Page 57 of Elevator Pitch

“Well, you look rested,” Kip teases as I enter my office after a quick stop to my hotel room for a shower and change of clothes.

I sip from my to-go cup of coffee. “I am,” I casually state, glancing down at my desk, randomly flipping through papers without reading a word on them.

“Sleep with your lady friend again?”

My head lifts and I narrow my gaze at Kip. “Don’t make it sound so scandalous.”

“But isn’t it? Clandestine meetings at her place.”

“What the . . . Are you reading romance novels again?”

“I’m going to regret letting you know that secret, aren’t I?”

Not as much as I regret that I’m not having a clandestine affair with Vee, although this morning came close. Her heat against my thigh. Our legs entwined. Her hand on my wrist, signaling she wanted more.

“Are you feeling lucky?”

“What?” My head snaps upward, my tone a little sharper than necessary.

“For the game. Did your good luck charm bring you the magic you need?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.” However, I certainly do feel good. Better, especially after Vee didn’t kick me out last night, invited me to stay for dinner, and then we hung out. Things got a little sad for a minute, but the sharing of our marriages was inevitable, almost refreshing.

I never mentioned Patty with former situationships. She was a subject I glossed over, and one most females didn’t like to address. Some didn’t even like my single dad status which made them short-lived in my life.

But like Kip had said weeks ago, fucking the younger set had it’s time and place, and now I wanted my time to be filled with one pretty forty-five-year-old.

As for places, I couldn’t believe both of us were so close to going back home. Chicago awaits.

The thought made me anxious. Like a summer fling about to end. I didn’t like the comparison.

Would I see Vee in Chicago? Could we keep this arrangement going? Should we?

Was I being fair? Was I only dragging out the inevitable by asking Vee out on a date? My heart slowly sinks to my stomach. Still, I want that time with her. The Hole in the Rock will be a fun escape and excellent way to experience Arizona together. Plus, it gets us outside her rental which is the only place we’ve been together, like an actual clandestine affair as Kip teased me. Only I don’t want Vee to feel like a secret. She isn’t something scandalous. We’re consenting adults, building a friendship, and I want to see where we’ll go. Before we say goodbye, if we say goodbye.

“So you saw her?” Kip questions, still reading my mood.

“I saw her.” A slow smile ticks up the corners of my mouth with reminders of this morning and our future plans. Like a runner moving around first base and hightailing toward second, I’m racing toward a grin I can’t contain. Glancing at Kip, he catches me smiling.

“It’s a nice look on you.”

“What is?” I school my expression.

“Happiness.”

Fuck off rests on the tip of my tongue, but I fight the response.

I am happy. Happy I’m getting this chance with Vee. If only for a little while longer.

+ + +

On Tuesday, after batting practice in the morning, I pick Vee up and drive the half hour distance to Hole in the Rock, which is essentially a giant hole in a ginormous rock formation, and a small sightseeing venture compared to all the trails, hikes, and mountain ranges in the area. If only I had time, I’d take Vee to Sedona or up to the Grand Canyon. Maybe next year? It was an excuse I’d used too often with my boys when they were younger. And I didn’t know if there would be a next year for Vee and me. I needed to embrace the moment.

While we drive, Vee chatters away about activities she’s done while in Arizona and things she’d wanted to do. She was running out of time to fit it all in.

Once we arrive at the park, we take the rocky trail which curves around the back of the rock to natural indentations leading to the hole that provides a scenic view of Phoenix.

Vee takes picture after picture after having taken tons of photographs from the base of the rock.