Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove 3)

Josh was up next. Lizzie couldn’t deny that her pulse gave a little jump as he strode out from the on-deck circle and swung his bat a few times. Hot damn, he looked good in ball pants. The gray material hugged his butt perfectly, making her mouth go dry, and the shirt emphasized his lean waist and broad shoulders. He sent the pitcher a crooked grin, tapped his batting helmet with his knuckles, and put one foot in the box while the other one remained out, taking his time. “Now Danny,” he called, “I don’t need that fastball. I kind of like the inside curve, if you don’t mind!”

Shouts erupted from both benches. “Don’t listen to him, Dan!” mingled with laughs, and everyone on the benches had smiles on their faces.

Lizzie remembered that Josh’s right hand still had stitches in, but he didn’t seem to be favoring it any. His batting gloves would give him some extra padding, she supposed. And she admired his perfect form as he finally put his back foot in the box, raised his left elbow, and got ready for the pitch.

Josh’s face had lost all traces of teasing and was perfectly focused as Danny wound up for the pitch. He’d known exactly what he was doing, she realized, as Danny didn’t throw the curve but instead hit him with another fastball, straight down the middle. It was just what Josh had wanted, wasn’t it? Because he took a mighty swing and she watched as the bat came around, his hips swiveled, and torso and shoulders rotated in perfect form as he followed through. The ball went up, up, and long, heading for the fence. The fielders ran back, but it was too late. The ball sailed over the fence, bringing in two runs and tying up the game.

The team lined up for high fives as Josh rounded home, and the high school team’s faces showed a new determination. Dave laughed. “I think those Young Pups thought they’d walk away with it, but they’ve got some competition. I heard Josh, Rick, and Tom were all on the State champion team back in the day.”

Local star, hometown hero, Jewell Cove’s favorite son. Lizzie scowled a little. She was sorry about his wife, of course, but gosh, it certainly seemed like Josh Collins had had an all-American dream upbringing. He was damn near Mr. Perfect.

At the seventh-inning stretch, Lizzie made a point of reapplying sunscreen while Dave went down to the bench and Charlie sipped on ice water to keep cool. “Are you okay?” Lizzie asked her. “It’s a lot of sun. We don’t want you getting sunstroke.”

“I’m okay. The breeze has come up a bit and it’s helping.”

“Say the word and we can go somewhere cooler. With air-conditioning.”

Charlie laughed. “And miss this? Not a chance.” Charlie lifted her hand and sent a wave to a woman behind the visitors’ bench.

“Wow, who’s that?”

Charlie looked over at her. “Oh. That’s Josh’s other sister, Jess Sullivan. She was doing the face painting this morning. You haven’t met, have you?”

“She’s stunning. Holy cow.” Very pregnant, Jess Sullivan was still one of the most gorgeous women Lizzie had ever seen.

“I know, right? She’s married to Rick. The guy with the prosthetic. She owns Treasures, the purple store on Lilac Lane. Rick runs it with her and paints, too. On glass.”

“The stuff we saw at the gallery that day?”

Charlie nodded. “That’s his. Oh good, Jess is coming over. I’ll introduce you.”

It shouldn’t have made her nervous to meet Josh’s sister, but it did. It was funny. Everywhere she went, everyone she met … she felt like she had to pass some sort of test. It was the weirdest thing. She didn’t usually have a confidence issue.

But then again, that was all before she’d lost her dad, lost her edge, and screwed up.

“Jess, hi! This is my best friend in the whole world, Lizzie Howard. Liz, this is Josh’s sister Jess.”

Jess smiled warmly. “Good to finally meet you. Josh said you stitched up his finger the other night.” She rested her hand on the fullness of her belly.

“He took on a utility knife and the knife won, I’m afraid.” Lizzie smiled. Jess had a warm, easy way about her that Lizzie liked. “When are you due?”

Jess sighed. “Another month. Second trimester was a breeze. I’m heading into the ‘let’s get this show on the road’ stage now.”

Lizzie laughed. “You haven’t dropped yet, so it’ll be a while.”

Jess winced. “That’s what Charlie told me just before she went on her maternity leave. My mom calls every day, too, to ask how I’m feeling.”

“Josh is really going to be surrounded by babies in a few months, isn’t he?”

“My cousin has a seven-month-old, too. Lots of babies these days.”

Jess took a moment to cheer a play and then turned back to Lizzie. “You’re coming over later, right? Rick’s grilling ribs and Sarah’s made enough potato salad to feed both teams and there’s all sorts of food.”

“I … I’m not sure.”

Charlie elbowed her. “She’s coming,” Charlie informed Jess. “Don’t mind her. She’s being all new and stuff.”

Jess laughed. “Like you were, Charlie? You didn’t come out of your shell until Dave dragged you out of it.” Jess looked at Lizzie. “Charlie was so quiet for her first few months here. But we’ve gotten to know her a lot better since Christmas. She even took a knitting class I ran in March.”