Page 10 of Curveball

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks, I wanted it to have a similar feel to the restaurant. Right now, the colors and furniture feel too heavy and distract from the incredible views the room offers of the vineyard. I think with these colors, the furniture, and the decor I’m envisioning for the space, it'll complement the views. Like bringing the outside in, if that makes sense?"

"It does, and I absolutely love it. How soon can you get started on it? I know your mom mentioned you have several large projects on your plate at the moment." Laurel picked up the cabinetry sample and inspected it.

"I’m so glad you love it!” I handed her a fabric swatch for her to examine more closely. “I have several projects underway right now, but I think we could get started in the next couple of weeks and have it done in three-ish weeks. Four weeks max. It isn't a big project, and now that I have Emma and Maddie, we can get it done pretty quickly. Honestly, most of the time-suck will come from how long everything takes to come in from my suppliers." I smiled.

Laurel took my hands in hers. "Oh, Farrah, I just love you! I thought it would take a lot longer, and I really appreciate you fitting us into your schedule."

I chuckled and then shrugged. "Y'all are family to me, I'm happy to do this for you." I gave her hands a squeeze before turning my attention back to the samples I’d brought.

As we finalized details, I couldn’t shake the awareness that Walker would likely be here—often.

And for the first time in years, running didn’t feel like an option. I knew I’d have to face him, whether I was ready to or not.

Chapter 5

Farrah

9 Years Ago

It was a clear summer night, and the Longhorns had just won the College World Series against the University of Georgia at our home field. Walker had pitched the final game that had sealed the deal, and was on absolute fire; no one could get a hit off him. The energy in the stadium was an electric sea of burnt orange. I sat with some of my sorority sisters in the student section, our voices hoarse from celebration. "I can't believe they did it! Oh my god, Walker was unreal tonight, Farrah!" my sorority sister and closest college friend, Taylor, said. The Bulldogs had been the favorites to win early in the series, until the Longhorns kept winning, one win after another. Taylor and I had our arms wrapped around each other, jumping up and down excitedly, but I couldn't take my eyes off number forty-four.

The grin he had split his handsome face in half. Walker was celebrating with his teammates right outside of the dugout when his dark green eyes glanced up toward where I was sitting and locked with mine. He threw me a wink, immediately making my heart flutter. It didn't matter how long I’d been with the guy; he always set my body on fire. I blew him a kiss and turned my attention back to Taylor, who was currently fanning her face.

"Damn, that boy has it bad for you. Ugh, I’m so jealous you’re dating a tall, hot baseball player," she whined, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, shut up, Tay, you’ve got one football player and one basketball player currently after you, you’re doing just fine." I rolled my eyes. Taylor was tall and gorgeous, with dark auburn hair and bright blue eyes.

A sheepish grin appeared. "I like to keep my options open. Until one of those boys looks at me like that one down there looks at you, I'm not settling."

"Okay, fair enough." I held my hands up in surrender. "Are you coming out tonight with us to celebrate?" I knew Rainey Street was going to be crazy tonight, and I really hoped Taylor would come. I was the more introverted of the two of us, so I usually did better when I was with her or with a group of our sisters. Crowds gave me anxiety, and I knew tonight would be intense.

"For sure! I'm not missing tonight's party, are you kidding me? Let's grab the rest of the girls so we can head out and get there before it gets too wild. Is Walker going to meet us there?" Taylor led the way out of the stadium to meet three of our sisters who were waiting for us: Emily, Sophie, and Amy.

I nodded. "Yeah, he and some of the other guys will probably be an hour or so behind us."

It took us a bit to get over to Rainey Street, where all our favorite bars were, due to the insane traffic from the game. Once we got there, we found an area to set up shop after getting our drinks. The five of us were standing and chatting while another group of girls stood over to the right of us. They already seemed a bit tipsy, as their voices were loud enough for our group to make out their entire conversation.

"Walker James is so fucking hot. He was insane tonight, and I think that only made me want to hook up with him more," a girl with long brown hair said. Taylor looked over at me, her eyes wide, acknowledging she’d heard what I’d just heard.

"Oh my god, I know," laughed the blonde friend. "I started following him on social media, and he accepted my friend request," she squealed like a little schoolgirl.

Now Emily was looking at me, sympathy in her eyes. She knew I didn't handle this type of stuff well. Walker had been getting a lot of attention from other girls this year, and it was really hard for me. Sophie reached out and placed her hand on my arm to reassure me. Amy just shook her head, looking pissed off as hell.

I tried to ignore them and continue our own conversation; it all came with the territory, I was quickly learning. But I could assure you that Walker and I would be having a chat about accepting girls' friend requests later.

"Girl, same. I DM'd him last night," the brunette replied.

"Stop it! I would be too nervous to. Did he respond?" the blonde asked with bated breath.

Just as the brunette was about to answer her, loud cheers erupted through the bar, causing all of us to turn in the direction of the entrance. In strode Walker and four of his teammates. Not noticing me in the back just yet, he turned toward the bar with his teammates.

I was about to continue my conversation with the girls until I noticed the blonde and the brunette beeline for Walker at the bar. I internally groaned, fuck. My friends followed my gaze and saw what was happening.

"Do you want me to go over there and get those bitches away from him?" Amy asked, balling her fist.

"Yeah, we can go run some interference," Taylor chimed in while Emily and Sophie nodded in agreement.

"No, it's okay. He’s a big boy and needs to handle himself." I started nervously playing with the straw of my drink, not able to tear my eyes away. The brunette placed her hand on Walker's back to get his attention. He turned around to see who was touching him and smiled down at her.