Playing By Heart

by Melanie Shawn

  The only thing she could hope for was that she didn’t come off as a total idiot, but rather as endearingly dorky… And, of course, that he was into that kind of thing.

  She wasn’t gonna lie. It was a big risk.

  There was really nothing to be done but to hold her head high, thrust her shoulders back, and dive in. And no matter how badly you bungle it, just have a good sense of humor about the whole thing. That’s the key.

  Yep. That was the key. Or at least, so she would keep telling herself.

  She rounded the last corner onto the field, just in front of the bleachers, and was immediately greeted by a cry of, “Alison! Over here!”

  She scanned the small crowd and immediately spotted Mila waving at her, Troy sitting next to her and smiling broadly in Alison’s direction. She hurried over to them.

  “Hey, look, it’s my two favorite people!” she greeted them. Mila’s face lit up when she said it, and it made Alison feel good that she could make the girl’s night with just a few simple words. Bringing people joy was her favorite thing in the world.

  “Hey, now. I resent that!” came a cheerful voice from behind her.

  “So do I.”

  “And me!”

  Alison turned to see who’d spoken. “Ella! Abby! Gen! I didn’t know you all were going to be here.”

  Ella leaned back and waved her hands in front of the jersey she was wearing, which matched those the other two were wearing. “What are you talking about, mama? We’re on the team!”

  “That’s awesome!”

  Ella reached into her shoulder bag. “And look what I have for you. One brand spankin’ new jersey.”

  “I get one, too?”

  Gen leaned in close to her. In a quiet, conspiratorial voice, she murmured in Alison’s ear. “Obviously, girl. How else are you going to pull your hair up in a pony and look adorably sporty for Troy?”

  Alison laughed, and—yep—there was that blush again.

  Still, even though Gen’s words had been delivered in the form of a joke, Alison recognized good advice when she heard it and wasted no time acting on it. She slipped her arms into the jersey’s sleeves and buttoned it up over her T-shirt, then quickly swept her hair up into a high ponytail.

  She was all ready to be awful at softball and look cute doing it.

  Troy came over to her and laid his hand lightly on her waist. He leaned down close to her and whispered, “Damn, girl. I never realized how sexy a jersey could be.”

  Mission accomplished.

  She gave him a wink and leaned in closer. “Play your cards right, big boy, maybe you’ll get to first base.”

  The energy between them changed when she said that. A smoldering heat drifted into Troy’s eyes and Alison’s heart beat deeper and faster. She trembled all over and couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

  For all of her worrying about making a fool of herself in front of the entire town, Troy included, at that moment she forgot that anyone else in the world existed other than the two of them.

  It was magic.

  “Okay, you two. Get a room.”

  Mila’s teasing voice broke the spell, and Alison turned to look at her. She had to laugh at the impish expression on the girl’s face. She clearly liked the idea of Alison and her brother being together…and Alison definitely didn’t disagree.

  Ella, who had settled into a seat on the bleachers two rows down, turned and reached into the soft-sided cooler she’d brought with her. She pulled out two icy water bottles and handed one to Alison and the other to Troy. “You two need to cool down a little,” she said with a wink.

  Alison shook her head. “I don’t think we were being very subtle,” she said wryly.

  Troy shrugged. “There’s nothing subtle about how I feel.”

  Her eyes widened at his words. That he’d be so straightforward, and even in front of other people, took her aback. It wasn’t how she was used to communicating. In her world, it was all inferences and innuendos.

  She couldn’t lie, though. Looking at Troy now, at the direct stare he was leveling at her, one that was full of both desire and intention, she had to admit that the straightforward approach definitely had its advantages.

  She raised the dripping bottle to her face and rubbed it lightly over her forehead and cheeks, hoping to bring the heat level down a little. They were in public, after all. She found to her surprise, though, that she wasn’t blushing. Not even a little bit.

  Huh. It seemed to her like she’d spent the entire time she’d known Troy in a pretty much constant red-cheeked state. So what was different now?

  She glanced around the softball park. At Troy. At Ella. At Mila. Then it hit her.

  She’d been blushing all this time because Troy put her off-balance. He pushed her out of her comfort zone, into the unknown, a space where she felt unsure of herself and her reactions. She liked that space, no doubt about it. It was exciting, and boundary-pushing, and thrilling.

  But, here, at the softball park surrounded by her new friends, and Troy, and Troy’s little sister—it was different. It was cozy, and homey, and somehow familiar even though she’d never been here before.

  It was a community, and she was fast becoming a part of it. And as thrilling as being outside of her comfort zone was, she was pretty sure she liked this feeling even more.

  “Hey, here come the guys!”

  Alison turned at Gen’s voice, then saw what she was looking at. Walking across the field toward them were three good-looking men. She knew immediately who they were – Troy’s brothers. It wasn’t hard to tell. The four of them were like variations on a theme.

  “Be warned – don’t take anything they might say seriously,” Troy leaned down and told her under his breath.

  She looked up at him, alarmed. “Why? Don’t you think they’re going to like me?”

  “Oh, yeah. They’re gonna think you’re great. It’s just that each of them, in their own way, is far more impressed with their own sense of humor than they should be.”

