Page 131 of Wild Pitch
“Nothing.” She takes a ginormous bite of the hot dog and I look down at my tray. Maybe they’re not so small after all, and it’s just that I’m big.
Shaking my head, I put my attention back on her. “But wasn’t that what we were doing the whole dating coach thing for?”
Her shoulders rise. “I’ve changed my mind. I was definitely looking for someone to date more out of pettiness than any realdesire to find a good person to share my life with. You’re way better than I ever dreamed of, Cade. I’m not going to use you for my pride’s sake.”
I hang tight in the exact same position, bite of hot dog against my cheek like a squirrel, glass of tea in one hand and new hot dog in my other hand. All that outside calm hides how hard my heart beats in my throat.
Slowly, I set everything down and wipe my hands. I resume chewing until there’s no food in my mouth and I can talk like a civilized human.
“I have a story to share,” I start, speaking low enough that she leans closer, though the confusion is evident on her face. “I’ve only ever done the boyfriend gig once and it didn’t go well.”
Her eyes widen but she doesn’t interrupt.
“It was in high school. This girl I had a huge crush on finally gave me the time of the day for all of two weeks.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to…”
But I nod that yes, I have to, and continue, “She said she couldn’t date an orphan, it was just too weird because I didn’t even have an allowance to take her out on dates. And the very next day she showed up to school as the arm accessory of this asshole who was bullying me.”
“Oh, Cade.” The sympathy in her face melts almost as fast as it comes. “You just say the name and I’ll find her.”
“I have no doubt she’d regret meeting you.” I clear my throat. “But anyway, my point is that I have plenty of experience with the casual thing, but not the real thing. I’ve never really been proudly presented as someone’s boyfriend.”
“Ohh.” She leans back, understanding dawning. “So youwantto do this? Like, genuinely?”
“Hell yeah. I want you to show me off like a freaking trophy. Not to make me feel better than that douchebag ex of yours, but soyoushow him you could replace him at the drop of a hat.”
“But—”
Calmly, I take one of the hot dogs from my tray and take it to her mouth. She cooperates by biting into it. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” she mumbles while chewing.
“Trust me, there’s nothing I want to see more than that dipshit’s face when we show up hand in hand.”
Her eyebrows rise while she swallows. “So, we’re doing this?”
“We’re in this together, darlin’.” Inthisand anything she ever wants.
CHAPTER 43
HOPE
You know things are turning serious with a guy when the playlists get combined.
To no one’s surprise, Cade’s contributions are a medley of country from real classics harkening to as far back as seventy years ago, to pop country and the latest. He seems to bob his head a little harder at Beyoncé and honestly, I can’t fault the boy’s taste.
Meanwhile, I offer an eclectic mix of Latin songs from all decades and almost all Caribbean genres. At some point I’m singing along to a reggaeton song from Chino y Nacho, a duo from my parents’ home country, and just listening to my off tune singing makes Cade grin. He can only spare me a few glances while driving through the horrible I-4 afternoon traffic.
The closer we get to the Lake Alfred venue, the less I sing though. We pull into a narrow country road lined by Florida oaks that are covered in hanging moss, shading the road and swaying with the wind, but the idyllic scene tells me we’re close. My hands close tight around the little purse in a nude color that I borrowed from Rosalina.
“Nervous?” Cade asks while turning down the volume with the controls in the steering wheel.
I take a deep breath. “I’m not in the business of lying so… yes. Very.”
“But why? You’re not alone.” He flashes those brilliant eyes of his. “We’re even matching obnoxiously.”
That was an idea from Rose too. Her words were, “I’ve always wished I had a boyfriend I could match my clothes to. Someone so obnoxiously in love with me that he doesn’t mind if I mark my territory in such an obvious way, and the other way around.”
A FaceTime call with Cade ensued after that, where we went through our wardrobes—mine included also both of my roommates’s closets—until we found the perfect matches.
