Girl at Heart

by Kelly Oram

  “Come on in, Mom.”

  Mrs. King pushes the door open and gasps at the sight of us. She cups her hand over her mouth, and her eyes gloss over. “Oh. I’m going to cry. You girls look so beautiful! Come downstairs. I need pictures.”

  When we enter the room, three guys in tuxes jump to their feet. All three of them seem stunned speechless. I barely notice Mark, or Leila’s date, Cole, because the way Jace is looking at me has me frozen in place. I’ve never felt more beautiful in my entire life, and that’s all from the look of reverence in Jace’s eyes.

  He looks just as handsome in his tux. It’s a classic black tux with a royal blue tie and pocket square, and he fills it out perfectly. When he walks over to me, all I can do is blush. How did I get so lucky to have someone so hot, so nice, and so perfect as my date?

  “Charlie,” he breathes, his eyes still raking over me like he’s looking at an angel. He leans in to kiss my cheek and whispers, “You look beautiful.”

  I blush even harder and manage a shy smile. “You clean up nicely yourself.”

  “Pictures!” Mrs. King shouts, startling Jace and me from the moment we’re lost in.

  After what feels like a million and one pictures, Mrs. King finally relents. (She has no choice because Mr. King pries her phone from her hands.) Then I give hugs to Rachel and Leila and tell them to have fun.

  “Last chance to come with us,” Leila offers. “There’s room in the limo for you.”

  I give her a smile and shake my head. “We’re good. But I promise we’ll find you guys as soon as we get to the dance.”

  Once they’re gone, Jace leads me out to his driveway. He points a thumb at his beat-up Corolla and gives me a sheepish smile. “It’s not exactly a limo, but it’ll get us there.”

  I grin and pull a set of keys from my pocket. I’ve been dying to surprise Jace since the moment he asked if we could do dinner on our own. “Who needs a limo when you have a Maserati?”

  He blinks. “What?”

  I hit the unlock button on the key fob, making the car flash its lights and give off two short beeps. “Dad said we could take one of his cars tonight. This one’s my favorite.”

  Jace gapes at the $150,000 car in shock. I giggle and place the keys in his hand. He looks down at the keys and then back at me. He still hasn’t managed to say a word. I don’t think he’s even taken a breath yet. “Serious?” he finally croaks.

  My giggle turns to a full-blown laugh. “Serious.” I loop my arm through his and drag him toward the car. “Come on. You’re going to love it. She handles like a dream.”

  Jace doesn’t snap out of his shock until we reach the car and he’s forced to open my door for me. After he slides into the driver’s seat, he grips the wheel and blows out a long breath. “Are you sure your dad doesn’t mind if I drive?”

  “Positive. He was even kind of bummed that he wasn’t going to get to see your reaction. He loves to share his toys.”

  Jace shakes his head as if he still can’t believe it. Then he pushes the button to start the ignition and clams up when the car purrs to life beneath him. But, slowly a smile creeps over his face, and when he looks at me, he’s wearing this wide grin that makes my heart skip a beat. “This is awesome.”

  I nod and settle in for the ride. “It really is. Bet you’re glad we have to go all the way downtown to see my dad now, huh?”

  Jace shakes his head again still in disbelief. “I didn’t mind before, but now I’m definitely glad we have a bit of a drive.” He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips before giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for this.”

  I grin. “Thank you for taking me to prom.”

  He pulls my hand toward him, forcing me to lean closer, then meets me halfway and kisses me on the lips. I guess that’s a thing we just do now. It’s as thrilling as it was last night. “Don’t thank me for that. I still can’t believe I get to go with you.” He shakes his head, suddenly giving me a look so serious it’s almost grave. “You have no idea, Charlie. I’ve wished I could go out with you for so long.”

  Whoa. Talk about intense. His eyes blaze with a longing that makes me gulp and has my heart pounding in my chest. As if he can tell he’s overwhelming me, he sits back and turns his attention to the car. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he puts the car in gear and carefully pulls away from the curb.

