Page 14 of Love in the Outfield

“Well, August Jacob, time for a bath.”

“Baf,” he parrots and I burrow into his neck. It smells of that intangible baby scent that’s all his own. I don’t know what the future holds for us but we’re in for a roller coaster ride and I’m determined to make this as smooth as possible for my baby boy.

7

GEORGIA

Sunshine, blue summer sky and it’s a blistering hot August day in Kentucky. I park in the shade under a tall white cedar tree and keep my car running with the air conditioning blasting while I work up the nerve to go inside. Like a dumbbell, I arrived fifteen minutes early, now I’m sitting here as anxious as a Chihuahua during Fourth of July fireworks. I wonder what kind of car he drives. Probably some Porsche or something fancy like that. Seconds later a car pulls in beside me and I glance over at a black Porsche convertible. I roll my eyes.Did I call it or what?We lock eyes and I wave my fingers at him then shut down the engine and climb out.

“Nice ride,” I say insincerely as he gets out, not liking the judgy way I sound. He’s looking cool as a cucumber in his cargo shorts and tee shirt, while I feel like a sticky mess in my sundress and flip-flops.

He shrugs. “Itispretty sweet. My dream car. Never thought I’d own one. My first big purchase.” A breeze ruffles his hair and I swear he looks like something from an ad.

“You mean you didn’t buy your mama a vacation home in Italy or somethin’?” I say.I am such a brat!

His lips tightening is the only indication he’s annoyed. “Let’s go inside before you melt,” he says before lightly grasping my arm. I jerk it away and march briskly past the beautifully landscaped garden walkway of bright perennials and head straight toward the entrance. Cade steps in front of me to hold the door and my short cotton dress swishes around my thighs as I flounce around him. The aroma of bacon and fresh pastries cuts straight from my nose to my tummy. The noisy sounds of conversations and cutlery clacking and clattering against dishes are at once comforting and normal.I’ve got this.

The restaurant has high ceilings with lazily swirling fans and a whiteboard announcing the specials. I immediately nix the idea of sitting at the horseshoe counter with an eclectic group of diners … not enough privacy for us. Spying the last empty booth towards the back I make a beeline for it. I pass the counter and smile at a man who glances up from reading his newspaper; a tempting cream cheese Danish sits on a small plate next to his steaming cup of coffee.

I scooch into the booth next to a window and Cade slides in across from me. The diner has a relaxed ambience, warm and homey with cozy blond wood booths, red and white checkered floors, and lots of windows. We barely have enough time to blink before our young server arrives with our menus, a pitcher of ice water and two glasses.

As she pours, she says, “Our breakfast specials today are Eggs Benedict and Asparagus and Parmesan Scramble. Along with our freshly squeezed orange juice, today we have fresh grapefruit and tomato juice as well. I’ll give you time to look at the menu. Coffee?”

“Yes, with lots of cream. Please and thank you,” I say. I glance around the restaurant and notice some people gawking. Cade has his nose buried in his menu and doesn’t seem to notice the attention he’s attracting.

I lean towards him and whisper, “People are staring.”

He lifts his eyes. “And? Just ignore them.”

“Does this happen often?”

“Some. We’re in the height of the season and I’m on home turf. Lots of hubbub around the trade. There are tons of Cutter baseball fans around here. You’ll get used to it.”

I sniff then swivel, angling my back to the room. “So, what’s tickling your fancy?” I ask perusing the menu.

He chuckles. “I’ve missed your sayings.”

I look up. Holy crap, his smile! “My sayings? What do you mean bymy sayings?”

“The way you talk. It’s adorable.”

I feel my cheeks heat. “I’m going to have the French toast with fresh fruit. And lots of coffee.”

“I see how this is going. Alright, I get the hint. I’m going for pre-game carbs and protein. Whole grain griddle cakes and cheesy scrambled eggs.”

“Big game tonight?”

“Yeah, we need to win this series to keep on point for the playoffs. It’s a pretty tight race.”

“You mean you have a shot at the World Series this year?”

The corner of his lip tilts up. “You used to know the stats better than I did. I guess you gave up on baseball. Yeah, a decent chance if we don’t blow it. We’ve been riddled with injuries, which is one of the reasons they picked me up at the trade deadline.”

I never even noticed I was wringing my hands until he reaches across the table and covers them with his.

“Settle down, Georgia. I told you we’re taking this at your pace.” I jerk my hands away as the server interrupts, pours coffee, puts a small stainless carafe of creamer on the table then takes our orders. She collects our menus and hurries away.

I add a heavy dose of cream to my mug and take a sip. “You said you want to meet Auggie before you go on the road. So that’s Monday, right?”

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