CHAPTER 3 BOWER
BOWER
“You were supposed to move closer to me, not Bennett,” Gabby whines on the phone.
“I know, but I can’t control where Adalade moves,” I answer as I throw some popcorn in my mouth.
Once Bennett left for the stadium, I moved my bags off to the side since I’ll only be here for a night, maybe two, and then went to the corner store where I picked up some snacks, because after scouring Bennett’s kitchen, I realized something important.
He does not consume the kind of food I want to consume.
Seaweed wraps?
Blech, what is wrong with him?
I guess that’s what happens when you consume buttered noodles for your entire life—you branch out to things you never could have afforded.
But go for a wagyu steak, Bennett, not dried seaweed wraps.
Just something I’ll have to teach him now that I’m here.
I have his game on in the background, something I’ve started doing since reading a sports romance that revolved around a baseball team. Eight books in and I was hooked, needing more baseball in my life, so I started watching the Bombers games.
And if there is one thing I learned, it’s that Bennett is by far the best player on the team.
Asher Peppers is downright nasty, never smiling, always approaching every situation with a scowl.
And Nolan Hart is an absolute menace, but he intrigues me.
I know he’s friends with Bennett, so perhaps I’ll ask for an introduction, if I’m brave enough.
“I know.” Gabby sighs. “But I thought she really liked Almond Bay when you brought her here to visit.”
“She did,” I answer, “but she’s a city girl through and through.
What can I say? She clearly tried the country thing and it didn’t work for her, despite me trying everything in my power to convince her otherwise, but the shops weren’t there, and she wanted variety.
Be grateful it’s not New York City, like she was thinking about for a moment. ”
“Oh my God, that would have been my nightmare.”
“Same. I don’t think I could have handled New York.”
“I love you, but I don’t think you could have either.”
“It’s nice here, though, and gives you more of a reason to come visit Bennett, since I have an apartment in the same building as him.”
“Wait, really?” she asks.
“Yup.” Bennett gets up to bat and I watch as the camera scans up his body, showing off his thick thighs, sturdy torso, and biceps I never thought I’d see on him.
He fills out that jersey better than I expected, and it’s nothing I should be noticing, that’s for damn sure.
But it’s the way his blue eyes shine under the shadow of his helmet that really catches my attention, combined with his five o’clock shadow and the intensity in his expression.
I honestly don’t understand how he’s single. “I’ll be one floor above him.”
Bennett takes a strike and I can hear Ryland, Gabby’s husband, in the background yell about how that was not a strike at all.
Bennett takes a step out of the box, stares at his bat, and then lets out a deep breath before tugging on his helmet and stepping back in the box. It’s the same routine, every single time. He’s so composed, so calm.
“Now I’m even more jealous,” Gabby complains just as Bennett unleashes his hands and swings at a ball, making contact and immediately shooting it over the left field fence, like a bullet straight from a gun.
He’s so impressive.
Ryland’s clapping in the background while Gabby cheers for a moment and then comes back on the phone. “Sorry, Bennett just hit a home run.”
“I know. I’m watching.”
“You’re watching?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’ve been watching since reading that baseball series I was telling you about. And have you read it yet?”
“Not so much.”
“Ugh.” I groan. “You know, it would really help me out if my best friend liked to read like I do.”
“Sorry, it’s just not my thing.”
“Clearly.” I sigh.
“Speaking of books, whatever happened to you quitting your job and opening that book truck thing you were talking about? That’s a job you could have in Almond Bay.”
I twirl a piece of hair with my finger. “Yeah, I still want to do that, but I don’t feel like I can leave Adalade right now, with the move and everything. She still needs my help.”
“She could find another assistant. You’ve saved up more than enough. You’ve built a small following on social media. You could do this.”
“I know,” I say, nerves blooming in my stomach from the thought of taking the leap into a dream I’ve had for a little bit. “Just not ready yet.”
“Will you ever be ready?” she asks.
“Someday,” I answer, even though I don’t believe it myself.
I have dreams, I have thoughts, I have ideas, but the reality of the situation is I’ve never been brave enough to take the leap.
I went to school to learn how to start my own small business.
I took an internship with Adalade since she runs her own interior design company.
She doesn’t do much designing herself anymore, but rather employs others to do the job for her.
