Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  "I really like her," was all she managed to get out.

  Mr. Warner reached over and took his daughter's hand. "And I really like her too. In fact, I wouldn't mind if she was around more often -- whether she was here helping me with the business or not. There's always room for another member in the Warner family," he said. "Anyone who makes my daughter happy."

  "Do you think Dana will be okay with it?" Kate asked hesitantly. "I mean, I'm not saying anything big is happening between Joy and me right away but if it did. Do you think Dana would," Kate searched for the right words. "Accept us?" she finally said.

  Mr. Warner stared at Kate with a serious expression. "To be honest," he began. "I think Dana might be willing to trade both of us for Joy in a heartbeat."

  Kate couldn't help but laugh.

  "You know, Daddy. I think you might be right about that," she giggled.

  ❤️❤️❤️

  Joy had given Kate and Mr. Warner some space over the past few days so they could get adjusted to Mr. Warner being back at home but when Mr. Warner saw Joy getting into her car on Friday morning he called out to her from his chair in front of the house.

  "We'll be seeing you at dinner tonight I hope," he said.

  Joy laughed because his tone was more of a statement than a question.

  "Absolutely, Sir," she replied with a smile.

  "Great! I told Kate to pick up some Rocky Road ice cream on the way home from work. Dana should be back from Florida by five so I suspect we'll be eating about six thirty or so."

  "I'll be there!" Joy said enthusiastically.

  She was still thinking of the simple, pleasant exchange as she sat in Dr. Turner's office.

  "I think some people just choose to be accepting," she said to her therapist. "Unfortunately, my father isn't one of them."

  "And how does that make you feel?"

  Joy took a deep breath and then pushed all the air she'd inhaled back out of her lungs. With the air, she tried to push all of the painful feelings she'd suppressed about her father for so many years.

  "It makes me sad," she admitted. "But I have to accept that he might not -- probably won't change just because I want him to."

  "And what does that mean for you when you go back home?"

  Joy eased back in her chair and thought long and hard about the question. "It probably means I'll be moving in with my brother until I go back to Japan," she said. "That is if I go back."

  Dr. Turner's eyebrow raised.

  "I haven't heard anything from my agent yet but I know from following some of the sports websites that the Hurricanes have already picked up a new pitcher for this season."

  That news had hit Joy kind of hard but she'd been doing pretty good at facing hard news head on for the past few days. The increasing possibility that she wouldn't be going back to her former team hadn't sent Joy out into the night air searching for a drink. Instead, it helped her focus and get clear about what she really wanted next.

  "My agent is calling around to some of the National Fast Pitch teams. I wouldn't mind going to Florida. The weather is nice there year round."

  "Well, I'm glad you're handling all of this change so well, Joy. You're really an example of what can be accomplished when a person is willing to put in the work necessary to get healthy."

  ***

  "And the stadium was huge!" Dana exclaimed in between bites of homemade pizza.

  Joy, Kate and Mr. Warner hung on her every word as the teen gushed about her adventures at softball camp. Dana's description of the program in Florida made Joy wish all the more that the USSSA Pride team was an option for her. Dana was in the middle of telling them about something that happened on the plane trip back when Joy's cell phone rang in her pocket. She excused herself from the table and stepped into the living room.

  "Hey!" she said as soon as she realized it was her agent on the phone.

  "Are you sitting down?" Ray asked in a somber tone.

  Joy dropped onto the couch prepared to hear the worst. "Hit me," she said and then closed her eyes.

  "The Hurricanes want you back!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

  Joy blinked several times and shook her head as if she must have misheard him.

  "What? But I thought they'd just picked up Wendy Coleman? Why do they need another pitcher?"

  "Her contract didn't go through," Ray explained.

  That news left Joy with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was relieved to finally have an offer on the table but it also meant that she was the second choice of a team she'd played for five years.

  "Give me a few days to think about it," Joy finally said.

  "Look Joy. I don't want to pressure you on this, but right now the only other team that's expressing any interest is Chicago and they can't even match your salary from last season."

  Joy nodded her head. "I still need a few days," she said without explanation and then hung up the phone.

  When she went back into the dining room Dana and Mr. Warner already had bowls of her favorite ice cream sitting in front of them but she noticed Kate wasn't eating any.

  "You're not having any ice cream?" she asked with surprise.

  "Mom hates chocolate ice cream," Dana answered before Kate could say a word.

  Joy looked over at Kate and smiled at the memory of the chocolaty kiss they shared only last week.

