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“Yeah. He’ll be in a morbid mood for a while having lost in the playoffs, but I’ve known him a long time. Making him run every day for a good cause will help his mourning process.”
Chet nodded.
“And thanks for the dinner invite.”
“Sure thing. I know what it’s like to be new in town.” He turned and started walking, Tyler stepping in beside him. “I was going to walk down to Garrett’s Saloon. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds perfect.” Tyler looked around a little. “Your sister isn’t joining us?”
“She said she had something else to do.”
“That’s too bad.” Tyler frowned.
“Maybe next time. Besides, I wouldn’t mind grilling you about what it’s like to work with a Major League Baseball player. Unless you don’t want to talk about work.”
Tyler laughed. “You said you were buying, right? You can grill me about whatever you want.”
*
Meg watched asChet walked down the street with a guy she didn’t recognize. He was bigger than Chet, which was saying something. They were laughing as if they’d been friends a long time. Chet’s relaxed demeanor was the polar opposite of what she was feeling. If she hadn’t promised Casey and Baylee she’d come to dinner, she could have run her first seven miles for the fundraiser that night.
She took a deep breath in and let it out.
Baylee had whispered to her to bring wine. Now she understood why.
Fifteen minutes later, she was pulling into Baylee’s drive, a lovely bottle of cabernet tucked into the seat beside her. The sun had set so the house lights shone like a beacon in the night. Drew had bought a house for them just outside of town. He’d purchased enough land to build Baylee’s mom, Jenny, a place of her own so the family could be close. Meg could only imagine how that might feel, to be surrounded by people who knew you and loved you, inside and out, without question.
Drew and Baylee’s house was a southern design with a porch that wrapped all the way around and white columns in front. There was nothing pretentious about it, the entire home as welcoming as the family who lived inside.
She parked behind Baylee’s car and climbed the porch steps to the front door.
“Knock, knock!” she yelled as she opened the door, knowing it was fine to enter with Baylee expecting her.
“Come on in!” Baylee’s voice echoed through the house from the kitchen.
The scent of fresh baked bread, along with a heavenly mixture of garlic, oregano, and basil, filled Meg’s nose. She had guessed on the wine but was glad she’d chosen a red. Perfect for an Italian-style meal.
“Hey, you.” Baylee turned from the stove but kept stirring tomato sauce in the pot in front of her. She looked at the bottle Meg set on the counter. “Oh good. You took my advice.” She turned her attention back to the stove but not before Meg saw her grin.
“You can just wipe that snarky little look off your face, my friend.”
Baylee’s body shook with her laughter. “No snarkiness here, I promise.”
“Whatever.” Meg went to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a corkscrew. She also opened a cupboard and grabbed two wine glasses.
“You’re never going to hear the words, ‘you’re right’ come from my lips toward you, except for this moment and only about the wine.” She held the bottle with one hand and spun the corkscrew down inside with the other. “Although at the moment, I’m questioning whether one bottle is going to be enough.”
Baylee turned the temperature down on the stove and turned as she wiped her hands on her apron. “One will be plenty. It’s not that big of a deal, Meg.”
Meg popped the cork from the bottle and poured them both a glass. “Which part of this whole thing are you referring to? Not a big deal that I now have to run as many miles as possible with ‘Fireman Chet,’”—she made air quotes with her fingers—“or not a big deal that my favorite part of the day, running by myself, is now completely ruined.”
She claimed a wine glass and plopped down on a stool at the kitchen counter.
Baylee chuckled. “I never figured you for a drama queen, but I have to admit, it’s fun to watch.” She lifted her wine glass in a toast. “To drama queens.”
“Shut up.”
Baylee clinked her glass with Meg’s then took a sip. “You are really worked up about this.”
