Page 40 of Double Play

“Booking my ticket now!” Nina pulled up an app on her phone and got busy. “Don’t mention this to anyone.” Now that Paige had suggested a trip to San Diego, she realized she should have done this earlier. She could take a few days off from her cotton candy gig. She wasn’t like Maggie, who had a job and responsibilities. She was just Nina—a girl in love with a boy who was giving her fits. If she wanted to fly two thousand miles to find out what was going on, she woulddoit.

Maggie also triedto talk her out of making it a surprise. “What if you catch him doing something you’d rathernotsee?”

“Like even more than kissing a woman on the cheek? It’s better to know,isn’tit?”

“I guess so.” Maggie colored in the bird she’d drawn on their joint art project. “But what’s the harm in giving him a head’s up so he can pick you up at theairport?”

“Because I have it all planned out. I’m going to arrive in time for the game and sit right behind home plate, the exact same spot I was sitting when he made his amazing triple play. Well, differentstadium.”

“Yes, it is a different stadium, and it’s much bigger. He might not evenseeyou.”

“I’ll make sure he does.” Nina smiled secretly. She’d already planned her outfit, based on what she knew Jim liked. He always told her how sexy she looked in her cotton candy vending shorts. She planned to wear those, along with a Kilby Catfish t-shirt tied under her breasts, showing plenty of barestomach.

He’d see her, allright.

Then after the game, he’d take her to dinner and maybe the beach, and they’d kiss the way they had beforeheleft.

Then they’d go back to Trevor and Paige’s condo. And since Trevor would be gone, they could do a lot more thankissing.

“If you see Dwight…” Maggie kept her gaze on the cobalt-blue pencil she was using to shade the bird’s wings. Nina’s heart went out to her. She’d heard Maggie crying in the middle of the night, but she never talkedaboutit.

“Yes,” Nina prompted. “Should I give him amessage?”

“Tell him…mmm…tell him that I’m proudofhim.”

“Because of how well he’sdoing?”

Maggie’s pencil tip snapped and she reached for the sharpener. “No, scratch that. Just tell him I’m thinkingofhim.”

Nina made a face at her roommate. “That’s a very boring message. Can’t you come up with something moreromantic?”

“No.” Maggie’s face crumpled. She dropped her art utensils and covered her face with her hands. “I tried but I’m a computer geek. And I don’t know what he wants me to say. I thought things were going so well. He told me he was falling in love with me. Then we FaceTimed with my parents and things were neverthesame.”

“Oh sweetie.” Nina patted her arm. “I know he loves you. He ranoff the fieldduring a game tohelpyou!”

“I really wish I had been conscious for that,” Maggie said wistfully. “It’s still hard tobelieve.”

“Believe it. I was on the other side of the stadium but I saw him bolt across the diamond like his feet were on fire. Never fear. I’ll find out what’s up with Dwight. It’s probably some kind of boything.”

“Boything?”

“You know, they get things in their heads that make no sense, but they won’t talk about them, and so they take root like some kind of weed. You have to get in there and yank thoseweedsout.”

“You’re going to weed Dwight’sbrain?”

“Someone has to,” Nina said virtuously. “And I’m the right girl for the job because he sees me as a little sister. I can smack some sense into him and there’s nothing he can doaboutit.”

Finally, Maggie was starting to laugh. “What if it’s not his fault? What if it’sallme?”

Nina gave a disbelieving snort. “Who’s the boy in this scenario? ’Nuffsaid.”

Maggie seemed to take the question seriously, even though Nina had meant it to be rhetorical. “Well, he’s more emotional than I am. He likes to talk more than I do. He’s more social and gregarious. There’s a good possibility that I’m the boy in thisscenario.”

Nina stared for a moment. She’d definitely never thought about it that way. She considered the possibility, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to sort it out for you guys. Leave ittome.”

“I’m sure you’ll do a better job of that than I have. In return, I’ll represent you at thewedding.”

“And take lots ofpictures.”

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