“Well…” Ashleigh said with a grin that said she had something up her sleeve.
“What?”
“You used to love playing softball back in the day, right?”
Melanie had been on the girls’ softball team back in high school and had played community ball after that, but since having Avery she hadn’t played. She missed it. “Yeah? So?”
“I’m on a co-ed softball team and next week we’re starting a new season. Today is our first practice. How’d you like to play?”
“I’d love it,” Melanie said without hesitation. “But what about Avery?”
“Travis plays and Gabby will be there to watch him. I’m sure she’d keep an eye on her.”
Melanie walked over to the counter and leaned against it. “Doesn’t Gabby want to play?”
“No. I tried to get her to join but she prefers to watch.”
Playing softball again sounded like fun. “Okay.”
“There’s just one thing you should know.”
“What?”
Ashleigh’s lips stretched into a smile that seemed to say Don’t hate me for this part, but… “Gage is the coach.”
“Oh.” The sound was like a dull thud. Melanie really wanted to play, but would it be awkward to be coached by Gage? Especially after she’d turned down his date?
“Come on, Mel. Don’t let that stop you. Besides we need you. As I recall, you were pretty good.”
Melanie widened her eyes. “Uh, I still am, I’ll have you know.” She smiled. “At least I was when I last played four years ago.”
“So you’ll do it? You’ll be on our team?”
Melanie really, really wanted to do this. Why should she pass it up just because Gage was the coach? She shouldn’t. “Okay. Yes. I’ll do it.” Excitement at playing again surged through her.
“Yay,” Ashleigh said. “Today’s our first practice. At ten o’clock.”
Melanie’s eyes widened. “That’s in two hours.”
“Yep.” Ashleigh took the finished batch of pancakes off of the griddle and set them on a plate. “Which is why we need a good breakfast.” She handed the plate to Melanie.
Melanie carried the plate to the table. She put two pancakes on Avery’s plate, poured syrup over them, then cut them up.
When Ashleigh joined them at the table, Melanie stared at her a moment.
“What?” Ashleigh asked.
“How long have you been planning on asking me to join the team?”
Grinning a little too widely, Ashleigh spread her napkin on her lap and took a pancake before answering. “Uh, I was all ready to ask you the other night. But then Gage asked you out and you told him no.”
“Wait. Does Gage know you were going to invite me to join?”
“No. I swear he has no idea.”
Hmm. That would be interesting. She would show up to the practice all ready to play—in his Camaro, no less—and Gage would have no idea she would be coming. “Are you sure I can even get on the team? Maybe there aren’t any open spots.”
“He told me we needed more female players, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Ashleigh’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Besides, I find it highly unlikely that he’d turn you away.”
“Very funny. Besides, he probably dates lots of women. I doubt I’m anything special.”
Ashleigh was quiet as she buttered her pancakes, which only confirmed Melanie’s assumption about Gage. The man was hot, and he owned his own business. And he drove a cool car. Of course he had his pick of women. And the last thing Melanie wanted was to date a man who would get her to fall for him right before he dumped her.
She was glad she’d turned him down. And when she saw him at softball practice, she would force herself to not notice how hot he was.
Gage parked his Sprinkles of Joy work van near the field where his team would be practicing, then climbed out and slid open the side door. After grabbing the bag filled with bats, balls, and other equipment, he headed to the field where a few members of his team were already warming up. The early April day was warm and sunny, and as Gage made his way to the players, he breathed in the smell of freshly-mown grass.
“Hey, Gage,” Travis called out, pausing with a softball in his hand. Another man—Cody—stood about thirty feet away, his glove at the ready.
“Hey,” Gage said.
Travis threw the ball to Cody, then turned back to Gage. He gestured with his head toward Gage’s van. “Nice ride.”
Gage didn’t want to explain what had happened, and his mouth pulled up into a half-smile. “Thanks.”
“Camaro in the shop already? Isn’t it, like, less than a year old?”
