Page 31 of Bad Call

“I’ll get those right out,” she promised before walking away.

“What?” he asked, clearly annoyed by my grin.

“Nothing.” He wasn’t even aware he’d done it.

“So, let’s change the subject before we throttle each other. Tell me where you grew up.”

First, he ordered for me, and now he wanted to know about my childhood? This was going better than I hoped. “I was born in Burbank, but we moved to San Diego when I started middle school.”

“Then how did you end up in a small town like Mapleview?”

“I went to college in Portland. That’s where I met Marcus. We both played baseball for the University on scholarship.”

“Really?” His eyes brightened with interest, and hesat forward, leaning his arms on the table. “What position did you play?”

“Center Outfield. I wasn’t one of the better players on the team, and it was obvious I wasn’t going any further than college ball. Marcus and I roomed together, and he encouraged me not to give up on my dreams. I just had to find an alternate outlet.”

“Like umpiring.”

“Exactly. I slogged through years of high school baseball while teaching driver’s ed and coaching at a sports complex that had batting cages and private lessons.” I played with the wrapper of my straw, rolling it into tiny balls and piling them in a stack on the tablecloth. “I was pretty miserable, but I just didn’t realize how much until Marcus found Austin. They were so happy together, and it was a huge wake-up call for me. I want what he has, but I knew I’d never find it if I didn’t make changes.”

“So you made changes,” he guessed.

Nodding, I answered, “Packed up and moved to Mapleview.”

“And how’s that going?”

“It’s going.” I flipped one of the paper balls in his direction, narrowly missing his drink. “I guess we’ll see.”

Our waitress returned, sliding our plates in front of us, and I dug into my pasta, wasting no time. I was starved, but after my third bite, I paused when I realized Casey was staring. I looked up, my fork paused halfway to my mouth, at his horrified expression.

“What?” I mumbled around a mouthful of pasta. Did I have sauce on my face? Grabbing my napkin, I wipedmy mouth, realizing I did, in fact, have sauce on my face. Probably from slurping my noodles. I couldn’t help it; I always slurped my noodles.

“You have the worst table manners I’ve ever seen.”

Chuckling, I agreed. “My mother says I was raised in a barn.”

“You can’t convince me you’ve ever taken a woman to dinner, and she sat across the table from you and ever wanted a second date.”

“Maybe that’s why they never complained about not getting a callback.” I was teasing him, but it actually made sense.

Casey shook his head. “You’re a fucking mess. I promise I won’t complain if you never call me again either.”

Laughing, I set down my fork. “You wish. Like I would let you off the hook that easily.”

Hell, he was the one who always messaged me! He was lying to himself if he thought he wouldn’t miss me.

“We getting rum raisin after this?” he asked.

Look at him, prolonging our date. Because he didn’t want it to end? “Of course, but you’re buying this time.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CASEY

Four days ago,Marcus called to offer me an extra ticket to join him at the Mariners’ game. Austin couldn’t go because he was camping with his dad in the mountains. I jumped at the chance, grateful that he thought to ask me. I was a diehard Mariners fan and hadn’t been to a game all season. My own team kept me too busy to keep up with the Mariners’ schedule this season.

Wearing a huge grin, I knocked on his door, but it quickly disappeared when he answered. Marcus looked like shit. Dark circles under his eyes, chapped lips, a red nose, and bedhead.

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