Summer on Main Street

by Crista McHugh

  Desire rumbled through Beth’s core. She closed her eyes and let herself lean back against Jack’s hard body. “I thought you were out of town,” she said, craning her neck to look up at him.

  He dropped a kiss on her nose. “Change of plans.” His grin was wide.

  Someone nearby shushed them. Beth settled against him to watch the ceremony. Then it hit her. Only one thing would cause a change of plans for Jack.

  He’d been called back up to the majors.

  Which meant he was leaving.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Later at the reception, Jack stepped up beside her, holding Lindsey in his arms, as Beth watched the first dance between the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Cooper.

  Beth smiled at the love in the newlyweds’ eyes as they danced to a romantic love song. “They make a beautiful couple, don’t they?” she said to Jack. She turned to see him staring out at the dance floor, an indiscernible expression on his face. He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  He didn’t have to. She knew he was probably thinking that Ryan had made a huge mistake in getting married, that he wasn’t putting the game first, that if he wanted to be the best, he should’ve ignored the rest, or whatever it was that Jack’s dad had grilled into him his whole life.

  Jack’s dedication had worked for him though. He met his goal of being called back up to the majors. When he’d told her the news, she’d wanted to cry. But he was so excited about it, she’d simply hugged him and congratulated him, while dying on the inside as they’d watched their friends get married.

  The dance floor opened up for other couples. She thought Jack might ask her, but he asked Lindsey instead. She pushed aside her sadness and watched father and daughter join the other couples on the dance floor. Lindsey climbed out of Jack’s arms, and held her hands out like she wanted a formal dance. Beth covered a grin with her hand.

  Renata stepped up next to her to watch Jack and Lindsey dance. Unlike Beth, though, she wasn’t smiling. “I heard he’s leaving.”

  Beth nodded, not bothering to ask where Renata had heard that. This was Twin Rivers, after all. There was no such thing as a secret here.

  “So?”

  “So... what?”

  “You and Lindsey going with him?”

  Jack held one of Lindsey’s hands over her head and spun her around a few times. Her delighted laughter cut through the music and reached Beth’s ears. She sighed and shook her head. “He hasn’t asked us to.”

  “And if he asks?”

  “He won’t.”

  “But if he does?”

  Beth tipped her head toward the dance floor. Jack and Lindsey were headed their way.

  Lindsey rushed into Renata’s arms. “Did you see me and my daddy dancing, Gramma Ren? He spun me round and round like a ballerina.” She giggled again, remembering.

  “I saw, honey. You are a really good little dancer. Now, we should probably get you home. It’s getting late.”

  Jack placed a hand on Beth’s arm. “Do you mind if she stays a while longer?” He lowered his voice. “We need to talk to her.”

  “Tonight?” Oh, God. He was leaving tonight and wanted to tell Lindsey goodbye. Beth thought she’d have more time to prepare.

  Jack turned to Renata, “Would you mind hanging out with short stuff here a few minutes? I want one last dance with Beth.”

  Beth closed her eyes. One last dance. It sounded so final.

  ***

  Jack clasped Beth’s hand and led her to the edge of the small dance floor. He pulled her into his arms and peered down at her.

  “It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?” she asked.

  He knew she was stalling, putting off the conversation they had to have.

  “I’m a guy. It was a wedding. They successfully married. The end.”

  “You’re such a romantic. Not,” she muttered, letting him spin her slowly around the edge of the dance floor.

  “I’m just not a wedding guy.”

  “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”

  “Beth,” he said softly.

  She just shook her head and rested it against his shoulder. He slid one hand to her lower back and held her closer.

  “I’m going to miss holding you like this,” he whispered, his words fluttering the hair by her ear. “Come with me,” he said suddenly, surprising himself.

  Beth’s shoulders jerked and she tilted her head to look up at him. “What?”

  “Come with me. You and Linds. You’d love San Diego.”

  Beth licked her lips and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Come with you as in ‘come down for a few days’ or...?”

  “Move in with me. My condo has two bedrooms. It’s right on the beach.” It was the perfect solution.

  “Jack...”

  “I can’t imagine leaving Lindsey, not seeing her for weeks, maybe months at a time.”

  Her bottom lip quivered. He tipped her chin up with two fingers and dropped a soft kiss on mouth. “And I can’t imagine not seeing you either.” He kissed her again. “Come on, Bethie. We’re all just getting to know each other. If I leave you behind now...”

  “As opposed to leaving us behind later?” she asked.

  He pushed away that thought. “I want to be with you. I want to be with Lindsey. Isn’t that enough?” That’s all he could give her. It had to be enough.

  She didn’t say anything but rested her head on his shoulder again. They danced in silence for a while. He noticed she couldn’t take her eyes off of the newlyweds. Her cheeks shone with tears.

  And he knew.

  “You want the fairytale, don’t you?”

  “What?” She looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes huge in her face and shining with moisture.

  He motioned toward Ryan and Zoey. “This. All of this. A wedding. A honeymoon. Happily ever after.” She needed someone who put her before the game and everything else, just like Ryan was doing with Zoey.

