Page 22 of The Perfect Catch

“Act like you aren’t really smart? I mean, you get math way better than I do. Is that what you were talking about? Baseball has some mathematics or physics to it?” I waited, trying to convey that I wasn’t going to judge him one way or the other if that’s how he felt.

He blew out a deep breath, pushing his back deeper into his seat. “There are a lot of stereotypes about people like my family. Most people don’t graduate high school or care about anything more than that. My father would laugh to the grave if I ever talked about how I like some of the subjects at school.” He lowered his voice deeper, and it rumbled in my chest. “‘We’re Strattons, Daxton. There’s no need for us to be thinking we can accomplish more than we can. We’re stuck here, and if it’s good enough for me, you’ll be just fine where you are.’”

The look of sorrow on his face twisted my insides, and I reached forward, my fingers brushing the back of his hand that sat on the shifter. The warmth there soothed my cold fingers. “No, Dax. That’s not good enough if you don’t want it to be.” How could a father suggest that?

“I’ve always wanted to be a mechanic, but I doubt I’d qualify for much more than a truck driver, like my dad.” Dax spat out the last words, acting as though they would poison him.

I shook my head. “I’m not the poster child of living my own dreams…yet. Sometimes I think it’s easier to just let my mother dictate things, and then I’ll have freedom once I go off to college. But there are things I want to try out now, like learning to play the guitar, or even just going out with my friends without having a scheduled block of time on my planner.”

“Has she always been like that?” Dax asked, turning into my driveway.

“No. It’s gotten worse throughout the years. My stepdad has older children, and they are about as perfect as you can get when it comes to kids. Valedictorian, summa cum laude, scholarships, high-paying jobs. It’s kind of hard to compare my life to theirs.” I was on the high honor roll, but I’d never been focused enough to get a 4.0 every semester.

Dax shifted the car into park and turned to me. “Do you want to compare yourself to them?”

I blinked a few times, trying to process the question. I’d never thought about it that way. It was just how things were supposed to go in my life. “No. I would rather do my own thing, get a scholarship for my art or something like that. Majoring in business to go on to law school is not my first choice of things to do.”

Dax chuckled, and I joined in, realizing how much my mother’s opinions had taken over my life. I knew she was only trying to help, trying to do everything she could to set my life up for the future, but mistakes were normal for teenagers, and I should be allowed to make a few.

“Have you ever done anything you’re not supposed to do?” Dax asked, that wide grin pulling me in.

I studied the lines of his face, the strong jaw, and piercing eyes. The attraction grew inside me, and I flicked my gaze to his lips, wondering what they would feel like on my own.

Then the weight of the question hit me, and I looked away. “If I have, it’s been a while. Probably before my dad died.” My stomach rumbled, again reminding me I hadn’t eaten since lunch. I should have let Dax get me something from the concession stand, but I didn’t want him thinking I was taking advantage of him.

Dax grinned, turning on the blinker and moving into the next lane right before the light to head in the direction of my house. The street he turned down led back out to one of the main streets.

I held on as he sped down the road. “Wait, what are you doing?” I looked around as the scenery passed then back at him, wondering what he was thinking.

He slowed down and parked next to the curb at the end of the street. “Your stomach has been growling for the past two hours.”

“True.” My gaze flicked to the dashboard, and I saw ten o’clock was creeping even closer. I looked back at him and paused, waiting to see what he said.

“We could go get a shake or something. No law-breaking, just an after-football treat.” He gave me a close-lipped smile, and the internal battle of being home and responsible or staying out a little later warred.

“A shake sounds good.” The words were small and high, almost squeaky. I was so used to following the rules to the letter that a slight terror filled me that I wouldn’t be home right at curfew.

Dax must have sensed that because he said, “Are you sure? I can always take you back to your house if you want.”

I took a deep breath, relaxing the muscles in my back as I released it. “No, it will be good. Like you said, we’re not breaking things.” Except for curfew.

He gave me a long look, staring into my eyes for several long seconds before he drove off. I didn’t say much until we pulled into Lou’s Diner.

We strolled in, and Penny waved, delivering several menus to another table. One of the other waitresses seated us, and a minute or two later, Penny walked up with two waters, her small notebook and pen in hand.

“Hey, you two. It’s good to see you in here,” she said, grinning. She turned a bit and winked at me.

Of course she would be excited we were here together. She’d been trying to match us up with all the baseball guys since she and Jake had started dating last spring. Serena had been the unexpected one to fall first.

As I glanced across the table at Dax, I could picture us together. Scratch that, I was in deeper than I should be.

“Penny, working on a Friday night, huh?” Dax asked, glancing over the menu. “Where’s Jake?”

“He had something with his mom and sisters. I was supposed to go, but they needed a quick sub for tonight here. Money helps pay for college.” She struck her waitress pose, a slight lean into the table, her pen poised above her pad.

“Scholarships do that too,” I said, infusing my voice with teasing. Penny had always been worried that she wouldn’t be good enough to get a scholarship for softball, but she’d already had more offers than the number of applications I’d submitted.

Penny shook her head, waving her hand in the air like she was waving the thought away. “Okay, what can I get you two?”

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