Hector (Season One: The Ninth Inning #3)

by Lindsay Paige

  Like now, while I’m watching Felix prepare for his next pitch. My grin is so wide because Zoey has popped into my head. I shake my head to clear my thoughts just as Felix pitches. We’re in the final game of this round. We’ve won every other game, forcing a game seven, and I have to admit, even though we’re being clobbered right now, I’m proud of us. We may go down, but we’ll go down swinging.

  The batter connects with the ball, sending it soaring high over center field. Tanner can try all he wants, but the ball is out of the field and the guy jogs around the bases, sending in the runner already on second. Even from here, I can see Felix’s jaw clench. I’m sure Grumpy is looking the same way. These guys are killing us. A loss wouldn’t be so bad if it was close, and this game is not close.

  Today just sucks. From the warm, sticky air that won’t give us even the lightest touches of a breeze to the fact that after the game, I’m sure I’m going to have to deal with my mother since we’re supposed to go out to dinner with Zoey and her aunts. I focus on my current problem for the moment. Felix gets ready to pitch again. I pinch the front of my jersey and pull it to let my skin breathe for a moment.

  When the batter hits on his second pitch, it goes straight to Trent’s glove at second base. Everyone looks so relieved to finally have our third out. I’m so relieved to get some water. I should probably be more serious about this. There’s only an inning left to go. The ninth always feels like the hardest to me, especially in games like this when you’re behind and a bit ready for it to be over with already.

  Instead, we have to gather our strength and endurance and do our best one more time. Grumpy and Tanner get some runs while Roman, Jordan, and I get out before we get very far. Third base never seemed so far away when first and second are such a challenge. The saving grace is that the inning ends rather quickly.

  The moment we hit the locker room and that heaven-sent air-conditioned air hits my hot skin, I feel better. Until it hits me that our season is truly over. My shoulders slump automatically. It feels like we’d just started and were getting to know one another. I like and dislike the end of the season. Next season feels so far away and sometimes, it’s possible to have too much free time.

  “You better not come to my house as often now, Hector,” Blake says to me with a barely there smile.

  “Are you kidding me? I’ll be coming by more often.” I slap him on the shoulder, and he scowls.

  “The first time you come over unannounced, there’s a good chance you’ll have a black eye or a broken jaw when you leave.”

  I laugh. “Sof would never let you hurt me.”

  His eyes harden. “She doesn’t like you as much as you think she does.”

  My mouth opens to reply, but our head coach gathers our attention. He’s a man of few words, even when he’s pissed. He runs a hand through his thinning hair and takes a deep breath as if he’s about to give us a long speech. “We’ve had a season full of ups and downs, but we’ve all played hard together. I hope to see y’all next year.” He raises the ball cap he was holding in his hand before turning and walking out of the room.

  And that’s that.

  Knowing Zoey is waiting for me, well everyone is really, I hurry to shower and change. When I find her by my Jeep, she looks nervous. She smiles when she sees me though. I kiss her and rest my hands on her hips.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Are you okay?” she ignores my question. “With the season being over and all?”

  “The season ends every year at some point, Zoey.” I walk her to the passenger side and open the door for her before going around to get in myself. “What’s bothering you?” I ask again, starting the car, but making no move to leave.

  “Nothing really. I’m pretty sure your dad is making your mom come to dinner with us though.”

  There it is. Nothing makes Zoey so unlike herself than my mother. “She’ll be civil.” Hopefully, but probably not. She wasn’t when it was just Zoey, so I don’t know if she can manage it with Minnie and Lanny there, too.

  When we arrive at the restaurant where everyone is waiting for us, we see our families standing together, talking, and laughing. Everyone except for my mother, who is standing awkwardly off to the side. We get out of the Jeep, and when I take Zoey’s hand, I give her a quick kiss.

  “Just keep thinking about how much you love me and how amazing I am and everything will be fine.”

