Beyond the Bases

“Morning, princess. I was just calling your mom to plan for us to spend the day together next Saturday.” I know it’s a dick move to get Paisley excited before I run it past Larissa, but I’m hoping that works in my favor. I can’t have her backing out on me.

“Are we gonna play catch?” she asks.

“Nope, but I need to ask your mommy first. Can you hand her back the phone?”

“Mommy, Easton wants to talk to you.”

“Hey,” Larissa says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

“So, I have this thing on Saturday, and I was wondering if you and Paisley would come with me?”

“What kind of thing?” she asks cautiously.

“The Blaze are having a team family day at the zoo. They close the place down for us, and we pretty much have free rein. I thought Paisley would enjoy it.”

“She’ll love it,” she admits. “What time?”

I throw my fist in the air in silent celebration. “I’ll pick you ladies up at eleven.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

“Okay,” I repeat. “Great. Send me your address.”

“I can do that. I have to get moving and make breakfast. Then I have to work this afternoon.”

“Just when you have time. Have a good night at work.”

“Thanks, Easton. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye, East!” Paisley yells as the line goes dead.

I can’t wipe the smile off my face. I spend the rest of the day lounging and getting caught up on things around the house. We have two home games this week, hence the reason for the team day at the zoo on Saturday.

By nightfall, I find myself sitting on the back deck, untouched bottle of beer sitting on the table. I was antsy in the house, pacing, not sure what to do with myself. That’s not something I’m used to. I was tempted to go to The Vineyard for dinner but didn’t want to push my luck. Now here I am wishing I had gone, while cursing myself inwardly for not doing so.

Pushing the home button on my cell phone, I see it’s a little after ten. I’m not sure what time she gets off work tonight, but the last time it was eleven. I’m in the house, locking the patio door, grabbing my keys, and heading to the garage before I can talk myself out of it.

The closer I get to the restaurant, the calmer I become. The antsy feeling slips away completely when I pull into the parking lot. The spot next to her Escape is open. Just like last time, I take a seat on the tailgate of my truck and wait for her.

I check the time what seems like every thirty seconds. I realize she might get out later than eleven, but I’m hoping that’s not the case. Three minutes after eleven, the back door opens, and I lay eyes on her for the first time today.

“Easton?” she asks cautiously.

“Hey, Ris,” I say, not moving. I want to though. I want to hop off this tailgate, pull her into my arms, and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of her. Instead, I stay rooted to my spot.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, stopping just in front of me. She’s no longer in her uniform. Instead, she’s wearing jeans, with holes in the knees and a tank top.

“I wanted to see you,” I tell her honestly. I don’t want to play games, not with her.

“You were with me most of the day yesterday,” she reminds me, even though she doesn’t need to. I’ve replayed our day together over and over.

“Yeah, and today, nothing. I needed my Larissa fix.”

A slight tilt of her lip appears and disappears just as quickly. She’s trying to hide it, but it was there. “Where’s Paisley?” I ask her.

“She’s staying at my mom’s tonight.”

“So you have nowhere to be? You going somewhere,” I ask. I’m not used to her coming out dressed in something other than her uniform.

She hesitates. “No, not really.”

“Why the change of clothes?” I ask, knowing it’s not really any of my business. But the thought of her possibly meeting up with someone else lights a fire inside me.

“Oh, I was running late, so I changed here. My last table was a family and the kid, a little older than P, was rushing back from the bathroom and ran into me. A full plate of spaghetti and meatballs right down my shirt. Luckily I had clothes with me so I changed after we closed up.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, one of the perks of the job.”

“You wanna go for a drink or maybe just a drive?” I’m reaching, and we both know it. I just want to spend some time with her. Hell, we can sit here in this parking lot and just talk if that gets me time with her.