Page 53 of Strike Zone

The way his eyes dilated and narrowed on me. A man has never looked at me the way he does. I don’t understand what is happening between us. There is this constant draw I feel towards him.

Every grin, every bad joke, every twitch of his silly mustache makes me even more attracted to him. I don’t know what to do with all these…feelings.

Wyatt’s mom, sister, and niece stand together in a solid formation. I told him I would be fine, but seeing them banded together against me is making me sweat.

“What are your intentions with Uncle Wyatt?” Lennon asks, not wasting any time on her interrogation. Her arms crossed over her chest.

“What? Nothing. No intentions. We’re friends,” I stammer through my answer.

“Friends, you say. Is that why you are at his house every day? What are you doing over there?” She pushes like a seasoned cop.

I look at Faith and Willow. Surely I’m not expected to answer to a seven year old. Both women stare back at me expectantly. “Nothing special. Study. Eat.”

“You’re hiding something. I can see it in your eyes,” Lennon says, pointing a finger in my direction. Wyatt warned me. He said not to look directly at them. Is this why? I attempt to blink away whatever she thinks she sees.

“Mama?” Willow asks, keeping her eyes trained on me.

“Yes, honey?”

“When was the last time Wyatt brought a girl home?” Willow’s eyes are calculating. Her lip lifted in a slight smirk. I take a step away from her. She’s beginning to scare me.

“Well, let me see.” Faith runs a hand through her long blonde hair. There are a few gray highlights blended in with the blonde, but she still looks young and spry despite having five adult children. “I don’t think he’s ever invited a girl home before.”

“I’m not his girlfriend. He didn’t ask me to come today. I’m here because you invited me. Wyatt said I had to be here because you said so.”

“Isn’t that lucky? Mama handed him a reason to bring you home on a silver platter. He didn’t have to come up with an excuse of his own to get you here,” Willow explains.

“He wouldn’t have asked me to come. We aren’t really meet the family kind of friends.”

“You are now,” his mama exclaims. “Come in the kitchen. Jack will have the game on soon and we won’t be able to talk over that noise.”

I glance back at Wyatt’s dad. He’s resting back in a leather chair half asleep. His leg is propped up on a matching ottoman. I don’t think he plans on moving any time soon.

“Wyatt said you’re a business major,” Willow remarks as we make our way through the kitchen. It’s a large, open kitchen with two toned cabinets and butcher block counters. Lennon’s artwork covers the fridge along with grocery lists and coupons.

“I am.” Wyatt did tell them about me. I wonder what else was said besides my major and the fact I hang out at his house all the time. He doesn’t have much of a filter. Combine that with their interrogation skills. He was set up for failure.

“Have a seat.” Faith gestures toward their dining room table. It reminds me of a picnic table with benches on either side and a chair on each end. “We’re working on plans for the new season.”

Blueprints of what look like different fields are spread over the table. I straddle a leg over the bench seat and get comfortable. I glance over the papers without disturbing anything. There are a few sketches of buildings, but mostly it’s empty plots of land with notes on what to plant where.

Faith brings over sweet tea for everyone. I pull a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and fold it in half. It isn’t the most ideal solution for a coaster but I would hate to ruin the table. I take a quick sip before putting it down.

All three women are staring at me. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, honey,” Faith says. “Now, while the boys are out there preparing the fields, it’s up to the Rivers women to decide what we’re going to do with them.”

I should feel uncomfortable sitting here discussing family matters. Yet, a warm feeling floods my chest with Faith including me as a “Rivers woman.” I wonder how Wyatt would feel about that.

“We have enough growing in the greenhouse to fill two fields for a late spring harvest,” Willow says, pointing to a smaller field on the large blueprint. “Cabbage, broccoli, and some of the lettuce will be ready to pick this month. Lennon and I have more seedlings started to take their place. They should be ready to plant in a few weeks.”

“How do you sell what you harvest?” I ask.

“We have a monthly membership program. It runs from May through October. Members get a portion of that month’s harvest for a fee. They don’t know what they will be getting. However they can make requests,” Willow says.

“We do our best to give everyone what they like and what they’ll use,” Faith adds.

It’s a smart plan. This way you don’t have product going to waste. Everything gets sold as long as the membership is high with good customer retention.

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