  She laughs, shaking her head at me. We close the distance between us and our families. Carissa squeals when she sees me, running over to hug me. Well, I thought she was excited about seeing me, but she runs to Zoey, not me.

  “You can’t hug your own brother first, Carissa?” I frown, pretending to be hurt.

  She rolls her eyes and gives me my hug. After Zoey and I have hugged everyone, save my mother, who managed a polite smile, we walk inside and are seated at a round table. Conversation is minimal until we’ve ordered.

  “Do you have any big plans until you have to start getting ready for the next season, Hector?” Minnie asks.

  “I’ll probably go home to visit, and hopefully,” I glance at Zoey since I’ve yet to mention this to her, “Zoey and I can take a vacation somewhere.”

  “That would be wonderful. She needs to get out more and I’m sure it’ll be good for her art,” Lanny says.

  “It would,” Minnie agrees.

  “When are you going to take me on vacation?” Carissa asks and I laugh.

  “Considering you’re why I skydived, never.”

  “So was Zoey,” she points out, but I just shrug.

  Minnie and Lanny begin telling us funny stories of their traveling mishaps. Not once during this conversation does my mother speak. It’s like she’s not even here. I sometimes glance her way to find her watching us all, her expression carefully blank and composed. Eventually, I stop paying attention to her altogether.

  I’ve never laughed as much as I have tonight. Between the girls and my dad, they keep the table laughing, exchanging stories of our lives. Carissa’s were mostly of embarrassing ones about me. I shake my head with an easygoing smile with every tale. My arm is resting on the back of Zoey’s chair and I draw circles on her shoulder, sort of bare thanks to her no-sleeved shirt.

  As the night winds down, the waitress drops off the bill, which I quickly take to pay. I can’t stop smiling as Minnie and Lanny tell my family how nice it was to have dinner with them, even though my mother is still being silent. It’s starting to get under my skin, but I ignore it the best I can.

  “How long are y’all in town for?” I ask my father, ignoring my mother.

  “A few more days,” he answers.

  I nod. “Okay, that works. I’ll see you soon then.” We all exchange hugs and when my mother stays where she is, glancing toward the parking lot, I don’t go over to hug her. She could give a little more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy she chose to be silent rather than stir the pot, but come on. What is she going to do? Come around but never speak to Zoey or me again? What would be the point of coming?

  We go our separate ways, Zoey with me back to my house. I’ve never truly been at odds with my mother, not like this, and I can’t help but be bothered by it somewhat. How long is it going to take her to get over this? It’s been too long already.

  “Are you okay, Hector?” Zoey asks for the second time today.

  “Yeah, I’m starting to feel the effects from the long day though.” I pull her against me and start walking backward toward my room. I give her a big grin. “Want to make me feel better?”

  “Why would I want to do that?” she teases.

  “Well,” I begin. “First round of the playoffs and I’m already out. Were you at the game today? It was brutal. And then my best friend, Blake, tells me to make myself scarce pretty much, so I basically have no friends now.” Zoey starts laughing and I pout. “And apparently, my girlfriend finds that hilarious. It’s been a rough day.”

  Zoey finally takes pity on me, nods, and kisses me as s
he wraps her arms around my neck. I can always count on her to turn my day around.

  “PLEASE DON’T MAKE me get on my hands and knees and beg.” Carissa gives me the same look she uses on Hector when she wants something.

  “I’m not big on shopping,” I protest.

  “I know you’re not, but you get to hang out with me while Dad and Hector are golfing.” She smiles brightly at me as if she’s wearing me down.

  “Um… what about your mom? Is she coming?” Last night at dinner, she didn’t say a single word. She sat there like a stone and stared at everyone.

  “No, she’s not coming. She’s sitting in the hotel room reading and not talking to anyone.”

  I’d hate Carissa to have to sit around all day and be bored. Plus, Maria isn’t coming; I won’t have to deal with her. “Alright, we can go, but you’re driving.”

  Carissa claps and jumps up and down. “Don’t worry, I have Hector’s credit card.” She winks. “Lunch is on him.”

