Clover’s defenses muscled forward. She’d never seen this side of Serena before. The woman was usually polite to a fault. “He was a child—who plays baseball for a living? There are thousands of children asking their friends to come ‘play’ and he figured out a way to make money at a game.” She drew in a ragged breath. “He dragged me away from my responsibilities. He wasn’t good for me.”
Serena huffed, and Clover thought she heard a curse word in there. “So he wanted to spend time with you, enjoyable time, and you got angry at him for it?”
“No.” She paused. “Sort of.”
“Did he make you feel like what you did was unimportant?”
“No.”
“Did he belittle you for caring about The Pantry?”
“Of course not.”
“Of course not. Clover …” She pointed at her chest. “You were happier when you were with him. I saw it that day at the park. It was part of the reason I agreed to meet Chad.”
The room spun. “So it was my fault.” She’d suspected as much, and now she knew.
“I remembered feeling that happy when I’d first started dating Chad. I mistakenly thought there might be a sliver of the man I’d fallen in love with left.” Her eyes raged like the ocean in a winter storm. “I risked my life for a piece of that—you should be willing to take a risk for him. Take it from someone who had to learn when a man was bad for her.”
“You’re owning your choices, Serena.” Clover was in awe. Not two weeks ago, this woman was lying broken in a hospital bed.
“I have to. I want my son back.” Serena’s voice shook. “I can’t stand to tell myself lies any longer, and I can’t stand to hear you do it either. It’s making me shake.” She set the knife aside and took a deep breath. “Clover. You are in love, and you should fight for a good man—take it from me, they’re not easy to find.”
Clover stared at the floor. “What if I messed up too badly?”
“Then you’ll have to fix it in a big way.”
Clover’s eyes fell on the cabbage, which reminded her of lettuce, which reminded her of the day Dustin came in and tried to teach her to catch with a head of lettuce. She glanced around the kitchen. “Do you need me here tonight?”
Serena’s eyes widened. “You’re going now?”
A thrill shot through Clover, telling her that this was the right course of action. She was supposed to go after Dustin—right now. “I’m going now.”
Jane came through the door. “How are things going in here?”
“Clover’s leaving, and I’m almost done with the eggplant.”
“Leaving?” Jane asked, her white hair falling over her forehead. “Where are you going?”
Clover shoved away from the counter. “I’m going to tell Dustin I love him.”
“But he’s in the middle of a game.”
Laughter bubbled up from Clover’s heart. The pitiful thing was doing its best to come back together. The thought of seeing Dustin was like a healing salve. “I have tickets.”
She pressed her palm against the door, hesitating. The last time she’d run out on The Pantry for Dustin, things didn’t turn out so great. But as she watched Serena move about the kitchen, she wondered if this is what the Lord had in mind all along. Not that He wanted Serena to get beat up, but that He wanted her within Jane and Pastor Paul’s ministry. And maybe that meant it was time for Clover to move on and make room for someone else. Not that she had to give up her volunteer time, but it was time to gain some independence and put another phase of her life behind her.
She burst into the red glow of sunset—not quite the time of new beginnings, but this wasn’t a new game. She wasn’t starting over with Dustin. This was a new inning, a new at bat. It was time to throw her pitch and see if Dustin would swing.
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was the top of the seventh inning, and Dustin hunkered into a ready stance. His eyes drifted from the batter to the empty seats he knew were his. Even if she didn’t come to see him, he wanted her there because she loved the game.
The ball was hit to the third baseman, and the runner called out at first. One more out and he’d be able to sit in the dugout, where he didn’t have a constant reminder that Clover didn’t want him staring her in the face.
As the next batter walked to the plate, a flash of pink caught Dustin’s eye. He heard his name and glanced over to see Clover running down the steps. She wore a pair of black shorts and a pink, flowing shirt with lace. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and her sunglasses were perched on her head. Her legs were long and tan and graceful as they trotted down the steps.
The sound of the ball connecting with the bat jerked his attention back to the game in time for him to put up his glove and catch a line drive at his head. He tossed the ball to Joe at first, who threw it to Devin at second, who threw it back to Brayden on the mound.
