“Yeah, Orbit is fun. He likes to tease my friend, Travis.”
“Why?”
Because Travis deserves it. “I think because Travis is easy to pick on. He’s a funny guy so the mascots like to play jokes on him.”
“Do they ever tease you?” he asks.
“Sometimes, once I’m out of the game, but pitchers aren’t normally the target.”
“We need a mascot,” he says and all I can imagine is a tiny piglet running around the field. The thought makes me laugh.
“That would be fun, but not sure where I’d find a piglet.”
“He could wear a baseball jersey.” Chase laughs.
“Who could wear what?” Bellamy carries over three plates and sets them down on the table. “What are you boys talking about?”
I like the way she lumps Chase and I together. I lean back in my chair and look at the kid, who for a long while this morning, I thought hated me. “Eh, we’re discussing business.”
“Well,” she says with her hands on her hips. “If it’s baseball business, you might as well tell me since everything ends up in my house anyway.” She motions toward her living room where boxes of equipment, clothing and uniforms are stacked. Ideally, the boxes should be at my parents’ place or the youth center, but due to current circumstances the center is off limits and the delivery driver couldn’t make it up my parents’ driveway, which left me no choice but to beg Bellamy to store them. The boxes should’ve gone to the garage, but the driver started carrying them inside and I haven’t had a moment to move them.
“I’ll take care of them today,” I tell her as I right myself. She nods and slides two plates in my direction with one being for Chase.
“Be right back, I need the ketchup,” he says as he excuses himself. I reach my hand across the table to hold Bellamy’s for a second.
“Thank you for breakfast and not freaking out about this morning.”
“I think you did enough of that for the both of us.”
“I don’t want to pretend I understand what Chase is going through. I know he’s angry with his father, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see me with his mother either.”
Bellamy smiles softly. “Chase adores you, Hawk. We’ll be fine, I promise.”
Chase walks back in with the bottle of ketchup and container of orange juice. “Good call on the OJ, bud,” Bellamy says to Chase. Secretly. I’m happy he went and snagged the ketchup because that’s a staple for me and my breakfast. After he uses it, I pick up the bottle and squirt it over my eggs and hash browns, and then mix them together. Before I take my first bite, I look up and find mother and son staring at me.
?
??What?” I ask, suspecting they’re going to find my food habits rather odd.
“Nothing,” she says, giving a wink. I don’t know if it’s directed toward me or Chase, but my mouth drops open when she picks up the bottle and does the same thing. In fact, Chase mixes his food together too. I hold up my hand, waiting for each of them to give me a high-five.
After Bellamy and I drop Chase off at school, we decide to take a drive. This wasn’t planned, but after last night, between everything that happened and the bombshell I dropped, I need to get away, and she is eager to do the same.
We’re on a back road, nestled in the mountains, when I decide to pull over at one of the scenic spots. We get out the truck and reach for each other’s hands as we walk toward the rock wall. Below, the deep valley is a death trap, waiting for its next victim. Between the trees, where the pointy sharp rocks are ready to maim you, live the bears. The hungry, ready to eat any time, black and grizzly bears are biding their time. A bear attack is rare, but they happen.
Growing up, we were always on high alert. My dad and his buddies had a network of people who would share information. The last thing my father wanted was to lose cattle or horses to a bear attack. If that happened, and the bear got a way, they were likely to bring their friends back the next day for more.
Standing at the rock wall, I look over the majestic beauty of this state. The lush green of the trees standing out over the snow-covered ground is a sight to behold. I love it here, but I also love Boston and many of the other cities I’ve visited over the years.
Bellamy’s next to me with her camera poised. She’s taking photo after photo and I tell her to send them to me. When she sits, I take the spot next to her and sigh. Her hand rubs down my leg as she gives me a sweet smile. I know she’s trying to calm my nerves, but they’re frayed.
“What do you want to do?” she asks. I know exactly what she’s talking about but am tempted to feign stupidity.
“What if I’m wrong?”
“What if you’re right?” she fires back.
“I don’t know. I’m torn.”