I give Jesse a wave and make my way over the lawn to the driveway.
The fire is out. No one was hurt. It’ll probably be an uneventful night. A peaceful night.
That’s what Whispering Pines delivers. Peace, security, and certainty. Now if I could find a woman to share that with. A woman who does to me what Sammy did to me. That’s what I’m looking for.
The kids sprint from their parents’ cars to the baseball diamond. Looks like today's going to be a high energy practice. It’s cooler than last week, but all blue skies and sunshine. I’m damn lucky this is how I get to spend my Saturday mornings.
I hold up my hand for a high-five.
Our catcher rears up and slaps my palm. “Whack,” he announces and runs circles around home plate.
“We've got a newcomer today,” Jake, my fellow coach, says as he joins me beside the aluminum bleachers.
“Really? This late in the season?” There's three more weeks left until we stop for the year.
“Lara Lane. She's new in town. Her mom’s from here. They just moved back.” Every nerve in my body fires.It can’t be.“Her mom’s Sammy Lane. Maybe you know her?”
My heart hammers.She’s coming.I haven't seen her since the afternoon of the fire. I also haven't stopped thinking about her. I keep going over every moment of the conversation in the forest. I see the slope of her cheek. The concern etched on her forehead. The soulful depth of her blue eyes.
I hear her words and come up with better responses. I should’ve been more compassionate and understanding. Except, I was in awe of how she made me feel.
This past week, every time I went into town, I wondered if I’d run into her. How could she have been living in Whispering Pines and I never picked up on it?
“Do you know Sammy?” Jake asks.
“I met her last week during the fire.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s some messed up stuff. I heard it was arson.”
How does Jake know it was arson?“We’re still working on the cause,” I lie.
There's no doubt the fire was arson. Someone ignited a pile of greasy rags in the B&B’s basement.
But there won’t be a public announcement until next week. Has Sammy already been telling folks that it’s arson? Or is the rumor mill spitting out stories?
“They’re here,” Jake says at the same moment I see her walking across the field between the parking lot and the diamond.
My lungs fill with a hard inhale. Heaviness settles into my groin. I can’t stop the purely physical reaction. She’s in leggings that show off long, strong legs under a dark, oversized sweatshirt. Casual, messy, sexy.
She and Lara wear matching LA Sharks baseball caps.
Which is crazy.
They look relaxed, chatting and smiling. It’s pretty carefree for a woman whose business just burned to the ground. She must be holding it together for her daughter.
“Sammy,” Jake calls out and waves her toward us.
Her gaze shifts to me, and she tenses. Is she surprised to see me? Upset to be reminded of the fire when she hoped to have a normal T-ball day?
“Thanks for taking Lara this late in the season,” she says, and hugs like Jake like he’s a pretty damn good friend.
“No problem. We’re glad you’re here.” He runs his hands up and down her arms like he’s warming her up. I never thought of Jake as a handsy guy, but he’s giving Sammy a lot of hands.
He turns to me, keeping on arm on Sammy’s back. “Maybe you know my fellow coach….”
“Yeah,” she looks down at my faded Fire Academy T-shirt. “He was at the scene of the fire last week. Thanks for all you and the other firemen did.”
“I wish things could’ve turned out differently,” I say with genuine sympathy, wondering what else I can say or do to make this better for her.
