“Granola bar or apple slices. Pick one.”
She heaved a sigh that belonged to someone much older. “Granola bar. The chocolate chip kind.”
I handed it over. “Audrey?”
She glanced up from her game. “Apple slices, please. And water.”
I distributed snacks and drinks then settled into my own seat. The stadium was filling up fast. First pitch was in twenty minutes and I was already feeling that familiar anticipation building.
This was good. Easy. Just me and my girls at a baseball game on a Saturday afternoon. No complications, no stress, nobody to worry about except the three of us.
“Daddy, isn’t that Emily?”
Or not.
My head snapped toward Alice, who was pointing across the aisle and down a few rows.
Emily. Wearing a Knights jersey, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, sitting in an aisle seat with her phone in her hand. But she wasn’t alone. Some guy was next to her, leaning entirely too far into her personal space.
I took a moment to get a read on the situation. Emily was definitely not happy. Her shoulders were tight, her smile fixed and uncomfortable. She glanced around the stands like she was looking for an escape route.
“Can we go say hi?” Audrey had looked up from her game now. “Please?”
I should say no. I should tell them she was busy and to mind their own business. But then the guy shifted, practically boxing her in, and the smile dropped off her face completely.
“Pleeeease, Daddy. I just wanna say hi and we can come straight back.”
“Alright.” I zipped up the snack bag and stowed it under my seat. “Let’s go say hi.”
“Yay!”
Jesus, they were fast when they wanted to be. I’d barely made it to the end of the aisle, when the girls reached Emily’s row.
“Emily!” Alice’s voice carried over the crowd noise.
Emily’s head came up and her whole face transformed. The tight, uncomfortable expression melted into genuine surprise and then something that looked a lot like relief.
The guy turned away, focusing his attention on the players warming up on the field.
“Hi, girls!” She set down her phone immediately, attention fully on them.
“What are you doing here?” Audrey asked, bouncing slightly on her toes.
“Watching the game. Opening day is my favorite.”
“We’re watching too,” Alice announced. “But Audrey brought her tablet.”
“I got bored waiting,” Audrey said defensively.
Emily’s smile didn’t falter. “Makes sense. The pregame stuff can be pretty slow. But just wait until the first pitch. That’s when it gets exciting.”
“Do you want to sit with us?” Alice asked. “We have snacks.”
Oh no. No, no, no.
Emily’s eyes found mine over the girls’ heads and something flickered across her face. Maybe the sameoh shitfeeling I had.
“Oh, that’s so sweet, but I’m sure your dad wants to just spend time with you two.”
