“Out!”
Half of the audience jumps out of their seats, bursting into cheers and applause. I see Blake smiling in the distance, his hands on his knees as he catches his breath. His teammates are running towards him, jumping up and down and slapping him on the back.
“Not bad,” I mutter, joining everyone else in clapping.
“Not bad at all,” Dad agrees.
* * *
“Aisle 9!”I say, poking my head up from behind the counter as I smooth down my greenJacks Hardwareapron.
The man jumps at my sudden response. He had walked in mumbling into his cell phone that he needed polyethylene tubing but doubted that we’d have it in our little store.
“Well, thank you, Miss,” he says, still clutching his chest from the surprise. He gives me a nod and carries on just as the front door bell chimes.
I turn in that direction, seeing all three of the Di Fazios making their way inside, their foreheads glistening with sweat and Emily fanning herself, their Northerner blood clearly not used to this August Alabama heat.
“We made it!” Kyle says, wiping his brow.
“Welcome to Jacks,” I say dramatically, putting my hands on my hips.
My parents and I had to get back to the hardware store right after the game was over. Even though we assured them repeatedly that it’s not much to see, Kyle and Emily insisted on checking the place out before heading home and said they’d come as soon as Blake’s coach let him go.
Blake steps in the store last, baseball uniform and cap still on, his nose and cheeks pink from the sun. When he comes closer, I see he has a blue ribbon around his neck holding a gold medal.
“Isn’t this just so cute!” Emily cheers, twirling around.
“Now, aren’t you a little young to be working?” Kyle questions, tilting his head at me.
I shrug. “It’s a small town.”
“And a family affair!” I hear my dad call as he approaches from the back of the store. “We all gotta pitch in. Right, Annie-bell?”
“Yep,” I nod.
“That’s my girl,” Dad says, ruffling my hair before turning to the Di Fazios. “Hey, Blake! Great game, dude. You were awesome!” He reaches out for a fist bump that Blake returns with a sideways smile. “Y’all want the tour?” Dad asks, waving his hand around the store.
“Definitely!” Kyle says. “Come on, Blake.” After Blake hesitates, exchanging glances with me, Kyle adds, “Or do you want to stay and keep Annie company?”
“Um…” Blake hums, gripping the front straps of the huge backpack he’s wearing. “I’ll stay.”
“Alright then, see ya in a few,” Kyle says, giving Blake a pat on the shoulder and following after Dad with Emily.
There’s a few seconds of awkward silence as our parents' voices trail away. When we can’t hear them anymore, I clear my throat. “You were, you know?” I say. Blake raises an eyebrow. “Kinda awesome.” I clarify, glancing away.
Blake steels his spine. “Well, you don’t have to sound so surprised.”
“I just didn’t expect it, I guess,” I say. “Figured you didn’t have much time to practice with all your gardening activities.”
“Are you ever gonna give it up with the plant jokes?”
“Probably not.”
We stare each other down for a few seconds then both break, smiling.
“Do you mind if I set this down somewhere?” Blake asks, referring to his backpack.
“Sure, you can leave it back here for now,” I say, unhooking the chain to the area behind the register and stepping out to give him room.