by Laney Smith
“I know how to wake you up,” she purred.
“Do not do anything to molest my body,” he said with a sharp tone. “If you have an egg sandwich, then I’m up. Otherwise, no. Sleep!”
Scottie laughed. “You haven’t seen what I’m wearing.”
“Ugh!” Ryan groaned into the pillow. “Why?”
“You want coffee?”
“Are you leaving in five minutes?”
“I’m trying to help you have a good start to your day,” she flirted.
Ryan ripped the pillow off his head, sat up, and pointed his finger at her. “I’m never spending the night with you, again.”
She laughed at the cute mussed up hair, squinty eyes, and pouty look on his face. “You’re so cute right now.”
Ryan dragged his hand across his mouth and sighed. “I was sleeping so good. Then, this crazy woman started trying to land planes in her bathroom. Are you signaling Batman? You need search lights? I probably have tan lines. You don’t need that much damn light to look pretty.”
“I love the lighting in there. It’s perfect,” she said, planting one of her knees on the bed and stretching her half naked body to kiss his cheek. Her soft voice whispered, “Don’t be a grouch.”
Ryan cut his eyes over at her. “I know what you’re trying to do. It’s not going to work. I have to go that way,” he said, as he pointed toward the bathroom. He sat on the side of the bed for a second before he made his way to the separate little closed off room with the toilet, closing the door behind him.
As he stood in front of the toilet, the door opened behind him and Scottie stuck her head in. “Do you want to go have breakfast.”
Ryan scoffed. “Can it wait a minute or two?”
“I’ve seen people pee before,” she offered.
“OK. I can see how that could’ve happened.”
Ryan depressed the lever and flushed the toilet. He turned toward the door, trying to exit the small enclosure. Scottie stood in front of him with her lips puckered, trying to kiss him. Ryan scowled and shook his head.
“No, OK? I just . . . I’m really not ready for you, yet. I’m trying. I just need a chance to wake up.”
“You don’t want to play with me?” she pouted.
“Let me splash around in your shower for a minute or two. Then, let’s try this, again.”
Ryan went to retrieve his clothes from Scottie’s bedroom floor. He took his phone out of pocket and pressed the button to wake it. At staggered times, he counted two missed calls from Corlay, three missed calls – he assumed from Nathan, and two calls from his mother.
Ryan slid his jeans on and fastened them. He pulled his shirt on and shoved his bare feet in his socks before sliding them into his shoes. Scottie watched him for a second.
“What about your shower?”
“I can’t. I gotta go.”
“Wha . . . Ryan! I hate your phone.”
He kissed her head and whispered, “Thank you for understanding.”
“Uh, yeah! Sure,” she offered, half-heartedly.
Scottie stood with her hands on her hips, her tongue pressed to her cheek, watching him without moving her head. It was obvious she was irritated. Ryan didn’t have time to care. His mother was probably in a panic. He imagined Corlay had thought of a few comebacks to perpetuate the argument. But, he was most concerned about the fact that he had missed Nathan’s calls.
As he threw himself down into the driver’s seat of his car and started it up, he dialed the number Nathan usually called from. When there was no answer, Ryan’s heart jumped up in his throat. He called Corlay’s phone. She answered rather quickly. In fact, Ryan didn’t even hear the sound of the ring on his end.
“Hi,” Corlay’s breathy voice came through the phone.
“Everything OK?”
“Um, yeah. I tried to call you.”
“I know. Damn me for having a life, huh?”
Corlay’s soft laugh filtered through the phone. “You mean, you don’t just sit around, waiting for me to call and bug you?”
A smile spread Ryan’s lips as a sigh released the tension he felt to this point. “I probably should. I just . . . don’t,” he chuckled. “So, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“I don’t care. You’re the one that had to eat cold dinner.”
“Are you coming? Are you willing, I mean, to sit with Nathan, today?”
“What time would you like me to be there?”
“I’m actually in the shower, as we speak. So, how soon could you be here?”
“You’re taking a shower right now? You could’ve called me back.”