  The ride downtown passes mostly in a comfortable silence. Not that Jace and I have nothing to talk about, but honestly, I think Jace is just too nervous about driving Dad’s car to do anything but concentrate on the road. It’s really cute.

  We head through the employee entrance at the stadium, where most of the staff already knows me, and we’re given two guest badges. I text Dad to let him know we’re here, but we can’t enter the booth while they’re broadcasting, so we have to wait until an inning change for Dad to come out and see us.

  When Dad comes out, he nearly trips over his own feet. “Charlie,” he breathes, blinking at me like he’s never seen anyone more beautiful. “Baby girl…” He shakes his head, words failing him.

  I smirk. Dad is never speechless. “Thanks, Dad.”

  When he finally snaps out of it, he pulls his phone from his pocket. “I need pictures.”

  “Don’t worry; Mrs. King has got you covered. She took like a hundred before we left.”

  “I think it was more like a million,” Jace adds.

  Dad nods in approval but holds up his phone anyway. “Still. I need one right now so I can show you off for the rest of the night.” I roll my eyes, but Jace and I happily pose for a couple more. Then Jace holds out his hand for Dad’s phone. “How about one of father and daughter?”

  Dad grins so big it’s scary. I snort. “You just earned major brownie points,” I tell Jace. “Dad is a picture and videoaholic. Total social media junkie.”

  Dad rolls his eyes and pulls me next to him. “I can’t help it if I like showing off my baby girl.”

  He chucks his arm around my shoulders and squeezes me tightly while Jace takes a couple pictures for us. When Dad—who’s almost as bad as Mrs. King—has enough pictures, he clears his throat and tries to use a scary Dad Voice. After witnessing Mrs. King’s scary Mom Voice when she caught Jace and me in his room, I realize Dad’s scary voice is laughable. The big softie isn’t fooling anyone. “Have her home by midnight, please,” he tells Jace.

  I snort. He said please. Definitely not scary.

  “Actually, we were thinking more like eleven,” Jace admits.

  Dad blinks and then laughs. “You know, I don’t think that’s how curfew negotiation is supposed to work.”

  Jace shrugs. “We’ve got a really important game tomorrow. Need to get our beauty sleep.” He slants a look at me and grins. “Well, I do. Charlie is beautiful, no matter what.”

  I laugh. “You and your lines.”

  He shrugs again, unashamed.

  Dad laughs at us. “Okay. I’ve got to get back in there. You kids have fun at the dance. Jace, send me some video of Charlie’s sweet dance moves. If they’re anything like her diving skills, I need physical evidence.”

  I smack Dad’s arm. “Oh, shut up.”

  He hugs me again and shakes Jace’s hand. “Have a great time, be safe, no alcohol, home by midnight, and don’t wreck my car. Oh, and make sure you stop by the front desk on your way out. Phyllis has what you need, Jace.”

  I frown at Dad. He’s got that tone of voice that promises he’s up to something. Then I look at Jace to see him grinning as big as Dad. “What did you do?”

  He just grins at me, and then Dad kisses my cheek and tells us to have fun before he sneaks back into the TV booth.

  “So you guys are in on the surprises together now?” I ask Jace as we take the elevator back to the ground floor.

  “Nothing too big.” Jace shrugs, feigning nonchalance. “He called me earlier today after he found out we weren’t going to dinner with Eric or Leila. He wanted to make sure we could get reservations somewhere. W
hen I told him my idea for dinner, he insisted on helping me with it.” He smiles a little to himself. “Your dad is really cool.”

  “Yeah. He is.” I chuckle. “Just don’t tell him I said that. If he asks, I said he’s a huge, embarrassing dork.”

  Jace laughs. “Our secret.”

  When we get to the information desk, Phyllis is waiting for us. We hand her our visitor badges back, and she bounces with excitement. “Dad said you had something for us?”

