Chapter 20
“Teatime!” Sarah’s excited tone had me, Lila, and Annie smiling. We had agreed to meet for an early-morning spa day, and for some reason, Sarah wanted to go to the Tranquil Tea Leaf, a combination posh spa and sanctuary. It was also the only place where I’ve ever enjoyed a tea-style breakfast while wearing a fluffy robe.
Yet there we all were. Sarah had reserved a private area just for us. There had been zero doubt it was for my benefit. So I could dish all the details of my new relationship without anyone knowing ... and I truly appreciated it because I was about to burst.
A young woman escorted us out of the changing room and into the spa. As we stepped through the heavy wood double doors, we were hit with the calming scents of lavender, jasmine, and eucalyptus. Soft, tranquil music played from the surround sound speakers. Dim crystal chandeliers and flickering candles added to the peaceful environment.
“Right this way,” the woman said, motioning us to walk into what could pass for a cozy living room. Four chaise loungers with plush cream-colored tufted fabric sat on long-weave shag carpeting. The chairs curved under our knees, arranged two on one side, two on the other, facing each other. We each took a seat, me next to Sarah and Lila and Annie across from us.
One of the women stepped forward and, in a hushed voice, welcomed us. Another woman appeared with a tray of teas that we had each selected when we’d booked the appointment.
“If there is anything else you need while you’re here, please ring the bell.” She nodded and walked out of the room with the other women, closing the door behind them.
We all stayed silent, taking in our surroundings and letting the tranquilness around us calm our souls. I gently blew into my porcelain cup and took a tentative sip of my honey-lavender tea. Tiny chocolate croissants and vanilla bean scones sat on small glass plates on the side table.
Only a few minutes had gone by when Sarah broke the silence. To be honest, I’d been surprised it took her that long. “I need to know. What is going on?”
Lila chimed in, “Please tell her, Sommer. She’s been impossible.”
Annie giggled. “You’re one to talk. You’ve been calling me every day asking if Sommer had called me.”
Sarah sucked in a breath and playfully scolded Lila, “Hey, pot, meet kettle.”
They all laughed, and I sat there sipping my tea while taking it all in. Finally, I whispered, “When you’re done, let me know, and I’ll tell you about all the great sex I’ve been having.”
“I knew it!” Sarah whisper-shouted. Despite us being alone, we still had spa etiquette in our heads. “He’s big, isn’t he? Tell me, I’ve been dying. On a scale from one to five, and I’m not talking inches, although I hope it’s more. How was he?”
The heat that rose in my cheeks had nothing to do with the fireplace or my tea but the memory of being with him. “I’m not going to use a scale, but Jimmy is an amazing lover. And not just because of how he makes me feel but he thinks of me first. Not that I have a ton of experience.”
Before Jimmy, I’d been with only two other guys. One was my high school boyfriend; the other, sadly, was Linc. Jimmy and I hadn’t discussed our “number,” mainly because I didn’t want to know his. Plus, what good would it do?
“Go on,” Annie prodded.
“He’s kind and wants to know about me. I just wish he wasn’t a baseball player.”
“Not that. Honey, who gives a rat’s ass if he’s a baseball player? If he’s the one for you, then who cares? Honestly.”
“She cares,” Lila replied with sadness in her voice. “Although I do agree with Sarah. How much does it really matter?”
“A lot. I’m not sure what will happen down the road, but for the foreseeable future, Jimmy and I are fine with keeping everything on the down-low. It’s the only way it will work.”
Sarah shook her head. “Man, if I were you, I’d be splashing it all over the place that he was off the market.”
“Well, that won’t happen. Look, if the circumstances were different, then sure. I’d tell people about us, but they aren’t different. Essentially, he works for my family’s business. The age part I don’t care about, because he is more mature than most guys I know who are older. But that still doesn’t change the facts.”
“But you like him, right?” Annie asked.
“Yes, I like him.”
“Well, that stinks,” Lila huffed out. “You meet a great guy, and you can’t even do anything about it outside of closed doors. And although that’s hot in a romance movie kind of way, it’s a shame in the real world. We just want you to be happy.”
I gave her a tight smile and a nod. On the surface, I was happy. Things were how they were for a reason. Did that make me sad? Yes, it did. But I also knew that it was the only way to handle it. I still hadn’t heard from my grandfather about the report I’d sent. I couldn’t imagine him not liking or agreeing with my analysis and suggestions. Then again, I didn’t expect the position I had been given either. I did need to stop by their house, though, which I’d do once I left here.
Done talking about my issues, I turned to Annie. “Enough about me, tell me about your wedding. How are the plans coming along?”
For the next hour, we sipped our tea, heard about Annie’s upcoming wedding, that we’d all be wearing navy, and that the bachelorette party would be in Scottsdale. Lila told us about a job promotion she was going for, and Sarah was still dating guys she met on the Mingle Room app. So far, no one had caught her interest enough to see past one date.
“Jimmy said, when you know, you know,” I stupidly said without thinking.
All eyes were on me. And by the grace of the spa gods, the door opened, and the attendants walked in to escort us to our separate massage therapy rooms. Their questions remained unasked, which I couldn’t have been more thankful for.
* * *
“Let’s go, Hall!” a man a few rows behind me shouted.
“Marry me, Jimmy!” came from a woman somewhere around us.
“You’re fucking hot!” some other female yelled.
Meg rolled her eyes while my blood started to simmer in my veins. Everything in me wanted to turn and see who exactly had said that to him, but what good would that do? Nothing. It wasn’t as though I could tell her not to talk about my boyfriend that way. So, instead, I kept my focus on the field.
