Beyond the Game

“Have you seen him again?”

“The first time since that night was during the World Series.”

“What do you want to happen?” I ask.

“I don’t know. The tabloids label him as a player.”

“He is.” I wink, making her laugh.

“You know what I mean. I don’t play games.”

“Do you feel like he’s playing you?”

“No. I don’t. That doesn’t mean I’m not cautious.”

“Well, it’s the off-season, so you’ve got a few months of him being home to take some time to get to know him.”

“We’ll see,” she says, not really committing to the idea as my phone rings.

“Hey, Mom,” I greet.

“Hi. Are you busy?”

“No. Just sitting and catching up with Willow. What’s up?”

“Well, I was supposed to pick Peyton up from school. It’s an early dismissal day, and I just remembered. I’m at a fundraiser meeting across town, and there is no way I can get there in time. Your dad had a video conference scheduled for a commercial some deodorant company is trying to convince him to do.”

“Sure, I’ll head over now and pick her up.”

“Thank you, Paisley.”

“No problem. Love you,” I say, waiting for her to reply before ending the call.

“Everything all right?” Willow asks.

“That was Mom. She’s stuck across town and forgot Peyton has early dismissal from school today. I’m going to go pick her up and drop her off at home. You want to go with me?”

“Actually, I’m going to start on laundry. You coming back?”

“Yes. I’ll bring us some lunch.”

“I knew you were my best friend for a reason,” she quips.

“I’ll be back,” I say as I stand and grab my purse, and head out.

“So, will you come?” Peyton asks as I pull into my parents’ driveway.

“Of course I’ll be there,” I assure her.

“I’m so excited, and it’s not going to interfere with softball. I’m going to be able to do both,” she explains, talking about her play with the drama club where she was cast in the lead role.

“That’s great, Peyton.” Grabbing my keys from the ignition, I follow her up the steps. She’s twelve so she can stay home alone, but Dad’s supposed to be here. I just want to check on things before leaving her. Otherwise, I can always bring her back to hang out with Willow and me for a couple of hours.

“You have homework?” I ask my little sister.

“Ugh. Not you too,” she whines.

“Trust me. If you do it now and get it over with, you’ll have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.”