Well, that internship turned into an assistant job, and that assistant job turned into an executive assistant.
And now I spend my days running mindless errands for a sixty-six-year-old with a hefty credit card limit and a lot of time on her hands.
Sure, the job doesn’t really give me a sense of accomplishment. There are days where I go from store to store to store looking for a pair of camel loafers that she’d like, or fetching a brownie with the perfect gooey consistency, but it does allow for me to have a lot of reading time.
It’s also allowed me to dream more—dream of something more than this—but the problem is, when you dream, you must have courage to step out of your comfort zone. And I’ll be honest… I’m confident, but I’m not courageous.
I’ve seen what dreaming can do. My dad was a dreamer, and when I was young, he took a chance on a dream and ended up losing all of our family’s money.
It’s why Mom had to work part-time at my school.
It’s why he found a job at the Olive Garden.
He had to start from scratch and work his way back up.
I’ve seen the stress and the anxiety of it all, and even though the job I have isn’t fulfilling in the slightest, it’s safe.
Adalade loves me.
She’d never fire me.
I have security, a great paycheck, and it gives me time to do what I love…and that’s read books.
“Hopefully someday soon,” Gabby says, always pushing me. “But until then, when do you move into the new place?”
“They’re finishing up some painting, so probably in the next day or so. Hope Bennett doesn’t mind.”
“He’s pretty chill and he’s usually at the stadium most of the time, so he probably won’t even notice you there.”
“Probably won’t. My things are tucked away in a corner, and I haven’t touched his food because your brother has some weird shit in here. Seaweed wraps and protein shakes. Gross, Gabby.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, unclear where the seaweed wraps came in, but he doesn’t keep a lot of food in the apartment because he’s always traveling. When he’s here, though, he makes sure to eat as many cherry almond cookies from The Almond Store as he can.”
“So he does have a sweet tooth. Okay. Maybe I’ll force him to indulge with me.”
“If it’s in the apartment, he will eat it.”
“I might just have to test out this theory.”
“Once again, I’m jealous, but maybe…maybe this will be a good thing.”
“Yeah, I told you, now you can visit us both at the same time.”
“No, I mean…you can watch over him a little closer. After what happened when he was in the minor leagues, when his apartment was broken into and he didn’t tell me, I just…I worry he hides things from me to protect me so I don’t get worried.”
“Are you asking me to be a spy?” I joke.
“No, but…you know the promise you made me…”
My voice grows serious. “Gabby, I promised you I would help take care of him and that is a promise I will never break. Ever. I told you, you are not in this alone. I am here for you, helping you any way you need.”
“So you’ll tell me if you notice something off with him, now that you’re living there? Especially with all this PR stuff they’re making him do. He worked so hard on his image that I would hate…I would hate for him to take the fall for something his team did prior to him being on it.”
“I get it. And you know I would tell you, I promised. You’re my number one, always. And he’s your brother, therefore he’s my number two. Both of you fall under my protection. That’s of the utmost importance to me.”
“Thank you,” she says softly. “I’m so grateful for you, Bower. I don’t know what I would have done without you over the years. The reason I was able to raise Bennett is because of you.”
“Nah, you did that yourself. I was just there cheering you on.”
The lights are off.
The moon is shining through Bennett’s floor-to-ceiling living room windows.
And the sheets and blankets Bennett gave me smell so freaking good I’m tempted to raid his laundry room to see what detergent he’s using.
I know it takes him a second to wind down after a game. I’ve seen it firsthand when I’ve visited him with Gabby, but this is quite long.
I had some Moon Pies delivered to the apartment, hoping to share one with him when he got home, but it’s getting pretty late now and I’m wondering if he’s not back yet because he decided to hook up with someone.
Which if he did, great for him. I will of course hound him for all the details in the morning, because if anything, I’m invasive and have no filter.
Sighing back into my pillow, which has to be one of the softest pillows I’ve ever felt, I close my eyes just as the front door unlocks and I hear him walk into the apartment. He quietly shuts the door, shuffling a paper bag, and then locks up. He heads into the kitchen and I sit up on the couch.
He’s trying to be quiet and it’s super cute, so I slip out from under my blankets and tiptoe over to the kitchen where he’s setting a bag on the counter.
Going undetected, I find the light switch and turn it on just as I say, “Welcome back.”