Corlay giggled. “I’m half in, half out, you know.”
“No, actually, I don’t. No one gets my shower time.”
“Maybe I just realize that I’m at your mercy.”
“That sounds . . .” Ryan started to flirt before he stopped himself. “OK, what time do you need me to be there?”
“I hate you, you know that, right? I want to be the one spending time with Nathan. It hurt me. What you said last night, it hurt me. The pictures, the missed dinner . . . I have to do this. We won’t have a place to live, or food to eat. It’s not as easy for me as it is for you. You have to forgive me. Regardless of what you believe, I’m doing the best I can,” Corlay’s voice cracked. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I just want you to know, I’m not a deadbeat, loser mom.”
“Oh, honey, I get confessions all the time. It’s part of being a Priest, I suppose,” Ryan joked. “Come on, Corlay. What time?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m at your mercy.”
Ryan smiled, again. “When do you have to leave for work?”
“In about forty-five minutes.”
“I’m on my way. Hurry up with that shower, though. I didn’t have time to take one before I left. I’m borrowing yours.”
“Oh dear. Mister GQ is out in public, unkempt. Whatever will we do?”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw your pictures on the internet. Not a hair out of place, trendy clothing, athletic build? The poster child for men’s style.”
“Are you hitting on me?” Ryan teased.
“Don’t flatter yourself, ball boy. It was just an observation,” Corlay offered in an equally flirty tone.
“Get out of the shower.”
“Are you here?” she asked with panic in her voice.
“No. But when I get there, that’s where I’m going, whether you’re in my way, or not.”
“You think you’re cute, don’t you?”
“Eh, I’m alright,” he teasingly answered. “I should be there in about a half hour.”
“A half hour? Where are you coming from? That’s none of my business. I’m sorry.”
“I have to stop by my parent’s house and get clothes. Then, I’m on my way.”
“I see. That’s right. You have a life.”
“I’m feeling guilty,” he confessed in a softened tone. “I shouldn’t have laid into you like I did. I feel bad about that.”
“If it weren’t true, it wouldn’t have hurt, right?”
“I don’t know anything about you. I shouldn’t have spoken as though I do. I’m sorry for that.”
“Why are you watching after Nathan?”
Ryan shook his head as he pondered her question. “I don’t want anything from you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I just want to understand. How does this happen? This is just so weird.”
“I don’t know. I can tell you there are no hidden motives. I’m not looking for trouble. I don’t know why, but I want to do it. So, let me.”
“I really do appreciate it. He needs a male role model. He needs a friend. He’s not exactly the most popular kid.”
“Enjoy your shower,” he said with sincerity. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan smiled and humbly ducked his head. “Of course.”
&nb
sp; When they disconnected the call, Corlay couldn’t help but smile. She liked the more pleasant side of Ryan’s personality. In truth, she hadn’t felt a man’s touch since Nathan’s dad left. Ryan was attractive, and she couldn’t deny that. He was flirty and fun, when they weren’t dueling to the death. She smiled to herself as she thought about how fun it could be if she wasn’t out of the shower by the time he got to her house. Then, she thought about her son. No! Ryan was Nathan’s friend. Corlay decided she had an obligation to keep her relationship with Ryan about Nathan, rather than about her own wants and needs. Within herself, however, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if she had met Ryan before Ryan met Nathan. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts away.
While Corlay finished her shower, Ryan stopped by his parent’s house. He walked through the door like a whipped puppy with his tail tucked. He expected his mother to have some words for his lack of consideration, in terms of failing to let her know he was alive and well. Sweet as she was, Frannie rarely missed an opportunity to interject her visions of perfection into any situation.
To his surprise, his mother seemed more excited about the possibility that her youngest son may have found some kind of future with Scottie. In fact, Frannie hoped for such things. She liked Scottie. She felt Scottie’s determination and ambition would keep Ryan from giving into depression over the abrupt end to his career. Scottie wouldn’t settle for a louse. She would help Ryan find a renewed version of himself. She would give him a purpose.
