Chapter 12
THAT BASEBALL DADDY IS SOMETHING ELSE.
Poppy
Lily
How’s the plan for avoiding your neighbor going?
Great. Going on two whole weeks now.
Lily
You can’t avoid him forever.
Blair
I think he’s really into you, Pop.
I can’t allow that to happen. He’s off-limits.
Lily
Oh, please. *eye roll*
Blair
Off-limits can be so fun!
When I open the car door and step outside, the cold air hits my face, shaking my body.
The temperature in town has dropped significantly in the last few weeks as winter fully sets in.
I’ve officially had to move my early morning yoga sessions into my living room because the frost coating the back deck doesn’t help me relax like yoga should.
But it’s helped ease my anxiety of coming face-to-face with my neighbor again.
After he showed up on my porch and admitted he would have continued flirting with me even if he knew who I was, my brain went haywire trying to figure out how to deal with this.
Dallas Westbrook is hot.
I’m not talking casual hot; I’m talking all-consuming, rigid muscles, incredible smile, and bold personality hot.
Being near him in any capacity only fills my body with a strange craving to be closer to him.
I know I need to stay away because he’s the parent of one of my students, and if I were to allow myself to get closer to him, he’s only going to break my heart when he learns about who I really am.
Dallas seems spontaneous, like he’s up for any adventure at the drop of a hat.
As I step into the general store for my Saturday morning grocery trip, the heat hits my face, and I welcome it with a smile while brushing off the thoughts of my neighbor. I barely make it to the produce section when Nan spots me.
“Pretty Poppy.” She beams, using one of the nicknames she has for some of us in town.
It’s cute because it’s very Nan. She’s named most of us—Pretty Poppy, Grumpy Griffin, Lovely Lily, and newly added, Talkative Tucker.
“How unlike you to be here at exactly nine o’clock on a Saturday morning for grocery shopping. ”
I prop my fist on my hip, tipping my head to the side before giving her a knowing glare. “Nan, you know this is my weekend routine.”
“Very predictable.” She laughs. “That’s why I’m here.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering where she’s going with this.
“We haven’t seen you around karaoke night in a few weeks,” she says.
“You know I don’t frequent the bar like that.”
“But you can.”
“You’re right, I can. But I also don’t want to.” I laugh with a shrug. “You know my job has always come first for me, and the last thing I want is a parent seeing me and tarnishing my reputation because they saw me have a drink or something.”
My anxiety spikes just saying it out loud. My entire family knows that, including Nan. Even if she’s not a direct line of the Barlow family in any capacity, she knows I love my job. It’s my entire personality at this point.
“I understand,” she says in a more somber tone. “I just miss my Pretty Poppy. And love to see you have a good time and let loose every once in a while.”
Placing a hand on her shoulder, I offer her a reassuring smile. “I’m happy, Nan.”
“Are ya?”
The question throws me off guard.
I’ve worked hard for the things I have in life, and I love the path I’ve chosen.
I’ve never felt like anything was truly missing.
Would I like to have a relationship someday?
Yeah. It’s been on my mind more often than not lately.
It’s something I’ve been working with my therapist to overcome after my last boyfriend in college broke up with me.
Everything I was always afraid of came to light the day he broke up with me.
He told me I was too much for him, and that I prioritize my career and routine before him, among other things that I don’t want to let come into my head again.
I spiraled, but therapy saved me.
I can’t help the way my brain functions.
I’ve learned that it doesn’t make me crazy, though, it makes me…me.
But being with someone isn’t the end-all, be-all for happiness, is it?
“Miss Barlow!” I hear just as I open my mouth to reply to Nan. Snapping my head toward the small voice, my smile grows. “What are you doing out of school?”
“Hi, Ally.” I laugh. “You know I don’t live there, right?”
Her eyes widen briefly before she breaks into a fit of hysterics. “I knew that. I was testing you.”
“I bet you were, silly goose.”
“Hi, Miss Barlow,” her mom, Mindy, says behind her. “So nice to see you again.”
“Same to you. How are you two today?”
“Fantastic!” Ally shouts. “I gots cinnamon crunchie cereal!”
Her mom shakes her head before looking around us as if she doesn’t want anyone else to hear what she’s about to say. Nan picks up on it, stepping closer and adjusting herself so her ear is close enough to listen to the tea—such a Nan thing to do.
“Have you seen the new guy in town?” She grins, keeping her voice low before waggling her eyebrows. “I just saw him in the cereal aisle and almost forgot what I was there for.” She fans a hand in front of her face. “It should really be illegal for someone to look as good as that man does.”
