Out of My League, Part 2

by Cummin, Sharon

  “No phone today. Whatever will you do?” I heard his voice just as a very nice pair of dress shoes came into view.

  Those were no cheap shoes either. I knew because I was the one that bought Jeff's dress clothes, all of his clothes really. How the heck did Parker afford shoes like that on what Sammie paid him, I wondered?

  My eyes traveled very slowly up the suit covered legs. Those pants were made just for him, I thought, as my eyes stopped at his waist.

  “Like what you see, princess?” he asked in a cocky tone.

  I didn't respond as my eyes continued their journey upward. His dress shirt looked so sexy clinging to his chest. His suit jacket was doing a fine job of hiding everything I wanted so badly to see. He was freshly shaven, and his hair was perfectly combed, still wet from a shower. Why did someone so cocky have to be so damn sexy, I wondered, as our eyes connected and his gorgeous smile slipped away. When his hand moved quickly toward my face, I jerked back, and a concerned look crossed his. What the fuck was that, I thought? Shit!

  Chapter 7

  Parker

  What the fuck! Why had she just jerked away from me, I wondered? Was she pissed, or was it something else entirely?

  When I'd first walked up, I was pretty sure she was going to have something cocky to say about the way I was dressed, which would have been a total joke seeing as how she looked as if she'd just gotten out of bed. It was like she didn't care anymore. The woman I'd seen the first time she walked through those doors was all put together. The woman I'd seen since then was someone else entirely. Seeing her looking into her purse like she'd just lost something important, even though it was just a phone, had me messing with her before she even looked up at me. I couldn't help but get distracted when she fucked every inch of my body with her eyes on the way up to my face. There was no way I'd imagined it either. That shit was real.

  I was so busy thinking about how that cocky mouth of hers tasted and just how good it would feel wrapped around that very spot her eyes had lingered on the longest that I hadn't noticed them move up the rest of the way. The second her eyes hit mine, I felt her pain. It hit me like a bat to the head and brought me instantly back to reality. Something was really bothering her, I could see it in those dark, beautiful eyes. The times I'd seen her before, she'd been broken, but something had changed. The woman sitting in front of me on those bleachers was broken worse than she had been yet, and I couldn't help but want to step in front of her and take whatever was causing her pain away.

  She had tears on her cheek, so I reached out to dry them, only she didn't let me. Instead, she jerked away as if my fingers were on fire. It didn't make sense. I wasn't sure why she'd done it, but not one reason going through my mind was a good one. I looked over my shoulder at her family. They were all playing. Not one of them was looking over. How could they not see her pain, I wondered? They were literally the best people I knew, and one of their own was suffering, but they were going on like it wasn't happening.

  I felt for her. Believe me, I didn't want to. The time I'd spent thinking about her before that moment had been much more than it ever should have been. I knew that for sure, but it didn't stop the new thoughts from coming. If I could help just a little bit to ease her pain, I knew I had to do it. I'd been through some shit myself. I'd been broken too, and I didn't know what I would have done if nobody had noticed my pain. I couldn't just walk away from hers, not once I'd seen it.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  What I really wanted to ask was why the fuck she'd just jerked away like that, but I knew I couldn't. That wouldn't get me anywhere. Did I really want to get anywhere? There was so much going on for me. I was in the middle of trying to keep my shit together, without anyone noticing, while some very important decisions were being made about my life, decisions that I had nothing to do with. I didn't have the energy to take on any other stress, even if it wasn't my own. As if she could hear my thoughts, she said something that had me defending my own self.

  “Like you really care,” she snapped.

  “I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it,” I said sternly.

  “You're looking for a simple yes or no,” she said. “If you really knew what you were getting into by asking that, you wouldn't have done it.”

  “What?” I asked, not sure exactly what she meant.

  “Nothing,” she said, waving her hand as if I was being blown off. “I'm okay. That's what you want to hear.”

  “I want to hear the truth,” I said, defending myself again.

  “That's what I tell all of them,” she said, as she looked out on the field at her family and friends.

  “Cassie,” I warned, in a deep but low tone.

  “What?” she snapped, as her eyes came back to mine, almost in challenge.

  “Where's your phone?” I asked sternly.

  “I don't currently have one,” she said innocently. “It had a little mishap yesterday.”

  “A mishap?” I asked, knowing there was more to her words than she was letting on.

  “Yep,” she answered. “James is getting me one today.”

  “James is getting you a phone?” I asked.

  “That's what I said,” she answered, her voice filled with warning. “Don't even think about giving me shit about it. My brother has to get me a phone. If I had a damn dollar to my name, I'd get one myself, but I don't, so I can't.”

  “Settle down, Woman,” I said roughly. “I wasn't going to say a damn thing about it.”

  “Yeah right,” she said, as she shook her head. “I don't believe that for a second.”

  I wanted to talk to her, but I had to leave. There was no way I could be late for the meeting I was heading to. Things were crazy enough, and I wasn't about to add to any of it.

  “I'll be right back,” I said, as I turned around and started walking away.

  “Oh, I can't wait,” she replied sarcastically, and I could feel her eyes on me the entire time.

