Chapter Two
Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is... true love and a Major League contract
Beau
You don t think I m in over my head, do you?
I ask Carson as we take the corner booth at Sub City, our favorite go-to for lunch in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Since he s already inhaling his meatball sub sandwich like a bearded lumberjack who hasn t eaten in three weeks instead of three hours, it looks like my answer to that question is going to have to wait a minute.
That s fine. I bite into my beef brisket sub, enjoying the mixture of heat and tang from the jalapenos and barbecue sauce while Mariah Carey sings about all she wants for Christmas from the sub shop s speaker system.
Wish my Christmas list was as simple as Mariah s. I want both the girl and the dream job. Do you think I rushed into something I m not ready for? I ask Carson in between bites.
If anybody will tell me like it is, it s Carson.
One of the reasons I value our friendship so much.
We met in Double-A six years ago. When an injury cut his baseball ambitions short, he joined his older brother in taking over their grandpa s flooring company here in Marshalltown.
Ever since I got moved up to playing Triple-A in Des Moines for the Iowa Cubs a few years ago, Carson has given me a soft place to land laying down flooring with them during the offseason.
But I m hoping and praying I won t need that soft landing soon. I m hoping and praying this next season is when I finally make it into the Majors.
At twenty-seven years old, the clock is ticking. If that car accident hadn t happened in September, I would ve gotten called up last season. I know it. My bat was on fire and the Chicago Cubs needed a solid third baseman for a shot at the playoffs. It should ve been me.
Next season, it will be me. I ll do whatever it takes. Which is why I m a little worried about the huge commitment I just made to the sweet-faced girl who recently captured my heart.
Carson finally comes up for air from his sandwich and wipes his mouth, which is all but hidden inside his bushy red beard.
I don t know, man. Are you sure this is the best timing?
What about when next season starts up? Have you thought about what that s going to be like for her? All that separation?
I know, I know. And believe me, I have thought about it.
I ve been going over the pros and cons for weeks now.
Part of me kept thinking I should wait. But the other part of me was too afraid of losing her if I didn t make a move.
Sometimes you just know when you ve met the one.
And dude, she s the one. I can t give her up. I need her in my life.
Wow. Carson digs into his bag of Fritos. You sound like a lovesick fool.
I am a lovesick fool. And you re a man with meatball sauce on his nose.
What s her name again?
I shove a clean napkin at Carson, then pull out my phone to show him one of the hundreds of pictures I ve already taken of her. I can t help it. I m obsessed.
Her big triangular ears. Her short little legs. Her barrel chest. She s the entire package. The breeder said he s been calling her Pinky Collar because that s the collar he gave her to tell her apart from the others. Would it be weird if I named her Ivy?
Carson s nose is clean, but now he s managed to smear his left eyebrow. I swear eating with him is like eating with a toddler. Ivy? After that nurse you ve been crushing on? Yeah, man, that d be weird. That d be real weird.
Well, it s not like I m ever going to run into the real Ivy again, I say, tapping my eyebrow and handing him another napkin. And even if I did, she s made it pretty clear she s not interested. She hasn t responded to a single one of the steamy photos I ve sent her.
Define steamy.
My forearm veins.
And it just keeps getting weirder, Carson mumbles, wiping off his eyebrows. What about that friend of hers? The one Ivy tried setting you up with? You two still talking?
Lucy? Funny you should mention her. She actually just called right before I got here.
We only talked the one time back in September, so it was kind of weird to hear from her again.
But apparently she wanted to thank me for the advice I gave her a few months ago.
She said she and her ex-boyfriend got back together right after we talked and now they re engaged.
Then she wanted to know all about my plans for Christmas.
When I was getting to my parents house. How long I d be staying.
How many bedrooms the house has. Like I said, it was kind of weird.
She didn t say anything about Ivy?
No. Killed me not to ask, but I figured if she had something encouraging to say, she would ve said it. Especially when I told her I was still single. When we talked in September, Lucy agreed that Ivy and I would make a good match. Oh well. Guess it s time to give up on that dream.
Can I ask you something? What exactly is it about this Ivy girl that makes her so special? I mean, you re obviously nowhere near as good-looking as me, but you should be able to find someone without too much issue. Why are you so hung up on Ivy?
Good question. You know that feeling you get when your bat connects with the ball and in that split-second crack you know— you just know —that you ve already hit a home run?
I don t know how else to explain it. There was just this moment when Ivy was standing in my hospital room talking to my mom one evening and I felt that same sort of connection.
