“I’m a horrible person,” I whispered to myself, but not quietly enough.
“What are you talking about?” Leighton asked, her eyes flicking to me after cheering for the first hit of the game. The ball went sailing to the outfield and the batter made it onto second base.
I groaned, dropping my face into my hands.
Leighton bumped her shoulder with mine. “Talk to me, girl.”
I lifted my head, looking her straight in the eye. “I may have let Billy believe I slept with Wes.”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Did you?”
“What?! No! Are you insane?”
“Oh, come on, Hannah. It’s not that crazy of a question. The man gets around, and it’s not like he isn’t hot as hell.”
“Yeah, until he opens his mouth.”
“True.”
We both laughed.
“How did this even happen?” she asked as our laughter died down.
“I may have opened the door with only a robe on after my shower…at Wes’s house.”
“You have some explaining to do, sister.”
“It’s not what you think… Unfortunately, we’re roommates for the next few weeks. The water heater went out in the house I was staying in and apparently the only other spare house is being remodeled for your brother. Which, by the way, thanks for telling me he worked for the Monroes.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, figured you knew already. It’s pretty common knowledge.”
“Yeah, well I’m not from around here, so no. I didn’t.”
“Why don’t you just stay at Lottie and Tucker’s?”
“Uh”—I squirmed in my seat, clearing my throat—"that’s a story for another day.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Does this have anything to do with why you’re avoiding my brother?”
I averted my eyes from hers, looking back out at the ball game. And by the grace of god, I was given a way to distract her. “Hey, look your man is up to bat.” I pointed to the field, where Aaron was digging the toes of his cleats into the dirt next to home plate, taking a few practice swings.
Leighton stood, cupping her hands at her mouth. “Let’s go, baby! Hit a homer, and I’ll let you get to home base later tonight!”
Aaron turned to look at her, giving her a sexy grin, his eyebrows bouncing up and down. She blew him another kiss, and the crowd around us whistled.
“Get’er done, Bradley!” an old man in the bleachers behind us yelled out.
Aaron saluted the man, touching the bill of his hat before focusing his eyes back on the pitcher.
Good grief was nothing sacred in this town?
I had no idea when I started to actually enjoy baseball or how. Maybe it was the contagious excitement of the fans surrounding me. Maybe it was because for the first time, I actually knew a few of the players I was watching. Maybe it was because the current pitcher was only one out away from pitching a perfect game and everyone was on the edge of their seats, including me… Or maybe, and most likely, it was because that certain pitcher was Billy Miller, the one man I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the last few hours no matter how desperately hard I tried.
“He’s on fire tonight, huh?” My eyes remained glued to the game as I asked Leighton.
“Who? Billy?”
I nodded.
“Seems that way. Something’s definitely sparked him to play like he used to. It doesn’t bode well for the other team either that their star player is currently on his honeymoon.”
A smile lifted the corner of my mouth. Lottie had told me once Tucker was a natural at every sport. “Like he used to?”
“Yeah.” She turned to look at me. “Billy didn’t tell you?”
I faced Leighton. “Tell me what?”
“That he had a shot at being drafted to the majors. At least, until his injury in college.”
Shaking my head, I looked back over at Billy. His eyes were glued to the next batter. I held my breath as Wes made his way to the white-outlined box. Even though his team was being shut out, he was his happy, carefree self, all smiles and winks and all of them aimed my direction as he stepped up to home plate.
Wes got into stance, knees slightly bent, preparing to knock one out of the park. I was conflicted: part of me wanted to cheer for Wes, purely out of roomie obligation, and another part of me wanted to see Billy strike him out the way he had been all game.
I swore the whole crowd was holding their breaths as Billy prepared for the throw. My heart pounded in my chest, and I almost closed my eyes, unable to watch.
“Strike one!” The ump hollered louder than he had all game as another fastball soared across home plate, landing in Aaron’s glove.
The crowd collectively released their breaths, random calls of encouragement for Wes and Billy echoing through the ball field. Wes took a step back out of the box and practiced a few swings as Aaron sent the ball gliding into Billy’s glove.
Wes adjusted his hat, his eyes finding mine, a slow smile curling his lips. “This one’s for you, city.” He stepped back into the box, and it was as if the hot, humid air thickened.
My teeth dug into my bottom lip as my eyes connected with Billy’s, a hurricane of tension rolling off of him. With a tight grip on my knees, I leaned forward, waiting for him to throw. The ball went flying fast as ever but veering from its normal path down center plate, curving to the right. Wes ducked, jumping backwards, barely avoiding the ball connecting with his tall frame.
“Ball one!”
Mutters, whistles, and hollering erupted through the crowd. With the ball in hand, Aaron stood from his crouching position and walked toward Billy.
“What’s going on?” I asked Leighton, while keeping my eyes on Billy and Aaron. “Is he hurt? Are they going to pull him?”
Leighton chuckled beside me. “No, Han. Billy is just fine. And you better hope for Wes’s sake he’s got it out of his system now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That pitch was a warning.”
“A warning for what?” I glanced over at her.
“Come on, Hannah”—she faced me, head tilted—“I know you aren’t that dense.”
My heart thumping erratically, I sucked my lips in as I looked back out at the sexy pitcher on the field. “Message received,” I breathed.
“I think the message was for Wes.”
She was probably right, but something told me it was a message intended just as much for me.
I never understood why some women ran knowingly toward heartbreak. It was like they thought somehow they could change the inevitable, only to end up with their souls crushed anyway. I didn’t understand those women at all. Until now. And a small part of me, the stupid girly part of me, felt thrilled at the idea that Billy Miller might just be making it known he wasn’t losing the end game—me.
“You coming to Dudley’s for drinks tonight?” Leighton asked, garnering my full attention.
“I don’t kno—”
“Let me rephrase that…you’re coming to Dudley’s for drinks tonight.”
Chapter 7