  I wanted to turn back and let her know that I knew exactly where she was looking, but I didn't want to upset her more than she already was.

  I walked into Sammie's office, wrote my number on a piece of paper, and walked back toward Cassie. When I handed her the paper and she opened it, she let out a laugh. No lie, that shit stung a bit.

  “What?” she asked. “You want me to call you so you can fuck with me over the phone?”

  Before I could stop it, the growl rumbled up from my chest and out of me.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  “I want to talk to you, but I have a meeting, and I'm already running late,” I said roughly.

  “Really?” she asked, as she looked back at the paper.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “You want me to call you?” she asked.

  “I do,” I answered honestly.

  “Promise you won't give me shit?” she asked, with a tiny smile.

  Just that little grin had me feeling like I wanted to make her smile even more.

  “I can't promise that,” I said, with a smile. “If I do, you'll fuck with me for sure, and that's not going to happen, princess. Call me.”

  With that, I turned and walked out of the building, again with her eyes glued to my ass.

  I got in my car and drove out of the lot, feeling a little lighter about my meeting, even though the outcome of it could change my whole life and take my kids away from me even more.

  “Keep your head in the game, Parker,” I told myself, as I drove down the road. “Remember who she is and where you've been. Do not get distracted.”

  Chapter 8

  Cassie

  When I got home, I sat down and read his number over and over. Did he really want me to call him, I wondered? He acted like he really cared, but why? I was a total mess and had been almost every time I'd seen him. If I was him, I'd have run the other way as fast as I could. Every interaction we'd had until that moment had been like nothing I'd ever had before. We'd given each other shit, he'd helped me, we'd kissed, and we'd
given each other shit again. I looked down at his number one more time before shaking my head and then setting the paper on my nightstand.

  I sat in my room, waiting for James to get home from work. He'd gone by Lance and Lauren's when he was done for the day, so I'd been waiting for nothing and hadn't found out until he finally opened the door to my room and woke me from a nap I hadn't planned on taking.

  “I brought the stuff you asked for,” he said, as he leaned over and set a bag and a box on my bed.

  Then he turned to walk back out of my room.

  “James,” I called out, and he stopped. “Can you help me get online with the laptop?”

  “Sure,” he said, as he turned back, stopping halfway, where his eyes went right to the dent my phone had made in the wall. “Cassie.”

  “Don't be mad,” I said, as I hurried to my feet and walked over to where he was looking.

  “Could that have anything to do with why you needed a phone?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I answered. “I'll fix it. I will. I didn't mean it.”

  “That makes me feel a bit better,” he said, and I gave him a confused look. “I thought it had something to do with Jeff. I thought you wanted a new number so he couldn't reach you. I'm glad it's not that. I'd be pissed if he somehow hurt you all the way from Michigan. I'm so glad you're here.”

  “I am too,” I said, feeling so damn guilty for not telling him what was going on.

  He grabbed the phone box out the bag, opened it, and pulled out the stuff from inside. It wasn't a cheap one either. Then he reached in again and pulled out a another box with a case in it.

  “You didn't have to do that,” I said. “Any phone would have been fine.”

  “It's no big deal, Cassie,” he said. “I wanted to make sure you had something good in case you were out and needed something.”

  “Like a whole cart full of clothes,” I said, feeling guilty for what I'd done before. “I'm surprised you even want me to be able to call you.”

  “Not funny,” he said. “Of course I want you to be able to call me. You're my sister.”

  He slipped the case onto the phone and handed it over to me. Then he handed me the charging cord. That's when it hit me.

  “Dad,” I said, as I looked down at the phone.

  “What about him?” he asked.

  “Will he see a new phone on the bill and wonder?” I asked.

  “You really have blown us off for a long time,” he said, as he shook his head. “Dad doesn't have anything to do with the business. It's completely mine. The only one you know that will see the phone number on the bill is Lucy, and she won't give a shit.”

  A wave of relief swept over me.

  “Why is it so important that they don't know?” he asked. “Would it really be so bad if they did?”

  “Yes,” I said, with a fast nod. “It would be. I feel horrible, James. I feel like complete shit knowing that I walked away from my family for Jeff. I don't need them seeing me as a failure. I don't want them thinking I only came back because I needed something.”

  “It's true though, isn't it?” he asked, and I felt like someone hit me at full force with a ball to the stomach. “If you hadn't found what you did, you would still be there, and we never would have heard from you.”

  I sat down on the bed, set the phone on the nightstand, and dropped my head into my hands.

  “I didn't say that to upset you, Cassie,” he said.

  “I know,” I said. “You're right. That's the sad part. Now that I'm here, I realize how much I've missed. Your little girl is getting so big. You have a baby. You're having another one. The part that hurts the most is that you're closer to Sammie's brother's wife than you are to me. I feel like I don't fit in anymore. I never really did.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  “You all had baseball to keep you connected. Even mom was right there with you. I didn't like it, so I had nothing to connect me to any of you. I honestly felt alone.”

  “You really felt that way?” he asked.

  “All the time,” I answered. “I bet you guys barely noticed I was even gone.”

