Page 31 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

“They’ve been my lifeline for the last few years,” David murmurs. “I’m not sure I would’ve been able to survive without them. And baseball.”

“You look at home on the field.” His brows shoot up as he turns a surprised look my way. “I was watching the team practice. I’m still working on learning the names and positions of all the players.”

“I’m David James, and I play shortstop. That’s the position between—”

“Second and third base.” I gently push his arm and chuckle. “I know.”

“Just making sure.” He nudges me with his body, a playful smirk lining his mouth. “How did you get a job with a baseball team if you don’t know the players?”

I shrug. “What can I say, I’m that good at what I do.”

“Guess we’ll see about that,” he teases. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be your biggest challenge, especially compared to the other guys.”

“I’m not worried,” I grin playfully. “Once I’m done with you, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to get on board with all the fun.”

“Is that so?” David’s eyes are wide, and I feel a blush creep up my cheeks as the double meaning of what I just said registers.

“I meant with social media.” I slap his arm and laugh. “How do you still manage to do that?”

“Do what?” He chuckles, a gleam in his eyes. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

I shake my head and giggle. “Is it weird that we can fall back into this pattern after not seeing each other for two decades?”

“Very.” He nods, a wide smile on his face, before shrugging. “And yet it isn’t. Things were always easy with you when we were kids. Honestly, I think I’d be more surprised if we didn’t.”

Memories of the two of us in class and after school, with Duncan always shadowing us, come flooding back. Those were some of the happiest times of my life.

“Is Duncan still grumpy?” My mouth tugs at the corner.

David takes so long to answer that I turn to look at him. He’s grinning from ear to ear. “Yes and no,” he finally responds. “He’s the biggest mush with Scarlett, Ava, and Emmy. But everyone else, and sometimes me, he can be as prickly as a porcupine.”

My cheeks pull up. Sounds like the Duncan I remember.

“After talking with Finn, I did a bit of research on Duncan’s social media. It wasn’t helpful.”

A crooked grin spreads across David’s mouth. “We definitely have that in common.”

“You have a lot more in common than just your dislike for social media,” I chuckle. “And I don’t just mean being professional athletes.” Swallowing hard, I run my tongue over my lips as my finger mindlessly traces the seam of my cup. “But marrying sisters, too.”

My stomach tightens, and I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t moved away. Would I be the one David married, or would it still be Fiona? A tightness grips my chest.

Sometimes it’s better not to ask what if.

I huff out a sigh and take in the sound of our footsteps on the stone walkway.

“So,” I say, breaking the silence. “Let’s talk about social media.”

“Do we have to?” David groans, and I pretend that he didn’t say anything.

“The fans love your story. It touches so many of them, and they want to be a part of it.”

“I don’t want—”

“I know.” I stop walking and place my hand on his arm, applying pressure. Stopping, he turns and faces me, the conflict in his eyes makes my heart sink. I give his arm a gentle squeeze. “And I understand. When Travis and Charles told me what the Smokies organization was looking to accomplish and the reason behind the players they had decided to highlight, I knew your story was the most delicate. I knew I wanted to handle it in a way that was respectful, yet effective. I’ve been thinking about how to do that since before I was offered the position.”

His brown eyes search mine, and my stomach flutters. Realizing I’m still resting my hand on his arm, I let go and wrap it around my cup.

“This was before I knew it was the boy I grew up with,” I say softly. “But when I found out who you were, I was even more determined to accomplish what I had set out to do. Talking with Finn gave me some ideas. But it all comes down to one thing.”

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