Frannie had always thought Scottie was beautiful. Frannie had the pretty realtor earmarked since the two women had spent time in a women’s luncheon group. As she got to know the driven young woman, she imagined Ryan by her side. She could visualize Ryan and Scottie’s wedding day. She also imagined Scottie’s stomach, swollen with Ryan’s child. She just knew Scottie would be the cutest pregnant woman on Earth. Frannie could only imagine how beautiful their children would be – her grandchildren. The fact that Ryan had spent the night with the woman seemed to fuel the flames of the torch that Frannie carried for Scottie. Frannie was certain the two were perfect for each other.
Ryan grabbed his clothes from his bedroom and told his mother where he was going. Frannie didn’t understand Ryan’s interest in helping the disadvantaged family. However, she knew Ryan harbored a charitable heart. She was thankful he had something to occupy his days . . . for now.
When Ryan got to Nathan’s house, Corlay happened to catch a glimpse of him out her living room window as he stepped out of his car. She smiled, admiring the mechanics of his stride as he strolled toward her door, his clothes rolled up in his hand, oblivious to her watchful gaze. She drew a deep breath and shook her head.
“It should be illegal to look that good without any effort,” Corlay muttered.
Nathan covered his mouth, as he stood beside his mother, delighted with her reaction. “Momma, do you like Ryan for a boyfriend?”
Corlay looked down at Nathan as she stepped around him to meet Ryan at the door. “Shh! Don’t repeat that.”
Nathan buried his face in his hands, almost too excited to compose himself. He watched the exchange between his mother and Ryan as Ryan stepped into the house. Nathan had never seen his mother smile like she did when she looked at Ryan. He listened to the two, hopeful that the flirty banter meant something.
“Good morning,” Corlay greeted Ryan.
“Again,” Ryan nodded with a smile. “So, I’m assuming the remainder of your shower went well.”
“It did, actually. Thanks for asking.”
Ryan sighed as he stood face to face with her. His eyes shyly drifted down to his hand as he held his clothes out. “Do you have ten minutes?”
“Ten minutes for what?” she asked in surprise.
“No, I didn’t mean that,” Ryan countered, realizing what she thought. “I meant . . . Well,” he chuckled as his demeanor changed, “it is your house.” He tilted his head and smiled a flirty grin. “You can do whatever you want. I’m going to borrow your shower. You’re more than welcome.”
“I’m assuming you can handle that by yourself.”
Ryan looked down before slowly lifting his eyes to meet hers. “Uh, yeah.”
Corlay fought the grin tugging at her lips. “Not what I meant. Then, I’m sure you knew that, already.”
“Ten minutes,” he repeated, winking as he stepped around her and started for the bathroom. “This way, right?” he asked as he pointed toward the hallway.
Neither Corlay nor Nathan answered. They both watched as Ryan disappeared down the hallway, followed a few seconds later by the sound of the closing door. Nathan turned toward his mother with a shy smile.
“I can ask him if he wants to be your boyfriend.”
“Absolutely not,” Corlay playfully protested. “He’s here for you. Stop talking before he hears you.”
“He won’t hear me, Mom. He’s in the shower.”
“Nate, I don’t want you to say anything to him. Promise me you won’t say anything.”
“I won’t, Mom. I’m not a little kid.”
Corlay smiled at her son. “No, you’re not, are you?”
After a few moments, as Corlay and Nathan moved through their morning rituals, Ryan finished his shower. When he came out of the bathroom, his hair was still damp and wild from toweling off. He dropped his rolled-up laundry by the front door and raked his fingers over his head, carelessly styling his hairdo.
“Would you like a brush?” Corlay teased.
Ryan shook his head. “Why? I’m just going to put a cap on.”
“So, are you guys hanging out in the dugout, today? Or do you have big adventures planned?”
“Somebody has new baseball equipment that needs to be broken in,” Ryan said as he smiled at Nathan. “We have to work on that.”