  "I'll go get a bowl for you," Kate said and dashed out of the room before anyone but Joy could see her cheeks turning red.

  Joy followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while Kate scooped Rocky Road into a bowl.

  "Don't say a word!" Kate said as she fought the smile spreading across her face.

  "I don't have anything to say," Joy laughed. "I just didn't know my kisses were worth so much."

  Kate picked up the bowl and handed it to Joy. "Sometimes it's worth enduring something you'd prefer to avoid to get something you really want."

  "Oh really?" Joy said as she put a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth. She stepped toward Kate pinning her body against the refrigerator and leaning in for a kiss.

  "Oh no you don't," Kate said giggling. She ducked under Joy's arm and freed her self. "Now that I know you want it too I can wait until after you finish your ice cream to get my dessert!"

  Chapter 21

  Sunday afternoon Kate and Mr. Warner were in their seats for the last game of the summer before the big Tyson County Softball Tournament in September right before the school year started.

  "Are you comfortable enough, Daddy?" Kate asked as she leaned over and squeezed her father into a hug.

  Mr. Warner was propped up in a well-cushioned portable stadium seat that was much more comfortable than the metal slab Kate was sitting on. Still, Kate worried about him sitting under the hot sun for the duration of the game.

  "Are you sure you don't want me to get the umbrella out of the car?"

  "I'm fine, Sweetheart. And I've actually been missing being out in the sun all day." Mr. Warner lifted his face as if he was going to kiss the sky. "Maybe next week I'll just sit in the truck while you and Joy put out the first batch of perennials. Anything to get out of the house for a while."

  Kate twisted her lips but didn't dare utter an objection. Mr. Warner had gotten much stronger over the few days since he'd gotten home and she knew sooner or later he'd be back to running truckloads of plants up and down the hilly streets. Sometimes Kate could still detect a slight slur in his speech but other than that -- and his walk being a little more wobbly than usual -- there was really no sign of what he'd just endured.

  "Check out my granddaughter," he said drawing Kate's attention over to the dugout where Dana was warming up her pitch. She'd only been gone for a week but it seemed like she'd grown an inch in that short amount of time. Dana's long stride covered the distance from the dugout to the batting cage in just a few steps.

  "It looks like she's going to start today!" Kate said enthusiastically when she saw Coach Thompson motion to her daughter.


  Joy was standing next to the coach with a clipboard in her hand pointing at other players who were going to start in today's game. Somehow Coach Thompson had convinced Joy to come aboard to help her with the last game of the summer. The girls were thrilled -- and Joy seemed to be enjoying the experience too.

  Just then Joy walked over to where Dana as standing. Of course, Kate couldn't hear what the two were saying to each other but the intensity of their body language let her know that they were both deep in what she called the softball zone. She couldn't help but appreciate the special way they had of communicating with each other about the sport they both loved.

  "It's really been great having her around," Mr. Warner whispered to Kate. "Even though I'm sure Dana learned a lot at that camp there's nothing that can top the one-on-one instruction she's gotten from Joy."

  Kate's mind wandered to some of her own one-on-one coaching at the hand of the sexy athlete and her face flushed warm.

  Mr. Warner reached out and took Kate's hand in his. "All I want is to see my two favorite girls happy," he said. "That's all that matters to me. A healthy happy family." Mr. Warner leaned over and kissed Kate on her cheek.

  "Play ball!" a voice shouted from the field. The umpires cry interrupted the tender moment and gave Kate a chance to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill down her face.

  By the bottom of the fifth, the game was so close no one could predict who the winner would be.

  "Wow, this game is a lot closer than I thought it would be," Kate said as she shifted on her hard seat. The two teams were exchanging places on the field. Dana's team was up to bat. "I ran out of popcorn and now I think I've bitten off all of my nails," Kate said looking down at her hands.

  "I think I'm gonna go get some more popcorn," Mr. Warner said as he slowly got up from his chair. "Do you want me to bring you anything?"

  Kate knew it was hard for her father to sit for long periods of time without stiffness setting into his body but she wished he hadn't chosen this moment to leave her alone. She shook her head no, partially in response to her father's question and partially because she just saw Sam approaching them in the bleachers.

  "Hey there, Sam," Mr. Warner greeted as the two men came face-to-face.

  "I'm glad to see you up and about, Sir." Sam reached out and shook Mr. Warner's hand and then watched as older man descended the stairs. Then without asking, Sam sat down next to Kate in the cushioned seat her father had just vacated.

