose up onto the tips of her toes and pecked him on the cheek. “If it takes us a little longer to get from point A to point B, so be it. I’ve waited eight years to take this test. A few more months don’t make a difference to me.”
Charlie hesitated. “You’re sure.”
“Positive.”
The signal changed again. His lips tipped up in the corners, and they crossed the road together.
“Do you realize you’re holding my hand in a crossover grip?”
She shrugged. “That’s what you get when you’re dating a figure skater.”
Reaching the car, they climbed inside. Charlie entered Sequoia Valley into the map app on his phone. “The commute hour starts earlier and earlier. It’s going to take us three-and-a-half hours to get back.”
Frankie drummed her fingers against the armrest of the passenger door. Her eyes looked outside at the bumper-to-bumper cars inching along the elevated section of the interstate leading out of Fresno. Her body was stiff from the two-hour journey to the airport. She didn’t fancy sitting another three hours in the car. A flashing billboard caught her attention.
For one night only, come and experience an unforgettable game of exhibition baseball between your hometown Fresno Flying Squirrels and the Scottsdale Sloths. Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, you’re guaranteed to laugh and be entertained! Tickets are still available!
She read the date and the time. The game was in an hour. The wheels began to turn in her mind.
“Charlie, how do you feel about baseball?”
He frowned at his phone, still trying to find an alternate route. “When it’s on TV, I don’t mind if it’s on in the background. I’ve never been to a live game before.”
“Says the man who doesn’t even own a TV.”
“Touché.”
Here was the perfect opportunity to start building a foundation of trust and perhaps enjoy their first date together as an official off-ice couple. She opened the internet browser on her phone and typed in the website for the Fresno Flying Squirrels. Tickets were only ten dollars for lower-box seats.
“Do you trust me?”
“That’s a loaded question.”
She huffed and crossed her arms. “I was thinking earlier that trust is one of the areas we need to improve on if we’re going to make this relationship work both on and off the ice.”
His gaze traveled in her direction. He exhaled deeply. “Yes, I trust you.”
“Tonight, we’re going to be doing something a little bit different.”
She swore she heard him gulp.
* * *
A female singer belted out the last line of the national anthem, and the crowd of seven thousand fans cheered wildly before resuming their seats. The air smelled of salty popcorn, sunscreen, and grass. The sky was still blue, with hints of orange, and the stadium lights had just clicked on.
“And now, please give a warm welcome tonight to our visiting team, the Scottsdale Sloths. Playing left field and battle leadoff, number fifty-six Jose Alcano. Playing . . .”
“Is there a reason the players are walking in slow motion to their starting spots?” Charlie asked, replacing his hat on his head.
“I think they’re imitating sloths.”
He frowned. “Their uniforms are also very . . . green.”
“This is an exhibition team. So what we see tonight isn’t going to be a typical baseball game.”
