Page 312 of Well Played

TWO SPECIAL CUPIDS

BY S L HOLLISTER

“Jimmy, come give me a hand setting up before the afternoon crowd comes in,” Kaylee called.

Jimmy grunted but kept his head down.

“Jimmy!”

“In a minute.”

Stomping over to him, she growled. “You know you’re not supposed to play on your phone at work.”

“I was on a break,” he whined.

“Are you watching a baseball game? Who’s playing?”

“I’m just studying the stats,” he muttered, never looking up from his phone.

Jimmy had a great mind for statistics. He could remember every RBI and base hit she ever had. Baseball stats were his favorites, but he could give statistics on any subject that caught his interest. Social interactions and reading comprehension were a different matter. He’d had a difficult time in school. That was the reason her father had volunteered with the Shining StarAthletic Association, to give Jimmy something to do and be proud of. It also gave him a group of friends. He got along well with the guys who worked for her at the coffee shop, and her teammates, The Dirt Princesses, treated him like a little brother, but he needed his own group of friends. She watched the game over his shoulder. “Is that the Sandsharks? I didn’t think we watched the Sharks anymore?”

“I’m not. I’m studying their stats.”

“But we don’t like the Sharks,” she argued, feeling betrayed. When had he started watching the Sandsharks again?

“You don’t like the Sharks.”

“But after what he did to us…”

Jimmy shrugged but didn’t look up. “It was a long time ago.”

“So, you’re just going to forgive and forget? Well, I’m not. If Walker Jackson was to walk in here today, I’d tell him what an egotistical ass I think he is.” She stomped back to the kitchen, determined to put her former crush out of her thoughts.

Jimmy came in with a stack of dishes.

“We’ve got practice tonight. We need to hurry so we can grab a bite to eat.”

Jimmy frowned. “You’ve got practice, I don’t.”

“No, Dad called practice for you guys tonight. He wants you on the bocce court at five. You’ve got a new teammate.”

Jimmy grumbled and crammed the dishes into the dishwasher.

“Easy does it, bubba. I can’t afford to buy new dishes.” Kaylee pulled the puff pastries from the oven. Cheese and vegetables filled the golden pastry. She inhaled. “Hmm, they smell wonderful. Do you want one?”

Jimmy wrinkled his nose. He didn’t like vegetables or certain textures.

She turned down the heat and put the pans of mini quiches into the oven, then took the pastries out to the front of the coffee shop. She placed them in the pastry case.

“You better hurry if you plan to make it to practice on time,” her mother warned.

Kay glanced at the clock over the counter and cursed under her breath. “Let me just pull the quiches from the oven.”

“I got it, go.”

Kay frowned. “I need to get Jimmy.”

“Your dad said he’d stop by and get him.” Her mother handed her a puff pastry and a bottle of water. “Here, take this and go.”

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