Page 93 of Blitzing Emily

“Tired?” he asked several minutes later.

“A little,” she admitted. “I missed you, though.”

“I want to take you somewhere. Throw some clothes on.”

“I don’t have any makeup on,” Emily argued.

“You look great. Let’s go, sugar.”

Emily ran upstairs to her room. She pulled on jeans, a knit top, socks, shoes, and a hooded sweatshirt in record time.

Five minutes later, they were on the freeway.

“Please tell me we’re not going somewhere that requires dress clothes.”

“Persistent little thing.” His voice was affectionate. “I’m taking you out for fish and chips.”

Emily tore her eyes away from the moonlight rippling over Lake Washington on either side of the 520 Bridge to turn and look at Brandon again. Even an hour with him was a thrill for her. If he got another fine from his coach over this, she might have to split it with him. He was worth it.

“When I first came to Seattle, one of the other guys dragged me all over town. We ended up at Ivar’s Fish Bar on the waterfront.” Brandon said. “I’ve been back many times since. I especially like coming down here late at night. It’s not crowded, and it’s quiet. We can get a bite and visit with each other.”

“I haven’t been there for a long time.”

He reached over and took her hand. “Happy?”

“Yes.” Emily clutched his hand in both of hers. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Then again, he was beaming, too.

They pulled up in front of the outdoor restaurant. People were strolling along the sidewalk, but no one seemed to notice them. They must have been as transfixed as Emily was with the beautiful summer night and the full moon. Brandon ordered food and drinks to go, and hurried back to the car.

“I have somewhere special I want to show you,” he said, pulling away from the curb.

A few minutes later, Brandon and Emily arrived at Sharks Stadium. He pulled into a space marked “Reserved.” He grabbed the food, took Emily’s hand, and hurried her inside a door to the stadium.

“Hey, Stan,” he greeted the security guard.

Stan tipped his baseball cap. “Brandon. This must be your young lady.”

“Yes, she is. This is Emily. Sugar, this is Stan. He runs the place.” Stan let out a low laugh. “I’d like to go upstairs, if that’ll work for you,” Brandon said.

“Yeah. Have fun.”

Brandon dragged her onto an elevator. Well, maybe not quite “dragged,” but he was definitely on a mission. They exited a few floors up and walked through a concourse until they reached a group of picnic tables. Emily sat down on the bench as Brandon unpacked their feast, and she gazed at the perfect view of Elliott Bay from the top level of the stadium.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“It’s gorgeous.”

“The view from the baseball stadium is pretty good, too, but they don’t know me over there.” He pointed at the sky, where the stars were thrown like diamonds over black velvet. “Did you make a wish yet?”

“It’s not the first star,” Emily said.

“Make a wish anyway.”

“No harm in trying.” Emily closed her eyes and wished. Little did Brandon know, but all her dreams were already coming true. “What did you wish for?” she asked.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

He fed her a piece of fish instead. It was delicious.

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