  She smiled. “Apparently it’s a family trait.”

  He laughed. “Good burn. Okay. I can see I was wrong for worrying. Clearly you can hold your own.”

  Just then, the three men reached them, and Ella, Gen and Abby walked over as well, completing the little group.

  Each of the brothers kissed and hugged their respective significant others, and then Troy took care of the introductions. “Alison, I’d like to introduce you to my brothers. This guy over here, the one attached at the hip to Ella, is Donovan.”

  Donovan shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Alison.”

  “You, too!”

  “And this guy, with his arm around Gen like he thinks somebody’s gonna snatch her in broad daylight, is my brother Gavin.”

  Gavin narrowed his eyes slightly at Troy. “You never know,” he said, his voice a monotone, before turning to Alison. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Oh, wow. Ma’am. How lovely. Nice to meet you, too.”

  “And finally, this one with his arm around Abby and desperately in need of a haircut, is Jett.”

  Alison grinned at Troy’s final brother, sticking her hand out to shake. “Oh, Jett, I think we’ve met. I’m pretty sure your band played at a fundraiser that I also sang for. Maybe one of The Angel Network galas a few years ago?”

  Jett hesitated, and Donovan piped up. “Don’t be offended if he doesn’t remember, Alison. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. Jett used to turn partying into a science.”

  Jett shot Donovan a dirty look, but one that was tinged with amusement. “Hey, at least I never got married when I was drunk.”

  Gavin snorted. “As far as you know.”

  “Okay!” Troy cut in, clearly making his best attempt to head off the conversation before it went any further down the road it was traveling. “Pretty sure it’s time to start the game. Let’s get going.”

  The others started off toward the team’s dugout, but Troy placed a hand on her arm, holding her back.
He leaned down toward her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “That went pretty smooth.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “I didn’t even need to be tough. They focused on ribbing each other, not me.”

  “It’s a good sign. I think it means they like you.”

  She felt unreasonably happy at the assessment but fought to keep her outward cool. “That’s good. The feeling’s mutual.”

  Troy gave her arm a squeeze. “Ready to play ball?”

  She shrugged. “To say ‘ready’ would be a giant overstatement, but what the hell. No time like the present. Let’s do this thing!”

  Chapter 16

  Troy watched as Alison stepped up to bat. She very seriously adopted her stance and perfected her grip, then eyed the pitcher with the height of concentration. He couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t going to help if her track record was any indication. That bat wasn’t getting anywhere near that ball.

  Still, he had to admire the focus with which she still approached every attempt, even when it was clear it would prove futile. She didn’t give up easily.

  And then, when she struck out, instead of getting frustrated, she just laughed and gave him a genial, sheepish shrug. He’d said the same thing to her after every attempt. “You’ll get ’em next time, Slugger.”

  They both knew it was a lie, but she still had the good grace to smile at him like she thought it might be true.

  The first pitch sailed over the plate and was already in the catcher’s mitt before Alison even swung. Then, on the next pitch, she overcorrected that error and swung before the ball had even made it halfway to her. With the third, her timing was better, but her swing was almost six inches above the ball’s trajectory.

  Well, he reasoned with a grin, at least she’s not making the same mistake over and over. And at least she looks adorable while she’s doing it.

  She jogged over to him and he slung his arm around her shoulders. “You’ll get ’em next time, Slugger,” he encouraged.

  She turned her face up to him and gave him a bright smile. “That’s the plan!”

  “Unfortunately, next time is going to have to be next game.”

  “Oh, okay. How come?”

  “That was the last inning. We’re packing it in. Game’s over.”

  Her face fell. “Aww, man. I can’t believe I’m actually sad. I’m shocked by how much fun I had at an activity I suck so, so badly at.”

  He laughed. “So, so badly. But don’t worry about it. Everybody does at first.”

  “Honest?”

  “Absolutely. I mean, for most people ‘at first’ means when they’re playing T-ball as pre-schoolers. But, yes, everybody sucks at first.”

  She elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Real funny, buddy. But, all joking aside, I doubt there’ll be a next time.”

  His heart dropped into his stomach. Shit. Was she leaving?

  He kept his voice neutral. “Why’s that?”

  Wrinkling her forehead, she said, “I seriously doubt your friends are going to welcome me back with open arms. We just lost that game, and it was mostly my fault.”

  Relief flooded him, more intensely than he would’ve thought possible. He didn’t stop to examine that too deeply. He just enjoyed it. He was almost giddy as he said, “That’s ridiculous. They loved you. Besides, I’m the captain. If they don’t like it, they can go kick rocks.”

  She laughed. “Oh, God. Am I about to Yoko Ono this softball team right now?”

  He took her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, a serious expression on his face. “Alison, I’m about to say something to you and I want you to really hear me.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Wow. Okay.”

  He shook his head. “No. I’m serious. This is serious. What I’m about to say is—”

  “Serious?” she guessed.

  “Precisely. And I need you to pay attention.”

  She nodded.

