“The same. Good, bad, strange, and wonderful.”
That earns me a tiny smile. “Oh Isabelle. Did you tell him you still love him?”
I look at her, horrified. “What? No! I don’t. I mean, no. I couldn’t say that even if I did. I’m not staying here. And I don’t still love him, that’s ridiculous.” A pit opens in my stomach as Maria cocks her head to the side, looking at me through the phone.
“I don’t,” I say in a feeble voice.
“Se lo dici tu.”
“I do say so.” I stand up, hoping my glare makes it through the phone to her. When she raises her hand, I have to accept that she knows to let it go.
“Are you going to see him again?”
“I mean, probably? We’ll go to another baseball game, I’m sure.” I start to slowly meander down the trail again.
“I mean away from the game.”
I swallow. And nod. “We’re…going to try and be friends.”
“Oh Isabelle,” Maria says softly. “Are you sure?”
My lip is tugged between my teeth as I consider how to answer. We’ve always been honest with each other. And I won’t start lying to her now. “No, I’m not. But I don’t think I can be in the same city as him and not see him again. Friends is the only answer that makes sense. At least he knows I’m leaving again so no one can get hurt.”
“He is still in your heart, cousin, no matter what you say. And when it comes to matters of the heart, someone can always be hurt. I only hope it is not you.”
My eyes feel damp as I give her a small smile. “Me too.”
Chapter nine
Kai
“Great game, Yami. Whatever you’re doing differently, it’s working, so make damn sure you take care of that arm tonight. We need the same from you next time.” Coach Stirling gives me a nod of his head, which is about the most enthusiastic praise we get from the guy.
“Thanks, Coach.” My mouth is dry and I have to swallow nervously. It’s fucking awkward talking to him, knowing I’ll be texting Isabelle as soon as I get back to my room.
She’s an adult, and he’s not her real dad. But his words from spring training have stuck with me. At least, the part I remember listening to. It makes sense he’d warn us off her, most of the team is young and single, and Iz is, without a doubt, a fucking knockout.
Some part of me can appreciate that he’s protective of her. She deserves that. But I could do without the uncomfortable feelingof keeping secrets from him. Even if we aren’t doing anything wrong.
Friends. She wants to be friends again.
I thought about it a lot after she left my place last week. Hell, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. After she left, I wondered if I’d been too hard on her, telling her exactly what her leaving did to me. But in the end, I’m glad we cleared the air. At least, part of the way. Having Isabelle as a friend is better than not having her at all, and if we’re gonna do the friends thing, we have to be honest with each other.
We’ve been texting every day. Light shit only, nothing serious. But it feels fucking good to have her back in my life, there’s no avoiding that truth.
There’s also no avoiding the fact that I’ve pitched two damn near perfect games, ever since she wrote her initials on the inside of my cap. Not that I can tell Coach she’s the reason I’m on fire.
My stomach lets out an angry growl as I hit the showers. New York’s got a decent facility, I must say, but their locker room is lacking. I’m no princess, but I do like the soft towels and luxury body wash we have back in Vancouver. I make a mental note to pack some the next time we go away. After all, Iz likes the way I smell… not that I should be thinking about that, but, ah hell. I am.
I shower off quickly, my stomach now making it very clear it wants food. Most athletes at my level have big appetites and fast metabolisms. But mine is next-level. Always has been. Mom and Dad used to keep a bag of snacks in the car for me because, on almost every trip, I’d get hungry.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I hurry back to my cubby.
“You comin’ out with us tonight?” Darling asks from the next cubby over.
“Nah. I’m tired. Gonna grab some food and hit the sack.”
He grabs my shoulder and forces me to spin around, a cocky grin on his face. “Hold on. Are you feeling okay, brother? Since when do you turn down a night out?”
