Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Hayes
The door shuts as Callie walks over to stand in front of me and lean against the deck railing. She scared Leighton off, which is the typical outcome ever since that kiss we shared.
My sister crosses her arms, giving me that same expression she does when she tries to maneuver a birth order role reversal, as if she’s the big sister and I’m the little brother. I fall back into the chair, knowing this won’t be a quick conversation.
“Whatcha doing?” She’s not asking if I’m enjoying the nice spring day. No, she’s always had her antenna up when it comes to Leighton and me.
Not that I think Callie has any idea that back in college, I may or may not have kissed her best friend. I assume Leighton never told her, otherwise I would’ve heard about it.
“You summoned me here.” I feel the need to remind her, even if there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“To distract the guests, not swindle alone time with my best friend.”
Flirting with Leighton has long been a favorite pastime.
But ever since she ran that night, I’ve tried to be polite and keep my distance.
But this, what’s just been thrown in her lap is some serious shit, and I want her to know I’m in her corner.
My sister doesn’t need to know any of this though. “You’re paranoid.”
“Am I?”
If I answer, I’ll tell her the same thing I always do—that I don’t want Leighton.
There’s truth in that statement but more lies than truth.
Leighton being Callie’s best friend would cause a lot of problems if I actively went after her.
I’m not sure how my sister would take it.
She wasn’t a fan back in high school when her friends wanted to spend more time with me than her.
The two of them are like sisters, and I would never want to cause trouble between them.
So even though I do want Leighton, I’ll try to keep myself on a tight leash.
“If you ask me, she’s one of four people in that house who need a distraction. Not the bleach blonde trapezing around the room as though she’s in a ‘Be the Next Martha Stewart’ competition.”
Callie rolls her eyes. “I know, right? Her name is Julianna. She’s Patrick’s brother’s wife. She’s a know-it-all.”
Well, that solidifies my opinion of her. But I don’t want this conversation to get off track because I have a lot of questions that weren’t appropriate for me to ask Leighton. “Sorry for being nice to your best friend.”
She picks up the Twix wrapper and holds it in the air. “You remembered her favorite candy bar?”
“Don’t be jealous. I brought you a Hershey’s bar.” I pat my chest before realizing I’m not wearing my suit jacket. “It’s in my jacket.”
She slides a chair out and sits across from me, dramatically crossing her legs to say we’re really going to dig in now. “I’m your sister, you should remember my favorite candy, but Leighton isn’t—”
“How many times did I drive you guys to the 7-Eleven?” I shoot down her line of thinking that I somehow stored that piece of information away because I’ve yearned for Leighton all these years.
She hums and leans back in her chair, tossing the wrapper onto the table. “Now isn’t the time, Hayes.”
I stare her right in the eye with the hope that she doesn’t see through me. “Let’s talk about something else.”
She rests her chin in her palm. “I’m serious. I know you’re back in town, but this season is top priority for you, and she has all this to deal with. It’s not the right time.” She gestures to the house behind us, which I assume is now Leighton’s.
My chest grows heavy just thinking about how exhausted Leighton’s mind must be from spinning. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a manwhore and partier who almost torched his entire career.” I might be deflecting, but I’m not lying.
“Come on, Hayes, talk to me.” There’s concern in her gaze.
I rest my forearms on my legs and clasp my hands together. “One for one.”
She groans, not wanting to play the game we always play when we’re both hiding something and want information from the other. My mom started it when we were young to spur real conversations, as she put it.
“We’re adults now, you can’t be serious.”
“Deadly.” My voice doesn’t waver.
She rolls her eyes again, and I still get some kind of sick pleasure from annoying my sister, even as a thirty-two-year-old man. “Only if I get to go first.”
I gesture with my hand. “By all means, you are the baby of the family.”
She groans but doesn’t fight me because she wants to know something just as badly as I do. “With the season starting again… are you in a better headspace?”
“Well yeah.” I rub my hands together. “You made the first question too easy.”
She leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. “Just take your turn.” She waves her hand between us, and I chuckle.
“Is Leighton really going to take this on?”
