26. LION

Chapter twenty-six

LION

I post the video of Calvin and tag him like he asked. I was lucky I even got it. Oden Grasinski almost always sends it sailing into right field, so I was all prepped for a video of Tim. A few comments pop up right away, but I don’t check them. I stopped posting because Tim was looking at every comment, and the ones that were not very nice were bringing him down again and were taking him to an angry place. This last week, he’s hardly been on his phone at all, we’ve been texting back and forth every day, though, and most mealtimes when we aren’t together, he video calls me, so we spend the time he would have spent scrolling through his feeds talking about the food truck and Feline Good.

I went and talked to the vet I take the boys to and told them about what I want to do. They were really keen to be involved and said they would reach out if they have any cats in need or unwanted litters on the way. I still can’t believe I might actually be doing this. Tim has been helping me figure out all the paperwork stuff, too. Something about forms and those tiny boxes you have to fit the text in makes me super nervous.

“It’s amazing to have you back,” Mary Beth says when I walk into the cafe after arriving home early this morning from the last away game. The cafe is already half full of people, and a few look up when I walk in, but no one says anything. I hope today goes smoothly. I’ve really missed hanging out with Mary Beth, and God knows her display certainly missed me.

“I’ll get right to work fixing…” I say, nodding toward the glass case.

“Thank you. I tried to copy a photo of one you did a few weeks ago, but it just looks like I threw the flowers in there.”

I lean down, checking closer.

“Are you sure you didn’t?”

“Okay, maybe on the bottom shelf I did, but I was sick of it by then. You can fix it, right?”

“No problem. Can I please have—“ She passes over a tall, iced coffee in a clear glass, caramel drizzles around the inside and whipped cream on top. “Thanks.”

I fix the display, then move on to taking orders and making sandwiches fresh as they are ordered.

“Oh, are you that lovely large boy dating the Banana Ball player?” an older woman asks as she pulls out her coin purse to pay for her order.

“I’m Lion,” I say, nodding.

“Well, you don’t look like a crazed stalker to me.”

“Umm, thanks.” I mean, what does a crazed stalker really look like?

A young boy next to her tugs at her sleeve.

“Grandma, please can you ask him?” he asks in the most adorable little voice. He can’t be more than five, maybe six.

“Oh alright,” she concedes. “Do you think your Banana Ball fella will be coming into the cafe? Little Chester here is his biggest fan. I’m more of a Duckie gal myself, no offense.”

Chester bounces on his toes beside her. “Tim is way better. He’s from Australia, they ride Kangaroos there, that’s why he can jump so high.”

I lean over the counter a little to talk to Chester. “Is that right? Well, I’m not sure what Tim is up to today. The team would have gotten back a few hours ago, so he might be around. I can text him and see if he’s got time to pop over now if you like.”

“Oh really, that would be lovely,” his gran says, paying for her order and heading over to sit at one of the tables. I pop out the back and grab my phone, texting Tim.

LION: Hey, so there is a kid at the cafe, Chester, and he says he’s your biggest fan, and I was just wondering if you were free to pop over and say hi?

TIM: I’m just with a few of the guys. We were going to grab smoothies.

I go to text him back that it’s no problem, I will see him after work when his next message comes through.

TIM: We’ll be there in five.

I send back a heart eyes emoji instead and pop my phone back on the shelf.

“You got your wish, Chester. He’ll be right over,” I call over to him as I retake my place at the register to take the next person’s order. His little face lights up almost as bright as mine does when I know I’m about to see Tim.

“Is Tim coming here?” Mary Beth leans in to ask, and I nod.

“He’s bringing a few of the guys, too, not sure which ones. Oh. I probably should have asked you. Sorry. Do you mind?”

“No. I think that’s awesome. We’ll have to get a photo when they get here, maybe they can pose behind the counter or with drinks. I’ll make them all coffees, on the house.”

“You’re sure it’s okay?”

“That your boyfriend brings his friends to the cafe?”

“Yeah?”

“Of course it is. He’s always welcome. They all are.”

“I just thought with what happened before, maybe you wouldn’t want the fuss. Reporters might follow, seeing as they are coming off a huge win against the OG’s.”

