Page 61 of An Overdue Match
I’ve decided I’m going to approach today as a heroine practice day. Kind of like trying on a pair of shoes and seeing how they fit. What will allowing myself to step into center stage of my own life feel like? Tailor-made or forever the wrong size?
The doorbell rings just as I finish dabbing on a little lip gloss. Kitty Purry lifts her head from where she’s curled up on my pillow, blinks at me, then goes back to her nap.
I’ve forgone my usual pencil skirt in favor of a pair of skinny jeans but have donned my usual bookish tee. This one sports Louisa May Alcott’s famous quote,She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.
I grab my purse, which has a loaded Kindle in it because I don’t leave the house without reading material and I can’t see myself paying attention to the game for nine straight innings, then I open the door. Tai stands there in a pair of dark jeans that hug his hips and an Atlanta Braves jersey that makes him look like he should be the newest draft to the team. A baseball cap with the franchise’s signature tomahawk is settled on his head. He flicks the flat brim up and sweeps a glance down my body.
I flush, warmth filling every pore as he scans the length of me.
“This won’t do at all,” he says softly as he takes a step forward, invading my space.
It’s disconcerting how close our faces are, how our bodiesline up perfectly. How each of my muscles immediately goes taut simply because of his proximity. Awareness tingles down my spine like old friends recently reunited.
I should take a step back. Or maybe not? Heroines stand their ground, don’t they?
Slowly and without breaking eye contact, Tai lifts his hand and removes his hat. His inky hair shines in the morning sunlight. Despite how much I hate reading the phrase in books, I really do want to run my fingers through his hair right now. I’m not sure of his intent until I feel the band of his cap touch the top of my wig.
All thoughts of how his hair would feel between my fingers vanish. Panic pulses in surging waves. My eyes widen. My heart pounds. My breathing labors. Any second the hat or his hand is going to knock my wig askew or pull it off completely. When that happens, it’ll be like I’m standing naked in front of him.
I can’t let him see me like that.
I can’t.
The palm of his other hand gently slides against the side of my neck and anchors me to the spot, cutting off my escape. His eyes still haven’t left mine. It’s as if they’re sayingIt’s okay. Trust me.
I don’t have time to make a decision because a second later the hat is settled on my head. My wig didn’t so much as shift. My secret is still safe. Tears of relief stab at the back of my eyes, but I blink them back.
Tai smiles softly, releasing his hold on me and taking a step back. “There. Have to show team spirit in the stands.”
“Th-thank you,” I stammer, still trying to get ahold of myself. This heroine practice day is off to a seriously rocky start.
“It looks good on you.”
I smile my thanks and follow him to his car, where he opens the door for me.
Once we turn out of my driveway, I think I’ve pulled myself together enough to talk without stuttering.
“Are you a big baseball fan?” There. That came out in a perfectly normal pitch.
“My childhood dream was to play professionally.”
I remember watching him at the game I’d attended to get intel on Dalton. He’d been the best player out on the field. “What happened?”
“An asthma attack between second and third base,” he says casually, the same way he’d state that he’d simply changed his mind.
For the next 110 miles we talk about baseball. How he never fell out of love with the sport and how he’d felt the first time he’d picked up a bat as an adult and overcome a decade of being denied the opportunity to play. I tell him the story of how my parents met at a professional game and were victims of the kiss cam. I love the story, but I can’t help the sadness that creeps in. I can’t help but wonder what my mom would say to me if she were here now.
“Are you okay?” Tai asks, observant to my change in mood.
“I just miss them. Which is silly because they died when I was so young that I don’t even have any memories of them. Just the stories my grandparents have told me.”
“That’s not silly.”
He doesn’t ask me how they died, but I find myself wanting to tell him anyway. “My father always had an interest in aviation and was taking flying lessons at a small municipal airport so he could get his pilot’s license. My mom went with him and his teacher on one of his training flights. Something went wrong with the plane and, well, it crashed. The three of them lost their lives that day.”
Tai reaches over the center console and squeezes my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
After a moment, he returns his grip to the steering wheel,leaving me to wrestle with the unexpected disappointment that follows being bereft of his touch.
