With his hunger satiated, Dustin looked back on his week, removing himself emotionally from all that had happened. From this end of the calendar, he could see that he’d been in a funk, growling about Blake and Elise and their perpetual smiles.
After a few moments, he finally realized why he’d been in such a dark cloud. Longing. All week he’d longed to see Clover again—to connect with her. Texts didn’t work and the phone call was a bust. Tomorrow night, he was taking her to the home run derby party. He’d finally get his chance to be near her, to hear her melodic voice and watch her eyes light up when she took her first step onto the infield grass, and he couldn’t wait.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Clover glanced down at her khaki shorts and a white T-shirt with the Redrocks logo on the front. She’d found the shirt at a department store and paid full price, breaking two of her rules.
The first rule she’d broken was to never pay full price for a piece of clothing—that was a waste of money. Tons of cute clothing ended up on the sale racks or at the secondhand shop, and frequenting those locations had kept her budget in check.
The second rule was that she didn’t own anything white. She preferred darker colors that hid stains and washed well. In her head, only rich people wore white because they could afford to replace their clothing often.
She’d gone right ahead and broken the rule because she wanted a Redrocks shirt so much her belly ached at the thought of walking away without it. Her team pride grew in direct proportion to the games she’d attended last week. Which was silly, considering they lost. However, the losses fueled her respect for the team. They didn’t give up. They didn’t go home with their tails between their legs. They ran onto the field at the beginning of all nine innings and did their best. For that, she would cheer for them until the last out. If the players believed they could do it, then the fans needed to stand behind them.
The other reason she’d bought the shirt, the reason she wasn’t willing to broadcast, was that it reminded her of Dustin. The moment her hand brushed the logo, his soft smile and penetrating green eyes filled her with warmth. It was all she could do not to wear the shirt every day he was out of town. Saving it for their date was like saving a piece of chocolate cream pie for a treat after work.
“Nice shirt.” Dustin smiled at her as he parked in the players’ lot at the stadium.
“Thanks.” She grinned, looking down. Her nerves were bouncing into one another. For the last four days, she’d ignored all the flutterings in her stomach when her phone chirped, indicating a text from him. Of course she’d answered the texts, but she had no idea what she was doing or how to flirt electronically, so she kept it simple. Which, she reasoned, was better than making a fool of herself.
See? Denial.
She chose to focus instead on what to wear to a home run derby party. Dustin said it would be in the stadium, so she’d dressed for a warm night. Maddie insisted on loaning her a pair of red wedges with a cork heel. They were kind of sassy and made Clover’s legs look long and lean, dressing up the simple shorts and tee.
Dustin came around and opened her door for her. He’d done the same thing when he picked her up at her apartment. She could hardly believe she’d given him the address, considering the fact that she was the queen of caution when it came to the men she dated.
Clover blushed both times he opened her door for her, because his act of service meant something to her. She had two perfectly good arms and could open the door herself. But Dustin’s desire to do something for her, even a small something like opening her door, made her feel special.
They made their way into the building through a small, nondescript door. The hallway was painted cream, and the concrete floor was stained dark. Their footsteps echoed, his louder than hers.
“Since you’re such a big fan …” He tugged on the hem of her T-shirt, causing butterflies to flap in her tummy. “I thought you’d get a kick out of this.” He pushed open two metal doors painted green and stepped to the side to allow her to go first.
Clover fisted his sleeve. “This is the locker room?!” She covered her mouth with her free hand and bounced up and down.
He laughed. “The one and only.” He cupped her elbow and brought her inside. “Go ahead, check it out.”
She grinned as she took in the nameplates, the uniforms hanging with their numbers facing out, the gear so neatly arranged on the shelves. Some guys had body spray or batting gloves in their space. Cleats were tucked neatly in the bottom of the lockers.
She sniffed, expecting to smell sweat and dirt, but all she got was cleaner and a lingering fresh-paint smell. Bouncing, she handed Dustin her phone. “Take my picture.” She ran over to the huge Redrocks logo on the wall and struck a pose.
Dustin snapped the picture and then came over. “Selfie too.” He put his cheek next to hers, his skin all smooth and intoxicating. Her eyes fluttered shut out of the pleasure of having him close. He smelled clean and manly, and she had to concentrate to keep her eyes from drooping shut out of the sheer pleasure his nearness stirred inside.
This was the closest he’d gotten today. They were sort of starting fresh since her texts had been so sloppy. She’d even asked Maddie for help. Her roommate took one look at the phone and tossed her hands in the air. “You’re the worst texter ever.”
Clover didn’t argue.
That was probably why Dustin was holding himself back today. She could feel the void between them and wanted it to go away.
The phone made the pretend noise of a camera lens. The sound echoed in the large, empty room.
Her eyes popped open. “Can we do that again? I think my eyes were closed.”
“Sure.” Dustin held up the phone, and this time Clover held her breath so she didn’t float away on his soapy, sporty, manly smell.
The picture turned out much better. She smiled down at the screen. No matter what happened between her and Dustin, she would treasure this photo. Baseball had given her a gift—the chance to see herself in a new light. For that reason, the sport had won her heart forever, and even if Dustin drove her to insanity, the chance to see the inside of the Redrocks locker room was a gift she would never wish away.
He tugged at her pocket. “Come on—party’s this way.”
She tripped after his cocky half smile. In a way, she envied him the chance to be part of a team, to have a jersey with his name and number on the back that matched 24 other jerseys.
