Page 27 of The Double Play

“It’s no big deal, Emmett. I’m fine.”

“That’s the wrong shade of green,” he says, his fingertips grazing the edge of my shirtsleeve. I draw in a breath at the sudden contact, then let it out in a nervous laugh.

“I wasn’t prepared to come to a game. I meant to buy something to wear during halftime but then I found out that there wasn’t a halftime.”

He chuckles and the sound warms my soul. “How much do you know about baseball?”

I bite my lip. “June knows more than me.”

He laughs again, tilting his head back. I wish I could take another photo. I’d like to keep this moment forever. Him laughing beneath the sunset. My fingers sticky with ice cream. June giggling even though she likely didn’t hear much of our hushed conversation. It’s so perfect it makes my chest ache with longing. Will I ever get to have this, but with someone I don’t work for?

“We’ll have to remedy that. Games are a lot more fun when you know what’s happening.” He takes his hat off and runs a hand through his sweaty hair. “And they’re also better when you’re dressed appropriately.”

He puts the hat on my head and tugs it down. My heart stutters. I swallow and look up at him. His expression is softer than usual, and his deep brown eyes have flecks of gold swimming in their depths. The crown of my head feels warm from where he was wearing the ball cap. The fabric is damp from sweat, but I can’t bring myself to care. My lungs constrict and I officially know as much about breathing as I do about baseball.

“There,” he says in a low, silky tone. “Now you won’t get sunburnt and you’ll fit in.”

“This is your hat,” I murmur.

“It’s yours now.”

“I-I can’t–”

“Take tonight for yourself. Order room service and sleep.”

“I already promised June we’d have a sleepover,” I whisper.

The little girl in question is currently trying to get a blue sprinkle off her elbow with her tongue. I’m grateful she’s distracted. She won’t see me swooning over her father.

“I’ll take care of it. You need to rest.”

I nod. Emotion burns my throat so I can’t manage more of a response than that. A tear slips out unbidden and I quickly swipe it away. If Emmett notices, he says nothing, which I’m also grateful for.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel.”

He grabs June’s hand and starts walking. I follow behind them, trying to keep my sniffles at bay. I’m not sure what Emmett giving me his hat means, but Ihopeit means that we’re becoming friends. To think we could be anything more would be foolish, so I’ll keep wishing for a simple friendship. That will be enough for me. It has to be.

Chapter fourteen

Emmett Foster

“Whydidn’tyoutellme you were going to be in New York at the same time as me?” Jason, one of the friends I occasionally play video games with and often question my sanity around, asks over the phone.

He called me after June and I finished dinner. I made the mistake of answering.

I sigh. “How was I supposed to know you’d be in New York?”

“I don’t know, maybe by looking at the group chat where I told everyone that Willow and I would be in New York this weekend for a magazine interview?” He sounds offended at first, but there’s a touch of laughter in his tone that betrays he’s not that mad.

Beard hairs scratch against my palm as I scrub my face with one hand. After playing a full game today, I’m ready to relax and go to bed early. Instead, I’m arguing with a twenty-four-year-old who behaves half his age.

“I stopped reading the group chat,” I say.

The line goes silent. I glance at my phone to see if he hung up, then put it back to my ear as he’s mid-sentence.

“--been an emergency? We’re friends, E.T. You can’t shun us completely.”

“Friends wouldn’t call me E.T.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell everyone I hate nicknames, especially that one?”

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