Page 23 of Small Town Frenzy
Bumping into my arm, she laughs this time. “We’re Team Dover forever.”
“Team Dover forever.” The teams on the field swap, sending the Armadillos into the dugout and up to bat. “I knew this couldn’t be about pizza.”
“Oh, it’s about pizza, alright. If Blake loses, he’ll get home and zone out playing video games for the rest of the night. No talking. No dinner together. It’s just his method, his way to grieve, relieve the stress, and then he’s ready to play again the next day.”
I’m hearing a lot about him and nothing about my strong and beautiful cousin. It bugs me. “If they lose, how about you and me go to the pizzeria?” I eye an Armadillo taking first base in my periphery.
Her grin spreads on solid ground, more like herself. “That’d be fun.”
“It’s a plan, then.” We watch another batter hit a single, sending the other to second in a close call of being taken out by the ball. We both clap. “This is our comeback,” I say. “I can feel it.”
“If they win, though, we can all go. You can ride with us. Sound good?”
Do I want to be a third wheel to their twosome? It would be fun to get out, even with Blake there, taking up all my cousin’s time. “Sure.” It’s been too long since my social life involved anything outside of work obligations and familyevents. “Judy said she’ll stay late if I need her to, so that sounds good.”
The whack on the bat sends everyone to their feet to get a better view of the action. I clasp my hands together in front of my chest. My excitement grows as I watch the ball flying through the air. My breath halts in my throat in anticipation of turning this game around.
As soon as the ball crosses over the fence on the far side of the stadium, cheering erupts into a thunderous roar of celebration. “Homerunnnnnnnnnn,” the announcer’s voice echoes through the speakers of the stadium. “Griffin Greene is rounding the bases along with two other players to put the team in the lead by one. Get on your feet, Armadillo fans, and let’s cheer to bring ’em home.”
My clapping slows, and I’m just about to sit down when I see him point at me. “Jesus. That man has the arrogance of the Trojan army.” I sit, too embarrassed to remain standing any longer.
“It didn’t work out well for them.” She side-eyes me. “But history doesn’t always have to repeat itself.”
“You’re about to be kicked off Team Dover. Maybe Team Greene takes traitors.”
She bursts out laughing. “I’m starting to think all this talk about number twenty-two is not just talk.”
I remain silent, choosing not to indict myself.
With a nudge of her elbow, she says, “It’s okay. Anyone with eyes can see the guy is more than hot. He’s gorgeous. And I’m not upset about that for you. It’s been a long time, cuz. If memory serves, the last time you hooked up was in Costa Rica.”
My heart starts thumping in my chest, the beats filling my ears. I take a breath to calm it down, hoping everyone inthe stadium can’t hear it. “And I ended up pregnant, so I’ve been a little busy since that trip.”
“Too busy to live a life outside of being a mom? Come on, Crick, it’s okay to want more for yourself. It’s not selfish to have needs or want to fulfill them.”
I turn to look at her. “Are we really talking about sex in the middle of this baseball game?”
“Seems like a good time to me.”
“I’m sure it does. I’m just glad my kid left three innings ago. Wouldn’t want him to overhear his auntie exposing his origin story.”
“All great superheroes have a backstory they must overcome to reach the highest level of their superpowers. Jakey’s getting it easy if his mom hooking up a random hottie in Costa Rica is the worst of it.”
Other than mortification starting to make me sweat, I can just feel Greene’s eyes on me again as if he has nothing better to do than stare at me. It’s not like he’s in the middle of a baseball game or anything . . . “Can we please not revisit this again?”
“Jake reminds me of him.”
I still, bracing myself from her words. Gripping the edge of the metal bench, I steady my voice, and whisper, “Not me.” Guilt coats my throat, the lie burning as I swallow the words back down.
She looks at me but doesn’t stare. Returning her gaze to the field, she nods, not saying anything else, which I’m grateful for.
By the ninth inning, we leave the stands with the Armadillos still in the lead, praying the other team doesn’t score on us again. With the large checks in hand, we rush back to the tunnel at the edge of the field and watch the finalbatter step up to the plate. I’m holding my breath when he hits the ball, sending it into the outfield where it’s promptly caught. “Yes!” Savvy and I hip bump in celebration of winning the game. We’re also thrilled by the amount of money raised.
The teams are shaking hands and chatting as they line up in a designated area. The two high school teams run out to join them when Savvy and I walk out with the checks. Coach Barth speaks on sportsmanship, camaraderie, and our community. The Dover Creek Bank president shares words of gratitude, then introduces me. After a quick wave to the cheering in the stands, I make my speech. I didn’t write it down, wanting it to be genuine and from the heart. That’s easy to do when we raised so much money.
“I’d like to thank the volunteers who made this possible, our sponsors who supported this event and the continued growth of these high school programs, the players,” I say, looking off to the side where they’re standing. Those eyes aren’t hard to find in a crowd, especially when I’m so drawn to them. Even standing in the back row doesn’t hide him from me. “You made this day possible, you brought in the crowds, and the opportunities you have given these future pro ballplayers are because you gave up your time and paychecks to be here. Thank you.”
Savvy steps up to the microphone. “We are thrilled to present checks to the baseball teams at Dover Creek High School and Peachtree Pass High School. Enough was raised to support their programs for the next two seasons, including travel fees and new uniforms. We’re also hoping to make this a yearly ev?—”
