Page 43 of Make My Heart Malt

The tips of her fingers slowly dance over my ribs, and I quirk and eyebrow, daring her to continue.

“Okay. Okay.” She laughs. “I better not poke the bear.”

“That’s right. This bear pokes back.” I wink.

“When did you get this tattoo?”

My gaze drifts to the ceiling as I think back. “I was only a few games in during my rookie year playing for Seattle and I was shit. Nothing was going my way. Missed catches. Strike outs. After the game our pitcher at the time pulled me aside and told me not to dwell on it. We all have bad games, but it’s how to rise above those losses to do better in the next. Later that week, there was a break in our schedule, and I got the tattoo.”

“I love that. And do you think it’s helped you overcome those bad games?”

“It puts me in the right mindset.” But it’s not like my lucky penny. I run my finger over the top of her hand. There’s been something on my mind for a while, and it involves Dessa. As of late, everything revolves around her, so that’s nothing new. “I think I know why I missed the ball. During the championship game.”

She props her chin on my chest, peering up at me. “Why’s that?”

“I didn’t have my good luck charm.”

“Like a lucky rabbit’s foot?”

“No. Yes. Kind of, but it wasn’t a rabbit’s foot. Do you remember in middle school when we went on that field trip to Elmer’s Logging Camp up the shore?”

She nods. “The place that has all the old logging machinery and gives tours and history lessons?”

“Yeah. Inside they had one of those machines where you put a penny in, turn a knob, and it flattens the penny while it imprints an image on it.”

“I remember that.”

I brush my thumb over the top of her hand, kind of feeling silly for what I’m about to say next. Only because something so small holds so much meaning to me. “During that field trip, you gave me a penny to put in the machine. You told me it was your lucky penny. Since that day, I kept that penny with me for every game. That year we won the State Little League Championship, and I attributed that win to your lucky penny.”

Her eyebrows pinch together. “That’s absurd.”

“The championship game where I missed the catch,” I blow out a breath, “I lost the penny. I think that’s why I missed, costing us the game.”

She rolls off me and leans against the headboard. Her fingers grip my chin, forcing me to look at her. “That’s just a superstition. A penny won’t make you win or lose a game.” She drops her hand as her gaze falls to the blanket. “I’ll be honest with you. It wasn’t my lucky penny. I found it in the parking lot ten minutes earlier.”

My head flinches back. Now it’s my turn to be confused. “If the penny wasn’t lucky,” I rest my finger on my lips, “then there’s only one other logical explanation.”

“What’s that?” Her eyebrows raise.

“You’rethe lucky one.” I sit up, my lips splitting into a wide grin, and lean against the headboard next to her. Iwrap my arm around her shoulder and tug her into the crook of my arm. “From now on, I’m going to need you to come to every game of mine.”

She giggles.

“You laugh now, but I’m serious.”

“What are you going to do? Shrink me until I’m two inches tall and put me in your pocket?”

“Since no one has developed shrinking technology yet, even though they did it inHoney, I Shrunk the Kids, I’ll settle for a kiss before each game.” I lean over and press my lips to hers. The kiss is soft and entirely too short.

“As much as I would love that, I do have a job and a life, but maybe we could get you another lucky penny. Last I heard, Earl’s is still open.”

She just made my entire night. Again. Now I have to return the favor. “We can do that tomorrow. But first, I need more of you. I have ten years to make up for.”

“And you have to do that all in one night? I thought I was getting the rest of the night off.”

“What I meant to say was I’m going to spend the rest of the night getting you off.” She giggles as I lift the edge of the comforter and slide under and between her legs.

TWENTY-ONE

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