  Fresh tears spilled from her eyes. “You’re right. I want it all, Jack. And Lindsey deserves it all, too. There’s been too much uncertainty and upheaval in our lives these past couple of years.”

  He thought of his parents’ marriage, his mom’s loneliness and frustrations over the years. Beth deserved so much more than that. Lindsey didn’t have the choice to have him as her dad. She was stuck with him. But Beth had a choice who she would be with. And she deserved better than him.

  He was tempted to tell Beth anything she wanted to hear, to promise her the sun, moon, and stars, just to get her to come with him, but he couldn’t do that. “You deserve the fairytale, Beth. But I can’t—” His voice caught. “I don’t think I can give it to you.” No matter how much he wanted to, no matter how much it would kill him to let her go.

  Beth straightened her shoulders and put some space between their bodies. He missed her already. “Then I guess we need to find Lindsey so you can say good-bye to your daughter.”

  ***

  Jack punched in the security code to disarm the system, then dropped his bags onto the polished hardwoods. The sound echoed through the empty condo.

  “Home sweet home,” he said out loud, heading toward the windows, the view beyond beckoning him.

  Cloudless blue sky. Ocean the color and texture of tinfoil reflecting the sunshine. Miles of sandy beaches in both directions as far as he could see.

  He’d been so thrilled to get this place—it was literally a dream home. Beautiful, spacious condo, which he’d had tastefully decorated. Amazing scenery with no blinds or curtains to hinder the view. He’d loved it when he moved in.

  But now… he couldn’t help comparing it to Beth’s little house. All the photos on the mantle and every other horizontal surface. Lindsey’s color-crayon drawings covering every inch of Beth’s refrigerator. Shoes and toys and baseball paraphernalia dotting the floor. All the personal touches that made a home. Including all the love within the four walls.

  This place… he glanced around, seeing the tasteful decorations, the
functional furniture and the floor to ceiling windows. It was amazing. Magazine-spread worthy. But it was just a place to live.

  He headed into the kitchen, hoping he had a beer somewhere in that massive sub-zero fridge. He did. Several cans in fact. Beer, bottled water, and condiments were the only items in there.

  He took the beer out to his deck, leaving the sliding glass doors open to allow the fresh air into the condo, which had been closed up for the past few months. He rested his elbows on the iron railing and took in a lungful of sea air. He’d missed this. He closed his eyes and listened to the roar of the waves crashing against the sand, the angry squawk of the seagulls competing for any food they might have found down below, the sound of kids running along the shoreline.

  Kids.

  Jack opened his eyes and watched a little girl playing in the surf, doing her best to outrun the waves lapping onto the shore. A man, probably the girl’s dad, picked her up and swung her onto his shoulders, then headed into deeper water. Jack could hear the girl’s delighted shrieks from here.

  Lindsey would love the ocean. He could teach her how to build sand castles, and they could play catch on the beach. He tried to picture her playing in the surf, laughing and dancing in the waves just like that little girl down there, but all he could see was her tear-stained face as he’d told her goodbye last night at the wedding reception.

  She’d sobbed and told him daddies weren’t supposed to go away. He’d tried to reassure her that he’d come back during the off-season for a long visit and that he’d call her and text her every day. It had pretty much broken his heart.

  Then there was Beth. She’d acted all stoic and strong for Lindsey’s sake, but the sheen of unshed tears brightened her eyes and her lower lip had trembled.

  But he’d had no choice. This was his life. This is what he’d worked so hard for.

  He missed them already.

  ***

  “Hurry up, Lindsey. You’re going to be late for your game.” Beth poked her head into Lindsey’s room. Lindsey lay on her bed, face down.

  “I don’t wanna go,” came the muffled voice. “I don’t care about a stupid baseball game.”

  Beth sighed and went into the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Lindsey had been like this all day. Last night, after Jack left and they’d returned from the wedding, Beth had let Lindsey sleep in her bed, because she’d been so upset. She’d cried herself to sleep in Beth’s arms. Beth had shed some of her own tears last night, too.

  Even though they’d both known this day would come eventually, it didn’t make it any easier. And in Lindsey’s seven-year-old mind, she’d not really understood what Jack making it back to the big leagues really meant. All she knew was that her daddy was gone and that she wouldn’t see him again for a while. “Sweetie, you’ll see your daddy again soon. Baseball season will be over before you know it, then he said he’ll come up here for a long visit.” Which would make it easier for Lindsey, much much harder for her.

  Seeing her daughter so upset, Beth wondered not for the first time if she’d made the wrong decision in not moving down to California with Jack. But there’d been no mention of commitment or of long term. And certainly not of love.

  If they’d moved down there, it would only postpone the inevitable: heartbreak and disappointment.

  Lindsey kicked her legs into the mattress. “I don’t wanna wait until after his stupid baseball season is over.”

  Beth almost smiled at that. Jack would say that “stupid baseball” comment was sacrilegious. So would Lindsey, if someone else had said it. She noticed the time on Lindsey’s baseball alarm clock. “Why don’t you call him right now? His game hasn’t started. Maybe he’ll pick up the phone.” She held out her cell phone.

  Lindsey took it with a huff and speed dialed Jack’s number. After a moment, she held it out. “It’s a message.”