There’s only one new man in town who fits this description.
The thought of running into him after successfully avoiding him since he showed up on my porch makes the hairs on my arm stand tall and my stomach twist. My palms feel clammy on the shopping cart as I tighten my grip, forcing myself to listen to whatever she’s saying.
“I just know he’s not going to be on the market long,” she adds. “And I’m so mad I look like I just rolled out of bed.”
“You did just roll out of bed, Mommy,” Ally chimes in.
“What did I tell you about giving away my secrets?” She chuckles with her daughter.
“That baseball daddy is something else.” Nan laughs, crossing her arms over her chest but keeping her eyes fixed on me. It feels like she’s waiting for a reaction from me.
“Baseball daddy?” Mindy questions.
Nan nods. “Head coach for some fancy major society team in San Francisco.”
“Nan, it’s a Major League team. Not society,” I correct her.
“Same thing,” she waves her hand in the air.
“Ohhh,” Mindy coos. “The head coach for a major league team? Wow. Maybe I should return to the cereal aisle to give him my number if he’s still there.” She winks.
My stomach churns again, and my heart rate picks up out of…
jealousy? I don’t know, but I feel a protectiveness creep into my pores over the way she’s talking about him.
Not that I have a single right to feel this way.
I’ve made it clear that he and I are to remain professional, and I know I can’t allow myself to get into a relationship.
Then again, Dallas and Mindy would be ideal for each other.
They’re around the same age and both single parents, so they have a lot in common, right?
“Speak of the devil,” Nan says.
Mindy and I turn our heads to where she’s looking and find Dallas and Sage walking toward us.
“Ally,” Sage shouts before jogging to meet us. “I see you twice in one store!”
“Coolest thing ever.” Ally beams. “Did you get the cinnamon crunchies?”
Sage shakes her head. “I got the rainbow marshmallows!”
Both girls cover their mouths and laugh together.
“Miss Barlow,” Dallas drawls out, and I swear I could melt right here in front of everyone, hearing my name in any form out of his mouth. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Dammit, I feel the same way, and I most definitely shouldn’t.
So much for avoiding him.
I nod in response, offering a tight-lipped smile.
“We were just talking about you,” Mindy says in a flirty tone.
My eyes drift to where she places her hand on his shoulder. It’s covered in a black sweatshirt with bold letters that read San Fran, but I know she can feel the broad, rock-hard muscle underneath the fabric. I know it’s there because I couldn’t stop staring that night at the bar.
“Yeah?” Dallas raises a brow, focusing his eyes on mine.
“I was tellin’ them about your job as a baseball daddy,” Nan cuts in.
My eyes widen, and Dallas nearly chokes before facing Nan. “What?”
“Did I say that out loud?” Nan winks.
“Nan was just telling me about your job,” Mindy says. “I think that’s amazing. I’m a huge baseball fan.”
Dallas still doesn’t look at her, but instead faces me again.
He looks at me as if he’s watching the most intense sports game in history, and if he blinks, he’ll miss it.
It’s a look that sucks all the air from my lungs because I like how he does it.
I like how it makes me feel to be seen by someone like him.
“Is that so?” he answers.
“We should meet up at Seven Stools one night for a drink and talk more about it. I’d love to hear more and get to know you,” Mindy says, stepping closer to him.
Finally, he gives her the time of day by turning his gaze on her. “Did you have a day in mind?”
What?
Poppy, you have no right to be jealous right now.
“What about Friday?” Mindy asks.
“I can’t, I have plans that night.”
“Saturday?”
“Also have plans.”
“Oh.” She giggles. “You’re a busy guy. What are your big plans?”
Like she has a right to know.
“Nothing big, honestly.” He shrugs. “I just plan to sit on my back deck and hope my neighbor emerges from her house so I can talk to her. It’s been a couple of weeks, and I want to make sure she’s okay.”
My. Jaw. Drops.
I hear Nan choke beside me because she knows he only has one neighbor in direct view of his back deck.
I hold my breath, watching Mindy to see if she pieces together what he’s saying.
The last thing I need is a mom like Mindy, who’s heavily involved in school activities, to spread the word around town that I’m involved in anything with the parent of one of my students.
When I’m most certainly not.
“Oh. That’s adorable how much you care for your neighbor. Listen, I’m free if you don’t want to be alone when you do it. I’m great company. Besides, I think our daughters are new best friends at school.”