Page 121 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“I was probably worse.” I laughed. “Though, maybe not. We didn’t grow up with that kind of technology.”

Thinking back to being younger, to my family, sent a pang of sadness through me. My brother who I’d only wanted to love me. My parents who had loved me, but had turned their backs on me. It was a subject that always put me in a foul mood. Even now, years later, after I’d come to Lilly Valley and found happiness, the memories still stung.

“Oh my god,” April gasped, “is that Principal Jacobs?”

I glanced over and saw an older gentleman who looked to be in his mid to late sixties walking a dog on the sidewalk. “Holy crap, it is.”

April looked at me. “Do you remember when you, Kris, and Kellan put all those bags of dog poop in his office for April Fool’s Day? You said it was in honor of me. That if I had a holiday named after me, anything that happened had to be big.”

“Oh, geez.” I burst out laughing. “I’d forgotten we did that. Lord, he’d been pissed. We must have had like two dozen paper bags of dog shit in there. Took us four days to find that much.”

As we chuckled about a prank from so many years ago, I caught myself staring at her as we sat at a stop light. Her smile was the same as it had always been. It transported me back to warm summer nights, our young bodies tangled beneaththe stars. To cool fall afternoons, stealing kisses in the forest. She glanced up at me, and our eyes locked. In that moment, everything disappeared, and I knew she was also thinking about the past.

“Green light,” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“Green light. The light’s green.”

A honk from behind me knocked me out of my daze. I hit the gas and tried to concentrate on the road. I kept my mind on driving. Taking a chance, I moved my hand toward her again. I slipped my palm onto hers, twining my fingers through hers. My anxiety slowly seeped away when she didn’t pull her hand out of mine. We stayed like that all the way to the ball camp. My bear and I both thought that was a good sign.

FIFTEEN

APRIL

When we pulled into the parking lot, I finally pulled my hand free of Steff’s. I had no idea why I’d allowed that. Why did I let him hold my hand like that? Bigger question, why did I enjoy it so much? I tried to tell myself it was simply familiarity. An act of comfort that would have been pleasant if anyone had done the same. The problem was that no matter what I told myself, the truth was, I liked holding his hand. The contact had been emotional and pleasant. It could turn into a problem for me.

I didn’t want to think about how awful it would be if things went badly again. It felt like Steff was trying to mend the bridges he’d burned so long ago. Part of me wanted him to, wanted to help build them. Another part, the part that was terrified of being hurt again, was screaming and gnashing her teeth at the thought. How could I reconcile those two parts of myself?

Before I could even begin to delve into my psychosis, a man walking toward the truck with a big smile on his face caught my eye. I recognized him immediately. Retired Major League Baseball player Marcus Stanley. I’d met him a few times at parties. I’d even sat at his table at the ESPY Awards a few years ago before he’d retired. My jaw dropped when Steff jumped out of the truck and gave him a hug.

“Steffy baby,” the big man yelled, wrapping his arms around Steff.Steffy baby?

“How are you, you big jackass?” Steff asked, stepping away.

“Better than I deserve. Who you got with you?”

Aiden had climbed out of the truck and was standing there, staring at Marcus, his jaw almost on the ground. The guy was one of the best baseball players of the last twenty years, and it was obvious even a nine-year-old knew it.

Marcus stepped forward and put out a giant paw of a hand to Aiden. “Hey there, little man. You ready to learn some of the secrets of the ol’ bat and ball?”

Aiden’s head bobbed up and down so fast, I was afraid it would pop off. “Yes, sir.”

Marcus smiled and turned to me. His eyes found my face, and there was a moment of confusion. He recognized me, but couldn’t figure out from where. I could almost see the lightbulb go on as it hit him. Then he glanced at Steff, a questioning frown on his face. Steff rolled his eyes and shrugged. My face went red.

Marcus put out a hand to me, “Fiona? I think we’ve met once or twice. What brings you to this little burg?”

“Um, the name’s actually April. Fiona Steele was always more of a stage name. Or better yet, a business name, if you will.”

He smiled and put his hands on his hips. “Ain’t that something. Well, good to meet you, April. How did you manage to end up in a truck with this ugly sucker?” he asked, pointing a thumb in Steff’s direction.

“Well, uh… I’m actually from Lilly Valley. It’s about an hour away. Steff and I grew up together. We… we dated in high school.”

Marcus spun and gaped at Steff, his eyes as big as saucers. “Steff, you dated the most famous supermodel in the world and never told me?”

Steff looked a little uncomfortable now. I was glad I wasn’t the only one. He shrugged. “In my defense, when we dated, she wasn’t a model. Hey, let’s show Aiden around a little. We need to get started soon, and I want him to see everything.”

Thankfully, Marcus didn’t question it. He and Steff led Aiden toward a facility beside three big baseball diamonds. I walked along beside them, trying to stay out of sight so Marcus wouldn’t ask any questions. As we walked, I pulled my phone out and did a quick search. It seemed Steff and Marcus had been teammates in the eight months before Steff’s injury. Looked like they’d been friends for a while. Jesus, I even found a post from Marcus with Steff at his house in Chicago at Marcus’s daughter’s birthday. Damn.

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