Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“Hey,” he says, his voice thick and gooey like warmed-up Nutella.
“Hi.”
Our gazes lock. Together, our lips pull toward the bright sky and into full smiles.
“How have you been?” he asks. “Busy?”
“Me? Always. You?”
“Never.” He stretches his arms over the top of the fence, wincing ever so slightly as he rolls his shoulder around. “Had a lot of time on my hands, actually.”
“Tell me what that’s like.”
I don’t know what shit I’ve stepped in, but I know I have. His eyes grow dark and fill with mischief.
“Well, let’s take last night, for example,” he says.
Oh no.
“I was lying in bed,” he says, grinning. “And I thought I’d check my social media to see if there was anything that I needed to respond to.”
No. No, no, no.
My insides wither like a flower during a freeze, and although I don’t do it intentionally, I find myself a couple of feet farther away from him.
This does not deter him. It only encourages his behavior.
He pulls his arms back over the fence. “Do you know what I found lurking in my notifications?”
“Couldn’t tell ya.”
“Someone by the name of Palmer Clark liked a photo of me from three years ago.” His chest puffs out with an apparent shot to his ego. “Can you believe that?”
“I bet she has a friend named Val that probably used her phone to snoop. I mean, that seems entirely possible to me.”
He hums in agreement. “It is entirely possible, but at almost midnight? Eh.” He rocks his head from side to side. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I couldn’t tell you because . . . I mean, I didn’t even know this happened until now.”
I bite my lip to keep from smiling. His eyes are glued to my mouth as I let my bottom lip pop free.
I’m aware of his attention. I feel the heat of his gaze and the way it flips a switch inside me and makes me feel . . . desired.
It’s intoxicating to feel wanted by Cole. He’s so handsome and charming and freaking sweet. His pictures online get thousands of likes and so many thirsty comments that you could scroll through them for hours.
Men have wanted me before. I’ve known that. I’ve felt that. But it was nothing like this.
I take a step backward, a stumbling kind of movement, and nearly run into Bud.
“Oh,” I say as I jump to the side and press a hand over my heart. “I didn’t see you.”
“I’m sorry, Palmer. I was too busy looking for Katie Evans and didn’t see you either.”
Cole frowns. “Who is Katie?”
“She has a son on the six-and-under team. She volunteered to reorganize the supply shed for me and has been missing all week. Not answering her phone, not showing up.” He sighs. “I’m going to have to come down here Saturday and do it, I suppose.”
I leap at the opening to put some distance between Cole and myself before I go all gaga over the man.
“Hey, I don’t claim to know anything about baseball, but I can organize like it’s no one’s business,” I say.
Bud’s eyes light up. “Palmer, that would be amazing. Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m here anyway. Besides, Ethan would love for me to be more involved.”
I mentally pat myself on the back. Good work.
“I didn’t know you wanted a more participatory role,” Cole says, rolling his tongue around his cheek.
Bad work. Very bad work.
“I think the shed will fulfill that need,” I say.
“You know that your team doesn’t have a team mom,” Bud tells Cole. “I don’t know if I mentioned that to you or not.”
Cole’s brows lift. “Oh, really?”
Bud nods enthusiastically. “You really need to find one, Cole. Last year, we had a kid get bopped in the head with a bat because we didn’t have anyone minding them. It really is a safety issue.”
My jaw drops open as I look between the two of them. I don’t know what’s going on, but it certainly feels like I’m the one out of the loop . . . but being pulled right into the middle of it.
“What do you say, Palmer?” Cole asks. “Will you be our team mom?”
I don’t know if his thoughts go back to my “Daddy” comment from earlier this week or if it’s just mine doing that. But as soon as a chuckle falls from my lips, he follows suit.
I should say no to this impromptu offer, but I’m weak. That, and I owe Bud for those free cleats. Besides, Ethan really would love my participation.
“Only if I get a whistle,” I say over my shoulder as I head to the supply shed.
Bud catches up with me after saying something quickly to Cole. Together, we make our way behind the concession stand.
“This is great of you, Palmer,” he says. “Thank you for helping us out. This year has been pure chaos.”