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I had left Jane down by the lake, reading a book, coming up to the cabin to pack a lunch for us. I was looking forward to spoiling her some more this afternoon. There had been a shift in our relationship last night. She seemed to understand and accept why I was driven to keep playing ball. I was more confident that we would find a way to make this work even after I left Red Rock.

I was putting the finishing touches on a picnic lunch when my phone rang. Even without cell service, the cottage had Wi-Fi that we had both connected to when we arrived, in case of emergencies. Since I had my phone set to Do Not Disturb for everyone except Wally, this had to be important. Call display confirmed it. “Hey, Skipper.”

“Get your butt to Calgary; you’re going to Vancouver. Plane tickets are being booked, you need to be there tonight.”

I braced myself, stunned. I was getting called up? How was that even possible? Sure, I’d fixed my swing, and I was playing better for the last two weeks. It hadn’t seemed like enough, especially not mid-season. My best hope had been that I would get called up in September when teams expanded their rosters. I had to tell Jane.

Jane. I didn’t want to cut our trip short, but she would understand. This was the reason I had come to Red Rock. She would be thrilled for me that I was getting what I wanted.

“I can get back to Calgary in about three hours. Does that work?” Shock was morphing to exhilaration as I mentally catalogued all the things that had to happen in the next few hours. Tomorrow was Thursday, the last day of the All-Star break. Vancouver played again on Friday, an away game. Atlanta? Florida? Somewhere on the East Coast. Most of the players would be flying out of Vancouver in the morning, and it sounded like they wanted me on the plane with them.

“Yeah, I’ll coordinate with the club, make it work. They’ll text you your ticket information.”

The timing was going to be tight. Everything that made this cabin the perfect escape was now working against me to get to Vancouver on time. I had to drop Jane off in Red Rock, pack all my stuff, get back to the airport in Calgary . . . I didn’t have enough time to do that. I’d have to get her to drop me off at the airport and take my Jeep back to her place. I’d get it shipped to me later.

“Okay. I can drive direct to Calgary from here, but returning to Red Rock will add almost two more hours to the trip. All my equipment is in my locker. Can you pack it up and have someone bring it to the airport for me?” I wanted my glove and cleats, if nothing else. I could play with team-issued bats if necessary.

“Raine got called up too. You should be on the same flight, so I’ll send it with him. And Carter? Good luck. You were a real team player for us.”

Wally hung up before I responded. I set the phone down, not quite believing this was real. Raine and I were both being called up. What the hell was happening in Vancouver? I surveyed the mess in the kitchen. I’d deal with it after I told Jane I had been called up. We could eat in the Jeep, but we had to get our stuff together. Holy shit, I had been called up!

I ran down to the lakeshore, grinning like a fool. “Baby, you won’t believe who just called.”

She looked up from her book, her sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun. “I thought you had your phone turned off. Who was able to get through out here?”

I crouched, wanting to be closer to her. I was eager to celebrate my news. “It was Wally. I’m so sorry, but we have to cut our vacation short. I need to fly to Vancouver today. I’m being called up.”

For a second her lips tipped down before she smiled wide. “That’s the best news; it’s what you’ve been working so hard for.”

She sounded excited, and she reached out to give me a hug, but it felt like an invisible barrier had slammed down between us. I couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses, but something had shifted. Uncertainty dialled back my own enthusiasm momentarily. If she was worried about what this would do to our relationship, I had a plan. I would tell her about it on the road to Calgary.

“I guess we need to pack up and go?” She stood and brushed sand off her feet before sliding her shoes back on for the walk up to the cottage.

“We do. You probably have time for a quick shower to wash off the sand and sunscreen first, if you want.” We’d spent the morning swimming in the lake, and I’d cleaned up before starting on lunch, but driving for hours without showering would be miserable for Jane.

“Sure. I’ll do that while you pack your stuff.” She sounded happy and upbeat, but it felt forced. I didn’t have time to ask her anything else before she disappeared into the bedroom to get ready to leave.

I hurried to finish in the kitchen, then went to the bedroom to pack my own things. She was already showered, face pink, hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was pulling on a tank top when I came in, and I reached for her hand. “You seem upset.”

Something was clearly bothering her, and I didn’t want our vacation to end on a bad note. I wanted to celebrate.

She shrugged. “I’m happy for you. I’m just disappointed our vacation got cut short. I understand. It happens.”

Jane was saying all the right things, but something rang hollow. I understood her disappointment about leaving early. Last night had been special, and I’d wanted to build on that, work on convincing her that we had a real future. Now I was going to have to get her to see that in the few hours we had until we got to Calgary.

I threw my clothes into my suitcase and grabbed my stuff from the bathroom. I was going to have to make do with what I had with me and whatever Wally sent for as long as the road trip lasted. I saw a trip to a mall in my near future. No way I could make three days of vacation clothes last through a multicity road trip.

“I’m packed. Do you have everything?” she asked. She still seemed distant, but we had to get going. I’d get her to talk to me in the Jeep.

“Let’s go.”

Jane was quiet as we started for Calgary, pulling out her book as soon as we got in the Jeep. I wanted to get her to talk to me before it was too late.

“We need to talk.”

Her fingers went white where she was gripping her book, clinging to it like a lifeline. “I think so too.”

The tension coiling through me unwound. At least she was willing to talk to me, really talk to me. She’d been upset when I told her I was going to Vancouver, and I wanted to work things out before I left.