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My sister had fallen for the boy I’d kissed.
How could a story like that have a happy ending?
Chapter Eighteen
I should’ve been rejoicing. It was Monday and officially the start of my last week as team manager for the Rock Valley High baseball team. My physical therapist had been pleased with my results this morning and the boy I had a major crush on had been texting me all day, sending sweet messages.
Jayden: You look beautiful.
I’m a sucker for yoga pants and hoodies.
Especially since Saturday night...
My heart thumped loudly as I looked up from my screen to see Jayden in his catcher’s pads behind home plate, tucking his phone into his sweatpants pocket. The moment our gazes met, he shot me a heated grin that made my stomach clench with need.
Ugh—why did he have to be so perfect?
The fact that he was basically the only reason my sister was now happily staying away from Sarah and the rest of those awful girls was not lost on me. Or the fact that if we kept this up, I’d eventually have to tell her the truth. It wasn’t something I was ready to face. She’d been obsessing about him all weekend, telling me over and over again how amazing he’d been at the party on Saturday.
The only thing I could concentrate on in this moment was keeping my litt
le sister in the dark until I figured out what to do. If I could manage that, then everything else would fall into line.
Hopefully.
“Heads up!” Coach Morgan called from the foul line.
The third baseman threw a baseball toward home that ricocheted off the dirt and straight into Jayden’s gut. He grunted as it bounced off his pads, then it fell back to the ground and rolled away.
“You’re slower than molasses on a winter’s day, Jayden,” Coach yelled gruffly. “Get your head in the game and stop making eyes at our team manager.”
Jayden’s bright red face probably matched my own as he quickly snatched up his catcher’s mask from the ground and put it on. I ducked my chin and went back to repainting down the first base line. We’d been busted. Thankfully, Coach Morgan was a no-nonsense kind of leader, because none of the other guys dared to add their comments. But I could feel their teasing glances and wagging eyebrows.
And luckily for me, the bleachers were still empty of admirers. It wouldn’t have been good for Charlotte to be around with Coach Morgan making those kinds of comments. I could only imagine what’d she do.
It was better not to find out.
The team went back to scrimmaging and I finished touching up the foul lines. I avoided Jayden’s gaze as best as I could for the rest of practice, even taking the Gator on a solo gum run near the end. But when I returned and parked near the dugout, the sight I saw left a sour taste in my mouth.
The boys had pretty much finished practice and dispersed toward the locker rooms to change. The field was nearly empty, except for Charlotte standing near the dugout in a flirty little pink lace dress, her brunette hair waving in the breeze like she’d specially ordered a wind fan for this very moment. She was talking to Jayden and smiling up at him as if he’d hung the stars. In her hands, she held the plate of snickerdoodle cookies that she’d spent all Sunday evening baking. She’d even made me try one.
They were good—for a man-catching dessert.
I could handle seeing them talk. That wasn’t the problem. The part making my stomach churn was seeing Jayden tilt his head back and laugh at something she’d said. It wasn’t because I was jealous. I was sure of that. Honestly, it was sweet of him to be so nice to her, especially when she needed friends. But I knew I could never talk to him like that without hurting my sister. Could never make him laugh or kiss him in public, without damaging the progress she’d made. It wasn’t fair. I wanted that.
But the fact was, my parents depended on me. And that meant keeping Charlotte on stable ground.
I couldn’t watch them any longer. Turning on my boot, I hurried off to the concession stand to count the boxes of pop and candy, even though I knew everything was already stocked up. And when I’d hidden in there long enough to make sure everyone had finally gone home, I crept out and closed the door behind me.
“Hale!”
Coach Morgan’s gruff voice stopped me in my tracks. I turned slowly to see him marching toward me, his eyes narrowed and brow furrowed like he had a lecture just waiting to spill out of him. I cringed, hoping he wasn’t going to mention anything about Jayden or distracting his boys during practice.
There was no way I could stand through something like that without melting into the ground in shame. But instead of lecturing, he stopped in front of me and then reached out awkwardly to pat me on my shoulder.
“You’re a good worker, Hale,” he said, his jaw flexing as he chomped on his Big League gum. “We’ve never had a girl on the team before. Frankly, I was a bit concerned when Coach Padilla came to me with this request, but you’ve been a real asset.”
I sighed in relief and tucked my hands in my sweatshirt pocket. This was so much better than a lecture. “Thanks, Coach. I’ve actually enjoyed managing a lot more than I thought I was going to. You’ve got a good team.”
