Casey wipes his brow and sets up to pitch. He exhales, his chest falling before he lifts his leg and launches the ball into Austin’s glove.
“Woohoo! That’s it!” shouts Anthony. “That was definitely close to ninety!”
Casey smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Austin hands Anthony the ball and tells him he should try next.
But he doesn’t get a chance as Jane calls everyone in for dinner. “Go wash your hands,” she says. “You too, Casey.” She winks at the man as he walks past her. He’s still smiling but I notice his right arm tucked closed to his side, not hanging loosely like the left one. I follow the boys to the powder roomand after Austin and Anthony wash their hands, I stand behind Casey.
Looking at me through the mirror, he says. “I’ll just be a second, if you need to use the restroom.”
“No. I’m good,” I say.
He shakes the water from his hands before grabbing a towel. Again, he’s favoring his right arm, keeping it close to his chest.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“Pardon?”
“Outside. Just now. Did you hurt your arm?”
He clears his throat and avoids my eyes. “No.”
He’s lying. I can tell. But he walks past me and into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?” he asks eagerly, and I shake off my concern. He doesn’t seem worried about it, so why should I be?
Austin and Anthony grab drinks and condiments from the fridge and Cassandra comes down from her room to join us.
“Where have you been?” asks Jane.
“In my room,” she says without looking up from her phone. Jane rolls her eyes.
Casey pulls Jane’s chair out for her. “Why, thank you, Casey.”
“It’s the least I can do for all the work you’ve done.”
“Yes. And the bottle of my favorite wine is a nice touch, too.”
“Are Charlotte and Caleb joining us?” I ask, realizing Jane’s set two more place settings.
“No. They’re still in the city. But Frankie and Billy may stop by later.”
“Oh,” says Austin, as though just remembering. “Sage, how was your trip to Vegas with Frankie?”
“Um… It was nice.”
“Nice, huh?” says Austin, narrowing his eyes and smiling. “Oh, I get it. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, am I right?”
“What happens in Vegas?” asks Anthony, looking between his parents.
“Nothing,” says Jane. “Eat your peas.” She stares at her husband and he clears his throat, putting an end to that conversation, thankfully.
“You’re staying until the weekend, right? The town’s been decorating the fountain and the park, getting ready for the homecoming parade.”
Casey smiles. “Yeah. I can stick around for that.”
I refrain from rolling my eyes. I understand that the town’s excited about a big-league athlete coming back, but the reason he’s here is no cause for celebration. I don’t think it’s appropriate due to the circumstances, but when I mentioned it to Jane, she said Austin was happy about it. So, who am I to judge?
“Sage, do you mind driving Jane there?” asks Austin. “I might head over earlier to check on things.”
“Oh… uh… I wasn’t planning…”
