Page 39 of Forbidden Love

The second spreadsheet was a breakdown of the numbers, how much we’d need to raise, and how many dugouts we could build depending on the amount we raised.

I replied to her email, asking her if she wanted to discuss it further. We still needed to plan the softball games to raise money from raffle tickets and concessions.

Instead of emailing, she called me. “You said something about babysitting Maggie this weekend. Is that still on?”

“It is, but you don’t have to join me if you don’t want to.” I’d invited her but then figured she had better things to do than babysit a five-year-old.

“I figured we could discuss the dugout information when she goes to sleep.”

“Are you sure babysitting is what you want to do on a Saturday night?” I asked as I played with a pad of Post-its on my desk.

“I still need to reach out to my old friends. Natalie and Alice are busy with Mac and Sam, so I’m free for the foreseeable future.”

I wondered what was holding her back from contacting her other friends. “You have some kind of falling-out or something?”

Kylie was quiet for a few seconds before she said, “I left and didn’t keep in touch. I’m not sure if I’ll be welcomed back.”

“We’re adults now. I’m sure if you explain that you were busy, or whatever, all will be forgiven.”

“We’ll see.”

The line fell quiet for a few seconds, and all I could think about was that night we spent on her deck and how comfortable it had felt discussing my hopes and dreams. She’d eased my worries, but it was still there, lingering just under the surface.

“I’m babysitting Maggie at Sam’s house. I’ll send you the address if you want to meet me there.” I’d offer to pick her up, but I wanted her to be able to leave whenever she wanted. I still wasn’t convinced she wanted to babysit with me.

“That works. Should I bring anything?”

“We usually get takeout.” Part of the reason Maggie looked forward to me babysitting was that we did fun things she didn’t ordinarily do, like eating out.

“Are Alice and Sam okay with me being there? I don’t have any experience with kids.”

“I didn’t clear it with them, but I’m not a teenager they have to remind not to bring over girlfriends. They trust me.”

“Will Maggie be okay with it?” Kylie’s voice was softer.

“You’ll be fine. Maggie will love you.” I was surprised she was worried about Maggie liking her. Kylie was surprising me in the best ways. I never thought someone who’d lived abroad in Paris and worked at a luxury hotel would want to babysit and plan community softball games to raise money.

She let out a sigh. “I hope so.”

“She will. Be ready to play some games.”

“I can expect to play competitive board games?” she teased.

“That’s right.” I chuckled as Sam walked into my office. We’d rented a house downtown for our offices. It was empty most of the time since we spent more time on the job sites, but we liked to have the option of meeting with clients in a professional space. More and more, we used computers to show images of what the final renovation would look like.

I cleared my throat as Sam sat in the chair across from my desk. “Listen, I have to go. Sam’s here.”

“See you on Saturday,” she said, and I hung up without another word.

“Who was that?” Sam asked.

“It was Kylie. We were talking about the dugout fundraiser we’re working on.”

He raised a brow. “How’s that going?”

“She reached out to the organizations that expressed an interest, figuring out the number of fields that had a need, and she took pictures so we could plan for the conditions. Then she ran the numbers to see how many dugouts we can build based on the money we raise.”

He sat across from me. “I didn’t realize you guys were so deep into planning.”

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