Page 51 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

I glance in the rearview mirror and catch Emmy with her nose out the cracked window. Ears flapping in the wind, tail wagging. My cheeks tug up.

“I have a dilemma, baby girl,” I say to the dog in the backseat. “Maybe you can help me?”

Emmy sticks her head between the seats and nudges my shoulder. I lift my hand under her head and pull her closer to me. She rests her cheek on my shoulder, and my insides melt a little.

“How do I stop from falling in love with your family?”

Her head snaps up, and before she does what looks like a shrug, she heads back to the window.

I feel my eyes widen before my face scrunches up. “Nah,” I mutter. “Emmy did not just act like she didn’t have an answer for me. She’s a dog, Cat.”

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I chuckle. “Yeah, it’s official, I’m losing it. And not just my mind.”

Clink.Thud.Hiss.

We are officially on the clock and have about 2 hours, maybe less, before the fans start gathering at the stadium.

Excitement courses through me as Hope and I move around the concourse, setting up tables for the fifty-plus vendors who are joining us today.

Clink. Thud. Hiss.

The sound of the Smokies warming up has me distracted. Okay, maybe not the entire team, just the man playing shortstop. Every nerve in my body is humming, knowing all I have to do is glance toward the field to find David in my line of sight.

“Cat,” Jade Davis from Mile High Mutts Rescue calls, her hands full of crates. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?”

Heat crawls up my body and rises to my face. “It’s nice to see you too,” I tease, grabbing a few of the crates from her and leading her to the rescue’s table. “Sorry. It happened kind of fast.”

“Fast?” Her brows shoot up, her lips twitching. “That wasn’t fast, that was a whirlwind! You’re totally smitten with him, aren’t you?”

“Actually, we knew each other as kids. He was my next-door neighbor before I moved to live with my aunt.” I place the crates up against the wall behind the table.

When I stand up, my gaze lands on David. He’s facing home plate, arm pulled back just before he steps forward, propelling the ball to Logan, who’s waiting with his glove held out.

“Someone has it bad,” Jade chuckles as she starts organizing the crates.

I look back toward the entrance, ignoring her last comment. We are definitely not going to talk about feelings. Nope. Not doing it. “Where are the dogs?”

“Oh, that’s going to be a fun surprise!” She rubs her hands together, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “They should be here just before we head on the field.”

“Surprise?” My brows tug together, and my stomach turns. “Please, no surprises.”

“This is a good surprise. No. A great surprise.” When my head tilts, she squeezes my arm and smiles. “Promise. Everyone is going to rave about it.”

I eye her skeptically, but the only emotion I see there is excitement. I blow out a breath and nod.

“Cat!” Hope calls from the other side of the concourse. The panic lacing her tone has my mouth going dry.

“I have to go see what’s going on over there. If you need any help, just ask the person standing by the entrance. They’ll be happy to do it.”

“Thanks, but I think I have everything under—”

I turn and pin her with my gaze. Jade is notorious for working way too hard and doing everything herself.

“Okay, okay.” She pulls her hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll ask for help.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too.”

“Cat?” Jade calls, and I turn back to her. “Tonight is going to be amazing!”

---