The thought of something happening to his baby made Gage scowl. “No.”
Travis laughed. “I’m kidding. I know all about you loaning it to Melanie.”
How did he know about that? “You do?”
Travis caught the ball as Cody threw it back to him. “Yeah. She and Ashleigh brought it over to show me and Gabby the other night.”
She did? Where else had she taken it? And how many other people had she shown it to? Slightly bugged—especially since she’d turned him down when he’d asked her out—Gage scowled harder. “Whatever.”
Travis laughed and focused on warming up with Cody.
Moments later a familiar sound rang in Gage’s ears and his gaze slid to the parking lot where he saw a car that looked suspiciously like his Camaro. He knew Ashleigh would be coming to practice. Was Melanie dropping her off?
The idea of seeing Melanie again—even if it was just for a moment—made his heart pound in a way that took him by surprise. Trying to be subtle as he watched the parking lot, when Melanie emerged from the driver’s side and Gage saw what she was wearing, his heart pounded harder. Form-fitting baseball pants and a t-shirt that hugged her curves. Gage couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Wait. Was she going to play? On his team? His day had just gotten a lot brighter.
He saw her reaching into the back seat and moments later she set a little girl on the ground.
That must be Avery, her three-year-old daughter. From where he stood, he could see she was adorable. But how was Melanie going to play if she had her kid with her? Maybe she was just there to support Ashleigh. But why wear baseball pants?
Confused, but intensely curious, Gage forced himself to turn back to the players warming up. That’s when he saw pretty much every man there looking at Melanie. Well, she did look pretty freaking hot, and she had just climbed out of his amazing car. Of course she had caught their eye. Still, he didn’t like them looking at her.
“Back to work, guys,” he shouted, his voice a little more harsh than he’d meant it to be. The women who’d been warming up rolled their eyes or shook their heads, but the men turned their attention back to what they’d been doing before the most beautiful woman in the world had rolled up.
“There’s Chloe warming up on the field,” Ashleigh said. “And there’s Gabby standing by the bleachers.”
Melanie shaded her eyes with her hand to look toward the bleachers. Then, without meaning to, her gaze shifted to Gage, whose back was to her. Had he noticed that she’d arrived? Why did she care?
“Bella!” Avery said as she jumped up and down, her gaze on the yellow lab yanking on the leash Gabby held.
Glad that Avery would have something to keep her busy, she hoped taking care of her three-year-old and Bella wouldn’t be too much for Gabby. She’d already spoken to her on the phone about watching Avery and Gabby had said she would be happy to.
Gabby waved and Melanie and Ashleigh waved back before heading in her direction. To Melanie’s relief, Avery went right to the dog. Maybe this would work out okay.
“Hi there, Avery,” Gabby said as she squatted in front of the little girl.
Avery smiled at Gabby before turning her attention back to Bella.
“Are you sure you’re okay with watching her?” Melanie asked.
Gabby stood. “Oh yeah. I love kids.”
“Gabby’s a teacher,” Ashleigh said.
Melanie knew that, but was glad for the reminder. “You don’t like softball?” Melanie loved it, so she couldn’t understand why someone would pass up the chance to play.
One of Gabby’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It’s okay.” Then she grinned. “I’m more of a tree-climbing girl than a softball-playing one.”
“Really?” Melanie asked. “Like, you literally climb trees?”
A soft blush rose on Gabby’s face. “Not too often anymore.”
“Only for Travis, right?” Ashleigh said.
Gabby laughed, and her face grew a deeper shade of red.
Confused, Melanie looked between the two women.
“That’s how she and Travis ended up on their first date,” Ashleigh explained. “He dared her to climb a tree for him to take her out.”
“And you did it?” Melanie asked, kind of astonished.
Smiling, Gabby said, “Well, it had been my idea to start with.”
“You ladies going to play or what?” Gage called out.
