Page 28 of The Perfect Game

He flashed me a mischievous grin, and I frowned. I wasn’t always a fan of surprises, as it usually meant my parents were making up for lack of time spent with me—or having to do something uncomfortable like model for my mother’s clothing line. That one hadn’t gone over well. Aside from the outfit I was wearing now, my mother’s style was different from what most teens wore, and I had more curves than the average model she used for her shows.

Ben turned up the radio a bit, tapping his hands on the steering wheel. When he turned into the parking lot for the reservoir at the other end of Pecan Flatts, I looked between him and the water, curious as to what this could mean. Feeding seagulls?

He got out, and I followed, meeting him in front of the car. When he walked away from the vehicle, I was more confused than ever.

“Don’t you need food for a picnic?” I asked, waving my hand toward the car. If he was teasing about food, I was going to have to get my own food. My stomach had already grumbled more than it should have with it being so early.

“Nope,” Ben said, his eyes bright. It looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh, and I made a fist, punching him in the upper arm. “Ow, what was that for?” He still had humor in his expression.

I scrunched my nose in response. “For not telling me what’s going on. I don’t know what kind of girls you usually date, but this one likes to eat real food. Not stuff we pretend to have.”

That got a good chuckle out of him, and after a few more strides, we walked around the big building on the edge of the reservoir. He pointed in the direction of the water where a large boat sat.

He watched my face as I took it in. A picnic on a boat. That was definitely original. We walked up to it, and I recognized the colors and shape of the thing.

“Did you borrow Nate’s boat?”

“No, I’m not really sure why Nate had to show up. We’re actually farther down the dock.” Ben’s tone sounded more irritated than I’d ever heard, and I smiled. At least he had a few flaws here and there, because I’d been wondering whether or not he had some. Although, I’d noticed the perfectionist tendencies Penny had pointed out over the last week.

We kept walking hand in hand, a constant stream of what felt like electricity pulsing through them. A wave of relief washed over me. A picnic on a boat would have been way too romantic for a first date. I liked the guy, but I wasn’t planning marriage or anything.

A light breeze blew as we stepped onto the dock. It had been a couple of years since I’d been there, but nothing had changed. The same weathered wood for the ramp and the same small hills in the landscape.

A blanket had been laid out on the end of the dock, and a bag from what looked to be the local sandwich shop sat on top of it. I smiled and looked up at him. His eyes were wide as he wrung his hands in front of him.

“Looks like fun. Are those your fishing poles?” I asked, pointing to the rods leaned against the railing.

“Yeah, I thought we could fish. Something low-key.” He stuck his hands into this pants pockets and shrugged. His stare made me wonder if he was awaiting my approval. While the idea of fishing wasn’t in my top ten things to do, I figured I might as well give the guy a chance after he’d made the effort for all this.

“Okay, but just know I’ve never caught a fish before. If we don’t catch anything, I don’t want to hear any whining that it was my fault. Full disclosure.” I raised my hands in the air like I had nothing to hide, and he laughed that deep belly laugh again.

He motioned for me to sit down, and he knelt next to the bag, pulling out two half-sandwiches and two bags of chips. “We’ve got ham and American cheese or turkey and provolone. Which do you want?”

“Turkey. And I’ll take those barbecue chips,” I said, snagging the items from his hands. As I opened the sandwich, I asked, “Do you come here often?”

Ben shook his head, swallowing the bite he’d taken. “Not as much as I used to. Baseball takes up a lot of my time, and then when you add in the clinic it doesn’t leave a lot of time for other stuff. What about you? Do you work somewhere?”

I rolled my lips in, feeling the shame of not having a job. I’d been thinking about taking one lately, even though I didn’t need one with the allowance my parents gave me. With all my friends working and pure boredom at home, it might be a good idea.

“I don’t have one. I’ve been thinking about how you already know what you want to do with your life, going into physical therapy, and I wish I had some idea of what I wanted to do.” I looked down at my sandwich, feeling vulnerable and wishing I could go back and not say anything.

Ben shrugged, finishing a chip in his mouth. “Well, you don’t have to stick with what you’re doing right now. Sometimes you just need to try a few things out before you know what it is you like or are passionate about.” He turned his head, his eyes staring out at the water, a calm presence taking over him.

We chatted about little things for a while, and when we finished our meal, he stood, reaching for my hand. “Are you ready to fish?”

I forced a smile, not wanting to fish but also not wanting to offend him. “Sure.”

He handed me a pole and helped unhook the line so it wouldn’t be tangled. “Okay, how much fishing experience do you have?”

“Well, my grandpa took me once when I was five. I think I frustrated him with all my questions and whining, so he never took me again.” I’d started the sentence with a smile, but by the end, I wanted to run back to the car and drive home. Even my grandfather hadn’t wanted to spend more time with me.

I glanced up at Ben, wondering if he would feel the same way—if, once he got to know the real me, he’d leave or just avoid time with me at all costs.

“Okay, so press this button,” he said, his thumb over mine on the release button. “Swing the hook back here like this and then throw it forward, releasing the button.” He was close to me now, his hands on my wrists, helping to guide the line out onto the water. For some reason safety coursed around me and all thoughts of my grandfather and parents left.

When everything was set, we sat at the edge of the dock, legs dangling in the water.

“Where’d you learn how to fish?” I asked, taking in Ben’s relaxed posture.

---