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“Yeah, but you’re gonna work on that, aren’t you?”
She nods. “Especially if you take me for pizza along with Natalie.”
“Nat’s not here.” I point out.
“Yes, she is.” Trinity takes off at a run toward the woman who seems to have stolen both our hearts. As she bends down to greet Trinity, I wonder just what in the world I would do if I didn’t have her and how I’ll ever make this right for us all.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Natalie
I’mnervous as I walk next to Hayden. We’re here, volunteering at the elementary school on parent/teacher night. There are kids running around everywhere, none of them as well-behaved as Trinity, if I do say so myself.
“Why did we offer to do this again?” I ask as we walk down the hallway carrying coffees and snacks fromAll That & A Bag of Chipsto give out to the teachers. Only five more to go.
“Because we’re good people and these teachers deal with not only the children, but also the parents, every day. I think we can both agree from working with the public that the parents are probably worse than the children.”
She’s not lying. Sometimes adults act like kids and it never fails to amaze me. Just last week, someone threw a sandwich at Brandt. I was mad enough to come over the counter at them because he’s so quiet and nice. The customer didn’t care, though. Could’ve given two shits. They walked out without even saying sorry or paying. Give me little kids all day, every day. At least they’re appreciative when something is done for them, most of the time.
“Last stop,” Hayden says.
I walk in with her, giving snacks to one of the teachers I had as an elementary school kid. “It’s so good to see you, Mr. Chase.” I reach over and give him a hug.
“You too, Natalie. You always were one of my favorites.”
Wrinkling my nose, I give him a smile. “Except when I was talking, right?”
“I only had to punish you because you were disrupting my class. It gave me no joy.”
Of that, I’m sure; he always apologized to me when I had to go sit in the hallway. He never wanted to stifle my or anyone else’s creativity. He’s one of the best teachers this school has ever had and is a national treasure as far as I’m concerned. “It’s okay; my mom would tell me all the time that I talked too much. When I made it to your class, I already knew. I kinda liked being outside. Nobody could see me get my work done in five minutes then spend the rest of the time doodling. I think maybe letting me be by myself for a while was the best thing anyone could have done for me.”
He grabs hold of my hand, holding it tightly. “We’ll keep it between us, but you were a much nicer kid than your brother.”
I giggle loudly. “Don’t I know it?”
A parent and child come in. “We’ll let ya go, Mr. Chase. Come and see me sometime at the shop.”
“Will do, Natalie. Have a great night.”
When we leave, I do so with a smile on my face, almost having forgotten how nice it is to live in a town where everyone knows you. Where you have roots and people knew who you were as a kid, but still respect the adult you’re becoming.
When I didn’t get a chance to play professional ball after the Olympics, I’d had a very down period. One where I’d wondered if I’d ever feel the way I did on the field and tried to figure out if there was anything else out there for me. While softball gave me a purpose in life and an education, it didn’t give me a clear-cut answer to what my future was going to be. It wasn’t like I could go play in the Major Leagues or even get a really lucrative deal. Those just weren’t, and still aren’t, out there for women. It’d taken me longer than I cared to admit, but now I’ve found my place here and I don’t want to let it go.
That’s my biggest fear, if and when everybody finds out about Cam and I.
I don’t want to be the babysitter who got the hot dad. I wanna be the smart and sexy woman who got the whole package of man that someone else let get away.
Almost as if I’ve conjured him up in my mind, Hayden hits my shoulder with hers.
“Hottie single dad five feet ahead,” she whispers, making a kissing noise at me.
“Stop it!” I try to shush her.
“I mean, is he not? I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that. I love Danny a lot, like with my whole heart, but Cam is a hottie with a body.”
“You’re not wrong, but don’t say it so loud. I don’t want him to know we’re talking about him.”
“He’s not paying attention to us. He’s busy with Trinity,” she points out. “You’re acting like you don’t even know who they are; what’s wrong with you?”
