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We watched the game for a little while, me knowing enough to understand that having the bases loaded before Jake stepped up to the plate was a good thing. He swung his bat a few times to warm up before dropping into position. “Why don’t you still play?”
Before Matt could answer, the pitcher let fly. Jake swung hard. There was a satisfying crack as he hit the ball, and it went sailing high and long into the outfield. The crowd cheered and whistled as the team rounded the bases and slid into home plate one by one.
“Come on, come on,” Matt said in a low, urgent voice when Jake rounded third just as the outfielder threw the ball to the shortstop. I tensed up as the fielder spun around, hurling the ball toward the catcher. Jake bolted toward home and dove into the plate headfirst as the ball whistled over his head and into the catcher’s glove. The crowd went quiet for a moment, not sure if Jake had made it in time. I was just about to ask Matt when the umpire threw his arms wide, indicating he was safe. Clapping and cheering along with everyone else, I watched Jake jog back to the dugout, grinning from ear to ear as he waved at the crowd. He was covered head to toe in mud.
“Holy shit, look at him. I haven’t got the energy for that”
I laughed. “Fair enough.”
“Okay, I’m hungry. Now that we’ve seen Jake be a hero, let’s go get a hot dog from my old man.”
“Sounds good.”
Taking my hand, Matt led me through the crowd to the hot dog stand, stopping here and there to greet someone he knew, meaning I had to submit to a million curious looks and friendly smiles. Once we finally got to the hot dog stand, Matt introduced me to his dad, Bruce.
Bruce’s eyes twinkled in a way that reminded me of the teasing look I’d seen so often on his son’s face. “Chloe said you were pretty. She wasn’t wrong,” he said, handing me a hot dog. The twinkling eyes were just the start of the resemblance. Bruce was tall, with sandy, graying hair and broad shoulders. He looked lean and fit and brimming with life. It was impossible not to smile when he spoke to you.
“Thank you.”
“We’re going to go find some seats. Want us to save you one, Dad?”
“Thanks, son, that’d be great. I’ve got another twenty minutes here, I think, then I’ll find you.”
“Okay.”
When we got near the stands, Matt caught sight of Lucy, waving madly at us. “There’s Luce, sitting with Elissa and Claire. Looks like they’ve got room for us, if you’re happy to sit at the back.”
“Sure.”
Everyone shuffled around to make room for us until we were all wedged close together. I felt a little weird at first, sitting right in amongst Matt’s family like I was part of it, but then Chloe climbed into my lap and started chattering away about her favorite tv show. Elissa tried to shush her, saying I might be bored, but I smiled and shook my head, letting her know it was fine. I took Matt’s advice and responded enthusiastically whenever it seemed expected of me, which Chloe responded well to. It was a nice distraction, to be honest, and as the afternoon wore on, I started to feel more comfortable.
At the end of the game, which the home team won thanks in large part to Jake’s grand slam, I cheered along with everyone else, then happily helped clean up and pack away the hot dog stand. I was just putting my coat back on when Lucy said, “Hey, Zara, you should swing by Mom and Dad’s this weekend for lunch.”
I felt Matt stiffen beside me, and my heart sank. “Lucy,” he said in a low, warning tone.
She gave him an innocent look. “What? Mom and Dad won’t mind. Hey, Ma!” Ellen stopped packing up the food containers long enough to cast her daughter an inquiring look. “It’s okay for Zara to come for family dinner this weekend?”
“Of course!” She smiled kindly at me.
“There you go,” Lucy said triumphantly.
I stammered, not sure what to say. I really didn’t think I was up for this yet. Matt didn’t seem too keen on the idea either, but I couldn’t think of a polite way to decline at this point.
“Zara might have plans already, Lucy.” I froze, stricken at the idea that Matt didn’t want me there. I could understand that, I guess. A baseball game with the whole town wasn’t the same as family dinner. He tilted his head to one side, looking at me uncertainly. “Or…she might like to come?”
I relaxed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want me there, it was that he was protecting me, giving me an out! I smiled. Maybe it would be a little intense, sitting with them all in an intimate family setting, but I liked them, they were clearly good people. And Ellen had been so kind in her reply. “No other plans, no. Thanks, ladies, I’d love to come.” My heart skipped a couple of beats at the enormous smile Matt flashed me in response.
CHAPTER26
Zara
Igripped the cake container tightly, feeling the butterflies in my stomach as we pulled into Matt’s parent’s drive despite myself. It was a beautiful family home, sandstone brick walls, blue-gray tiled roof, cream pillars lining a long, wide veranda. Matt paused before he cut the engine and looked at me. “All good?” I loved that he did that, checked in with me. I one hundred percent knew that if I said no, he would throw the truck in reverse and drive me home. But I nodded, giving him a shaky smile. “Okay, let’s do this.” We made our way around the various cars parked in the drive and climbed the front steps. Matt paused again with his hand on the door handle, a cheeky look in his eye. “Brace yourself. It’s about to get messy.” I laughed, feeling a little easier when he gave my hand a comforting squeeze as we walked through the door.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hello, Matthew. Zara, so lovely to have you here.” Ellen took the cake plate I handed her. “Oh, you shouldn’t have! How sweet. What kind of cake is it, may I ask?”
“Tiramisu. Matt said it was your favorite.”
