Page 14 of An Overdue Match
She appeared to be studying something, but why study at a baseball game?
Her head lifted, and her gaze settled on Dalton in the on-deck circle, who was taking a few warm-up swings. Shethumbed through her papers again and pulled out another sheaf, settling this one beside the first. Her eyes moved between the two, and she traded her highlighter for a pen, then made a few notes in the margins.
Tai looked at Dalton, trying to figure out what in the world Evangeline was up to and what it had to do with the town’s chainsaw sculptor. The most obvious answer would be that she was romantically interested in the man, but what woman appeared to be studying for a test when watching the guy she liked at a sporting event? Unless she knew nothing of baseball and the papers she poured over were the rules and regulations of the game? It was a possibility.
But for some reason, that answer didn’t sit right with Tai.
The crack of connection between bat and ball rent the air a second before Burke’s wife’s screams of enthusiasm did. The bat clattered to the ground, and Burke took off to first base, a cloud of red dust behind his cleats.
Evangeline looked up again from her papers, but her focus wasn’t on the game. She was still peering at Dalton. Scrutinizing him, more like.
So, yeah, her presence had nothing to do with the game.
She’d proven herself a bit of a stalker (and a bad one, at that) in her overzealous crusade to protect all things published. Was she there to present Dalton with some type of summons or fine on behalf of the library?
Again, a theory that seemed highly unlikely—not that Tai wouldn’t put it past her to attempt such a thing. She sure had appeared to be ready to read him his Miranda rights when he’d dared to open a book anywhere near the vicinity of marinara sauce.
Dalton walked toward home plate while Rickers moved from the dugout to the on-deck circle. Tai looked back at Evangeline. She was nibbling on the capped end of her pen, deep in thought. Nothing at first glance would give anyone theidea that the woman was mysterious. Yet here he was again, trying to figure her out.
A gust of wind picked up, causing a swirl of dust on the baseball diamond but wreaking even more havoc in the stands. Evangeline’s neat pile of papers on her lap decided it was a perfect time to make a break for it. With the gusto of a classroom of kids being let out for recess, the papers flew in every direction, cackling with laughter in the breeze as Evangeline made futile swipes to bring them back under control.
Tai’s turn in the batting rotation was pretty far down the list. Pepé might not even call his name before it was time to go back out and play third base.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to no one in particular before jogging out the side entrance of the dugout toward the grassy section between the fence and the parking lot.
One of Evangeline’s papers rolled like a tumbleweed across the short blades of grass. He bent down and picked it up. Another rode the wind like a magic carpet, it’s getaway coming to an abrupt halt when it collided with his chest. He peeled the paper off the T-shirt the county distributed as jerseys.
Evangeline was scrambling to retrieve her wayward pages. Her apologies as she climbed over legs and tried to keep from stumbling into the other spectators reached him even from this distance. Two more of her papers were being pressed into the fence behind home plate as if by gunpoint.
He’d help her get the rest. But not before he snuck a peek.
Glancing down, he quickly scanned the printout. His brows pulled together over his eyes. He was holding a copy of Dalton’s library check-out history in one hand and Stacey Lawerence’s in the other.A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens had been highlighted in red on both papers, which Tai could understand, but thenThis Road We Traveledby Jane Kirkpatrickwas highlighted in yellow on Stacey’s history whileBack to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skillswas highlighted in the same color on Dalton’s. Tai had no idea what those particular books had to do with the other.
His gaze flicked up. Evangeline was collecting the runaway papers pressed along the fence. He had a few more seconds. Looking back down, he squinted to read the tiny handwriting on the side.
Similar interests:
Classics
Love of Christmas
Simple living/pioneering
What in the world was the woman up to?
The papers were snatched from his hands with such force that the corner he held with his right thumb and forefinger remained in his grip, a ripped edge attesting to how much Evangeline didn’t want him snooping.
From the look in her eye, she’d like to take a similar bite out of him.
Tai rocked back on his heels and gave her a lopsided grin in hope of disarming her. He didn’t necessarily want to defuse the situation entirely since he kind of liked the spark in her eye. Even if (or especially if?) said spark was directed at him. “Hello, Miss Marian.”
Evangeline took in a long breath through her nose, visibly trying to compose herself. “You know that is not my name.”
He took a half step forward and bent his head toward her as if imparting a secret. The faint scent of books and ink mixed with a delicate femininity filled his nostrils. “It’s something people like to call a nickname.”
Their faces were close, and he could see her throat work as she swallowed, but she didn’t take a step back.
She did, however, hold her papers a bit closer to her chest. “No one calls me by a nickname.”
