Page 7 of Mom Ball

My eyes pop open to Ethan’s voice.

“I told you to stay outside during our spa day.”

“But we met Nate the Great.”

“Nathan Miller?” Erica leans up, a cloth falling from her eyes.

“Yes, he’s our new neighbor,” I say.

Erica cuts her eyes toward me in a questioning stare.

“Y’all all know him?” Carter’s eyes widen.

“He grew up here and went to our school,” Erica offers.

Thank God, she went with that and not the whole “dated Brooke” explanation. I half smile at her with gratitude.

“He said he could help us with ball.” Ethan raises his hands in excitement. “For free!”

Morgan smiles. “Well, now that does make Nate great.”

“He’s going to help all of us, even Timothy.”

Erica raises an eyebrow at me.

“Maybe. Timothy’s never even played ball,” I say.

“So he needs help the most,” Ethan counters.

I sigh.

“Well, I guess that was your ghost, huh, Brooke?” Aniston’s voice carries coyly across the room.

We all turn to the doorway. “How long have you been there?” I ask.

“Long enough to know you need a massage,” Daisy says, peeking around her.

“That’s one thing I agree with.” I stand and turn to Ethan. “The baseball is TBD.”

He nods and lowers his head.

Aniston hands me a warm towel as I pass her. “Wash your face before falling asleep in there. Remember what happened to me when I misused skin cream?”

I laugh. “Don’t we all.”

Aniston was red for a week after getting her face too heated while wearing her sister’s skin cream. She had to recruit Adrianne to do her makeup so she could attend a banquet with Easton and not look like a tomato.

I wipe my face and toss the dirty towel at Aniston. She scoffs. I follow Daisy toward the massage table without looking back. Serves her right.

Maybe Daisy can work some kind of miracle on me. My body keeps alternating between tensing up and loosening like Jell-O. And I had none of this stress before today.

Sadly, Nate still has an effect on me.

* * *

Nate

In the few days since I’ve moved back to Apple Cart, not much has changed. There’s an extra Dollar General, and the Pig got a facelift. Today I can add one more difference to the list.

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