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As she straightened her shoulders, Nicole’s spirits rose. Moments of loneliness aside, she liked how everything was going.
CHAPTER NINE
CHELSEA WATCHED AS they inched forward in the heavy traffic and wondered if they’d be able to get parking. She’d already learned that Seattle had traffic congestion issues, just like LA.
“I’m awfully sorry,” she said. “You probably would have preferred leaving even earlier, instead of waiting for me.”
Barton’s eyebrows rose. “Nonsense. I’m just glad you were able to come.”
“What if the parking garage is full?”
“We’ll deal with it. There’s lots of parking, I just prefer the garage across the street from the stadium entrances. Besides, I doubt this will be a top attendance night, so we should be fine.”
“You act as if it’s no big deal.”
“That’s because it isn’t.”
Chelsea relaxed slightly. It was hard to stop reacting as if she was still with Ron—to him, everything had been a huge deal. He would have berated her all the way to the ballpark, despite her getting home sooner than expected.
Barton probably thought she was an idiot for saying anything—after all, he was the one who’d invited her, aware that she had to work until five, and he hadn’t known Nicole would let her leave a half hour early. If they were going to be friends, she had to remember Barton was his own man.
Despite the slow traffic, they managed to arrive in time to get the desired parking.
Safeco Field itself was splendid. It had a retractable roof, but Barton explained that even when it was closed for rain, there was plenty of open air on the sides. Today the roof was retracted and she was delighted to see seagulls go sailing through.
“These are good seats,” she said as the first inning ended.
“Better than I normally get.” Barton suddenly appeared uptight. “On a teacher’s salary, I’m usually in the family section.”
“Same here. There’s nothing wrong with economy—and the family section is nice because of the rules about alcohol—but it’s fun to enjoy treats like this when they come our way.”
He grinned and seemed less tense. “Absolutely.”
During the third inning they hurried out and got food. There were several cuisines to choose from, but they both opted for traditional ballpark fare. Barton seemed amazed when she squirted a huge blob of mustard beside her garlic fries.
“Mustard and fries?” he asked.
“It sounds strange to some people, but I like it.”
He tried it himself and added a large serving of mustard to his French fry container. “It’s terrific. I’ve been missing out.”
Ron had done the same thing on an early date, later saying he’d “endured” it so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with her weird choice. Once again she reminded herself that she couldn’t keep seeing Barton or anyone else through the lens of the past. It wasn’t fair and could mess up a friendship.
Returning to their seats, they saw that the score hadn’t changed. There weren’t any significant plays during the next inning as they ate their fries and hot dogs. The people around them grumbled at the lack of runs for the Mariners, but Chelsea was having too much fun to care.
It was a great stadium, with the feel of an old-time ballpark. Not that she knew much about old-time ballparks, but it was what Barton claimed and she was willing to take his word. One thing was sure, he consumed his mustard-laden fries with every sign of liking them that way.
“Do you think you’re going to enjoy your job at the agency?” he asked.
“It’s different because I worked for a large company in the past, but it’s easier at Moonlight Ventures to see how much difference I can make.”
“Nice. That turns it into more than a job.”
“I guess it does.”
Just then a Mariners player hit a long ball and Barton leaned forward as he cheered. Chelsea shifted in her seat. It was a good hit, but it was his arm brushing against her that consumed her attention. He was dressed in a short-sleeved cotton shirt and the muscles flexing in his bare forearm showed he was in good shape. Barton was awfully attractive, something she didn’t want to keep noticing.
