“You goin’ to stop this?”
When Jake didn’t resist after a couple of minutes, Tommy released him, shoving him down on his ass at the same time. Jake dabbed at the blood running down his bruised chin.
Chest heaving, Bradley asked, “What’s your deal, dude?”
When Jake didn’t answer, Tommy took a swipe at his side with a pointed cowboy boot.
“Nothing,” Jake grumbled.
“It’s sure as hell something with you two. I pull up and all I see is arms, legs, dust, and blood flyin’ everywhere.”
“I said it was nothing. Now drop it.”
Tommy must have noticed a certain look in Jake’s eyes, because he didn’t push Jake any further. “Fine. You two shitheads want to ruin those pretty faces, then be my guest. I just stopped by to tell you Knight needed to change the game time to six-thirty instead of six. Something to do with one of them having to take his pregnant wife to the doctor. You comin’?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Jake wanted to be pissed about the change in time, but that would only prove how big of an ass he was. And some of the guys on the team were already complaining about his competitiveness. This time he decided to keep his mouth shut.
“Okay,” Tommy said.
Jake just stared at his feet until he heard the engine fire up and back down the drive. He didn’t want to look at the damage he’d done to Bradley’s face…hell, he didn’t want to look at the damage the kid had done to his. But he had to admit, he’d taught his brother well. The guy gave out a good punch. Any older brother would be proud.
“Sorry.”
“What?” Bradley wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“I said I’m sorry. It’s been a lousy couple of days, and I didn’t feel like hearing your smart-ass mouth.”
“So you just decided to sucker punch me?”
“Yep.”
“Well okay, but you owe me…or is it me who owes you?”
Just like that, it was over. Bradley let it go as Jake just having a few bad days. God, the guy could piss anybody off. Where did he get off being so damn happy? Bradley rose to his feet, dusted off his shirt and pants, and held out a hand. Jake only stared at him for a second before he took it, pulling himself up to his feet. He grabbed the shirt he had pulled off earlier and tossed it to his brother to clean up the bloody nose he’d caused. Both brothers wiped blood for a few minutes before either one spoke.
“So, you need help with this porch?”
“Naw, I got it. You’ve got enough to handle.”
“You’re worse than a woman. Quit being stubborn and let me help with the porch. It will save on time.”
Both brothers worked in unison for the rest of the day. After several repetitions of an Aerosmith CD and a six-pack of beer, the small porch was finished.
* * * *
According to Em, Thursday nights in Patience were meant for softball. Anna had vaguely remembered some softball games going on between the adults when she lived here, but since she didn’t have an adult sober enough or physically able to play in her household, she’d never been to one. At first she’d resisted coming, but what else was she going to do? She’d spent the last two days cleaning Garrett’s apartment, walking at the track, and one day she’d had dinner with Em and Tommy. Anna’s body was too sore to walk another lap at what was now considered the never-ending walking track, and plus, Em would be at the game.
The breeze blew in from the west, it probably was going to allow lots of balls to sail out of the park. The outfielders would sure be busy tonight trying to keep them in. She had worn flip-flops, jean capris and a Yankees T-shirt with her man’s number on it. Derek Jeter was a legend. When he did decide to play his last game, he for sure would be going to the hall of fame. And besides his skills at short-stop…he was gorgeous. She was proud to wear number two on her back. It was most likely going to raise a few eyebrows since the entire town started and ended with Jake Lawrence…number twenty-five…playing third base. But she couldn’t blame the town, or Jake for that matter; he gave the townsfolk something to believe in, gave them someone to cheer for and say, “Hey, that kid is from right here in Patience, Tennessee.” Even she was proud of what he’d accomplished.
Both sides of the road and the parking lot were full of cars. Luckily, she found a spot just as someone was leaving. It looked like a little league team had just finished a game. She closed the roof of the car, shut off the engine, and placed her keys in the console.
Making her way to the bleachers for the home team, she noticed that kids were running past her. “Come on, guys. Let’s go see Jake before it starts.” The group of young boys seemed truly excited. It was good for them to have someone to look up to. It was important for all kids to have role models. And it was good Jake had cleaned up his act. Those kids deserved to have him to look up to.
“Anna, over here,” Em hollered, waving a hand and motioning for her. “About time you got here. It would have started already but one of the guys from the opposing team wasn’t here yet and the umpire wasn’t finished chalking the field.”
“Sorry. It took a little while to find a parking spot.”
“Liar. You probably just rolled out of bed. You need to go see a sleep doctor. I’ve haven’t seen anyone else past the age of eighteen who doesn’t get up till noon every day,” Em insisted.
If only her friend really knew that she actually got less than five hours of sleep a night. A sleep doctor wasn’t going to help what was wrong with her—she needed a vacation from her mind. Her problem was that it never shut off—never giving her a long enough break so she could fall asleep and stay that way. She hated taking medicine for her disorder, if that’s what it was, but it was the only way for her to remain sane and not be a crazed wacko.
“It’s after six,” Anna said after taking a look at her watch.