“We’re going to play baseball?” Nathan enthusiastically asked.
Ryan scrunched his face. “Nah, you don’t want to do that, do you?”
“Uh, yeah!”
Ryan glanced at Corlay, smiling his dimply grin. “Guess we’re going to play.”
“OK. Can you walk me out?” Corlay asked.
She started toward the door and Ryan followed her, glancing back at Nathan. Nathan smiled and secretly gave him two thumbs up. Ryan flashed him a cautioning expression as he followed Corlay outside.
“Please don’t buy him anything, today. I appreciate what you’re doing. I hate to sound ungrateful, but if you spoil him, I can’t afford to maintain what you’re starting.”
“Will you stop? Leave us alone. Go to work. We know what we’re doing,” Ryan offered with a nurturing tone.
“Uh huh! I’m serious, Ryan. Please, don’t spoil my kid.”
Ryan shrugged one shoulder. “OK. That’s different than what you asked before. I won’t spoil anybody. But, we’re going to eat lunch. If you’re late, we’re going to eat dinner.”
“I intend to be here for dinner.”
“I’m not doing anything for you for dinner,” Ryan shot back in orneriness.
“I don’t want you to,” Corlay defended. “That’s why I’m telling you.”
“I already told you,” he smirked. “I’m not spoiling anyone.”
Corlay smiled, slowly blinking her eyes shut as she nodded. “Fair enough.”
~FIFTEEN~
Ryan and Nathan found a nice baseball diamond behind one of the elementary schools to practice and break in Nathan’s new baseball gear. Ryan tossed the ball to the boy, playing a simple game of catch. For a while, Nathan had a blast. Then, he started getting bored with playing catch.
“Ryan, how far can you throw a ball?”
Ryan shyly smiled. “I don’t know. It’s been a while.”
“A while since you played baseball?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the last time you played?”
Ryan nodded. “You saw it.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You didn’t watch the Worl
d Series?”
“That was the other Ryan Priest.”
Ryan chuckled. “It feels like it was someone else, that’s for sure.”
“Ryan?”
Ryan looked at Nathan’s puzzled face. “What, buddy?”
“You’re the same Ryan Priest that lost . . . that game?”
Ryan sighed, disappointed in himself, yet again. “You knew that. You told your friends about me, didn’t you?”
“You’re the real Ryan Priest? The real one? The baseball player? MVP? Catcher? The Ryan Priest?”
Ryan nodded. “Yeah,” he humbly confessed.
Nathan pouted and crossed his arms across his chest before he stormed off. Ryan jerked his head back in confusion as he watched the little boy’s reaction. He called after his little friend.
“Nate, where’re you going? Hey, Nate!”
Nathan continued stomping away.
“Hey, Nathan,” Ryan sang, puzzled by what he was seeing.
After he realized Nathan wasn’t coming back, Ryan jogged to catch up to the child. As Ryan approached, Nathan jerked his body and turned away. Ryan could see the boy was upset and crying.
“Nathan, stop. Come here. What’s the matter?”
“Don’t talk to me, ever again.”
Ryan felt as though he had taken a kick to the heart. “Uh . . . wha . . . Stop! Just talk to me. What’s the matter? Are you that mad at me?”
Nathan turned around. “You lied to me,” he spouted, sobbing.
“No I didn’t. What’re you talking about? I didn’t lie to you.”
“I said all of that mean stuff about the real Ryan Priest. You didn’t tell me. I didn’t know. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I’m sorry, OK? I wouldn’t have said that. I’m mad because you didn’t tell me. I thought you were a different Ryan. Now, I said bad stuff.”
Ryan felt his heart wring itself out in his chest. He could see the embarrassment and shame on the child’s face.
“Nate, it’s OK. I thought you knew. You told your friends.”
“They’re not my friends,” the boy cried. “I thought it was a lie. I thought I was faking them out. I shouldn’t have said all that stuff about you.” Nathan covered his face with his hands. Ryan dropped to his knees and gently pulled at the boy’s arms in an attempt to see his face.