Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Once I’m in the back and all of us are buckled in with Logan in the driver’s seat, his sunglasses meet mine over his shoulder. “Ready?”
“Yep.” I drag my gaze off his and look out the side of the Jeep as he pulls away from my house. The drive to the baseball fields is quiet except for Zuri and Cooper talking and the music coming from the speakers on low, but the tension inside the vehicle rolling off Billie is so loud it drowns everything out. It’s a relief when we get to the field, and more of a relief when I’m out of the Jeep.
“I’m going to find my friends,” Billie tells Logan as she gets out of the jeep.
“Alright, but keep your phone on and make sure you come back and say hi to your mom and Gigi.”
“Fine.” She sighs before she wanders off, looking at her phone.
“Don’t take it personally that she was rude,” Logan says quietly, meeting me at the back of the Jeep. “She hates everyone except her friends and her grandmother right now, and she was pissed that she had to get up today and come out with us.”
“I was a teenage girl once; you don’t need to apologize,” I assure him while Cooper and Zuri get out of the backseat. Taking my bag, I put it over my shoulder, while Logan grabs a duffel bag and slings it across his back, then grabs a large bucket of baseballs. With the kids both walking ahead of us, we start walking to the field. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and there are so many people here already, along with a few local vendors offering food and drinks.
“How long have you been coaching?” I ask Logan when a group of kids calls out ‘hey, coach’ to him, and he greets them by name.
“Since Coop started playing,” he says, wrapping his finger through the loop of my jean shorts and using it to pull me closer to him as we are passing a group of people coming down the dirt path towards us. “So, about four years.”
“It’s nice that you coach his team.” I step out of his space when I can, but the tension in my lower belly from that move is still sitting there.
“That’s me, nice.” He grins my way and I roll my eyes but can’t stop the smile that creeps across my lips. Entering the area where the fields are I start to look for a good spot to sit that isn’t overly crowded. “You can sit with Ma.” He tells me like he can read my mind.
“My sister and her family are coming, so I’ll probably just find somewhere with room for all of us.”
“There’s room,” he tells me before calling out to the kids and telling them to head to the bleachers. As we get closer, I spot Gigi near the dugout with a large, brimmed hat on her head and a flowy, floral dress, the lipstick she had on when I first met her in place, only she’s exchanged her glasses for ones with tinted lenses. When she spots us, she waves, and I wave back as Cooper runs up to give her a hug, with Zuri waiting for me at the bottom of the bleachers. “You good?” Logan asks, and I focus on him.
“Yeah, good luck today.”
“Thanks, babe, see you after the game.” He smiles then grins when I roll my eyes at the nickname before he walks onto the field calling for Cooper to follow him. Watching him walk away for longer than I should and curse myself for doing it.
“Do you know where your friend is?” I ask, walking over to Zuri.
“I don’t think she’s here yet.”
“How about you hang with me until she gets here?”
“Okay.” She follows me up the stairs to Logan’s mother, who smiles at the two of us.
“I’m so glad you came,” Gigi tells us getting to her feet, air kissing my cheek then her eyes move to Zuri. “Hey, honey.”
“Hi, Gigi,” Zuri says, quietly leaning into me.
“Sit, sit,” Gigi orders as she takes a seat. I take a seat next to her, and she leans around me to look at Zuri. “Zuri, honey, do you want some snacks? I brought lots.”
“No, thank you,” she tells her while scanning the crowd and the people coming up the dirt path.
“She’s waiting for her friend to get here so they can hang out together,” I explain.
“I understand.” Gigi pats my leg. “When Billie was her age, I’d only see her if she needed money; now I don’t even see her.”
“I used to do the same thing when I’d go to football games with my parents.” I laugh as she digs into her oversized bag and pulls out a container that looks like something you’d keep fishing lures in only each small box is filled with snacks from Goldfish crackers to M&M’s.