Melanie looked in Gage’s direction, and when his gaze locked on hers, her heart did a little flip. Don’t even think about it. Men are bad news. At least for you. Not everyone can find their Prince Charming like Gabby did.
“Just a sec,” Ashleigh said to him.
His gaze shifted to Ashleigh. He nodded, then turned away from them.
“Hmm,” Gabby said, a note of interest in her tone.
Melanie tore her gaze from the field and looked at Gabby. “What?”
With a glance at Ashleigh, Gabby said, “Is it my imagination, or does Gage seem interested in your sister, Ash?”
“Oh, he’s interested,” Ashleigh said as her mouth tugged up into a smile.
Suppressing a sigh of irritation—Melanie wasn’t used to other people being so curious about her love life—she shook her head.
“Is it okay if I take Avery to the playground later?” Gabby whispered with a glance at Avery before pointing to a nearby playground.
Glad for the change of topic, Melanie nodded. “Yeah. She’d love that.”
“Great.”
Melanie knelt in front of Avery. “Mommy’s going to play softball, baby girl. You stay with Bella and Gabby, okay?”
“Okay,” Avery threw her arms around Melanie’s neck and kissed her on the cheek.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Melanie murmured next to her ear.
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Melanie stood, then walked with Ashleigh onto the field, her gaze purposely focused away from Gage.
Chapter 7
Gage hadn’t missed the sweet interaction between Melanie and her daughter. Though he hadn’t been around kids all that much, and wasn’t particularly interested in them, seeing the way she was with her daughter drew him to her even more.
And why did she have to look so good in her baseball pants? Tearing his gaze away from her, Gage ran the team through a number of drills, and once he felt they were sufficiently ready, he divided them into two groups to play a practice game.
“Cody will pitch,” he said. “And I’ll be catcher.”
Cody, tall with an athletic build, strode to the pitcher’s mound with a smile.
The first one at bat was Travis. Though Gage kept track of all the players, he couldn’t help but know exactly where Melanie was at all times—waiting to be on deck and looking gorgeous. As Gage waited for Cody to pitch, his eyes kept straying in Melanie’s direction. Trying to convince himself that he was watching her batting stance, he knew that was a lie. He was just watching her.
The loud thwack of Travis hitting the ball startled Gage and he knew he’d better pay attention before he got hit.
Travis hit a foul, then he got a strike before hitting a single and making it to first base. Chloe hit a line drive but was tagged out at first.
Then Melanie was up.
Though he tried not to stare, Gage watched her approach the batter’s box. He already thought she was beautiful. If she was also good at softball—and he knew she’d played in high school—that would be beyond sexy.
She stood right in front of him, the bat held over her right shoulder, her smooth hands gripping the bat. A soft floral scent seemed to float off of her and directly into Gage’s nose. Trying not to become intoxicated by her presence, Gage focused on Cody, who was getting ready to pitch.
“I haven’t done this in a while, guys,” Melanie called out.
“Come on, Melanie,” the first baseman—Kirk—called out. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what you’re doing.”
She laughed, and Gage found himself becoming irritated with Kirk. “You’ll do great,” Gage said loud enough for just Melanie to hear. He wasn’t sure why he’d felt the need to add that.
“Thanks,” Melanie said as she kept her eyes on Cody.
Melanie had only been trying to manage expectations, not looking for compliments. Still, it had been nice to hear her teammates say something positive. And, she admitted to herself, she especially liked Gage’s encouraging words.
Acutely aware that he was squatting right behind her sent a tingle through her body.
No, Mel. You’re not going to think about him like that. So stop it right now.
The smooth wood of the bat felt good in her hands and she balanced it, ready to swing. Cody brought his arm around and released the ball. Keeping her eyes on it, Melanie swung…and just touched the edge of the ball, hitting a foul.
“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Kirk called out with a grin.
Ignoring him, Melanie visualized herself swinging and connecting with the ball. Cody released the pitch, but this time when Melanie swung, she knew her timing was right. Thwack. A solid connection between bat and ball sent the ball flying into the outfield. Elated, Melanie ran to first base, stopping when she didn’t have time to make it to second.