“Well, just saying, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Anna stared through the lenses of her sunglasses out onto the field to see the same group of kids who’d just about run her over surrounding Jake. He was demonstrating a good batting stance and swing while squishing the bug—as those in the baseball world liked to call it. Though she didn’t want to, she couldn’t help but smile. Her heart seemed to grow a couple sizes larger than her chest allowed. She was starting to respect him for how he’d lost everything he loved and yet still turned his life around. Those kids down there worshiped him because deep down, he was a good person. Maybe she was being a tad too hard on him. He was a human who had made mistakes, and all he could do was try to make them better.
Sunday night at the walking track was the last time she’d seen him. And it had surprised her how he’d stayed away. She thought he might try to use some excuse to come by and see her, but he hadn’t. She didn’t know if she was disappointed or elated for him to have finally gotten the hint she didn’t want him around.
“So, who’s playing?” Anna asked.
“We’re playing Knight County,” Em replied, taking a draw of her soft drink.
Anna looked around at all the men dressed in fitted gray uniform pants, white and red shirts, and solid red caps with the initials P.C. on them. They all looked the same. The only way she could tell who each guy was by the names on their backs.
Wait.
“Is that Jesse out there?”
“Yeah. She plays second base.”
“She plays with all these men?” Anna was shocked, but shouldn’t have been. If any girl was going to beat up on some men, it would be Jesse in all her glory.
“Tommy hates it, but that’s only because she’s better than him. She’s one of the best players on the team. Well—besides Jake.”
Well, good for her. She liked that chick more every day.
There were more people she recognized. Besides Jesse, she also knew Bradley, Tommy, and Tex—a guy she’d gone to school with. She remembered seeing him at Em and Tommy’s party, but she had been a little too preoccupied with Jake and Ms. Edna’s sex talk to make it a point of talking to hi
m.
She was watching Jake chase the kids off the field so the game could get started when Em asked, “You trying to be a rebel?”
Anna frowned. “What?”
Em pointed to her Jeter shirt and smiled. She guessed she was being some type of rebel. But it honestly didn’t matter to her. Originally, the shirt was meant to only be worn to bed during her time in Patience, but when Em had invited her to the softball game, it seemed like the perfect time to shake the wrinkles out and wear it outside of the house.
She shrugged. “What—my shirt? It was the only baseball attire I had, and I’m at a ballgame. What else was I supposed to wear?”
“By looks of the old men from the top of the bleachers, you were supposed to wear anything but that.” Em pretended to be disgusted.
She hadn’t meant to, but she took a glance back to find four older men, giving her the eye as if to say child, who do you think you are, wearing that piece of trash? Oh, well, if they didn’t like it, they could stop staring a hole in her back.
It was already the fifth inning. She cheered when it was appropriate and booed the opposing pitcher when he tried to pick off one of Patience’s guys on first. Like she’d predicted to herself, the outfielders had to stay alert for the many balls carrying as far as the fence. Tex was playing centerfield, along with a left and right fielder she didn’t know.
While she was seated on the first base side of the field, she unfortunately couldn’t hear, but could see, Jake yelling from his third base position at Bradley—who was playing short-stop—about something he was doing wrong. Once or twice she’d seen the brother’s eyes venture to the crowd and wondered if that was what angered Jake.
A ground ball was hit up the third base line, Jake fielded it, threw it to Tommy at first to beat out the speedy runner trying to get a base hit. He didn’t take a moment to enjoy the play he had just made or to take a breather; he was ready for the next batter. His legs were apart, knees bent, and he was extremely focused on the man situating himself in the batter’s box. He was fluid and smooth with his movements, especially considering he’d suffered a pretty bad knee injury less than two years ago. Anna couldn’t help but notice how he seemed to have lost his childlike enjoyment while he was on the field. When he had first started playing in the big leagues, he was like a kid out there. Of course she knew he played hard and wanted to win, but she also was aware that he knew what he was being paid to do—live out a bigger-than-life dream. She just couldn’t help but be sad at seeing this man’s face.
God—she couldn’t shake the memory of him from that first day when she’d walked up her driveway and he surprised her on her front porch. Despite his hard and way too serious expression, he was sexy as hell. The way he looked in those pants and ball cap were causing wetness that had nothing to do with the damp, humid air. This was bad…really, really bad.
After the last out was made, the home team crowd cheered for their boys and girl. High fives were given around the pitcher’s mound. The crowd started to go their separate ways. It was still a work night so most had to get up in the morning for their last day of the workweek. The small-town life seemed simple to her, but it was something she’d never minded in the past. She was a small-town girl. It was one of the reasons she’d never tested the big city. New York was a place she wanted to visit, but never would she actually move there.
“Anna, you ready?”
Anna looked up at the voice to see Em standing above her. She was the only one still seated on the bleachers staring at the field and the one player who stood on it.
“You go ahead. I think I’m going to stick around for a while.”
“You taking what I said the other day to heart?”
Anna knew Em was referring to her idea of Anna having sex with Jake. “No. God, no. I just woke up, remember,” she playfully said. “I just want to enjoy the night air.”
