Page 36 of The Scout

“You’re still the prettiest girl I know.”

Even though he couldn’t see me, I rolled my eyes.

“I decided something.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m calling my boss tomorrow and taking time off. I have this house for a couple of months, and there’s nowhere else I want to be.”

“What about the team?”

“Right now, the only team I care about is ours.”

“I ... um ... I don’t know what to say. I think it will be great for Jimmy.”

“It’ll be great for me. Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night, Cash. And thank you for responding to my text. Means a lot to me.”

“I know, and you’re welcome. Sweet dreams, Hannah.”

He ended the call, and I finally let sleep take me.

Chapter13

Cash

To say I was unprepared was an understatement. I didn’t have anything to make breakfast. I didn’t even know what he liked and didn’t. Or if he was more of a grab-and-go kid. Not that I had that either. Once again out of my element. Luckily, Jimmy said he and his buddies usually met in the cafeteria and grabbed something before the bell rang.

Still, I needed to go to the store. I had no idea how long he’d be at my house. Waking up to him walking down the stairs this morning was different from what I’d imagined—not that I knew what to expect. His hair was damp, his shirt untucked from loose basketball-style shorts, and his backpack slung over his shoulder.

How no one in this town had put two and two together that he was my kid surprised the hell out of me. Rather than harp on what the people around here thought, I grabbed my jump rope and headed outside to the back deck.

Back in Utah, I had a well-equipped home gym with rubber flooring and exercise equipment. But here, I had to make do with what I had. Wearing athletic shorts, no shirt, and a pair of sneakers, my earbuds playing my favorite workout playlist, I gripped the handles and took a deep breath before swinging the rope. Jumping rope was my favorite cardio. Probably because I didn’t just bounce up and down. I created routines in my head to the songs playing in my ears.

Thanks to the morning’s dewy air and the rapid movements, beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Turning toward the backyard, Hannah’s house came into view through a gap in the tree line. I bounced side to side on my toes as though I were a boxer in a ring. Exhaling, I crisscrossed the rope as it whipped around me with intense speed.

Normally working out cleared my head—no way did I expect that to happen. All I could think of was the look on Hannah’s face when Jimmy walked out last night—her words that she had disappointed her son and the way she asked me to take care of him—all of it weighed heavily on me.

When the last song ended, I slowed the pace and transitioned into my cooldown stage. Glancing up, I noticed Hannah in her kitchen window ... looking at me. How long had she been there? If I wanted to be an ass, I could lift my hand and wave, letting her know she was busted. Without any more thought, I slung my rope back, draping it over my left shoulder, and then I guess I was an ass because my right hand went in the air.

Hannah jumped back, making me laugh. I was too far away to make out the expression on her face, but when her hand rose, I had a feeling it was a pretty shade of embarrassed pink. I gave her a nod, turned, and headed back into the house to shower.

The warm water ran down my spine as my forehead rested against the cool tile.Hannah.How did everything get so out of hand? Back when we were young, we talked all the time. Usually we didn’t even need to speak to know what the other was thinking. Some people may wonder how that was possible, only knowing someone for two years, but when it came to us, it had always just clicked.

One weekend my parents went back to California, and Hannah came over after a game. We just messed around a little bit. We still hadn’t gone all the way. Although both of us were on the precipice of explosion. So there we were, Hannah in a white cotton bra with a pink bow in the middle that may as well have been a pendulum because it could hypnotize me. I had stripped down to my boxers, and I knew that the cotton did little to camouflage how I felt about her.

“You know ... ,” she said all breathy, bringing a smile to my face. “When I saw you pitching today, it really turned me on.”

“Oh yeah?” I chided, tracing invisible circles on her shoulder. “Tell me more.”

“Well, when you struck out the second batter in the sixth inning with your four-seam fastball, a chill ran down my spine.”

“Baby, you knew what pitch I threw?”

Her soft hair tickled my chest as she nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you know what that does to me?”

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