8. Getting to Third Base
CHAPTER EIGHT
Brooke
Getting to Third Base
“J ust come sit with us to watch the game, what’s the big deal?” May said on speakerphone.
“The big deal is, I’m not trying to be friends with Dalton Hart—in fact, I’m mad at him for telling Max he should be a SEAL when he grows up.”
“I’m sure he didn’t say it like that,” May defended Dalton. “We’ll see you at the field,” she said, and hung up.
Brooke was trying to wrap things up at the office so she could get to the ballfield before the game started. Being the manager and a nurse on duty at the short-staffed hospital made it more and more difficult to be a good mom. The truth was they needed two more full-time doctors, a nurse, and a new director, because she didn’t want that job anymore. She wanted to be in the parent pickup line and spend more time with Max. If she went after her ex for child support she could more than afford it, but her pride had stopped her. She didn’t want to need Tyler’s money.
Not bothering to swap out her scrubs, Brooke grabbed her work laptop and raced out of the hospital to cross the street and head for the ballfield. She was just cresting the hill as the teams were announced. Huffing, she made her way down the other side of the hill and then remembered she forgot her baseball bag in her car with her blanket in it. She’d have to just sit on the ground.
Before she could find a spot in the shade, a text from May chimed on her phone. We can see you. Come sit with us. She looked up and spotted May under her favorite tree waving her hands like a crazy woman, with Dalton sitting next to her. Brooke stomped across the green grass, dropped her things on the blanket, and sat on the other side of May—even though her sister had left next to no room.
“Oh, I forgot to get my hot dog!” May jumped up and headed over the field to the concession stand.
“You made it,” Dalton said. “Your sister said you get stuck at work a lot.”
She sighed. “It’s a busy and understaffed hospital. The town gets bigger, but it’s tough to recruit.”
“Maybe it needs new management.”
She laughed. “It does, because I started as a nurse, and now I’m managing the entire hospital too.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were the administrator too.”
“Yup, for several years now. But, actually, I’m hoping that will change. If we can just replace Dr. Jones, then the new head doctor can take over all the administrative decisions.”
“How’s that going?”
“Not great, but it’ll be fine. We’ll find someone. How’s your gran?”
She didn’t know why she was sharing so much information with him.
“We had an appointment in Savannah today and they ran a few preliminary tests. Then she made me take her shopping and buy her enough pairs of shoes to make up for every year I was away.”
Brooke laughed. “She does love her shoes.”
“I met Max yesterday, officially.”
“I heard. He was very impressed by your secret ninja training, but please don’t encourage him to join the military. That’s the last thing I’d want,” she said, pulling at the tiny yellow flowers in the grass.
“He asked me to go to career day, but I could focus more on being a doctor. I won’t encourage him about the military; I’ve lost enough friends to know that there’s no mother in the world that wants to see her son go off to war. I didn’t have to worry about that when I joined up.”
Her heart squeezed—she hadn’t considered how much Dalton might have lost serving his country. And while he’d had no parents worrying about him, she’d be lying if she said he hadn’t remained in her prayers.
“I’m sorry about your friends. Obviously I’d be proud of him, but I wouldn’t want it at the same time.”
“I get that.” Dalton looked at her, and the heat of the day didn’t compare to the warmth she felt deep in her gut as his blue eyes studied her.
The crack of a bat broke through the strange vibe between them, and she pulled out her ball cap from her bag to watch the game.
“Cute,” Dalton said.
She couldn’t help but gawk at him. “Excuse me?”
“You look really cute with your son’s team hat on. You turn into one of those triple threat types of women.”
Brooke gulped her suddenly dry throat.
“You know—smart, sexy, and cute.” He laughed. “Don’t tell me I’m the first person to tell you that.”
She nodded. “Actually, yes you are. You know single moms don’t really get out much.”
“Good,” he said. “So you don’t mind if I go to Max’s career day then?”
“Dalton, what are you doing?” She pulled her knees up and hugged them.
“What do you mean? Max asked me to go and I figured why not tell the kids about being a doctor? It’s an honorable profession.” There was a smile pulling at his full lips.
“I mean, I get that you’re probably a bit bored, not working and sitting at home with your gran every night. But you can’t just drop into town and expect us to catch up where we left off. I don’t need you stopping by the hospital or hanging out with my sister, and I definitely don’t need you getting close to my son. He doesn’t need any more examples of men who don’t stick around.”
“Is that how it went? He married you, got you pregnant, and left his brother to play father?”
“It’s none of your business, Dalton. I’m not a walk down memory lane.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not here to upset you, Brooke. And I don’t want a walk down memory lane; most of my memories of Sandy Point are exactly why I left as fast as I did.”
She gritted her teeth and silently bit back the hurt that made her chest tighten and her eyes gloss over. But she couldn’t resist having her say.
“I’m fully aware you didn’t have anyone worth remembering back here in Sandy Point. You don’t need to remind me.” She popped up before he could respond, grabbed her bag, and made her way over to the packed bleacher stands. She’d rather find a spot on the hard metal seats than suffer sitting for another second next to Dalton under her favorite tree.