  “Well, leave him one. Tell him to have a good game.”

  “Hi Daddy, this is Lindsey Faye Darrow,” she announced in a grumpy voice, her eyebrows furrowed and frowning. “I hope you have a good game. Goodbye!” She pressed a button on the phone.

  Beth glanced at it as she took it back. “Sweetie, don’t turn off the phone when you hang up, okay?” They had this same conversation every time Lindsey used her phone.

  Lindsey flung herself back onto her bed. “I’m not going to my stupid game. I hate baseball.”

  Beth sighed and shrugged. “Okay,” she said breezily. “But that means Joey Finnegan will be the starting catcher instead of you.”

  Lindsey bolted upright. “I’m a way better catcher than Joey Finnegan. He can’t even throw it all the way to second base.” She rolled her eyes as if that were the most ridiculous thing in the world.

  “Then you’d better hurry up and get dressed.”

  ***

  Jack’s back and ass were going to be sore tomorrow from all the pats on the back, bear hugs, and slaps on the butt on his first night back in the locker room. Everyone was all smiles, including his backup, Mario Santana, who’d done an amazing job in Jack’s place, and would continue to start for the team until Jack’s body was one hundred percent. In the meantime, Jack would be the team’s designated hitter. Wasn’t the ideal situation, but he was back on the team, so no complaints.

  As Jack unpacked his bag into his locker he didn’t realized how much he’d missed this place. He’d missed the pre-game flurry, the smart-ass jokes from his teammates, hell, he’d even missed the smell.

  As he changed into his uniform—number six—for the first time in over a year, everything around him was perfect, from the attitude in the locker room to all the fans in the stadium. But something felt off. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what it was. He missed Beth. He missed Lindsey.

  Speaking of, he checked his phone one more time before putting it away for the game. Two messages. The first one from Kyle. “Jack-Mack is in the house! Welcome back, my man. Go out there and kill it tonight.”

  The second message came from Beth’s number. Jack almost held his breath as he played it. Lindsey’s voice: “Hi Daddy, this is Lindsey Faye Darrow.” She sounded mad and put out. “I hope you have a good game. Good bye!”

  Damn. He should call her. He glanced at the clock over his manager’s office. He had time. But he didn’t think he could handle hearing her voice right now. Or Beth’s. It would just distract him. So he sent off a quick text instead.

  God, he missed them. Everything about them.

  The only solution was to focus one-hundred percent on the game again. He had a job to do and he’d worked his ass off to get back here.

  “To be the best, you must ignore the rest.” He said his father’s words aloud to reinforce the message.

  ***

  Jack’s first game back went well. He’d gotten a standing ovation from the crowd when he’d come up to bat for the first time. He’d gotten on base twice—once with a single, and once with a walk. His knee hadn’t hurt too badly as he’d run the bases. There’d been reporters hounding him in the locker room afterward, and he’d patiently answered all their questions and signed countless autographs from fans. All in all, it was a great night.

  By the time he crawled into bed, he was exhausted. He’d hoped to have a text from Lindsey or Beth after the game, but he had just one from his dad, telling him the technical things he needed to work on with his swing, then a voicemail from his mom saying she was proud of him, and reminding him that she was waiting on pins and needles to meet Lindsey.

  He glanced at the framed photo he had of her next to his bed, the only personal photo he had in his whole house. He wished he had one of Beth. He opened up his photo files on his phone, finding one he’d taken of Beth and Lindsey that day at the zoo. They were both laughing into the camera, both looking so beautiful it actually hurt to look at them. In the background, a squirrel sat on the path, eating something. That led Jack to memories he really didn’t need to revisit, but of course he did.

  He set the pho
ne back down, turned off the light, and rolled onto his side to sleep. He stared at the empty pillow next to his. If Beth had come with him, her head would be on that pillow right now.

  He rolled back over and grabbed his phone, pulled up that photo again, and made it his screen saver.

  ***

  The next few weeks raced by. Zoey and Ryan’s wedding had made the local news, and suddenly Do-Overs was getting calls every day from young women wanting to save money on their wedding dresses by buying through the consignment store. Beth and her sisters spent hour upon hour scouring thrift shops, garage sales, and pouring over Craigslist and other online ads, searching for inventory to keep up with the demand.

  If Beth didn’t need the medical benefits of her call center job, she’d have cut back her hours there. As it was, she was spending every waking hour either commuting, working at the call center, or working at the shop. Luckily, Lindsey loved hanging out at Do-Overs, chatting it up with future brides, and talking baseball with the future grooms and groomsmen brave enough to step through the doors.

  Thank God for Renata—she’d really stepped it up and was helping more with Lindsey, and had even taken over some of Zoey’s old shifts.

  Beth had hardly any free time, which was good. Because in those rare free moments, or at night when she finally lay her head down on her pillow, exhausted from the full day, all she could think about was Jack. How much she missed him. How much Lindsey missed him.

  She’d been following his comeback on the news and online. He was the team’s designated hitter for now, and he was hitting really well, .341 since his return. And the few innings he’d played as a catcher, he’d done well, too. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was awarded his old starting position any time now. She hoped so. The game meant everything to him.