“We don’t want to intrude.”
“Hey, Chase!”
I follow the voice saying my son’s name. This kid is smiling as he comes toward Chase and when he calls his friend “Nolan” in response, I know there’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere. I find myself, once again, staring at the man beside me. He’s dressed differently from before. Gone are the long sleeves, replaced by short ones which show off the muscles I suspected he had, along with full arm of tattoos. I try not to gawk, but there’s no use in denying that I think Hawk is sexy.
“Looks like you’re about to join us for dinner,” he says so only I can hear him.
“Looks that way.” I take the seat being offered and set my purse down on the floor. Hawk introduces me to his nephew before handing the boys a cup of tokens and telling them to scram.
“How much do I owe you for those tokens?”
“Not a single thing,” he says as he leans back in his chair.
“Okay, then. How much do I owe you for putting a smile on my son’s face?”
Hawk’s demeanor changes and he leans forward. “About that . . . what can you tell me about the Little League program?”
I swallow hard and try not to think about the possible ramifications of what I’m about to say. He helped my son and that tells me Hawk is one of the good guys.
Thirteen
Hawk
Almost everything about today has left a bad taste in my mouth. I know I shouldn’t get involved in town politics because I don’t live here. I shouldn’t care that some big box store is putting the little guy out of business. Nor should it matter how the parents run the Little League program, but that’s not who I am. It never has been. Back in high school, I ran for school president when I was a freshman, which was unheard of. Most underclassmen only run for their class. Not me. I wanted the top prize. I lost by one vote and that was the last time I lost. It’s in my nature to care, to butt in when my opinion isn’t asked for, and to make sure my stance on any and everything is heard loud and clear. So, I intend to figure out what’s going on around here because seeing those boys standing there, longing to be on the field with their friends, was wrong. They should’ve been playing. All of this was evident when I asked them if they’d like to play catch and their faces lit up like it was Christmas morning.
The entire time I worked with them, Brett was lurking in the shadows. I was half tempted to call him out, ask him to join us, but the thought of having to spend another minute with him turned my stomach. I can’t quite figure him out and I’m not sure I should try. Our friendship came to blows many years ago and some things are better left where they died.
My nephew, though, man can he pitch! The kid is already trying to master the knuckle ball and suggested I teach the other boys, which was pretty hard to do with my left hand, but a few of them got it. The whole group of them was eager to learn, which again, put me on edge because they should be out there playing. That’s why I had the fields built — to give the youth a chance to be kids and not have to act so grown up all the time.
Once the other boys left and the park started clearing out, Nolan and I hung out a little longer. He wanted to practice his batting stance and after rummaging through the shed, I found a bucket of balls. I dumped them out on home plate, flipped the bucket over so I could sit on it and tossed balls to my nephew until the sun went down. Afterward, because he knows me so well, he suggested we get pizza.
Which is how we’ve ended up at The Depot, and now the pretty real estate lady is being led to a table by the hostess and her son, Chase. What a character Chase is. That little guy is so eager to learn that he soaked up everything I taught him today and asked if we could do it again tomorrow. Of course, I said yes, which delighted Nolan.
I watch Chase and his mom as they come closer, wondering if I should say something or if she will. Earlier this morning, I was a bit tongue-tied when speaking to her. I wasn’t expecting to find someone out in the middle of nowhere, let alone a beautiful woman. I can’t even remember what I said to her, I just know I gave her my phone number, hoping she’d call.
She hasn’t.
It’s like they’re walking in slow motion, knowing that I’m contemplating my next move and purposely giving me time to figure out a way to get their attention. I could stand up, wave my one good arm and cause a scene. Or I could sit here and wait for Nolan to come back from the bathroom and pay my nephew to go talk to them for me. The latter sounds like the best plan.
“Hey, Mr. Sinclair.” I look up from the menu when I hear my name and try not to smile. I love this kid. He did exactly what I couldn’t do. The best part about this situation? His mother stops right behind him. The worst part? I look at her, really study her, and find the prim and proper lady from this morning is gone, and in her place is someone that I’m extremely attracted to although I don’t know why. I know nothing about her, yet I feel like she’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It’s odd, I’ve never felt this way before and I find myself glancing back and forth between her and her ring finger. Nothing, not even a faint line. I want to invite them to sit down and give the boys my wallet, so they’ll leave us alone, because every part of me wants to know everything there is to know about this woman.
She smiles and I realize I’m staring like a crazy ass stalker. I turn away and mumble, “Hi, Chase. It’s good to see you again.”
“This is my Mom.” He points to the blonde bombshell standing behind him, who is wearing an old college sweatshirt with her hair in a bun and barely any make-up on.
“Chase, I met Mr. Sinclair this morning. He was riding a horse,” she says as her face morphs into pure mortification. I laugh. I can’t help it. It’s such a random thing to say, but I love that she blurted it out.
“You ride horses?” Chase is overly excited about this fact, which I find odd since he lives in Montana and most people out here ride horses.
“Yeah, I do. Have you ever been on one?”
Chase’s head goes back and forth so fast, my eyes are having a hard time keeping up with him. “Mom, can I ride a horse?” he turns to her.
“Sure, bud. Someday,” she says endearingly to him. I know in this moment it’s going to happen because I’m going to make sure Chase has the opportunity. “Bud, our seats are over there.”
“You can join me if you want?” I try to make my voice as even as possible, without a hint of desperation, but it rises at the end like a prepubescent boy getting excited.
“Um . . .”