Beyond the Bases

“It’s not your heart I’m trying to revive. It’s the girly bits. If you don’t dust the cobwebs off soon, I’m afraid you’ll never find it.”

“Ha ha, smartass. Was there another reason for your call?”

“Wanna get lunch?” she asks, not missing a beat.

“I told Mom I would stop by. Speaking of, she’s beeping me now. Hold on a sec.” I pull the phone away and click the Accept Call button on the screen. “Hey, Mom, I’m headed that way.”

“That’s why I’m calling. We decided to go to Jackie’s.” Jackie’s my aunt, Mom’s older sister. “We’re not there. Take a nap, enjoy a couple of hours of free time before work.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay, I’ll call before my shift.”

“Bye now,” she says, ending the call.

“You there?” I ask Chloe.

“Yeah, everything good?”

“They decided to go to Aunt Jackie’s so I have the afternoon free. I’m at work at four.”

“I’m on tonight too,” Chloe tells me.

“I thought you were off?”

“I traded with Sasha. Her son’s sick. So, lunch?”

“Sure, where do you want to meet?”

“How about Shorty’s? I’m telling you, their food is delicious. Don’t let the rundown bar motif scare you away.”

I mull this over. Surely the chances of running into Easton and his crew in the middle of the day at Shorty’s is unlikely. “Sure. I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Great. I’m closer so I’ll grab us a booth.”

“See you soon.”

“Later,” she replies, and the line goes dead. My best friend is a tornado, always has been.

Reaching my car, I toss my bag in the back seat and head toward Shorty’s. I’m starving, so the food better be as good as she claims.

The lot is practically empty when I pull in, the inside the same. There are two older gentlemen sitting at the bar. Other than that, it’s just Chloe who’s in a booth in the back corner.

“Hey, I ordered us some potato skins, and sweet tea to start with. I’m starving.”

“Me too. All I’ve had today is a granola bar.” My stomach growls, proving my point, just as the waiter stops by with our potato skins.

“You ready to order?” he asks.

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with steak fries,” Chloe tells him.

“Make that two.” I offer him a smile.

“How was class?” she asks, her eyes flicking over my shoulder to the door. My stomach drops. Surely it’s not him. Slowly, I turn to gaze over my shoulder and see a third older gentleman taking a seat at the bar. “Good,” I answer, turning back to face Chloe. “Hard to stay awake. It’s not exactly engaging material.”

“I hate classes like that. Luckily for me, elementary education is not as boring.”

“All of it’s boring at some point.”

“Says the accounting major,” she says with a laugh and picks up a potato skin.

I nod, chewing on the delicious morsel “Boring it is,” I say after swallowing, “but it’s a good field with lots of job opportunities and security. All things I need in my life.”

“Is that all you need?” a deep voice asks from beside me.

Slowly, I turn my head and see Drew and Easton standing next to our booth. I open my mouth to reply but words escape me. Looking across the booth at Chloe, she’s grinning from ear to ear. I should have known her suggestion to come here of all places was a setup. I want to be mad at her, but the way my pulse quickens at just the sight of him tells me it’s no use. I can’t help but wish things were different, that I didn’t have the worries and fears that plague me. That I had the time and the energy to devote to a man like Easton Monroe.

“Mind if we join you?” Easton asks.

Immediately, Chloe scoots over on her side of the booth, making room for Drew. I do the same, not wanting to be rude. Easton seems like a really nice guy, but life is complicated and messy and just not that easy. At least not for me. It hasn’t been that way for a long time.

“What are you all getting into today?” Chloe asks like she doesn’t already know. I’d kick her shin if I thought I could get away with it, but knowing my luck, I’ll end up hitting Drew instead. So instead, I stare at her, eyes wide, asking her what the hell she was thinking. The look doesn’t even faze her as she gives her attention to Drew and Easton, effectively ignoring me.

“Early practice. We’re done for the day,” Drew says, playing her game.

Grabbing my sweet tea, I take a long drink, keeping my eyes focused on the table in front of me.

Just as I’m setting my glass back on the table, Easton leans into me. His thigh presses against mine, his lips close to my ear. “You okay?” he asks, just low enough for me to hear.