“Nice,” Kirk said beside her.
“That was beautiful, Melanie,” Gage called out.
Grinning like a maniac, she met Gage’s gaze and couldn’t stop herself from noticing how hot he looked. “Thanks.”
Gage was impressed. He’d never actually seen her play, but he found her skill at bat to be very sexy. Just as he’d thought he would. And that smile. He’d never been as attracted to any woman as much as he was attracted to her now.
The practice game continued, and when it was time for Melanie’s team to be in the outfield, he put her in centerfield. And she did awesome, which only made his attraction to her grow.
When the practice finished, Gage gathered the team.
“Our games are on Thursdays,” he said, “which means our first game is five days away. We’ll hold practice on Monday and Wednesday evenings at seven and Saturday mornings at ten. Does that work for everyone?”
Most of the players nodded, and when Melanie nodded, Gage was relieved. That meant he’d see her at least three times next week.
And he had every intention of asking her out again.
Melanie watched Gage as he talked to the team. She was thrilled with her own performance—I’ve still got it, she thought. And though she’d told Gage no when he’d asked her out—and had no intention of changing that answer—she wouldn’t mind seeing him at their practices and games.
Looking towards the playground where Gabby was playing with Avery and Bella, Melanie smiled. It had been nice of Gabby to watch Avery, but she didn’t expect her to do it during all of the practices and games. She would have to figure something else out. Quitting the team wasn’t an option, but she would need to come up with some kind of arrangement.
“I brought donuts,” Gage said after he’d finished going over everything else.
Kirk laughed. “Of course you did.”
Smiling, Gage said, “I won’t bring food every time, but I thought it would be fun after our first practice.”
“Don’t discourage him,” Cody said to Kirk with a grin.
Melanie enjoyed the camaraderie
of the team and was glad Ashleigh had invited her to join. Ashleigh and Chloe stood beside her, and as Gage passed around the donuts, they each took one, and when he reached Melanie, he said, “Not bad out there. I’m glad you’re on the team.”
Flattered, she smiled and took an old-fashioned glazed donut out of the box. “Thanks. It felt good to play again.”
“How long has it been?”
“Since before I had Avery, so about four years.”
“You didn’t seem at all rusty,” he said as someone took the box of donuts from him to continue passing them out. He didn’t move from in front of her.
Not sure how she felt about that, she told herself to chill out. He was her coach and he was talking about the sport they were playing. That’s all this was. “Thanks. These practices will definitely help, though.” She paused a beat. “What made you want to coach?”
He smiled. “I just like to be bossy.”
Melanie laughed. He hadn’t seemed bossy to her. Instead, he’d done a great job of helping each player know what they needed to work on.
Avery ran up to Melanie, and Melanie scooped her up. “Hi, baby girl. Did you have fun with Gabby and Bella?”
Avery’s face was flushed and her smile was wide. “Yes. We went on the swing and the slide.” Her forehead furrowed. “Bella didn’t. Just me. Bella’s too big.”
Melanie laughed and her gaze slid to Gage. He was looking at her with an expression that took her by surprise. An expression she could only classify as adoration.
What was up with that? They barely knew each other.
Jerking her eyes back to Avery, she asked her, “Are you ready to go home?”
“No.” Avery’s face scrunched up like she knew her wish would not be granted. “I want to play on the swings.”
Embarrassed for Gage to see her daughter have a meltdown, Melanie pushed a smile onto her mouth. “We can play on the swings for ten minutes. But that’s all.”
“Okay, Mommy!” Avery wriggled to get down, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she bolted toward the playground.
“Wait for me!” Melanie called after her, but Avery ignored her. She smiled at Gage. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday.” Then a small smirk twisted her lips. “Unless my car’s done before then.”
Chance Encounter: Gage and Melanie (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Three) (Companion to the Over You series) Page 4