Page 313 of Well Played

“Fine, I need my bag.” She hurried to the office and quickly changed out of her shop uniform and into her practice clothes. Between changing, she stuffed the pastry in her mouth and guzzled some of the water. She was finishing the last bite when someone knocked on her office door. “I’m ready,” she said, opening the door as she pulled her dark hair into a ponytail.

“Good, you can ride with me,” her teammate said as she pulled Kay from her office. “You’ve been late to every practice. I’m here to make sure you make it on time today.” The Dirt Princesses were made up of ball busting beauty queens, though Kay’s only claim to royalty was a local beauty pageant. She’d played little league until she’d aged out in high school, then joined the high school softball team and summer travel ball. She’d been with the Princesses ever since.

Walker Jackson allowed his niece to pull him along the path from the parking lot to Leeward’s newly opened Athletic Park. The park was nice, with a couple of fenced-off baseball fields,metal bleachers, two concession stands, a bocce court and a soccer field which doubled as a peewee football field. It impressed him to see what the town had accomplished, and he was happy he’d been able to contribute. He was especially glad now that Gracie was a part of a team. Her excitement was infectious. He could understand the feeling. Unlike Gracie, he’d joined his first team when he was four years old, but she had never been allowed to play sports. Gracie’s mother wasn’t an athlete, and his parents treated her like she was made of glass. After gaining custody of his niece ten years ago, he’d learned Downs Syndrome was simply a part of her like the color of her eyes. The girl was smart and had a mind of her own. She didn’t need to be treated like she would break.

“Come on, Uncle Walker, we’re going to be late.” She was also very bossy. Gracie had come into her own since he’d liberated her from his parents’ home. He felt the familiar shadow of guilt that lingered just below the surface. His mother had nearly crippled her with helpful attention. Walker was thankful she’d bounced back and become her own person. It hadn’t been easy for either of them to navigate his crazy schedule, but they’d learned to work as a team.

“I’m coming,” he said as he hurried to catch up, nearly tripping over his own feet when he got distracted by a lovely brunette taking batting practice. She had a great stance that showed off a nice, healthy figure and when she connected with the ball, she showed she had some real power. Walker couldn’t help but cheer.

“Come on,” Gracie hissed from a couple of yards away.

The brunette glanced over her shoulder, and Walker’s eyes met hers. His heart nearly slammed out of his chest, but before he could think, Gracie was pulling him away.

The bocce court was already full of people. Walker couldn’t decide who was the coach and who were the members of theteam. A young man in a fancy wheelchair was explaining how to play the game while several others watched an older couple demonstrate the moves.

“Hey Coach Wilson, Jimmy,” Gracie called as they neared the group.

Walker cringed. Gracie didn’t always stop to think before speaking, especially if she was excited. He tried to teach her basic etiquette, but who was he kidding? He hung around a bunch of ballplayers. They weren’t known for their great manners. No one seemed upset by the interruption.

The older man, demonstrating the moves, looked up and smiled. “Hey ya, Grace. So glad you made it.” He turned to the group and excused himself. Another person came up to finish the demonstration. The coach and a younger man came out to meet them. He held out his hand to Walker. “Hi, I’m James Wilson, but everyone around here just calls me Coach. This is my son, Jimmy.”

Jimmy exclaimed, “You’re Walker Jackson! You batted 327 in your rookie year. One more point and you’d have tied Tony Oliva.” He clamped his mouth shut and lowered his head, taking a step back.

“Wow, that’s so cool that you know that.” Walker held out his hand to shake Jimmy’s, but the younger man wouldn’t acknowledge him. He dropped his hand and forced a smile, wondering why the change in Jimmy’s demeanor. “It’s nice to meet you, Jimmy.”

“That’s not what you said the first time.”

“Jimmy?” Confused, Gracie looked from her friend to Walker.

Walker shrugged and looked at the coach for help. The older man shook his head. Walker couldn't remember having met Jimmy before, so he wondered if this was part of his condition. Gracie talked about Jimmy and his sister a lot. She was hopingto get a job at The Infield, the local coffee shop where Jimmy worked.

“Are you really joining the team?” Jimmy asked.

Gracie linked arms with him as the two of them trotted over to the bocce court.

“I’ve already given Gracie’s name to our local chapter, but before she can be an official member, the SSAA requires a few things. I’ll introduce you to our community liaison, Shane Holt. He handles the registration and organizing our volunteers. You wouldn’t be interested in being a volunteer, would you?”

Walker followed the man, half listening to him explain what Grace would need for the different sports in which she’d expressed an interest. Most of it was basic information. The coach brought him over to the younger man in the wheelchair. Walker introduced himself, and the two of them set about getting Gracie registered. The young man also asked if he would volunteer. “Sure, when I’m home. I’m on the road a lot with the team.” Walker explained he played baseball for the Carolina Sandsharks.

“Oh, sorry, I don’t follow baseball.”

“That’s okay. I knew nothing about Shining Star Athletic Association until Gracie wanted to sign up.”

“Do you have someone to bring her to games and practices?”

“The Council for Adults with Learning Disabilities has said they will get her to practices and events when I’m not available,” Walker explained. “Gracie has decided she can stay alone now while I’m gone. The Center has transportation and a line she can call in case of an emergency.”

“Oh, and she can always call me or my wife,” the coach said as he rejoined them. “Gracie’s a natural. Come watch, we can finish the paperwork up later.”

“Oh, we’re done, y’all go on. I’m going to get the parents together and set up their snack rotation.”

Walker frowned, realizing he’d forgotten the wheelchair guy’s name, but before he could ask, the coach interrupted.

“I brought a cooler full of fruit punch and some cheese crackers, since this was an unplanned practice. Thanks again for setting this up.”

The young man waved off the coach’s praise and rolled away to a group of women.

Walker joined the coach and some of the other spectators on the sidelines. He wasn’t a pro at Bocce. He’d played with friends for fun, but Gracie really seemed to understand the sport. She and Jimmy made a great team. He shouted when she made a brilliant play, enduring the strange looks he got. She deserved to hear him cheer for her. She still suffered from low self-esteem. He hoped being part of a team would give her more confidence.

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