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“Not tonight.” Abby hated to turn down her mother’s invitation, but she’d already agreed to see Tate for his next lesson.
“It’s your birthday Friday,” Glenna reminded her.
“I’ll come for dinner then,” Abby said with a feeble smile. Her birthday was only two days away and she wasn’t in any mood to celebrate. “But only if you promise to make my favorite dish.”
“Barbecued chicken!” her mother announced. “You bet.”
“And, Mom,” Abby continued, “you were right about Logan.”
“What was I right about?” Her mother’s voice rose slightly.
“He does love me, and I love him.”
Abby thought she heard a small, happy sound.
“What made you realize that?” her mother asked.
“A lot of things,” Abby said noncommittally. “But I also realized that loving someone doesn’t make everything perfect. I wish it did.”
“I have the feeling there’s something important you’re not telling me, Abby,” Glenna said, on a note of puzzled sadness. “But I know you will in your own good time.”
Abby couldn’t disagree with her mother’s observation. “I’ll be at your place around six on Friday,” she murmured. “And thanks, Mom.”
“What are mothers for?” Glenna teased.
The disconnected phone line droned in Abby’s ear before she hung up, suddenly surprised to see that it was time to head over to the park. For the first time that she could remember, she didn’t feel psyched up for the game. She wasn’t ready to see Logan, which would be more painful than reassuring. And if he paid Patty special attention, Abby didn’t know how she’d handle that. But Logan wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. At least she knew him well enough to be sure of that.
—
The first thing Abby noticed as she walked onto the diamond was that Patty Martin had cut and styled her hair. The transformation from straight mousy-brown hair to short, bouncy curls was astonishing. The young woman positively glowed.
“What do you think?” Patty asked in a hurried voice. “Your hair is always so pretty and…” She let the rest of what she was going to say fade.
Abby held herself motionless. Patty had made herself attractive for Logan. She desperately wanted Logan’s interest, and for all Abby knew, she was getting it. “I think you look great,” Abby commented, unable to deny the truth or to be unkind.
“I was scared out of my wits,” Patty admitted shyly. “It’s been a long time since I was at the hairdresser’s.”
“Hey, Patty, they’re waiting for you on the field,” the team’s coach hollered. “Abby, you, too.”
“Okay, Dick,” Patty called back happily, her eyes shining. “I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk later, okay?”
“Fine.” Softening her stiff mitt against her hand with unnecessary force, Abby ran to her position at first base.
Logan was practicing in the outfield.
“Abby,” he called, and when she turned, she found his gaze level and unwavering. “Catch.”
Nothing appeared to affect him. They’d suffered through the worst four days of their relationship and he looked at her as coolly and unemotionally as he would a…a dish of potato salad. She didn’t respond other than to catch the softball and pitch it to second base.
The warm-up period lasted for about ten minutes. Abby couldn’t recall a time she’d felt less like playing, and it showed.
“What’s the matter, Ab?” Dick asked her at the bottom of the fifth, after she’d struck out for the third time. “You’re not yourself tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a frustrated sigh. Her eyes didn’t meet his. “This isn’t one of my better nights.”
“She’s got other things on her mind.” Logan spoke from behind her, signaling that he was sitting in the bleachers one row above. “Her boyfriend just showed up, so she’ll do better.”
Abby whirled around to face Logan. “What do you mean by that?”