“If you say so. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Why in the hell am I waiting on Jake? It had been a long four days since she’d seen him and had time to cool off. Of course she was furious at his comment. And she had every right to be. He’d left her the night he slept with that whore. She might have broken up with him first, but she had good, logical reasons for that. What reasons did he have for jumping in bed with Cara?
Anna didn’t know if Jake knew she was there, but that was fine with her. She was more than satisfied to just watch him pack his bag with several balls, a couple of bats, and his mitt. He handled each piece with such gentle care, like he was touching it for the last time. It was too sad to watch anymore.
“Hey, slugger, whatcha doing down there?” Anna hollered.
When he finally looked up from his task, she could see pain in his eyes. “Just packing. I’ll be up in a sec.” He finished with his bag, left it sitting outside of the dugout, and walked through the gate and casually up the bleachers.
“Great game,” she congratulated, giving him a guarded smile. It was new to her, being the one making the first move. Usually it was he who tried to sweet talk her into his life nowadays. She couldn’t help but notice his swollen lip. It looked like it had been busted recently.
“It was a win. A little close because of my dick of a brother. I swear that guy has babe radar. If a single woman is within ten feet, he’s going to know about it. He needs to leave the women alone when we’re on the field and concentrate. Oh—and nice shirt, by the way.” Of course he would have something to say about her Yankees T-shirt.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already had your cheering section all but threaten to have me removed from the ballpark.”
He threw his head back and laughed while sprawling out beside her on the bleachers, long legs crossed at the ankles, resting his cleats on the bottom next row. His pants stretched over his strong thighs. His damp shirt clung to his chest. Ringlets of hair curling out from under his cap were dripping with sweat. He was a hot mess…but he was HOT, even with the puffed-up lip. That must have been a result of the fight he’d had with Bradley yesterday. Em had mentioned that Tommy drove up on them rolling around, throwing punches in her front yard. Men.
“He only made an error or two.”
“Errors equal runs being scored,” Jake said very matter-of-factly. She had a feeling he was a real butthead on the field. It probably had nothing to do with Bradley and had everything to do with Jake.
“No harm done. You won the game. Isn’t that all that matters?”
“Yeah. But he’d better straighten up, or I’ll bench his ass.”
“Can you do that? I mean, are you the coach too?”
A mischievous twinkle lit his blue eyes. “No, but I’m his big brother.”
Humor fading, he hesitated before saying what was on his mind, “I’m sorry about the other night at the walking track. I was the one being an ass, and I had no right to say those things to you.”
He didn’t apologize for the kiss, and that was a relief. It was never a good thing when a guy said he was sorry for kissing you. In her opinion that meant he regretted it, and she didn’t want that. She was mad after it happened and was totally out of her mind with confusion for much of the week, but she didn’t regret it.
“It’s fine, really, Jake. Don’t worry about it. I’m not mad anymore.”
“No, let me do this. I was a jerk to you and I want to tell you I’m sorry.”
Why did she have a feeling he was saying sorry for a lot more than just telling her she left him over a decade ago? No, they were not talking about this tonight. She wouldn’t have it. She wasn’t ready to tackle the Cara and Jake situation—she didn’t know if she ever would be, or ever want to. He was right, he had been a jerk and she ran away. Nothing left to discuss.
She shook her head. “Stop. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s over, so let’s please drop it. Okay?”
Agreeing and looking a little relieved, he said, “Okay”.
“I’ve been thinking about your clever idea of giving me my house
back. I’ve decided to take you up on the three dates.”
He stared at her in surprise. “Wait, what? You want to date me?”
“Only for my house, nothing more, Romeo.”
“Romeo, huh? Did you already grow tired of slugger?”
Busted. She hadn’t even caught herself on the nicknames she was throwing out left and right. “You caught that?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I just didn’t want you to feel left out. You seemed pretty hurt when I used my dance partner’s short name. Just don’t want to bruise your ego, is all.”
“Is that so? So what about you wanting to go on a date.”
She held up a finger. “Correction, you wanted to go out with me. Let’s not forget that.”
Playfully, he looked as if he was wondering if he was still up to it. How had she made this decision without knowing she’d made it? She was just digging herself into a bigger hole when it came to Jake. There was no way she could survive being around him for three dates. He looked yummy drenched in sweat after playing six innings of ball, how was she supposed to handle this clean-shaven, hard-bodied man? While his look was playful, it was also dangerous.
“What about dinner at my...” he corrected himself, “your future place tomorrow night?”
“That will do, but there will be—no sex.”
Chapter Eight
Em was tapping her foot and staring at her watch at the same time. She clearly was upset about something, and Anna doubted it was because she’d lain down for what ended up being longer than a twenty-minute power nap. “Hi, Em.”
Anna had always found it unfair how beautiful and made up Em was. No matter what time of day, the woman looked immaculate. Tonight was no different, except for her looking tense and having that scary look in her eye that only came out when trouble was looming. She’d brought many men to their knees with that look. Oh God. Something has…or will be happening. A long time ago, Anna learned you weren’t supposed to get in Em’s way when her eyes deepened to a color that resembled emerald more than her natural color of pale green.
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