Page 16 of Wild Pitch
“Is this where you pretend that you lived in the time before cell phones? Cher Horowitz had cell phones, and that movie came out in 1995. And Google said you were born in 1990.”
Luc laughed genuinely.
“When’s your birthday?” he asked.
“Eek, ready for it?” I asked. My birthday always caused a pause, if not a somber shift, in the conversation.
“Well, you already know mine is April 1st, so it can’t be worse than that.”
“It’s September 11, 2001. My mom watched the towers fall as she labored with me.”
“Oof. That would have been tough for your parents. I can imagine how frightened they were in the hospital while the world was in chaos outside.”
“They were panicked that something would happen to my grandparents while they watched Kendra. And now? Memorial services often overshadow my birthday. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important to remember; I wish I hadn’t been born on such a heavy day.”
The calamari arrived, and my focus zeroed in on the crispy fried rings and chunks of fresh garlic.
“Would you like to order the main course?” The waiter checked with us as I stared at our appetizer. Counting the seconds until he disappeared so we could dig into it.
“She’ll have mushroom risotto, and I will have chicken piccata,” Luc responded, ordering for both of us.
The waiter nodded and left us to enjoy our appetizer.
Luc cleared his throat and looked a bit nervous as he began to speak.
“I wanted to take a moment to talk about boundaries. While they may seem premature, I want to allow you to decide whether you want to pursue this before too many emotions are involved.”
I stopped chewing my calamari and stared at him. Um, weren’t we talking about birthdays? What kind of boundaries did he need now? This turn of the conversation confused me.
“I’m not ever going to get married again. I likely also won’t live with another woman, and I don’t want children. I know you’re twenty-four, and while these aren’t things you might want in your immediate future, they might be something you eventually want.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised he’d brought this up so soon. “I honestly don’t see any of that in my immediate future.”
“But you want it, eventually?”
“I honestly hadn’t put much thought into it. To be one hundred percent honest, I’ve never had a relationship serious enough for the topic to come up.”
“But your sister has a baby, right?”
“Yes. I love my nephew, but that’s not for me right now.”
“I like you a lot, Kylie. You’re the first woman other than my ex-wife who has captured my attention in over a decade. I don’t want to ever lead you on about where this relationship is heading.”
“I guess I’m confused. What are your limits? Are you saying it will only ever be casual?”
“Not casual. Just never permanent.”
I chewed a mouthful of calamari and washed it down with a swig of red wine.
“A secret?” I asked.
“No, you can tell anyone you choose.”
I thought about it, and nope, that wouldn’t work.
“My dad gets attached, and my sister is dating one of your players. My other sister can’t keep anything quiet. So I guess my boundary would be that you wouldn’t get to meet my family.”
“Ouch,” he said. “But I understand. Would you be willing to meet my family?”
