Page 22 of The Double Play

His kind actions, the way he looked in the dark room, how my name sounded in his sleepy voice. The memory clings to me like smoke. I’ll have to work to get rid of it, but I’m not sure I want to. It’s been so long since I felt anything like this. So even though it’s foolish to entertain a crush on someone like him, I let myself anyway. It’s harmless enough. No one ever has to know.

I splash warm water on my face and dry off with one of the white hand towels on the sink. I’d call them pristine if I hadn’t seen Emmett’s guest bathroom. I’m convinced nothing is cleaner than that room and those towels. As I’m contemplating asking him for the number of his maid so she can tell me her secrets, my phone starts to buzz on the nightstand where I left it. Thinking that it might be Emmett saying he’s heading over with June early, I rush to snag it before I miss the call.

When I pick up my phone, though, I notice that it’s my sister Raven.

“Hey, honey,” I answer. “Everything all right?”

Raven rarely calls me. She prefers texting to phone calls the majority of the time.

“No,” she says with a sniffle. “I need you.”

“What’s going on?” I ask, trying to remain calm as panic tightens like a belt around my chest.

“Mom told me that she was going to take me to the museum for my internship interview tomorrow, but I woke up this morning to cash on the counter and a note saying she’d be back in a couple of days. Dad said he can’t call out of work to take me, and none of my friends are available. Can you please give me a ride?”

Anger burns hot in my blood. Why can’t they just beparents? They don’t have to do much. Raven’s almost an adult, and I’ve been taking care of her for years now. All they need to do are the very basic duties of a parent, but neither of them can even manage that.

“I’m in New York right now, remember?” I remind her gently. The sound of a sob catching in her throat makes my heart break. “But don’t worry, I’ll handle this, okay? I’ll find someone to take you. What time is the interview?”

“Four,” she croaks.

“Let me make some calls. I’ll talk to you soon. Take a few deep breaths for me.”

“Okay, thank you.” She sniffles again. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”

“Raven James,” I coat my voice in steel. “You know better than to apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”

“I just hate having to call you all the time.”

I sigh. “I know, honey, but it’s not your fault. This is what sisters are for. Now I’m going to try to get this handled. I’ll call you back shortly.”

“Okay.” The weakness in her voice guts me. “I love you.”

“I love you most.”

We hang up and I take a deep breath. Starting my day off with this challenge isn’t ideal, but anything involving my family rarely is. Raven deserves so much better. She shouldn’t have to fight for the bare minimum. A small voice whispers that I shouldn’t have to either, but I silence it. This isn’t about me, it’s about making sure that Raven gets everything she needs to succeed in life. Even if it means lecturing my dad like I’m the parent in our relationship and he’s the irresponsible child.

Suddenly, the exhaustion that eluded me earlier has now arrived to take me captive. I fight through it and find my dad’s contact in my phone.This is what sisters do.Maybe not what they shouldhaveto do, but what they do nonetheless.

Chapter twelve

Emmett Foster

Hazelsmellslikeorangemarmalade. I shouldn’t know that about her, but she left the sweet citrus scent all over my pillow, so now I do. There were quite a few things I learned last night that I shouldn’t have. Like what she sounds like when she’s just woken up. And how soft her touch is. I can still picture the way her hair looked, halfway falling out of her ponytail, the strands creating a delicate frame around her sleepy expression.

She was…different. I’ve gotten used to seeing her daily. She’s become a part of my life because of her position as June’s nanny. And that was the way I thought of her. She was nothing more than June’s nanny. A shift occurred last night, though. It was as if I’d been looking at her through a smudged window, but when she touched me, that window was wiped clean. I awoke to a beautiful, kind woman who stirred something within me that I haven’t felt in years. Possibly ever.

I grip the countertop and stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Shadows hang beneath my eyes. I wasn’t able to sleep well once Hazel left. Her scent on my pillow was too much to bear, plus June insisted on sleeping with her knees digging into my back. Eventually I gave up on rest entirely and just stared at the ceiling.

I can’t afford to be anything less than a hundred percent for the upcoming games. While I don’t consider myself old–even if my friends like to joke otherwise–I know there are younger pitchers out there that my team might prefer if I slip below excellent. So it was foolish of me to have slept half the night in a chair that still has my back aching this morning. But when I saw Hazel holding my daughter as if she were her own…it was impossible to bring myself to wake them. June deserves to feel loved, and it’s clear that Hazel loves her.

“Daddy, I ate all my breakfast except the bananas because they’re slimy.” June appears in the doorway with her breakfast plate. There’s nothing left except a few sliced banana pieces swimming in syrup.

“Good job, sweetheart,” I say, mustering a smile for her.

“Now can we go see Miss Hazel? You said once I was done with breakfast we could go.”

I run a hand over my face, my palm scratching against my beard. It’s in need of a trim again, but I’m too tired to care.

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