  "Your dad looks like he's doing pretty well," Sam said as he said down next to Kate.

  "Yeah, he is. We're really lucky that Joy got him to the hospital as quickly as she did. That's what saved his life."

  Kate thought she saw a scowl cross Sam's face but she chose to ignore it. Kate didn't know why Sam had chosen this moment to bother her but she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't going to put up with him badmouthing Joy today -- or any day for that matter.

  "Humph," Sam said. "I guess she got lucky again."

  Kate turned to Sam with a puzzled look on her face. "What are you talking about -- again?"

  "Oh, nothing. I just heard that Joy had a little issue earlier this summer."

  Kate hated it when Sam did stuff like this. Whenever he had news to share he felt like he was the cock-of-the-walk holding something over everyone else's head.

  "Whatever you have to say, Sam, just say it," Kate demanded without hiding any of her irritation.

  "Well, they say a picture is worth a 1000 words, right?"

  Sam tapped his cell phone screen a few times and then held the device out for Kate to see.

  Kate frowned as she read a salacious tabloid headline. Former Professional Athlete Narrowly Avoids Tragic Accident. Under the caption, there was a split screen picture. On the left, Kate could see the image of a car that had obviously lost its battle with a tree. On the right, there was a picture of Joy smiling in her Hurricanes uniform. Kate's brow furrowed deeper as she scrolled down the screen skimming the article. A few words jumped out at her more than others. Joy Sizemore... Speeding recklessly... Failed sobriety test.

  "Sam, what is this?" Kate asked hardly able to believe what she was reading. "Where did you get this?" Her first thought was that Sam had made it all up. Maybe he'd hired someone to plant a fake news article on the internet targeting the woman he obviously didn't like. Kate glared at the man sitting next to her. To her, Sam looked like a cat holding a mouse between his teeth.

  "Well, I was just doing a little digging to see who this woman is who's been spending so much time with my daughter." Sam's words were tainted with accusation as if Joy spending time with Dana was something illicit. "And I happened to stumble across this. I'm sure you already knew about it though," he said tauntingly. "Since you and Joy are so close. I'm sure she was able to explain that it was all some kind of mixup. I mean I know you certainly wouldn't let our only child ride in the car with someone who'd been arrested for a DUI! I don't think there's a judge in the county who wouldn't find that kind of parenting irresponsible."

  Sam's clear threat burned in Kate's ears and she could feel a softball size lump forming in her throat. Had Joy been in a DUI accident? When? Where? She certainly didn't want Sam to know he'd taken her by surprise with this information but at the sametime he was right. If she had known about this there's no way she would have let her child ride in Joy's car.

  "Popcorn anyone?" Mr. Warner's voice interrupted. On the surface he sounded like his usual cheerful self but when Kate's eyes met her father's she could see the worry reflected in them. She knew her father well enough to know his timely appearance was no coincidence. More than likely he'd been watching she and Sam from a distance and had made a beeline to intervene when he noticed her body language change mid-conversation.

  "I'm sorry, I'm in your seat." Sam rose to his feet. "I just needed to show Kate something I stumbled on." He turned his gaze back to Kate. "Food for thought, huh?" With that, he crept back down the steps.

  "What was that all about?" Mr. Warner asked.

  Kate's eyes were still locked on Sam's back as he descended the stadium stairs but her mind was focused on the contents of the article she'd just read.

  "Oh nothing," she said lying to her father. She couldn't bear to talk about it right now. Not out in public like this. She'd probably fall apart before she got the whole story out. "He was just being his normal irritating self," Kate said somehow managing to keep her voice from cracking.

  "Well, I'm at least glad he showed up for Dana's game," Mr. Warner continued. "Maybe he's finally decided to be a decent father.

  Kate's dad had no idea how ironic that statement was at the moment. Sam's appearance at the game today wasn't about supporting his daughter it was about accusing Joy of the unthinkable and threatening Kate.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Kate could hardly focus on the game. When Dana wasn't pitching or up to bat Kate was discreetly searching the internet on her cell phone trying to find out more information about Joy's accident. She'd pinged more than half a dozen sports websites but she couldn't find anything. No doubt Sam had used some of his private investigator connections to dig up the obscure article. Now all Kate could do was wait until the game was over and ask Joy to explain the matter.

  "Wasn't that a great game?" Joy said as she approached Kate and Mr. Warner a few hours later. Dana had gone into the locker room with the rest of the team to change clothes.

  "I even spotted a college scout in the stands who seemed to be really impressed with Dana's game."