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TYLER
“Hang your baseball bags on the fence, grab your gloves, and start throwing the ball with your partner,” I say to Joey and Noah, the last two to show up at practice.
I watch the boys on my team attempt to throw the ball back and forth. More balls are dropped than caught, but I’m not too worried about it. This is their first year in competitive baseball, and I love the progress they’ve made so far.
“Looks like Noah’s mom is staying for practice again,” Wayne says. He’s Zander’s dad and my assistant coach, and once upon a time, he and his wife, Nikki, were ourcouplefriends. But now I’m not a couple. I’m a single, so I only see Wayne at baseball practice. Couple friendship is another thing I lost when Kristen died.
I glance over my shoulder at Noah’s mom, Beverly Ulrich. The second she sees me look at her, she smiles and gives a little wave. She has long, brown hair; a perfectly botoxed face; a medically enhanced body that she has no problem showing off; and way too much interest in me. I lift my eyebrows in acknowledgment, then turn back around.
“She’s so into you. When are you going to ask her out?”
“Never.” I fold my arms, watching the boys in front of me.
Wayne whistles. “Dude, I don’t know how you’re staying away from her. If a woman like that wanted me, I’d go for it. You have more willpower than I do.”
I eye him. “Does Nikki know you think that?”
“Nikki is way better than Beverly Ulrich. Nikki’s the marrying type. She’s the woman you want to be the mother of your kids. The kind of woman you actually enjoy hanging out with.”
“And what’s Beverly?”
“She’s the woman you date after your wife dies. The woman that gets you back out there. She’s the Band-Aid you rip off. It will sting at first, but then you’ll be glad you did it.”
“I’m not dating, and even if I were, Beverly Ulrich is not my type.”
I know she’s already a mom, but for some reason, I can’t picture her soothing Krew when he has a tantrum like the one he had at the store last week.
“Well, somebody better tell Beverly that she’s not your type, or else she’s going to be hanging around our practices for the next five years.”
My brows rise. “Five years?”
“I’m just guessing. How long do you think it will take for you to date again?”
Five years?
That number is so depressing. Will it really take me five years to be ready to date? I’ll be thirty-eight. Krew will be twelve. The thought of being a single parent and lonely for that long makes me want to give up on life right here and now.
“I don’t needfiveyears to be ready. I went out on a blind date last week.”
“What?” Wayne slaps me on the back. “I can’t believe it. How did it go?”
“It ended early.”
“Was she hot?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? How do you not know?”
“I don’t know.”
“So are you going to ask her out again?”
I shake my head.“Nope.”
“Well, at least you went. That’s a good first step.” Wayne leans forward, looking in my eyes. “Kristen would be proud.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