  “Okay, here goes. This isn’t easy for me to say, but…” He took a deep breath. “I actually think John and Yoko did some really interesting work together.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. Damn, he loved it when he was able to surprise her like that. Not just make her laugh but fill her with utter unexpected joy. It was an accomplishment, and one he hoped to keep repeating for a long time to come.

  As the people around them started packing up their seat cushions and coolers, he said, “We always grab beers at Cupid’s Arrow Bar and Grill after the game. Sound good?”

  “God, yes. I could definitely use a drink. And maybe I could endear myself to my new teammates by buying them a round.”

  He grinned as he packed his equipment into the big canvas bag he’d carried it all in. “Trust me, it’s not necessary. You earned plenty of brownie points just by being yourself. But, if you want to do that, they’re definitely not gonna turn down free booze.”

  “I’ll make some friends for life?” she joked.

  He stood and took her hand, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I think you’ve already done that.”

  When he’d piled all of his gear into the bag, he stood and they started walking to the parking lot together. She pulled out her keys. “I think I know how to get to Cupid’s Arrow. I’m pretty sure I saw the sign when I was shopping downtown. But remind me where it is again?”

  “How about this… it’s walking distance from your house. Mila already took off with her friend Kelsey. Why don’t I follow you to your place…well, our places, actually… then, we can park there and walk down to the bar together.”

  “That sounds good,” she said. “It sounds like a nice opportunity to take a walk together.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Plus, a nice opportunity to be able to drink as much as we want and not have to drive afterward.”

  She laughed again, that tingling musical sound that he loved. “You may as well have been reading my mind.”

  Chapter 17

  A cheer went up in the dark interior of Cupid’s Arrow as soon as Troy opened the door.

  Alison peeked around him to see who was leading the raucous cheer and saw that it was the other team. They occupied an entire long table and a half at the back of the space, their jerseys turning that whole side of the room into a sea of red and white.

  She looked up at Troy, confused. “Are they being sarcastic?”

  He laughed and slipped his arm around her shoulders as they entered. “No. Not at all. You have to understand what it’s like here. We may’ve been competing in the softball game tonight, but Jerry over there cuts my hair. Madeleine’s the librarian. Mr. Joyner—I’ll never be able to call him Tom—was my high school phys ed teacher. I could go on. I told you on the first day I met you, in Valentine Bay, everyone’s your neighbor.”

  “I like that. It’s sweet. And cozy.”

  Troy walked up to the bar as the rest of the team filed in and found seats close together, and since his arm was around her shoulders, Alison followed along with him, fighting to keep a goofy grin from taking over her face. It wasn’t just the fact that he had his arm around her; it was the fact that he was doing it while basically the whole town was watching. He’d touched her and even put his arm around her before in public, where there was a decent chance someone might see, but it wasn’t like this, where they were definitely watching. She felt like she was a teenager in the 1950s who’d just “got pinned.”

  Troy stepped up to the oak top bar and signaled to the bartender. When he came over, Troy said, “Hey, Max. Can I get fifteen beers? You can put it on my tab.”

  Alison chimed in, “And the next round’s on me.”

  Just then, Mila came charging up to the bar, jostling her brother with her shoulder as she said, “Hey, Max! Make it sixteen.”

  “Make hers of the ‘root’ variety,” Troy said wryly, ruffling her hair.

  Mila punched him in the arm and returned to her group of friends, and Max asked, “Bottles? Or do you want whatever’s on tap?”

  “Ta
p. Make it pitchers. We’ll pour.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll bring it over.”

  “Thanks, Max.”

  Alison followed him back over to the table and sat at the empty seat next to the one he chose. She was happy to see Ella, Abby, and Gen on the other side, sitting with Troy’s brothers. She felt more comfortable knowing there were friendly faces there.

  Max brought the pitchers of beer over then, and that’s when the party really started. Alison felt the vibe in the room shift to a palpably more relaxed atmosphere, and it affected her, as well.

  The muscles in her shoulders lost the tension that had been holding them all night. She only wished she could’ve channeled a little of this Zen energy during the actual game. Maybe she would’ve played better.

  On second thought, she realized, nah…there wasn’t a lot that could help her with softball. She just wasn’t a great player. Hopefully, though, she’d get better with time.

  That thought caught her up short.

  With time.

  She was thinking about this place, this group, as if she was going to be around for quite a while. She hadn’t made any such decision consciously. That was just where her brain had gone on its own.

  Hmmm…interesting. I’ll have to watch that.

  Mila bopped over to the laughing, jovial group and stuck her head in between Troy and Alison.

  “Hey, Troy. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be staying over at Keira’s tomorrow night.”

  “That’s fine,” Troy replied, his tone automatic.

  Mila sighed. “Okay… just to make it clear. Me. Gone. At Keira’s. All night. Tomorrow.”

  Troy looked at her strangely. “Yeah. I said it was fine.”

  The girl looked down at the floor and shook her head. Then she lifted it and looked back at Troy, speaking slowly. “So, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. Go wherever you want.”

  Troy scrunched his forehead and opened his mouth to reply when Donovan punched Troy’s arm and said, “She’s trying to say you can get together with Alison, ya doof. Just wink your acknowledgement and move on.”