Finding Me, Finding You (Finding #1)

by Shealy James

  He came back with food a few minutes later. I pulled what was mine off the tray while he placed his on his side of the table.

  “So, did you get Becca’s number? Y’all seemed pretty chummy last night.”

  A bright smile that I have never seen from him appeared on his face, and I knew he was hooked. “Yeah. I think we are going to get coffee tomorrow. She’s gorgeous and super smart. She’s in our econ class. I can’t believe I didn’t notice her there.”

  “Gorgeous, huh? Ohhh really?” He rolled his eyes at my teasing, and I continued more serious now. “That is cool that we have class with her. There are a hundred something people, so I’m not surprised you didn’t see her. She should come and have lunch with us this week.”

  “Already invited her. I had a lot of fun with her last night. She’s hilarious.” The smile never left his face. I liked that Max liked a girl. He never really dated in school, and I always worried that it was because of me.

  “That’s great, Max. Hang out with her and see if anything comes of it. She has to be better than what’s-her-face that you hung out with last summer.”

  “Amy wasn’t that bad. Be nice. She was a little dull. Becca isn’t dull at all. She is an artist, a painter, and she has traveled all over the world with her family. Her parents adopted her from China when she was a baby, which I thought was really cool,” Max gushed.

  “She told you all this last night? You guys must have had quite a chat.”

  “Yeah, so enough about me. Did you have fun? Parker and I had a good laugh watching you girls dance.”

  “What? Now I know he was making fun of me.”

  He wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “We weren’t making fun of you. We were making fun of Sarah. She is a crazy drunk. You looked happy and…free. I never see you laugh like that around other people. In fact, I never see you smile that much around anyone except me and your daddy.”

  “I know. I feel different here…like I belong. Even when Sarah picked out that outfit for me, I didn’t feel like she was doing it because she didn’t like the way I was. It was nice and…fun.”

  “You let her do your hair and pick out your clothes? That was brave of you. Have you seen some of her skirt choices? I’m surprised your ass wasn’t hanging out.”

  I slapped his arm and shrieked, “Max!”

  He rubbed the spot on his arm that I hit as if I really hurt him. “I’m joking. Calm down. I like Sarah and her tiny skirts. You looked great last night though. I knew something was up. I thought you were trying to land a dude.”

  “Ha. Yeah right. Do you know what Daddy would do if I had a one-night stand or even a date and he found out? I wouldn’t have to worry about the guy because I would die from the embarrassment he would be sure to cause me.”

  “You know you can date. I won’t tell your daddy. You don’t have to tell him or your sisters anything.” Max knew I would never tell my mother anything. Anything she knows about my life is because one of my sisters told her. Even Daddy doesn’t tell her anything unless he wants the whole club to know about it.

  “I don’t even know where to begin, and that isn’t what I’m here for. I’m here for school, soccer, and to make friends…and to be with you of course.”

  “Of course.”

  After breakfast, I really did go to the gym. I felt better, so I was able to run a couple of miles on the treadmill. I was jogging back to the dorms when I saw Garrett heading to the gym. He smiled and waved, but he kept walking. Huh? I guess he was in a hurry to get to the gym. I wonder why he asked for my number if he wasn’t going to call.

  When I got back, Sarah was awake and had just showered. “Good morning. You already went to the gym? I just woke up…in my dress!”

  “Yeah. You kind of passed out when we got back last night. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to head to the gym and met Max for breakfast. How are you feeling?”

  “Fine now. I had a hangover cure. Fanta, cough medicine, protein bar and two Advil. Mmm. So you were a little rock star! You danced and were super fun last night. Who knew you could shake that moneymaker like that?”

  I laughed. “Not me, that is for sure.”

  “Well you had the boys looking. Parker couldn’t take his eyes off of you,” she told me with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

  “That is because he and Max were making fun of us. It wasn’t a good stare.”

