In Pensacola, he’d bought a duplex shotgun house to share with his mother. It had been a dump, but in a prime location. A real fixer-upper. And he’d spent all his free time that first year renovating it. The house was in good repair now, and his mother had her side while he had a management company doing short-term rentals on his side.
He’d originally chosen the duplex due to its location close to the stadium, as well as being a walkable distance to his mother’s store. She hated to drive and the neighborhood had been perfect. She’d even found a little church nearby that she regularly attended.
The investment had become his best to date. With the short-term rentals, it was now essentially paying for itself. Vacationers liked it because it was a short drive to the beach and close to the Pensacola Bay civic center, where the Ice Flyers played hockey. Concerts and exhibitions were frequently hosted there, too.
But Javier still worried about his mother living so far away from him. He liked having her close by so that he could look after her. But she was devoted to her job and Javi could understand her reluctance to move again. It wasn’t that he needed her underfoot—he wasn’t a mama’s boy, unable to function without her—but he was his father’s son, and he felt responsible for her.
With his father’s passing, Javi had known his father would expect him to step up and look after his mother. His parents had lived a rough life and gave up much for Javi to have the best, so being able to take care of his mother was not a sacrifice, but more of an honor. He just wished he’d had the opportunity to do the same for his father.
Maybe his mother not being in Arizona right now was a good thing, because Javi would have initially moved her in with himself. Not exactly a good setup when he was hoping to start a serious relationship.
He had looked for Cami to show up to their game last evening, but if she had been there, he’d not seen her. He and Cal hadn’t been on rotation, so they’d spent the night hanging out on the bench at the bullpen, ever ready if needed.
Cal’s parents had been at the game even though he hadn’t played. It was nice to see that they were so supportive. Javi hadn’t played either, so he’d been able to walk out right after the game with Cal to meet them. They were a lovely couple and obviously involved as parents. They’d heard about Javi escorting Cami to the bar association banquet, so he had tried to be as charming as possible. Cal might have thought Javi was jokingabout his intentions towards his sister, but he hadn’t been, so he needed her family to like him.
Cami had been on his mind since he’d woken up alone in San Diego. He’d been disappointed that she wasn’t still in his bed and mad at himself for sleeping through her leaving. He’d had no idea what time she’d snuck out and no way to contact her. But now he knew that Cal had booked her a room in the same hotel. She hadn’t been far away at all.
Seeing her again on Monday and learning that she was Cal’s sister had been unexpected. Cal volunteering Javi to escort his sister to the banquet on Thursday had been another surprise, though he’d been delighted to have that opportunity thrown at him. He’d thought she’d back out, but then she’d texted, and he’d gladly attended with her.
They’d had another mind-blowing night together and he’d slept over at her place. They’d gotten up together yesterday morning and he’d headed to the gym while she’d gone to work. It had been so domestic. Yet…he hadn’t heard from her since.
Tonight they’d have another game and Javi wondered if Camdyn would come. He wanted to see her again. Javi was a doer by nature, and once he decided on something, he was impatient to see it to completion…and he wanted Cami to be his.
He looked at the clock and saw that it was one thirty. He’d need to head out to the stadium soon. He didn’t want to bother her, but he also really wanted to see her.
Before he could change his mind, he grabbed his phone and sent her a message. Then he stared at the text, second-guessing what he’d sent and hoping that she’d reply.
CHAPTER 11
He is the find of the season.
– Oliver Hazard Perry “O.P.” Caylor, baseball columnist for theNew York Herald
Javi had texted on Saturday asking if Camdyn would like to go out after his game that night and she’d had to decline because she’d driven home to Oasis on Friday evening. She’d known her parents had gone to the game that night, but she’d purposely avoided it. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to start a relationship yet, though Javi was tempting.
If their situations were different, she might have considered it, but the reality was that her life was in a state of transition. She was moving three hours away from Phoenix and he was only there until Thorton recovered. What was the point of starting something unless it was temporary, like a friends-with-benefits type of arrangement. She did like him, and thirteen had always been her favorite number, but she really didn’t need the complication. Growing attached would only hurt her.
So instead of going to the game, she’d unpacked several boxes of her belongings that she’d brought back to Oasis. She’d lived in her grandparents’ apartment in Phoenix for severalyears now. They’d purchased it years ago, when her grandpa had been active in the state bar association and a board member for several different organizations. It had made sense to have a place there rather than driving the three-hour commute back and forth. It’d also saved money that had been going to hotel costs.
By the time she’d graduated high school, her grandpa had begun to slow down, and they had offered her the apartment when she started college, so that her parents could avoid paying for a dorm. And even though the place had been furnished, Cami had collected a multitude of junk while living there. So she’d started the process of going through her things and deciding what to cart home. The boxes she’d brought back this weekend contained her out-of-season clothes and a ton of books.
Javier texted again on Sunday. She’d again declined.
She’d corresponded professionally with him through email on Monday and Tuesday. She’d requested information and documentation about Lola, and he’d worked with his mother to get her everything they needed. Cami had even arranged a video call for Friday for Javier and his mother to meet with her grandpa.
She’d known he’d had a back-to-back away series, but she’d thought he’d message her again. However, no message came. Maybe he hadn’t been as interested in her as she’d thought, or he’d lost interest altogether. Perhaps he’d found a convenient Annie on the road. That hurt to think about. Maybe she should have gone home early from Oasis the previous weekend and had dinner with him. She should probably just text him.
Even though the thoughts plagued her, days passed and she did nothing.
Izzy called on Thursday afternoon and Cam could no longer keep her emotional turmoil to herself.
“Should I have gone to dinner with him?” asked Cam after she’d filled Izzy in on all that had happened.
“Camdyn Gallegos, I am so mad at you! Of course you should have. Why didn’t you tell me about San Diego?” demanded Iz.
It was a good question. One that Camdyn didn’t have a good answer for. “Well, I told you about the bar association banquet.”
“Yeah, but you made that sound like Cal just scratched you up a date so you wouldn’t have to go with Ricky. You purposely didn’t tell me about already having had a fling with this guy. Or him staying over after the banquet. Why not? I tell you everything!”
