Page 15 of Lines We Cross
I needed to grab some ice, some breakfast, and then find a way to get out of going to the Bigfoot Craze Daze Festival that all the guys and I agreed to attend today. I was in no mood for lighthearted festivities. I started the coffeepot and wondered when I started getting up earlier than my parents. When enough of the golden liquid was brewed to fill my cup, I had a seat on Dad’s recliner, plopped the ice pack on my knee and tried to wrap my brain around Coach potentially replacing me.
My phone vibrated and I hesitated to check it. What now? Coach telling me I was officially let go? It was one thing to retire when you’re good and ready. It was another thing entirely to be pushed out due to injury when you had no choice in the matter. My entire focus since I was a small child was playing baseball. If I had to retire now, what was I supposed to work toward? What did I do with my life?
A few sips into my coffee I finally checked my phone to find a text from Heath with a picture attached.
His smug face was smashed up against Rae’s, his arm around her shoulder. I nearly spit out my coffee. Shock punched me in the gut so hard I nearly dropped the phone. What was Heath doing with Rae and why did Rae have such a big smile on her face? When I told her the boys and I were moving back she nearly bit my head off. Now here she was cuddled up to Heath like him being home was the best thing ever?
As much as it pained me to look at it, I zoomed in on the photo and saw a six-foot table and grass behind them. The white table drape said Nickel Bay Physical Therapy.
Bingo.
They were at the park. Why Heath was there so early when the festival didn’t start for another hour was beyond me. But I knew one thing. I wasn’t going to spend the day thinking about my career circling the toilet or how badly my knee still hurt. I was going to the Bigfoot Festival and demanding a hug, a photo, or even a smile from the one woman who gave all of that to everyone else but me.
I slammed the rest of my coffee and hobbled to my room to shower and get ready in record time. I slipped on a small knee brace under my jeans and prayed that would keep the swelling under control and keep me from limping too badly.
Just before leaving the house, I left a note for Mom so she wouldn’t worry about where I was and fired off a text to Rae. She was probably still mad at me, but that was too bad. I was living in Nickel Bay now and we would be seeing each other often. Whatever little snit she was in, she’d have to get over it.
Max:I’ll see you at the festival. Maybe you can give me the rest of the training session you bailed on so I can get this knee fixed up.
I grinned evilly, knowing that would fire her right up.
I quite liked her riled up. Better than her “we’re strangers” straight face and dead eyes.
* * *
I found street parking only half a block away from the festival since it wasn’t quite open yet. My knee said thank you to the parking gods. There was an electric current running under my skin. I was in a hurry and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Rae was just going to give me attitude, so why I was in a hurry to get verbally slapped was beyond me. I just kept seeing that picture of Heath and Rae and it made my blood boil. It also made me walk faster and forget about the knee that kept barking at me.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I stopped on the sidewalk to check it, hoping for a text from Coach if it meant it wasn’t more pictures of Heath and Rae.
Rae:As your PT, I’ll do what’s best for your knee at the pace that’s necessary. Maybe if you kept your mouth shut, we could get more done at your sessions.
Oh, that little minx. Keepmymouth shut? She’s the one who started verbal warfare and stormed out.
Putting my phone back in my pocket without responding to her ridiculous statement, I saw the traitor’s dark head across the park and went in Heath’s direction, minding the grass and hoping I didn’t step in a hole. I was so focused on getting to him and ripping him away from Rae, I didn’t realize until I was halfway there that he wasn’t even talking to Rae. She was nowhere to be found.
I came to an abrupt stop and scanned the people milling about and setting up tents, tables, and inflatable things. A buzz of conversation and excitement hit my ears now that I’d calmed down enough to listen. Remembering the table in the background of the picture, I looked for a white table, finally zeroing in on it just a few feet away from the stage where they had a band playing later. Rae’s auburn head popped up from behind the table and she opened a cardboard box.
I went in her direction, keeping my pace purposely slow. A cascade of white balls tumbled out of the box as she tipped it onto the table. A few went rolling and I got there just in time to pick them up and place them back on the table.
“Max,” she said wryly.
“Rae,” I answered firmly.
She took a deep breath, but said nothing about my name choice. Thank God for small miracles. She looked good, the early morning hour taking nothing away from her beauty. Her light brown eyes watched me carefully. A warmth spread up my limbs under her watch, thoroughly enjoying being her sole focus, but wishing her gaze held more trust.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Her eyebrow quirked up. “I’m here every year.”
I nodded slowly. “Right. Need help setting up?”
She put the empty box down behind her and stood up tall. “Nope. I’m all done.”
I felt desperation claw its way up my neck. I wanted to talk to her. Really talk. Not this inane chitchat that meant nothing. She was about to dismiss me again, I could feel it.
“Can we talk about my knee for a second?” That was the last thing I wanted to talk about, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Rae frowned slightly even as her eyes warmed. “You’re making good progress on just one and a half sessions. You had major surgery, Max. You can’t speed the process up. We go too fast and risk injuring it again. Keep stretching to get the flexibility back and then we can work on strength. I promise you I know what I’m doing.”