I looked at Ivy and knew I was looking at a home run.
I sigh as a jalapeno slips out from the bottom of my sub. But apparently I struck out.
So now it s you and Pinky Collar, huh?
Me and Pinky Collar. I m supposed to pick her up from the breeder back in Des Moines here in a bit.
And then I assume you re taking her with you to Nolly Grove to visit your parents for Christmas?
Yeah, figured I d head that direction tomorrow before the weather gets worse.
Hope my new pup doesn t mind a road trip right off the bat.
It s only a couple hours, though. Shouldn t be too bad.
I offer a humorless laugh. Mom s just going to be thrilled I m finally bringing a girl home with me for Christmas.
I go to finish the last bite of my sub and freeze. Actually... I start laughing for real. That s not a bad idea.
What? Carson says, slurping on his fountain drink as I continue cracking myself up.
My mom s always trying to set me up with someone, usually the neighbor girl, anytime I m home. She and my cousin Janey are like a couple of bloodhounds when it comes to sniffing out a potential love interest for me. Maybe I ll just go ahead and let Mom know I m off the market this Christmas.
Carson s eyes bug out at me when I pull out my phone. Are you crazy? You can t play your mom like that at Christmas. And isn t your dad a preacher? You can t lie to a man of the cloth. Where s your dignity?
Trust me, they ll think this is hilar—Hey, Mom, I say when she answers. How are you?
Carson is giving me the nix signal across his neck as my mom responds with a cautious, Fine. Why? Please don t tell me you can t make it for Christmas.
Of course I m making it for Christmas.
Good, she says with a loud sigh of relief. They ve been showing big snowflakes on the weather forecast all week, so I was a little worried.
Wild reindeer couldn t keep me away at Christmas. You know that.
So then why are you calling? You never call—unless it s to tell me you re in the hospital. Are you in the hospital again?
I m not in the hospital. Don t worry, this is good news. If we re going to get as much snow as they re saying, I wanted to let you know I m thinking of coming in early. Hopefully tomorrow.
Oh! Yes! Please do! That d be great!
Hang up, Carson mouths at me.
Wipe your face, I mouth back, shoving more napkins at him. Also, Mom, I wanted to, uh... give you a heads-up about something else, too.
End the call, whispers Carson.
I know this is last minute, I say, grinning at Carson, and you can say no if you want, but... I d really like to bring someone special with me.
Carson rolls his eyes. Good. Maybe he ll spot the sauce on his forehead.
What do you mean by special ? I can hear the hope in my mom s voice.
A girl.
She gasps. Carson shakes his head. I grin harder. Does that sound okay?
Carson closes his eyes.
Mom is squealing. Of course. Yes! You know I ve been praying this would happen. I m almost too scared to ask, what exactly is this special girl s name?
Her name?
Now Carson is pointing at me with a you-better-tell-the-truth-mister look. I clear my throat and say, What would you say if I told you she goes by the name Ivy?
Carson groans and covers his face.
Ivy? My mom s voice is nearly reverent. Like as in... Nurse Ivy?
Just like that, I say, reaching for my drink. Thanks for saying yes.
Are you kidding? Mom giggles. I couldn t be happier. I can t wait to hear all the details of how this came about. Is it safe to assume things are pretty serious then?
Well, let me put it this way. I m hoping this is just the first of many Christmases Ivy and I will be spending together considering the small fortune I just spent on her.
And that s no joke. She s a purebred. Dogs like that don t come cheap.
I take a quick drink of my tea. But that s all I m saying for now.
Oh, Beau! Mom s jolly laugh would put Santa to shame. I m so excited!
Me too. And hey, I realize I m springing this last minute on you, so don t worry about making up an extra bed for her. I wag my brows at Carson. She s small. She can just bunk in with me.
I cover my own mouth to keep from laughing while Carson makes a sign of the cross and my mom sputters in my ear.
Oh, I don t—no, I don t think... She coughs and clears her throat several more times.
I ll-I ll-I ll have an extra room ready.
We ve got the space. You two don t need to. .. no. It ll be fine. See you soon.
I hang up the phone and let my laughter break free.
You re a dead man, Carson hisses. He s not wrong. My mom is so going to kill me when she finds out the special girl I m bringing home isn t a brunette bombshell, but rather a cairn terrier who looks like Toto.
But hey, what s Christmas if you can t have a little fun with your family?