Page 6 of The Third Baseman

“It’s usually a bit busier, but…” she trailed off apologetically. “You’re probably used to being busy.”

“No, no. It’s good that it’s quiet.” I chewed a little on my lip. “It’ll give me time to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“It was kind of why we wanted to take you out.” Lowe’s hand flicked between her and Beulah. “And we’ve been so excited to have you come here; to meet you properly.”

“Really?” My eyes widened with surprise at her enthusiasm, along with Beulah’s effusive nodding, and my cheeks flushed in a good way. I definitely wasn’t at N.A.S.A. anymore.

“Yes, really. So what do you say? Coffee?”

Seeing as I was about to stifle a yawn, there was no way I was passing up the offer of caffeine. But something about these women made me want to go anyway. They were warm, welcoming, and instantly likeable. They also exuded an effortless type of glamour which wasn’t present in my corner of Houston either. Even in their jeans and tees you could tell they were the type of women who stood out, whether they wanted to or not.

“Sounds great,” I replied, mustering as much enthusiasm as I could. Plus, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do about my job, nor did I have any idea on how to do it, so perhaps they’d be able to shed some light on that particular problem.

“Awesome!” Lowe clapped her hands together, her blue eyes shining with glee. “There’s a great place just outside the stadium, along the river.”

“Sounds perfect.” I hadn’t yet got around to taking my coat off, so I grabbed my purse and slung it across my body before following them out.

“How do you like your apartment?” Beulah asked with a smile as I fell into stride next to her.

My mouth opened and closed. I was still a little speechless at the welcome surprise I’d had when I’d arrived on Saturday. The Lions had provided living accommodation as part of my job package; I was expecting an apartment somewhere close to the stadium, something slightly basic, comfortable, and clean. But I’d forgotten I was no longer funded by government dollars, so I wasn’t prepared for the level of luxury and coziness I’d been given in an apartment so high I could probably touch the stars if the windows opened.

In short, it was incredible, and made soaking my hand that much easier. I’d spent my first night with a bottle of wine from my new wine wall – yes,wall– looking out on the twinkling lights of the city from my bathtub, while trying not to think about how the afternoon had played out.

My apartment was going to be hard to leave.

“It’s beautiful, thank you. The views are stunning.”

Lowe clasped her hands to her chest. “That makes me so happy. Beulah and I chose it. We wanted somewhere you had a great view of the city, but also the sky.”

My throat thickened again slightly at their unexpected kindness and thoughtfulness. “That’s really incredibly sweet of you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. We hope you feel at home. It’s hard to move so far away, so we picked somewhere special to enjoy when you’re not traveling with the team.”

I thought back to the empty house I’d left in Houston. Even when I’d been married it hadn’t had much in it; the plus side of that was it hadn’t taken long to pack up. No wonder we’d barely spent time there.

But my new place couldn’t have been more perfect if I’d chosen it myself.

“It’s the most gorgeous apartment I’ve ever had.” I smiled widely for the first time since I’d arrived here. “I guess Penn told you I worked at N.A.S.A.”

“Something like that,” muttered Beulah, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was a response she meant me to hear – especially when I swear Lowe nudged her slightly.

“Well…” I continued, “Perhaps you’d like to come over for dinner so I can thank you. I’m not the greatest cook, but I do make a mean fried chicken.”

Lowe looped her arm through mine and squeezed it; something that I found oddly comforting considering I’d only just met her. “We’d love to.”

I smiled then immediately forgot my train of thought when the sun blinded me as we stepped outside. Squinting until I found my sunglasses, we walked through the massive club grounds toward the stadium’s entrance – the grand arch of climbing lions. Compared to when I’d been here on Saturday during the game, and the deafening levels of cheering, today it was more reminiscent of an eerie ghost town.

A well-kept one, but eerie nonetheless.

It would be the same this Saturday according to Mike on our tour this morning. We had a few home games coming up once the boys returned at the end of the week.

We were now walking past a grounds-man expertly trimming a lion shaped hedge. “Do either of you go to away games? Are you required to?”

Lowe’s nose crinkled up. “Well, to tell the truth, this is only the first week of the season. Penn took ownership at the end of last season, so there haven’t been any away games to go to. Plus,” she dropped her voice slightly, “Penn has been like a coiled spring leading up to this stretch, and there’s only so much I can take.”

Beulah let out a loud snicker. I wasn’t in on the joke, though my only experience of Penn Shepherd was when he’d spent weeks trying to get in contact with me, then flown to Houston to find me in person when I didn’t reply to his many messages and voicemails.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what he was like when a game was on.

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