“Grandma, too?”
“Yes,” their mother said, and pointed to the breakfast table, where a bowl of untouched oatmeal rested.
“You aren’t dressed,” he commented, as if she’d walked into the room stark naked.
“I’m wearing my robe,” she returned, gesturing with her hands to prove she was wearing clothing.
“I mean you aren’t dressed for the game. Hurry or we’ll be late.”
“Patrick, the game isn’t for hours yet,” their mother reminded him and scooted out of her chair, indicating that Patrick should sit.
“Coach said we needed to arrive early to warm up.”
“Not two hours early,” Maisy said, smiling despite the fact she hadn’t had a sip of coffee yet. She meandered to the kitchen counter, grabbed a mug from the cupboard, and poured herself a cup of java. Leaning her hip against the counter, cup in hand, she took her first invigorating sip.
“Patrick.” Their mother’s tone was enough for Maisy’s brother to sit and quickly shovel three spoonfuls of oatmeal into his mouth. He looked up to see if that was enough to satisfy her.
Amused, Maisy watched as her mom nodded. With a look of relief, Patrick carried his bowl to the sink.
“What’s the weather report?” Maisy asked.
Patrick’s attention was riveted on their mother.
“There’s rain predicted for the afternoon.”
Patrick groaned.
“The morning is clear, though,” she added.
Patrick looked up to the ceiling. “Thank You, God.”
The entire family had centered their day on Patrick’s first game of the season. If it rained, the game was likely to be called off or delayed. Maisy didn’t know how Patrick would survive the disappointment.
Ninety minutes later, Maisy, Patrick, and their mother headed to the local park. Sean would arrive later, and Grams would, too, along with Lloyd, who insisted on driving her.
The area had ten baseball diamonds, where the Little League games were played. The Tigers, Patrick’s team, were assigned to Field Three. As soon as their mother cut the engine, Patrick was out the door, racing toward his coach, who stood on the sidelines with a few of the other teammates.
Maisy shared a smile with her mother.
“I’m happy we could make this happen for him,” Sophie commented.
“Me, too.” They made their way around the baseball diamonds to the assigned field and took seats in the bleachers about halfway up. They didn’t want to go any higher, as climbing the stairs wouldn’t be easy for Grams. Several other parents had also arrived.
Maisy watched as Patrick slugged his baseball mitt several times, loosening up the leather before the game. Purchasing the glove had been a little thing to Chase, and yet it had made a world of difference to Patrick and his ability to play baseball.
Despite her determination to control the amount of time Chase occupied her thoughts, they often wandered to him. She’d taken an important test and had scored in the top ten percent but was disappointed in herself because she hadn’t studied as hard as she should have, mainly because of all the time she spent each night talking to Chase.
She couldn’t seem to concentrate on her studies until she heard from Chase, which should be more concerning. Part of the problem was these were prerequisite classes, requirements she needed before the specialized courses that were required for her nursing degree.
Each night Maisy found herself patiently waiting for Chase’s call, with an eagerness that rivaled Patrick’s love of baseball. Talks she enjoyed far more than was prudent. Likely the day would come when Chase Furst realized she didn’t fit into his world and never would.
Sean arrived fifteen minutes before the game, and to everyone’s surprise, he had a woman with him. No doubt this was Katie, the electrician he’d met on the job.
Early on, Maisy tried to imagine what a female electrician would look like. Her assumption was that any woman who chose to work in a traditionally male field would have a body type capable of hauling heavy wiring.
So much for that stereotype.
Katie was tall, slender, and blond. Her hair was long and reached the middle of her back. She looked nothing like Maisy had expected. She was lovely; it was little wonder Sean had noticed her.
