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Relieved.

Until I remembered…

“You do realize that my dad coaches the high school team. He’ll be your coach this spring,” I said.

“I’m looking forward to it.” He bopped my nose. “I need a good coach for my senior year.”

The sunlight reflected off the silver chain that disappeared under his baseball tee. I ran my fingers over the grooves of it. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about this all summer. What’s on the necklace?”

He lifted the chain over his head and laid a set of dog tags in my hand.

I read the text engraved on one: “Always near, never far.”

“My father had them made for me before his last deployment. Said they’d bring me luck.” He looked around at the stadium and released a deep breath. “Guess he was right.”

Guess he was.

He stood and then pulled me to my feet. “So I’ve been thinking about that time we played ball in Clairview.”

I smirked and slipped his necklace back over his head.

“The one where I hit the hell out of your changeup? And then your fastball?”

“Yep, that time.” He laughed and nodded toward home plate, where a bat and a bucket of balls sat. “You up for a rematch?”

“Are you?” I bounced back and forth on my feet. “I am wearing my lucky jersey today. It never fails me.”

He flicked my hat and then picked up his from the mound, tugging it on. “We’ll see about that.”

I hurried behind home plate and threw him a few balls before taking my stance inside the box. “Don’t go easy on me, Fulton.”

He smiled. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Crowley.”