Page 22 of The Perfect Game

Ben’s name was called last, and he ran out to the mound, picking up the ball and whipping his arm around several times. He set up and waved his glove to the catcher before stepping forward and hurling the ball toward the plate.

“How fast does he throw?” I asked, suddenly curious. I’d never grown up with baseball in our house, as my dad was so focused on football and rugby that I only knew snippets of other sports. But it looked like the ball was coming in faster than I’d ever seen in person.

“Jake said his fastball comes in around the mid-eighties.”

That sounded fast, but I had nothing to measure it against. “Is that good?”

Penny grinned. “Yeah, for a high school pitcher, that’s really good. Ben acts like he’s not that great, but he’s been a top prospect the whole year. With how much of a perfectionist he is with his pitches, he deserves it.”

“Are you saying you’re not a perfectionist? It’s not often I come to your house and you’re not out there practicing.” I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to admit it.

“Okay, I like having control of my pitches, but Ben takes it to another level. He gets mad at himself if he doesn’t perform well.”

I sat back, watching as Ben posed again and threw the ball home before moving to the side for the catcher to throw it down to second base. If he was a perfectionist, it would explain why he’d thrown several buckets of balls at the park the day I sprained my ankle.

Play continued, and I was surprised how interested I was in the game. I must have just assumed Ben was a tall, awkward athlete since that’s how he’d acted the last few times we’d been together, but on the mound, he was impressive. He even snagged a ball coming back at his face faster than I’d be able to react.

The game ended with our team coming out on top, five to four. Brynn and Kate left soon after, saying something about family obligations. My parents were flying to Florida at the moment for one last trip before NFL practice began, something about needing to check out the manufacturers for my mom’s clothing line. Part of me wanted to tell Ben he’d done a great job, and since Penny was staying to talk to Jake, I figured it worked out.

I waited for the stands to be almost clear before attempting to walk down the stairs. Penny walked over and hugged Jake, and the two of them began talking about plays and using words I had no idea the meaning of.

Ben walked around the corner of the dugout, and I smiled, tucking some hair behind my ear. Why was I all of a sudden self-conscious about how I looked? I had to admit, he looked good in a pinstripe uniform.

He must have seen me because he shot me a smile before a boy came running up to him. Ben bent down, letting the boy wrap his arms around his neck.

“Hey, Danny boy. Thanks for coming, bud.”

The boy stepped back, and Ben used his hand to mess up the boy’s hair. “You were throwing it so fast, Ben. I want to be like you when I grow up.” The enthusiasm coming from the boy only made my smile wider. The fact that Ben was so good to a boy with Down Syndrome only made my attraction grow.

Ben stood and waved a hand to me as a woman joined them. “Mom, this is my, uh, friend, Serena. Serena, this is my mom, Amanda, and my little brother, Daniel.”

I blinked a few times, the words sinking in and matching up with what he’d told me at the theater. “It’s so nice to meet you both.”

“What happened to your foot?” Daniel asked, pointing at my wrap.

“I hurt it playing volleyball.” I gave him a sad expression, emphasizing it more than I normally would. It was the way I connected with all kids, and it seemed to have worked because Daniel frowned.

He turned and pointed back at Ben. “You should have Ben fix it. He’s really good with owies.”

I looked up at Ben, chuckling. “I know. Ben helped me the other day. He’s pretty good at his job.”

Ben’s cheeks colored like red apples. “I have a long, long way to go to be good at therapy.”

“I hope your foot heals soon. Do you play on the high school volleyball team?” Ben’s mother asked me.

With a quick nod, I said, “Thank you. Yes. John says I should be ready to go again in a couple of weeks, which will give me about two weeks to get back into shape before tryouts.”

Ben smiled, looking like he’d just won the lottery. “At least you don’t have the crutches today, right?”

I laughed. “That’s for sure. I’d be happy if I never have to use those things again.”

Ben’s mom and brother chuckled, and warmth blossomed over my chest.

“Are you ready to go?” Penny asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I glanced at Ben, wanting to talk to him more. “Um, yeah. She’s my ride.” I looked at both Ben’s mom and his brother. “It was so nice to meet you both.”

I waved to Ben before walking back to the parking lot. At the end of the fence, I glanced back, seeing Ben walking in between his mother and brother, watching as his brother talked animatedly about something. The scene pulled at my heart in more than one way. The fact that a guy I was starting to have feelings for wouldn’t just ditch his family because he was around his friends was a big change from my normal crushes. And his mom actually showing up to his game was something I wanted more than anything.

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