Jimmy scuffed his cleat along the rubber of the mound before getting in his stance. Bending over, he leaned on his left leg, staring intently at Remington, who gave Jimmy a sign to start the game.
The batter swirled the bat around in the air, waiting for Jimmy. My eyes stayed glued to the mound as he went into motion and released the ball, which found the strike zone. The batter swung, sending the ball toward the netted backstop.
Remington was on his feet in an instant, whipping off his mask and taking the helmet with it. “Catch it, baby!” Meg shouted. Remington did just that, making the crowd erupt in cheers.
“One down,” I said as though she didn’t know that.
She nodded. “It doesn’t matter how many games I’ve gone to, I still get nervous. I don’t know how he keeps calm.”
I laughed. “I’d be a wreck if everyone was staring at me. But we have a great team, and Remington and Jimmy are so in sync.”
“They are. I love Jimmy. As you know, my daughter adores him and would probably trade us for him. We all adore him. For someone so young, he’s so poised.”
Meg couldn’t have been more spot on. It was something my grandfather spoke about often when discussing the roster and contracts. There were other pitchers who had been on the team longer than Jimmy’s three years, but some didn’t have the calm disposition that Jimmy had. Nor did they have his skill at the plate. In a lot of cases, and not limited to pitchers, many batters didn’t have his patience. No matter how you cut it, that was the reason he was one of the highest-paid players on the team.
It hadn’t mattered that he was signed out of high school with the caveat that he’d go to college first, something my grandfather said was important to him and his mother. That didn’t mean that he hadn’t been offered a lucrative contract. Much to Jimmy’s benefit, his father knew a lot of general managers and owners alike. Having been a player himself, and a fantastic one at that, he’d negotiated a great deal for his son. Thanks to his father, and if Jimmy played his cards right, he would most likely retire a Hawk.
She leaned in close to me as the second batter of the inning approached the plate. “Rem told me about you two, and I couldn’t be happier. I had a feeling when you were over at the house.”
Suddenly feeling as though we were busted making out while he was supposed to be babysitting, I quickly defended us: “Oh, no, we weren’t together then. At that point, he was still on my last nerve. Nothing happened.”
An all-knowing smile spread across her face. “Well, you might not have been into him, but that man was definitely into you and still is. Trust me. He looks at you the way that Rem looks at me.”
Dismissing her, I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Sommer, I know we don’t know each other well, but that man has fallen hard.”
I glanced out onto the field at the same time Jimmy’s gaze found mine. He smiled, and a whoosh of warmth washed over me like my favorite cozy chenille blanket.
“See?” Meg proudly stated. “And I hate to break it to you, but you have the same look in your eyes.”
Turning away from her, I watched Jimmy retire the side, taking a sip of my bottled water. Did I look at him in any specific way? I clearly wasn’t in love with him, was I? Shaking everything off, I waited for the TV time-out to end and watched the rest of the inning.
When the game ended a few hours later, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the man who just helped us win by striking out eight batters and hitting one of the Hawks’ three home runs meant more to me than I’d been willing to admit.
The crowd began to filter out of their seats. Meg stood, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted, “Great game, Thorne!”
Her husband, who was walking toward the dugout, looked up and winked at her. She spun around and pointed to the back of her jersey, which had THORNE prominently stitched above the number fifteen. They were an adorable couple. It was a shame that Jimmy and I couldn’t be like them, but that couldn’t happen—not right now, anyway.
“We’re going to pick up Chinese and head back to our house. Would you like to join us for a late supper? I’m sure that Rem will ask Jimmy to come. It’ll be fun. Plus, you both can act like yourselves since your secret is safe with us.”
I looked at the clock on the scoreboard. It wasn’t even eight o’clock, but it felt as though it were much later. The spa morning most likely attributed to that feeling, yet I didn’t want to turn her down.
“If Jimmy would like me to, sure, I’ll go.”
“Great, I’ll see you there. Ariel is at my parents’ house tonight, so it’s just us.”
Meg took the steps that led to the tunnel. Meanwhile, I sat down for a minute and posted pictures of Jimmy on his social media page. Each time I went to the site, I prayed no one had tagged him in anything. Thankfully, aside from a few taken during a game or of him running into a fan and posing for a selfie, nothing needed to be taken down.
It was as if I wasn’t needed anymore. Something that I’d be sure to tell my granddad once he called me to discuss the report I sent him.
After getting up, I tucked away my phone and took the stairs toward the tunnel. I still had a couple of minutes before the team left. Most of the guys were probably eating the catered food the team supplied them after games. But I knew Jimmy wouldn’t be one of them.
Rather than stay inside, I headed out, and per usual, fans lined up outside to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. When the door opened and Remington stepped out with Jimmy right behind him, my heart fluttered, and those cliché butterflies took flight in my stomach. Was Meg right? Had I fallen for Jimmy?
Remington said something to him; then Jimmy nodded and headed my way. His pretty smile appeared. “Hey.”
“Hi. Great game.”
“Thanks.” Fans called his name, and he waved to them. “Remington invited us over tonight. Would you like to go?”
“Meg asked me as well.” I was tired, but spending time with him felt important. “Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Go home. I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.”
“I can drive.”
“Nope, this is our second date. I’ll pick you up.”
How I wanted to kiss him, but instead, I nodded, took a quick picture of him with a young boy who wanted a baseball signed and headed home.
Seeing him interact with the kids and knowing about Imaginarium Hall, there had been no doubt that Meg was indeed right about my feelings toward him. Man, my grandmother would have a field day with that knowledge. Laughing to no one but myself, I walked to the private lot and got in my car to drive home.
Jimmy Hall, what have you done to me?