  “I think you’re wrong about that. Take a shower, and let’s do something fun. Tomorrow is my study day, so let’s get out. We can call Becca and Rachel.”

  A day out with the girls? “Sounds good. I’ll be ready in thirty.”

  Becca and Rachel met us at the nail salon. Just as I sat down in the massage chair, I heard my phone ring. Daddy? It wasn’t Sunday, our scheduled “call home” day.

  “Hey Daddy.”

  “Hey kid. I know it isn’t Sunday, but I have something for ya maybe. I was supposed to bring some guys from the company up to the Braves game tonight, but we had some problems with this week’s shipment, so we can’t get up to Atlanta in time. We are going to do it some other time, but I have eight tickets to the game. I was going to see if you and some of your friends wanted to go.”

  “You sure, Daddy? Eight tickets is a lot.”

  “I know darlin’, but I figured you and Max could take your roommates and any other friends you have made.”

  “Hold on Daddy.” I pulled the phone away from my ear and turned to my new friends. “Do y’all want to go to the Braves game tonight?”

  “Yes!” They all said in unison.

  I laughed at their excitement and put my phone back to my ear. “Ok. Daddy. We’re in. How do I get the tickets?”

  “Great! I’ll have them at Will Call under your name. All eight?”

  “Sure Daddy. Thank you!”

  “No problem. How’s everything else?”

  “Good. I had a great week of classes. I worked out every day, twice Monday through Thursday. I have been running and swimming. Practice also started Monday.”

  “Good girl. You’ll be ready. You’re making time for fun, right?”

  “Yes. We went out last night. I actually danced, and I’m getting a mani pedi with Sarah and some girls right now.”

  “You didn’t dance with any boys now did you? They weren’t putting their hands all over you were they? I have seen how those young boys dance. Your mother secretly watches reality TV in bed at night.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No Daddy. No one touched me.” No one ever will. Unfortunately.

  “Well you let me know if I need to have someone come up there and take care of some handsy college boys.”

  “Of course Daddy. Hey, I need to go. The lady is ready to do my nails.”

  “Ok, Kid. Love you!”

  “Love you too.”

  When I hung up, the girls were waiting for me to tell them about the game. “We have eight tickets to the game tonight. His seats are right on the first baseline. “

  Sarah was ecstatic, “Woohoo! Hot baseball players here we come. Watch out Turner Field! Wait…eight tickets. Who else are you going to invite?”

  “Max of course, and I guess Parker if he isn’t busy. Do you know anyone else? If not, maybe Parker could bring some of his soccer friends. I have only met a couple of girls on my team and don’t really know them yet.”

  Becca said, “Max is coming? I’m in!” I smiled at her excitement. It seemed she and Max were on the same page.

  When Becca started gushing about how funny and cute Max was, she distracted Sarah enough to allow me to text Max. I kept an ear out even though I really didn’t want to be the kind of friend to report between Becca and Max. I was happy to hear how much she liked him since he obviously felt the same way.

  Me: Braves game tonight? Daddy has 8 tickets. I invited Sarah, Becca and Rachel.

  Max. Yes! Becca, huh? You hanging out with her?

  Me: Yes. She is talking about you now.

  Max: What is she saying?

  Me: Good t
hings ;) Not telling anything.

  Max: Of course. :) Should I ask Parker?

  Me: Yeah and see if he knows anyone else who would want to go. We will still have 2 extra.

  Max: K. Get back to you.

  “Max is in. He is checking with Parker.”

  Sarah clapped her hands, “I bet Parker will bring some hottie soccer players. I love a soccer body. Oh! Maybe he will bring the guy that got your number.”

  I felt my smile immediately turn to a frown. “Probably not. Garrett never called.” I shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

  Sarah gave me a questioning look like she didn’t believe I was fine with Garrett not calling, which I chose to ignore when I caught a grinning Rachel nudge Becca, and Becca’s cheeks reddened. I knew she was excited about Max, and that made me happy. We continued to chat and tease Sarah about her make-out session with the skeezy guy from the night before. I was having a blast. So this is what it is like to have girl friends?

