Page 28 of The Double Play

“As many times as we have to tell you to talk to us, I’m betting.”

I sigh, letting my head fall back against the tufted hotel headboard. June lies at the foot of the bed watchingCinderella, absolutely oblivious to my argument with her ‘Uncle’ Jason. When I told her she wouldn’t have a sleepover with Hazel tonight, she cried for a good fifteen minutes. Then she fell asleep–sugar crash, probably–and woke up asking for pizza andCinderella. Apparently, she can’t watchRapunzelwithout Hazel.

My stomach tightens as I recall Hazel’s tired eyes and pink face peeking out beneath the brim of my hat. I don’t know what came over me. A boundary line was crossed by me giving her that hat. And then again when I texted one of the team managers asking them to have a jersey delivered to her hotel room before the game tomorrow.

Jason sighs, making me realize I haven’t responded.

“I don’t know why all of you are obsessed with talking. Silence is nice. Peaceful.”

“Yeah,” he drawls. “That’s a word I’d use to describe our group.Peaceful.”

“If we get lunch tomorrow before the game, will you quit bothering me?” I grind out.

“Only one way to find out.” The mischief in his voice is irritating.

“Fine. Pick a place and text me the address.”

“Where are we going, Daddy?” June asks, tuning in at the worst time.

“To lunch with Uncle Jason.” I sound as defeated as I feel.

“Yay! Can Miss Hazel come? I want her to meet him and Auntie Willow. She’s coming too, right?”

“Hazel?” Jason questions, immediately sounding far too curious for my liking.

“Hernanny,” I emphasize, then look at June. “We’ll see.”

She smiles as if I said it was a done deal. “This trip is the best ever!”

I hang up on the sound of Jason chuckling in my ear. This trip is something, all right.

June plays Hazel’s door like a drum.

“We went over this,” I tell her. “Just one knock.”

She tilts her head back to look up at me. “Miss Hazel said people use knocks as secret codes in movies. I’m making a secret code.” She continues knocking.

Oh, well, when you put it that way, it makes sense.

June finishes her code with a flourish. Barely a second passes before Hazel opens the door. She must have been waiting for June to be done.

“Good morning, Miss Hazel,” June chirps. “I did a secret spy code for you like we talked about.”

“Good morning, my little super spy,” Hazel says with a laugh. She bends down to hug June. “You’ll have to tell me what your code means so that I know for the future.”

“I will, but not around Daddy. This code is just for girls.”

Hazel nods, a faux serious look on her face. “Yes, of course. You can tell me later.” She ruffles June’s hair, making her laugh.

Once she’s straightened, she looks at me. “Do I look the part today?” she asks, splaying her hands at her sides.

I look her over, something I wouldn’t normally do, but she did explicitly ask. She’s wearing white tennis shoes with a scuff on the left one. I force myself to skip her exposed legs and settle on her pale denim shorts–though that’s not much more appropriate to linger on. The hem of the jersey almost covers the shorts completely. When I sent it to her room, I knew it would be big on her, but I figured that was better than choosing a size too small. The green and white jersey looks good on her, the green brings out her eyes that are watching me expectantly. And lastly, her brown hair is in twin braids beneath my hat.

The sight of her in my hat brings about an entirely foreign and wholly unwelcome sensation in my chest. It’s similar to how I feel before a big game, but less anxious and more…warm. I don’t like it.

“Yes, you do look the part,” I answer.

A smile blossoms on her lips. It appears she’s feeling better than yesterday. While I regret giving her my hat, I am glad she rested. She needed it after the conversation I heard between her and her dad, not to mention spending the day with a hyper five-year-old in New York City.

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