Page 34 of Love Finds Home

“Have you met Carter Bailey yet?” she asks. “Lottie’s brother?”

“Yeah, but didn’t talk to him much. He was pretty protective over Lottie tonight, not talking to anyone but her and Tiny’s family.”

“I don’t blame him,” she replies. “He misses his sister.”

“Do you know him?”

“I’ve been in the same social circle as him since he was selected in the draft. My brothers know him better than I do, but yeah, we know each other. Even went on a date once. Figured out pretty fast we were not couple material. Imagine my surprise when Tiny shows up with a girl, and it’s Carter’s sister.”

The thought of her on a date with another man shouldn’t be any concern of mine, but it is. I don’t like it. Her dating someone else or how I feel about it. Suck it up, Cross, you can’t give her what she needs and she will find a man who can one day. Right?

“You think the team will make it this year? That they can go all the way?”

“I hope they can, but Carter’s shoulder was pretty torn up last year. I worried he wouldn’t be able to return this year, but so far, he’s been hanging in there. And Montez and O’Leary have really stepped up their game to make up for any shortcomings the team has. If they could add some depth to the pitching roster and give Carter some more days off, that would be a great benefit to the team. The bottom line is Carter only has a few more years left in his arm, if he can stay injury free.”

“You think he’ll come back here when he’s done?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’ll get offered some great job coaching and go where the offers are. Besides, I don’t think his wife would willingly step foot in this town. It’s too…plebeian for her.”

“Not a fan?”

“Not after she hit on my brother and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Well, that’s an interesting tidbit.

When the pizza arrives, my awe for this woman doesn’t go away. Without taking a breath, this little bitty woman scarfs down half a large. By herself. For as long as I’ve been out of the game, even I know most women don’t do that.

“So the art on your back?” I ask when I’ve finished my half.

“You designed that?”

“I did.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks. It represents my family.” The tattoo is of a tree, almost like a tree of life, with branches coming out of a wide trunk at the base of her spine, the roots continuing down over the top swells of her ass. “Each branch…”

“Represents a kid. The trunk is Mom and Dad.”

“That’s why one of the branches splits, it’s you and Tiny.”

“Yep.”

“Why are there no leaves?”

“So I can add to it as the family grows. If it ever grows. I thought Moose might give me a leaf representing a future, but that didn’t quite work out, and I had to cover it up.”

“The dead leaf on your hip.”

She nods but doesn’t go into details about who it was for.

“How about your artwork?” she asks, nodding to my ink.

“Barbie did most of mine. She’s pretty good.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m better.”

---