She nods. “And you make fun of my question for being too easy? Of course she is. She’s Leighton. You know her.”
I used to. Hell, Leighton went on family vacations. You don’t spend that much time together without getting to know the person. Even now that we’ve kept our distance since the kissing incident, it’s no surprise to me she’s agreed to take on the role of guardian to her cousin’s kids.
I open my mouth to ask another question.
“Nope… my turn.” Callie taps her finger to her lips. “How’s it going with your manager?”
“Listen, I’m just going to give it all to you at once because none of this seems very important in the grand scheme of why we’re out on the deck with what’s going on inside.
Spring training was great. I’m meeting with Jagger in a couple of days.
Vega seems good with me and is willing to give me a fresh start.
I plan to work my ass off and win a Gold Glove this year to prove wrong everyone who said I was done. End of story. I fucked up last year…”
“Yeah, but—”
I cut her off because regardless of the circumstances, there was no excuse for all the partying. “My turn. Since you only decided to tell me today about Skylar dying, I’d like more specifics.”
Callie blows out a breath. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you earlier, but I didn’t want anything too heavy on your mind.
I’m honestly surprised Mom didn’t tell you.
She’d be here if she and Dad weren’t in Europe.
” She smiles, and I can’t help but match it.
“Then I could tell Leighton was really getting sad and annoyed, and I just figured—”
“I wish you would’ve called me sooner. Hell, I would’ve brought over the entire team to get all those guests off Leighton’s back.”
“I know you would. I’m sorry though. I just… You two are weird together sometimes, and I thought maybe it would stress her out more.”
Fuck. My sister has noticed the way that kiss changed the dynamic between Leighton and me. I’m surprised Callie’s not asking me flat out what gives. “How did Skylar and her husband pass?”
She leans back and sighs. “No one is really certain on all the details. Sky and Patrick were up north at Patrick’s family cabin for a couple’s getaway.
They were hiking, and it’s not clear if one of them initially fell and the other tried to go after them, or what, but they were both found on a rock landing from what is suspected to be an accidental fall. ”
Shit, you go for quality time and die? I guess I can take hiking off my bring the spark back trip list for whenever I get married.
I let out a slow exhale. “That’s crazy.”
“I know. And then the lawyer comes and says they named Leighton—”
“She didn’t know beforehand?” She had back-to-back blows. Fuck.
Callie shakes her head. “I’m sure they never thought anything would happen to them.”
“I don’t want to sound like I doubt her, but this is a lot for Leighton to take on.”
And she’ll do it for the sole reason that her cousin wanted her to. She’s not someone who lets anyone down.
“Yeah, I’m going with her to the lawyer in a couple of days.”
We both lean back in our chairs. I miss my sister. I haven’t spent nearly the time I want with her since returning to Chicago. And now that I’m on the straight and narrow, away from clubs or anything that puts me in the gossip blogs, we won’t be on the same Chicago nightlife scene.
“I can help.”
She tips her head, knowing how busy I’m about to be. One hundred sixty-two games plus hopefully the playoffs are my next half of the year. I shouldn’t care how Leighton will do it all. It’s her business, and since she clearly doesn’t want anything to do with me, I need to stay on my own course.
The door opens behind us, and I can’t help but hope it’s Leighton.
“Linc!” Leighton says, but the little boy is already in front of me with his mitt and ball in hand.
“Will you play catch with me?”
“Hayes has to go now.” Leighton comes out and puts her hand on the little guy’s shoulders. He can’t be more than eight or nine.
“No, I don’t.” I stand up from the chair. “Do you have a glove for me?”
“Yeah, you can use my dad’s.” He drops his glove and ball and runs back into the house.
“You don’t have to. I’m sure you have more important things to do.” The dark circles under Leighton’s blue eyes make my heart feel as heavy as lead.
I shrug. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be.”
Before I have time to enjoy the small smile creasing Leighton’s lips, Lincoln comes back out and holds out a broken-in glove for me.
For the next hour, I play catch and hear all about Patrick, a man I didn’t know but who was clearly a great dad.