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“Maybe us two old folks can ‘chill together’ for a while,” he said then, and we both laughed.
Then he moved close to me, heading for the fridge, and the atmosphere changed as our bodies brushed against one another. We looked deep into each other’s eyes, feeling that heat pulse between us again, and, in my case anyway, having images of last night flash up in my mind.
For a moment, I let myself wonder whether things would work out between us too. Alex smiled slowly at me, seeming to drink me in. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing as I was. And then Kayla came back in with Mads, looking for a burp cloth and her missing packet of cookies. Alex took a casual step or two away from me and jokingly told me off for eating them and the rest of his turkey.
Kayla sat down at the kitchen table with Maddy on her knee. “We decided to come and talk to you two old people for a while, you know, while you’re still alive.”
“Oh, listen to you!” I cried.
“Yeah, listen to you!!” Alex echoed.
“No, I mean, he’s old. I’m not!” I said to Kayla, with a wink.
Alex protested, but Kayla and I smiled at one another. Then, “Put the kettle on, nanny of mine,” she said. “We could all have hot chocolate. Except Dad, he’s on a health regime.”
“Say ‘please’ and I will,” I said to her.
She stuck her tongue out at me but, “Please,” she said.
As the kettle boiled, Alex did his funky chicken, Maddy laughed, and so did Kayla. “I remember that one, Dad,” she said. “Now, show Mary-Beth and Maddy your Mr. Moo Moo Pants!”
Alex groaned. “I am not showing anyone my Mr. Moo Moo Pants!’
I went over to the cupboard and, as I got out some cups, I couldn’t help smiling to myself. Alex and I would have a chance to talk, one on one. But for now, I was just going to enjoy this beautiful moment.
10
ALEX
Bryce wiped his face and neck with a towel as I glugged my water. Team training had been tough, but the buzz of endorphins I felt afterwards was always great.
“Good effort, man.”
“You too, dawg.”
The off-season sessions at Highmark were voluntary, and a few of the guys were off on vacation, or out of state visiting family. But most of us still showed up twice a week. It was a great boost to see my teammates, and we were slowly, slowly recovering from the shock and disappointment of last season. Yeah, there was a lot of bravado, especially from the younger team members. But we all knew we had a big task ahead of us, and that we needed to pull ourselves up and make a spectacular comeback this season. To me, the training wasn’t voluntary but mandatory – I needed to keep in as good a physical condition as I could, while still getting enough of the mental and emotional rest and recovery I needed to be at my best when the pre-season started.
One of our team trainers, Ty, dismissed us all and there was the usual high-fiving and backslapping as most of the team headed for the showers. The sun was blazing and Ty had had us running up the grassy bank from a standing start over and over again in the session. I hung back, waiting for Bryce. I wanted to talk to him one on one.
“How’s the shoulder? Did you feel it in the drills?”
“It’s doing okay,” I said. “There’s more physio with Marco tomorrow and it’s going well with Frank.”
“The specialist throwing coach? I heard he’s good.”
“He’s really good.”
Bryce gathered up his water, shirt and shades and we walked back in together. “So, that’s your shoulder. How’s the rest of you doing?” he asked then.
“Well, I had a date for that Latham hotel thing and…”
“And?”
“It was a fake date, to keep the press off my back, but then… and I want to be a gentleman here, but then… it wasn’t such a fake date…”
Bryce leapt into the air, whooped, cheered and backslapped me. “You go, man! Off the bench at last!”
“Yeah!” I said, upbeat – but I glanced around and cringed inside. Luckily, the other guys were all long gone, ahead of us. I’d hoped to have a quiet, private talk about things. I didn’t want it to turn into a locker room conquest announcement.