  As our nails were drying, my phone buzzed again.

  “Parker is in and bringing two friends,” I told the girls after reading the message.

  “What kind of friends? Boys or girls?” Sarah asked.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I guess you will have to wait and see.”

  After nails and lunch, we headed back to the dorm to study or rest before the game. I ended up falling asleep after reading a couple of pages of my latest romance novel on my iPad. Sarah read while I slept, so she woke me up after an hour to get ready. I hadn’t realized I was so tired.

  Sarah fixed my hair into a cute ponytail and I wore my McCann t-shirt with a denim skirt and red sandals. I was decked out in Braves gear and colors. Daddy, Max and I were huge Braves fans and either watched or recorded every game, so I was really excited about the game since they had been playing so well this year.

  Sarah dressed in a navy blue Braves tank top and short, red shorts that made her thin legs go on forever. She had her hair braided into a side ponytail making her look like a model for the Braves. Once we were ready, we met Rachel and Becca in the lobby and headed down to my car. We were going to have to take two cars since there were so many of us, a problem that I had never had before.

  When we got to my car, Max and Parker were there. Max was in his Chipper Jones t-shirt. Chipper was Max’s favorite even though Chipper had retired. When I turned away from Max and caught a glimpse of Parker, I felt the butterflies in my belly again. Parker was in khaki shorts and a vintage grey Braves t-shirt that was thin and worn and showed off his seriously impressive chest and arms. He looked relaxed and sexy, which is a word I have never used to describe a guy that I had actually met in person. He could grace the cover of my romance novel any day. Oh jeez! I’m out of control!

  He snapped me out of my gawking when he told us, “My friends are meeting us there. I figured they could drive separately since they live in a house off-campus.”

  “Mags, you want to drive or me?” Max asked.

  “Um...you. When have I ever wanted to drive in Atlanta?”

  Max laughed. “Thought so.”

  We all piled in my car chatting and laughing like we had been friends for years. I let Parker sit up front with Max, and the four of us girls piled in the backseat. Sarah, Becca and Rachel were so small that four in the back really wasn’t an issue, illegal, but not a comfort issue.

  When we arrived, I showed our season parking pass to the closest lot. Max knew exactly where to go because we had been so many times before. We went to Will Call and picked up our tickets.

  “Parker!” Parker’s friends were walking up as they called his name.

  He shook their hands and gave them man hugs with manly slaps on the back. One of them was the guy who was with Garrett the other day, Wade I think. The other one I had never met, but I’d be willing to bet he too was a soccer player.

  Parker introduced Wade and Adam to everyone, and Sarah took it upon herself to be the welcoming committee. She took both guys arms and started walking to the gate. Max was already deep in conversation with Becca, and Rachel was following Sarah like a lost puppy. That left Parker and me. He shook his head when he saw Becca and Max and then looked at me and smiled. He put his arm around my shoulder (yep, I was the perfect armrest) and started guiding me to the gate. I think I actually had to remind myself to breathe. I reminded myself that he was being friendly like Max would be. That became harder to believe when we stopped and he picked up another coin for me. He handed me the dime and then wrapped his arm back around my shoulders.

  Inside Turner Field, I guided everyone to Daddy’s company seats. Everyone was flipping out about how great the seats were, but I shrugged and smiled. I wasn’t going to tell them his company also has a box. I never liked sitting up there. I felt detached from the game, which is what I came to watch.

  Parker

  The baseball game was slow at first. There was no score for the first inning, so no major action. The rest of the group didn’t seem to care about the game. I talked to Adam for a while before he and Rachel got into a heated discussion about the quality of hot dogs. I didn’t care about hot dogs. They’re good, what else do I need to know? When I looked down the line of our group, I saw Sarah and Wade were already all over each other. With the way their hands kept touching each other, it was obvious they were going to hook up. Good for you, Wade.

