“Nothing wrong with that,” Avery says.
Then she turns to me. “A woman can do worse than having a man around who finds her attractive and makes her remember there's more to her than just being a mom.”
Chapter 17
Greyson
For the parents of a Little Leaguer,
a baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into innings.
~ Earl Wilson
It’s the first game of the season. The girls have been practicing two or three afternoons a week.
Are we ready? Probably not.
My stronger players, like Mia, will pull their weight. But I have some others who are typical for their age—daydreamers, half-hearted players, and the ones who haven’t fully developed eye-hand coordination. I’m here for all of them, even if some of them won’t return to the sport after one season.
Thankfully, the other teams we play against are all in the same boat skill-wise. And none of them have Mia. She does stand out, and not only because she’s Hallie’s daughter.
Hallie’s in the stands with her sister and her mom. She’s wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a ball cap. She looks amazing. And I’m fighting to keep myself from gazing in her directiontoo often. She’s sitting just to the side of the other group of moms. I’m staring long enough that her gaze snags on mine. I rub the seam of the baseball in my hand. Then I lift my other hand and run my fingers along the brim of my cap. She smiles softly. Just before Avery turns to see what’s making her sister smile, I pivot toward the field, counting my players and running through the order of the lineup.
Some of my players are warming up. The rest are chatting around the dugout. Our new pink-and-lavender uniforms came in—complete with a creature on the back of the jerseys that looks like a llama and a unicorn had a baby and named it Sparkly. The woman who adorns the uniforms added a few well-placed sequins. The girls squealed when we did the reveal. “It’s so sparkly!” Whitney shouted, and that triggered an explosion of excitement from the whole team.
Will walks up to me. I think he’s going to ask something game-related, but he says, “So, you went to dinner at Mia’s mom’s house?”
Really? First Dustin. Now Will?
“This town,” I mutter. But then I look him in the eyes. “Yeah. I did.”
I’m owning it.
When Dustin pestered me, I stood at a crossroads. It took me only an instant to sort through my choices. I could tell him the truth and face the teasing and assumptions or whatever fallout was coming. Or, I could keep Hallie a secret, and send her the message that she doesn’t matter, that I want to hide our connection, that what we had was in the past and none of it is spilling into the present.
I claimed our dinner together. I hope she felt my claim. I don’t know where things are going between us. But I won’t be the one to shut any doors. If she does, I’ll honor her wishes.
Besides, I’ve got Washington, DC looming in the distance. If they accept my application, that ball is already in motion.
“How do people know where I went to dinner?” I ask, foolishly.
It was dark when I arrived at Hallie’s. Dark when I left. Hallie and Mia live outside the downtown area in an established neighborhood. No one I know had any idea I was going there. Our plans were made last-minute. I highly doubt Hallie sent out a social media blast. She doesn’t strike me as the type. Probably someone overheard Mia’s boisterous invitation in the grocery.
“Tabitha’s mom heard about it,” Will says.
“Yeah,” I say. “I had to eat with their family two nights ago. And Charlotte’s mom asked me over to their house tonight.” I shake my head. “Thankfully we’ve got the team pizza night after the game. If I didn’t work every other day, I’d be eating at a different player's house every night.”
Will has the nerve to laugh. And not even softly, either.
“Well, now you have to take me and Kayla up on our invitation.” He pauses. “I mean, it’s only fair.”
“You’d really do that to me?” I ask. “Kick a man when he’s down?”
But he’s right. If I’m eating out with everyone else in town, I’d better take them up on their offer.
“It’s dinner, Greyson. A meal you don’t have to cook for yourself.”
“I know,” I say. “And I’d rather eat it with you and Kayla if I have to eat with people. Tell Kayla I’ll figure out my next available day.”
