He was the sweetest man she’d ever met. He was always thinking of her—of things to do for her or finding something to gift her. Like something as simple as a miniature baseball helmet because he knew she collected them. Such a simple but meaningful gesture. It seemed that Javi had her love languages all figured out.
She scooped up a big bite and held it up for him. He took the mouthful, and she was so busy watching him enjoy the sweetness that she was oblivious to the stadium’s goings-on around them until Lola poked her and yelled, “You’re on the TV!”
Camdyn looked at the big screen behind the outfield and her jaw dropped. She and Javi were on the Kiss Cam, and he was grinning like a loon. Her man had planned this, too!
He leaned towards her and slid one of his hands behind her neck.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said.
“Me too,” she replied.
When he kissed her, she could taste the sweet, tart flavor of the pineapple, and she knew that she would forever correlate this moment with that taste. When they pulled away, the crowd was clapping and cheering, and Javi looked like that cat who got the cream.
Camdyn was off-kilter. How had she found just what she had needed in a random rebound in San Diego?
She must have looked as off as she felt, because Javi motioned towards the helmet she was still holding. “Careful,hermosa, or you’ll spill your ice cream. It’s melting.”
Melting. That’s exactly what had happened. Javi had thawed her icy heart. He watched as she took a bite.
She savored the taste that she already knew from his mouth. It was delicious.
Then she decided to be spontaneous and just voice the thought running through her mind. “I love you.”
CHAPTER 24
My boy, one small breeze doesn’t make a wind storm.
– John “Muggsy” McGraw, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, 1937
Javi hated trying to work on his dissertation while on a flight, but he had to use his time wisely. He was so close to finishing, and wanted to be done so he could save his free time for Cami and Lola. Unfortunately, he was having a difficult time concentrating. Every time he started to write something, he was interrupted or his mind began to wander, or he became aware of how uncomfortable he was in his seat. Javi was a big guy, and even though he had a seat in first class, it still felt cramped today.
“Could I get you something to drink?” asked the flight attendant when she reached his chair.
He would have loved a rum and Coke, which would have helped him relax. Then he might actually get some writing done. It wasn’t an option though, because he had a game in a few hours.
“No, thank you,” he responded, and the attendant moved on.
Leaving Pensacola had been bittersweet for Javier. He’d enjoyed living there while with the Blue Wahoos, and he wouldhave liked nothing more than to have spent a couple more days with his mother and showing his girls around town. Unfortunately, baseball players didn’t get the standard family medical leave that most people got from their employers. Instead, they were given up to three days as part of their contractual agreement for family-related leave, and his time had gone by in the blink of an eye.
It was the day after he’d taken his family to the Blue Wahoos game, and Javier’s current team was in the middle of a series in St. Louis. He hated leaving Cami, Lola, and his mother behind. He’d actually wanted Cami and Lola to come with him. They could have watched the game in St. Louis and flown home with the team when the series was over. But Camdyn, always the voice of reason, had insisted that it was too much too soon for Lola.
Javi thought Lola was handling things well. She had been a little scared on the flight from Havana to Miami, but by the next day, when they’d flown from Miami to Pensacola, she had been less nervous. But Javier knew he was just being selfish. Lola was adjusting to a lot of changes very quickly, and easier than most probably would, but he’d seen how upset Lola had gotten yesterday morning, so he knew Cami was right. So while he was traveling to St. Louis, his girls would spend a few more hours with his mother before they boarded a flight home to Phoenix.
The plan was for Camdyn to take Lola to his apartment and stay there with her. Then, tomorrow, she would take Lola shopping for him. He’d ordered a cell phone and a laptop to be delivered to his place for Lola, but she still needed some new clothes, and Cami had convinced him to let her buy new furnishings for his guest bedroom to really make it Lola’s own room, something she’d never had before. Camdyn would then spend a few more days at his apartment to help orient Lola to her surroundings and new routine. By then Javi would behome to help, too, but he felt having a female around might be comforting to Lola until she got used to being around him…and a gated community of professional baseball players.
His townhouse was owned by the Diamondbacks, and they rented them out to the franchise staff and the team. They were affordable, secure, and close to the stadium. Not all the players or staff lived there, but many did. The complex included a community building with a large outdoor pool and a fitness center. Camdyn was already familiar with it, because Callahan also lived in the complex. His place was only a couple of doors down from Javi’s.
Camdyn was also going to help Javi register Lola in an online school program since she was starting midsemester. Javier would have liked to have given her the experience of a regular public school, but his travel schedule wouldn’t allow for it. Cami had also discouraged in-person schooling for now, since Lola’s story had been all over the media.
The season was nearly over, and Javi wanted to talk more with Cami about their future. His job required him to be in Phoenix, and hers was now in Oasis. So far, they’d been shuffling between the two, but that would be more complicated now. He couldn’t just leave Lola alone. She’d have to go where he went. He’d already found a house to rent in Oasis for the offseason, but maybe he should look to buy instead. He’d still need the apartment in Phoenix for when the season started back up in the spring, but they could at least live together full time for a few months.
He was getting ahead of himself. His contract had not yet been renewed, and he may not know for weeks or months if it would be tendered. What would he do if it wasn’t? What if they traded him? Or sent him back to the minors? Could he leave Cami behind? Would a long-distance relationship be feasible? Ifhe stayed in the MLB, the money would make it possible to fly her to him on the weekends, but that would get old, right?
He sighed and looked back at his laptop screen. Those were problems for another day. Right now, he needed to conquer the blinking cursor on his screen. He’d been working on his dissertation for nearly a year, and as fascinating as he found exhibition sports, lately he’d been struggling to write.
He’d been inspired by the Savannah exhibition baseball team that had taken social media by storm. The public craved exhibition sports, they loved the fun displays of skill and athleticism without the competitive pressure. In Javi’s opinion, exhibition sports were more popular and on track for more growth than the competitive version. He believed that professional sports needed to implement more exhibition elements to remain relevant. Spectators had shorter attention spans and more viewing choices than ever before, therefore they had to evolve or die. He just had to prove that. So he’d written about the sports entertainment of professional wrestling, the Globetrotters, gladiator and ninja-style competitions, the Home Run derby, the NFL Pro Bowl, all-star games, and a multitude of other examples. Unique and fun entertainment with fan engagement more often than not drew larger crowds than a competitive game. It’s why the MLB had to counter with promo nights, giveaways, and fireworks to draw crowds. Professional baseball was even trying to incorporate theatrical elements of exhibition into its minor league games with the creation of fun team alter egos.
He stared at the screen, and the cursor continued to blink. Why couldn’t he write? He seemed only to want to fret. Too many thoughts. So much change in his life. The unknown. Javi was a chill guy, and he didn’t like feeling this way. He was a doer. He made things happen. His father had taught him that dreams didn’t just fall in your lap without hard work, and he’dbeen working towards his goals all his life, even when he’d been depressed and grief-stricken after losing his father.