  I shake my head and laugh at her as I grab my purse and head out the door. The moment I take my seat in the car, I regret it. Carissa isn’t the greatest driver. However, we make it to the mall in one piece and Carissa is off in her world. As I watch her go from rack to rack, I wonder if I have the same mesmerized look when I’m painting. Carissa caresses each piece of clothing she likes. She holds the cloth with a tender touch and love. It’s sweet to watch her.

  After about two hours, we continue through the mall when I stop dead in my tracks. We’re in front of a wedding store. There are stunning white, puffy dresses hanging in the window. My mouth drops a bit looking at the lace, chiffon, and sparkling bling.

  “Oh, I know that look.” Carissa smirks. “You want to be married,” she sings.

  “No…no…no,” I shake my head.

  “Lies. Lies. Lies,” Carissa calls me out. “Come on.” She tugs on my arm and drags me into the boutique.

  “Are you insane? We can’t come in here,” I hiss at her.

  “Sure, we can.” Carissa’s eyes go wide. “Let’s try some on.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a brilliant idea. You try on wedding dresses. Obviously. And I can check out the bridesmaids. Assuming, you want me to be a bridesmaid.”

  “I…what…no…stop talking,” I tell her. “I’m not engaged. I just thought it was a pretty dress.”

  “Zoey,” Carissa gives me a serious look. “Don’t lie.”

  I hang my head and sigh. “I may have thought about it a time or two.”

  Carissa squeals loudly and people turn to look at us. “Have you talked to Hector?”

  “God, no. He would run for the hills if I told him after five months of dating I’ve thought of marriage. We’ve just started saying the ‘L’ word a few weeks ago.”

  “Hello, have you met my brother? He’s the one who chased you for two months. Trust me, I’m sure he’s thought of it too. Now,” she pulls me further into the store. “Let’s have some fun.”

  “May I help you ladies?” A sales attendant comes over to us. She smiles at us, and before I can open my mouth, Carissa jumps in.

  “This is my future sister-in-law and we would love to see some of your most beautiful dresses.”

  “Carissa,” I hiss at her again.

  “This way.” The nice lady leads us toward the back of the store. “These are our designer gowns.”

  “Wow,” Carissa and I say at the same time gazing at the sea of white.

  Carissa is the first to jump in and start pulling dresses off the rack. “No. No. No. Yes.” She gleams as she shows me the dress she picks. “Try this on.”

  “No. It’s bad luck.”

  “It is not. Now, come on.” Again, she drags me by my arm and tosses me into a changing room. “Take off your clothes.”

  “I was just looking at the dresses, nothing more.”

  Carissa hangs the stark white dress onto the hook and puts her hands on her hips. “Either you take off your clothes or I call Hector and tell him where we are.”

  “Blackmail, really?” I roll my eyes at her outrageous behavior.

  Carissa holds her stern look and I give up. I start to remove my clothes as she unzips the dress. Together, we get me into the white lace. Once I’m zipped up, we head out to the large mirrors and I step onto the pedestal.

  “Oh my,” I start.

  “God,” Carissa finishes. “You’re beautiful.”

  My eyes well up with tears as I look at myself. The dress is whiter than white. It’s a sweetheart neckline and a lace bodice. It hugs my hips perfectly and the silk bottom flows from my body. My arms are open showing off all my ink and it looks amazing.

  Carissa hugs my shoulders. “Hector will love you in this.”

  I swipe the tears away. “You do know we’re not engaged.”

  “Not yet.”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. I step away from her and head back to the dressing room to change out of the gown. When I’m dressed again, I look at the white lace and sit down on chair in the changing room. I’m glad Carissa didn’t come back in here because I’m staring at the dress, which could, someday, be my wedding gown.