  In the other direction, Max and Becca were talking and laughing, but just past Max sat Maggie. She was in her own little world focused on the game. I loved how into the game she was. When a Braves player stepped up to the plate, she would lean forward in anticipation of what was going to happen. When a strike was thrown, she would press her lips together in disappointment, but when a player hit the ball, she would lean forward a bit more with her eyes wider. She would follow the player to the bases and sag in relief when they would make it. If they didn’t make it, she would fall back in her seat. I watched her and the game on and off for the first two innings.

  At one point she caught me watching her. She immediately blushed and turned away. Big surprise. After that, just as the third inning began, I couldn’t sit back watching her anymore. I wanted to be near her and watch the game like she watched it. “Hey Max. Switch seats with me.” He looked at me confused, but when he looked over at Maggie and frowned. I think he realized he was ignoring her, so he immediately jumped up and climbed over Becca.

  Maggie looked confused and then surprised when I sat down next to her.

  “It seems you’re the only other one who cares about the game.”

  “That’s likely. Max usually watches the games with Daddy and me, but I think his mind is elsewhere today,” She said as she nodded her head towards Max and Becca with a small grin on her face.

  We discussed who our favorite players of all time were, and she told stories about coming to the games growing up. Apparently her sisters never wanted to go, so she came alone with her dad or with Max and both of their dads, which is how she became such a Daddy’s girl. We talked about Pops and Preston briefly and a little about my mom, but I didn’t go into too many details about her. I did tell her she had passed away though, which I thought would be more uncomfortable than it was. Usually people give the obligatory “I’m so sorry for your loss,” but she sat there for a few seconds and looked at me. She looked so sad that I had the urge to apologize to her like it was her loss. When she did say that she was sorry for me, it meant something different coming from her. I couldn’t quite understand it.

  After that I changed the subject to something more upbeat. I couldn’t bear watching her doe-eyes turn sad like that. I told her about my mom teaching me music, and how it tortured Pops at first because I was so terrible. She laughed at that, and I enjoyed that sound more than anything I could create with a piano.

  “I can’t imagine you being terrible. You really were amazing the other night. In fact, I didn’t know what to say because you were so good. I have never heard anyone play live l
ike that.”

  “Thanks, but I assure you I’m not really as good as it seems. They picked those songs for me. I’ll play a piece until it comes naturally, so I have perfected only a few songs. I played for hours every day growing up. I never really had to study until my senior year, and my dad taught in the evenings, so I had a lot of time to practice growing up. I was in band in middle and high school and then I joined a garage band with older guys who also gave me a lot of guidance.”

  “There must be some natural talent in there. I don’t think anyone can just figure out those solos.”

  Now it was me that was blushing. I mean, I knew I was good at those songs, but part of the reason I was not in the band was that music was never about getting a pat on the back. It was something I love to do. It still felt good hearing her compliment me, even if I didn’t typically prefer the attention.

  We watched the rest of the game with comfortable conversation. The Braves won five to two, so it was a good game, but it wasn’t the game that made the night so great. Maggie did that all on her own.

  Sarah ended up riding back with Wade and Adam, so it was the five of us in the car on the way home. I let Becca sit in the front with Max since they were holding hands at this point in the night. Maggie sat in the middle and hooked up her iPod as soon as we got in. Queen came over the speakers, and I smiled at her choice.

  While we were waiting in traffic, I rested my arm on the back of the seat and readjusted my legs. I wasn’t intentionally putting my arm around Maggie, but it was late and we were going to be sitting in traffic for a while. At some point Maggie fell asleep with her head on my arm. I wanted to pull her to me and let her sleep on my chest and hold her, but I thought that would wake her up, and it wasn’t something a friend would do. I had to remind myself that no girl was worth the trouble when really I was starting to wonder if Maggie might be.

  Maggie woke up when she felt the car stop back at the dorm. “Oh God. I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”