Page 76 of Moonlight Feels Right
"I'll drink to that," Linda said, raising her glass of champagne.
The rest of them followed suit, including Sara.
After that, the conversation turned to other topics. Linda talked about her interior design business and a celebrity she was working for. Emmalyn related some funny things her kindergartners had said, and he shared a few stories from his life in the sky.
When they finally left, it was a little before three. As they got into the car, Emmalyn let out a breath of relief. As he looked over at her, he could see the toll the visit had taken, even though she'd shown absolutely no sign of her stress level while at the house.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Exhausted. It's just a lot of emotions. I have to keep them inside because I can't put anything else on my mom."
"I get that. But at some point, you need to let them out. It's not good to keep all that turmoil inside."
"Says the man who has done nothing but keep his emotions inside for months," she said dryly.
"Fair point," he conceded. "But it wasn't good for me. I think you need to blow off some steam."
"How would I do that? Scream? Yell? Cry?"
"I was thinking along the lines of hitting something."
She raised a brow. "Something like what?"
"You'll see. I have an idea, and I think it will be fun."
"What's the idea?"
"I want to take you to an arcade."
"An arcade?" A small smile tugged at her lips. "Are you twelve?"
"Sometimes," he said with a laugh. "There's one in Oceanside with batting cages. That's where I go when I need to let out some stress. You can pretend the ball is Jeremy or anyone else you want to smack, as long as it's not me. What do you say, friend?"
"I would have to say that… I have no idea if I can actually hit a baseball."
"Let's find out."
The Ocean Fun Zone was a sprawling entertainment complex with everything from batting cages to mini-golf and a massive arcade. It was busy for a Sunday afternoon, filled with families and teenagers enjoying the weekend.
As they entered the batting cage, Emmalyn took the bat from Hunter's hand somewhat reluctantly. She had never hit a baseball in her life. Nor had she ever been in a batting cage, although she had watched a few boys take some swings when she was in high school. But she'd only feigned interest in the sport because she'd thought they were cute.
Ironically, she was doing the same thing now. Hunter had looked so excited at the idea of helping her blow off some steam by hitting a baseball that she couldn't say no.
"Did I tell you I'm not very athletic?" she asked as he showed her where to stand in the cage.
"You can do it. It's just about timing."
"And coordination. Both of which I lack."
"You're not usually this negative," he said as he handed her a helmet.
"Really? I have to wear this?"
"Gotta protect that pretty head of yours," he said with a grin. "But don't worry. I'm going to put the pitch on slow. You won't get hurt."
She wasn't worried about the ball hitting her; she was worried about her hitting the ball, but it was too late to back out. Hunter gave her a few more instructions and had her take some practice swings, which did little to boost her confidence. But as she looked at the eight-year-old in the cage next to hers, she thought maybe she was being too much of a downer. That kid was having the time of his life. Maybe she would have more fun than she thought.
"Okay, you're ready," Hunter said as he backed away. "I'm going to push start. Just keep your eye on the ball."