  If Hector walked in here this moment and dropped to his knees, I would run away to Vegas with him in a heartbeat. I can’t imagine my life without him. However, I know I can’t say anything to him. I don’t want him to run away and I know how guys think. Well, at least I think I do. I’ve never really been in love like this before or ever, for that matter. The guys from my past run away early, but here is Hector, still going strong. He has dealt with me not telling him my name and breaking his heart. Could we go through with the rest of our lives?

  “Zoey, are you ready?”

  “Yes. I’m coming.” I clear my head of all my random thoughts of marriage and wedding plans and follow Carissa out of the store and back into the hustle of the mall.

  “I’m hungry. Want to grab some food?”

  “Yes,” I answer her quickly. Drowning in carbs and grease sounds perfect right now.

  Carissa drives to a restaurant not far from the mall. We order a glass of wine when we sit, and I begin to nibble on the bread. She begins to tell me how excited she is about her last year of college and how she wants to do some traveling next summer.

  “Oh, no,” she gasps.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Okay, um, don’t be mad. However, Mom texted me earlier and I told her where we were going for lunch.”

  “Alright.” I’m not sure where this is going until Maria takes a seat next to me.

  “Hello, girls. How did the shopping go?”

  This isn’t how I planned for my day to go.

  “It went well, Mom. What are you doing?” Carissa smiles.

  Maria looks over at me and my heart drops for a second. I don’t want to fight with Hector’s mother again. I already spoke my mind to her once. “I thought I would come and enjoy a meal with you and,” she pauses and stares at me. What is she going to call me? “Zoey.” She says my name without a lot of grit in her voice.

  “Great,” Carissa says. “We were about to order.” She hands her the menu and waves down the waiter for another wine glass.

  After a few moments of silence, it begins. “Zoey, how did your last show go?”

  My eyes go wide and I almost choke on the wine. Is she asking me a serious question? “Um, it went well. Thank you for asking.”

  “I think I heard Hector tell my husband you’re being featured at another gallery. Is it true?”

  “Yes.” I nod. “Next month, the Downtown Gallery is hosting a show.”

  “I hope it goes well for you. It won’t interfere with your travel plans with Hector, will it?” She sips her wine and I’m not sure if she’s leading me into a trap or not.

  “No, he and I haven’t laid out any plans yet.” I’m waiting for the bomb to drop, but instead, we order our meals and sip quietly on our wine.

  “Your aunts seemed lovely last night. Are they always so…kind?” />
  I’m not sure what she means by kind, but I continue being civil. “They are the same all the time. They are the sweetest people I know.”

  “They told quite a few tales of your adventures. Were they true?”

  “Yes,” I say a little harshly.

  Maria drops her gaze from me for a moment and I look at Carissa who looks as confused as I am about this conversation. “I’m not one to admit I’m wrong when normally I’m not.” Here it comes. She’s about to go into her old harsh, bigoted ways. “However, I love my children more than my own soul.” She pats Carissa’s hand. “Hector is a lot like me in our stubborn ways, but like his father in more ways.”

  I continue to stare at her.

  “I met my husband and instantly fell in love with him. We built a life together and all I wanted out of it was to give my children all the opportunities we never had. My husband taught our children to love everyone without thinking. I look at the world differently.”

  “Why?” I ask her.

  “Because I think some people are bad. I’ve seen Hector hurt before, and it’s something I don’t enjoy by any means. I figured,” she pauses and rubs her hands together. “I figured if I found him a female who I’d vetted, he would be safe and happy. However, I was incorrect.”

  I look at Carissa and both our mouths drop.

  “I’m sorry for showing up with his ex-girlfriend. It was extremely rude. Manuel and I had a long, very long, talk about my behavior. He forced me to come back this time and go to dinner.”

  Here comes the real Maria.

  “However, I found out he was right, as is Hector. My son’s eyes shine with love for you and your aunts. I’ve never seen him so happy before. He is radiant when you talk. I feel the same way about my husband. I was wrong, Zoey, and I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance.”

  I’m having an out of body experience, or maybe I’m dreaming. Is she really saying she’s sorry to me? Am I hearing her correctly? I can’t be.