Trevor looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I swallow down the sudden desire to explain my relationship with Aaron. How even after he’d asked me to marry him, I still hadn’t met his parents. Aaron said we’d take a trip to Chicago and surprise them with the news in person at the end of the month. Of course, that’s not happeningnow.
“Did you go to school together?” I ask in a rush, forcing my brain to focus on something other than the dejected feeling eating at my bones.
When they both laugh—when Trevor’s ever-present smile returns to his face—the lingering unease washes away like soap bubbles down the drain.
“We were teammates once upon a time,” Noah tells me. “I didn’t last long, though. Life had other plans for me.”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but some of the brightness drains from his eyes.
“This guy, however, continues to be one of the best players in the MLB.” Noah roughly jostles Trevor’s shoulders until my roommate swats at him. “What’d you put up in yesterday’s game? Two home runs and a single? Still got it, man. Still got it.”
“You did?” I ask, and my roommate gives a modest nod. “I’m sorry. I didn’t watch—”
“You don’t need to,” Trevor interrupts, tone firm but warm. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. Me hitting home runs is like you filing tax documents properly. It’s just part of the job.”
Noah snorts but doesn’t say anything.
“We play one hundred and sixty-two games in the regular season, not counting spring training and postseason. I’m pretty sure even die-hard fans don’t watch every game.”
I’d never watched baseball—or any sport—before moving in with my roommate. But I asked Trevor to explain baseball to me because he’d been genuinely interested in learning about my career. It didn’t take long to get hooked. There’sso much mathin baseball.
When I started dating Aaron in July, I made sure to watch every game he pitched because he liked to talk about his stats the next time we saw each other.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but enough about baseball.” Noah grabs an empty chair, sets it beside mine, and leans forward, chin on his hands. “Kenzie, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
Chapter 9
Trevor
“An accountant?” Noah echoes then gives Kenzie a wry grin. “No one asks you questions when you tell them you’re an accountant.”
“I guess.” She chuckles, not understanding the joke.
If I didn’t know with one-hundred-percent certainty that Noahwasn’tflirting with Kenzie, I’d drag him from this table and throw him in the bay. Fortunately, my friend still carries a torch for his high school sweetheart even after they split up years ago. Noah frequents her local coffee shop as often as he can, hoping for a second chance.
I tune out Noah as he answers Kenzie’s questions about Wilks Beach, taking a deep breath for what feels like the first time in six days because Kenzie islaughingagain. Sure, it’sbecause she’s listening to my goofball friend talk about his hometown, but her grin is soft and genuine.
Kenzie’s bare toes wiggle in the grass as she asks Noah a dozen follow-up questions, causing the corner of my mouth to kick up. She’s insatiable for information. When Kenzie first moved in, I half-expected her questions about baseball to be polite inquiries, but she memorized baseball plays like she was taking a crash course in a foreign language before moving to another country.
The way her brain works fascinates me. I’ve always barely squeaked by academically in order to play baseball, much to the disappointment of my parents. A barb flares at the base of my throat, thinking about my family, and I force my focus back on the present.
It’s beautiful today—a crisp seventy degrees. The perfect early spring day. I push back the sleeves of my lightweight hoodie as the sun’s warmth soaks into the dark-navy material.
“So it’s not technically an island?”
Noah smiles. “No, but it feels like one with water on three sides and the nature preserve to the north. We even call ourselves islanders.”
“Interesting.”
“Where you live is called the mainland.”
“Speaking of that,” I say, “can I borrow your truck?”
When Noah’s brows furrow, I elaborate as much as I can without embarrassing Kenzie. “She got a little queasy on the way over.”
Noah gives me a look that clearly saysYou lovesick fool, but Kenzie misses it because she’s hunched over, putting her socks back on.