She shakes her head. “I’ll never let you fire yourself again. It was so hard being here without you. I guess, as long as the reporters aren’t dicks, they can come in, too.”

Less than five minutes pass and Tim pushes through the cafe door, Calvin, Pat, Ryan and Duckie with him.

“Hey, I heard my biggest fan, Chester, is in here today,” Tim says, and Chester’s eyes go so wide as the smile spreads across his face.

He raises his arm, holding what’s left of his candy stick, bouncing in his seat and sending sugar and candies flying. I grab another stick from the display and head out from behind the counter.

“Tim, this is Chester,” I say, placing the new stick down on the table.

“Wow, you really came,” Chester says, and Tim sits in the open chair at their table and looks over at me.

“Well, I had to. Lion said you were my biggest fan. I couldn’t miss out on meeting you.”

“I’ve watched all your games. I watch them on the computer. Granny said she’ll try to get me tickets for my birthday. You play Animal Control on the same day I turn seven.”

“That’s exciting, when is that?” Tim asks.

“This Saturday.”

I catch his granny’s smile faltering. The games have been sold out for months, if she doesn’t already have tickets, she’s got a slim chance of getting them now. I leave them to chat and pop behind the counter where Mary Beth is taking Duckie’s order.

I lean in and whisper, “Hey, you don’t mind if you miss Saturday’s game, do you?” I ask her, and she raises one eyebrow at me.

“Why, you got a better offer than your best friend?”

“Actually, I’m going to give the tickets to Chester for his birthday.”

“But then you’ll miss the game, too.”

“I know, but it’s cool. Tim will understand. I’ll watch it online.”

“I’ll come over and we can grab takeout and watch in our pajamas with the boys.”

“Perfect. Sounds like a plan.”

I rush out the back to grab my bag and pull out the envelope where I keep the stack of tickets I was given for the season. I’ll still have Friday’s game and Sunday’s game to go watch in person, missing one game so that Chester can have his perfect day is worth breaking the streak.

I grab the two tickets for Saturday out and then stop. I can’t just hand them over like this, that’s not a very special birthday present. I look around. Mary Beth’s back room is full of random stuff she uses to theme out the cafe for special occasions like Christmas and Easter, and I grab the box of Christmas stuff and rifle through until I spot something I can use. Red balloons, yes! I roll up the tickets and slide them through the opening and then grab the tube of gold glitter and sprinkle some of that in, too, before blowing up the balloon just enough so that it doesn’t pop, and tying off the end.

“I heard someone is having a birthday this weekend,” I say, coming out from the back, holding up the balloon.

“Me. I am,” Chester calls, and Tim leans back in his chair, smiling my way.

“Well, Chester, your granny wanted you to have the bestest birthday ever, and she asked if we could help her out and surprise you with your present early, would that be okay?” I ask, and he claps excitedly squealing yes over and over.

“Okay, grab that candy skewer and give this balloon a pop. Inside is your special birthday surprise.”

I hold the balloon over the table, and Chester stabs it really hard. The balloon bursts and glitter sprinkles everywhere as the tickets uncurl and fall onto the table in front of him.

“Tickets to the game! Granny, you did it! You’re the best.”

She looks over at me, her eyes glassy, and her grandson wraps his little arms around her neck. She mouths, “Thank you,” and I nod and go back to work behind the counter.

Tim and the guys grab drinks and stay for a while, chatting with Chester and promising him all sorts of extra-special fun on Saturday, like dancing with the team and getting to throw out the first pitch.

Before they go, Tim heads toward the back and nods for me to follow. I close the door over on my way in just in case a reporter is lurking around.

“You have the biggest heart of any guy I’ve ever known. What you did back there for that woman and her grandson, that was so selfless and sweet.”

“It was just tickets to a game.”

“No, you don’t get to do that.”

“Do what?”

He wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me close, looking up at me with those big blue eyes and cheeky Australian grin.

“You don’t get to shrug off how awesome you are. You spend your days making other people feel good, you deserve a little good, too.”

“I have a lot of good. I have you.”

“You do, you know.”

“I do?”

“Yeah, for as long as you want me. I’m yours.”

“Even if people keep calling me a Tim Sage fanatic?”

“You can be totally fanatic about me all you like, because Lion Matherson, I’m totally fanatic about you, too.”

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