  “Bullshit!” he snapped. “That is complete shit and you know it. Sammie thought you two were friends. You just cut her off. You don't know how much it hurt when she saw you with a baby that none of us even knew about. She'd text you to tell you about our baby, but you never even bothered to tell us about yours. I can't tell you how many holidays I'd look over to see tears in mom's eyes because you and the kids weren't there. They can't stand Jeff. Dad would love to kick his ass, but he's always held his tongue. Why? He did it so they could see you and the kids, but you weren't there. You know grandma never felt Jeff was good enough for you. If she knew you were here, she'd have mom driving her here as fast as she could. Sure, she'd tell you that you'd made a huge fucking mistake with that asshole, but she'd also be right there helping you recover from that same asshole. When she finds out, she's going to kick your ass. She's going to kick mine too.”

  “I know,” I said, as tears filled my eyes. “I'm so sorry, James. I'm sorry for walking away, and I'm sorry for coming back.”

  “Don't say that,” he snapped, as he sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me. “I'm glad you're here now.”

  “Sammie isn't,” I said.

  “She is,” he said. “She gets irritated that you're not the one taking care of your kids, and I agree with her there. She's also glad that she gets to see and spend time with them. I can honestly say that she'd be proud of that dent over there. That was a good throw.”

  “We've been tossing the ball back and forth,” I said, almost feeling a bit proud of that dent.

  “She said that,” he said. “I think going there has been good for you. She said you even get out there and play with the kids.”

  “I do,” I said. “I care about my kids. I know you guys don't think I do, but they are my everything. They're more important to me than anyone or anything.”

  James turned around and grabbed the other box.

  “What did you want a laptop for?” he asked, as he pulled it out of the box.

  “To do some research,” I said. “Is that new? It looks like it's never been taken out of there before.”

  “It is,” he said. “The few I had at work were old. I ran to the store and got one I knew you'd actually be able to use.”

  “James,” I snapped. “You shouldn't have done that. I don't know how I'm going to pay you back.”

  “Please tell me you're not going back, Cassie,” he said, as his hands stopped moving and his eyes moved over to me. “You have no idea how pissed I am at that fucker. It's taking all I've got not to drive to Michigan to pay him a visit.”

  “I don't want to,” I said.

  “Why do I feel like there's a but at the end of that?” he asked.

  “No reason,” I said. “I don't need anyone going to Michigan to see him either. This is one battle I have to fight on my own. No matter what happens, I have to be the one to take care of it.”

  “I disagree,” he said, as he went back to working with the laptop.

  It didn't take long before he had it online and was handing it over to me.

  “There's a bag for it in there,” he said, as he pointed to the bag he'd taken the phone and case out of. “I figured you might want to take it with you somewhere and didn't want you to have to carry it around.”

  “Thank you so much, James,” I said, as I reached over to hug him.

  “Give me a few more weeks,” he said. “As soon as Lance and Lauren are moved in, I'm going to have a lot more time. That whole tree house thing is Lance's deal. I only signed up for the real house. I want us to spend some time together, Cassie. I'm hoping you decide to stay here somewhere instead of going back to Michigan. We're even trying to get mom, dad, and grandma here too. If you move here for good, we just might be able to make that happen.”

  “So you want to use me as bait?” I asked with a laugh.

  �
��No,” he said sternly. “I want you and the kids here. I was just saying it would be cool if we were all here together. The three of them aren't getting any younger, and neither are we. I want my whole family together.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “Now that I'm here, I can't wait to be part of my family again. Thank you for not shutting the door in my face that day, James. I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen.”

  “That would never happen,” he said. “I love you, sis.”

  “Love you too,” I said.

  The second he left and the door was closed behind him, I opened the laptop and started researching. It didn't take long for me to realize that I didn't have a clue. The only thing I did digitally was text and post on my social media, and I hadn't done that unless I had to since I'd walked away from Jeff that day. I seriously had no idea where to begin. I knew I needed to react in some way to Jeff's divorce papers. It had said that much on them. If I didn't, I guess it was like I was agreeing with his craziness or something.

  There was no way I could afford a lawyer, not without my brother anyway. There had to be something I could do on my own, I thought. Then I'd find a lawyer and come up with a plan before I sat James down to discuss it. I'd have time for that. The first thing on my list was to do whatever I had to do to let Jeff and the courts know that I was not at all in agreement with the papers he'd sent me. When another hour had gone by, and I'd still made no progress, I decided I'd start fresh again the next morning.

  I thought about my new phone and the number sitting beneath it the entire time I'd been working. Did he really want me to call him, I wondered? Part of me thought if I did call, it wouldn't be the right move. I knew we weren't teenagers, and he had volunteered the number, but I was still nervous about it. What would we say? It seemed like most of our conversations were filled with sarcasm, so I had no idea which way a phone call would go. As I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take me, I wanted so badly to pick up that phone. I wasn't sure why, but I did.

  Early the next morning, I headed down to the kitchen to get coffee before going right back to my room. With the laptop out in front of me again, I got back to work. I hadn't gotten too far before I heard a knock on my door. When it opened, Sammie stood there with a baby in each arm.