  She gives us a wide smile and hands over a giant picnic basket. Jace takes it from her, and then she hands me a folded up blanket as well. “I think this is so great,” she gushes. “Kids these days only care about going someplace really fancy, but if you ask me, a picnic on the river at sunset is so much more romantic.”

  My heart flutters. She’s right. A picnic on the river with the sunset is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard of. It’s so much better than sitting in some stuffy, overpriced restaurant. I stare at Jace, trying my hardest to hold back my excitement. “A picnic on the river?”

  He gulps nervously. “Is that okay?”

  Finally, I let my smile break out across my face. “It’s perfect.”

  Jace matches my smile and holds out his arm to me like the perfect gentleman. I take the offered arm and give Phyllis one last smile. She’s grinning hard. “You kids are so cute. Have fun tonight, you two!”

  “We will.”

  Once we leave the stadium, it’s only a short walk down to the river. We find a nice grassy spot and spread our blanket. It takes me some maneuvering to sit on the ground without flashing too much thigh, thanks to the slit in my dress. I nearly fall over trying to keep myself covered. I laugh, but Jace has a worried look on his face. “Are you okay? I didn’t think about your dress. Should we go somewhere else?”

  “No! This is perfect. I love my picnic dinner.” Jace doesn’t look like he believes me, so I say, “I’m used to expensive and fancy. Trust me when I say extravagance gets old. I never get something as simple as a picnic. I love this. It means so much more to me than if my dad had just made us reservations someplace.”

  Jace’s cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink. “I was just trying to think of something romantic that I could afford.”

  “Mission accomplished.” I look at the picnic basket with a bouquet of roses poking out of one side, and then out at the gently rolling water. The sun is just starting to sink. Soon the sky will be painted in beautiful oranges and purples. “This really is perfect, Jace. Thank you.”

  We open our basket and find warm breadsticks and chicken parmesan from a great Italian place not too far from the stadium. I grin. Dad knows this is my favorite. Jace seems pretty excited about the choice, too. There’s also a bottle of sparking grape juice with clear plastic cups and a slice of cheesecake with two spoons.

  After we dig into our meals for a minute, Jace says, “So do you know everybody in the Pirates organization?”

  I laugh. “Just about. I grew up with them, remember?”

  Jace smiles. “Do you plan to work for them after college?”

  “Yeah.” I take a bite of my pasta and nod as I swallow. “That’s the plan. Join the team, one way or another. I wish it could be as a player, but I’ll settle for a trainer position. I’m going to major in sports medicine. As soon as I figure out for sure what college I’m going to go to. Probably Penn State. That’s my first choice if I don’t find a team.”

  Jace smiles, but there’s a hint of sadness behind it. “I wish you could get your dream, Charlie. I wish there were something we could do.”

  I like the fact that Jace isn’t telling me it’ll happen the way Eric does. Jace isn’t saying I’m not good enough, but he, like me, knows the possibility isn’t likely. Somehow, his realistic understanding of my situation is comforting. He’s empathizing with me instead of refusing to accept the truth. It makes it feel like he understands me more than Eric does. I guess, in a way, he always has. He was right when he said he saw me. He does see me. And not only that, he gets me. I love that about him. “I’ve given it everything I’ve got, and that has to be enough. Now all I can do is pray for a miracle and make sure I have a good backup plan. Yeah, being a trainer isn’t the same as playing, but it’ll still keep me part of the game. I can’t imagine not having baseball in my life.”

  Jace finishes off the last bite of his dinner and nods. “Me either. I’m still hoping Coach can come through for me with a scholarship somewhere. I’ll take anything, Division 1 or not. Coach said if I don’t hear anything before the end of the season, he’ll help me contact people through the summer. He’s confident I’ll have a team next year even if I’m not.”

  I get his insecurity 100 percent. “I think you should trust Coach. He really knows his stuff. He’s placed lots of guys with teams over the years. If he says he can find you a team, then he’ll do it.”

  Jace gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “What’s your backup?” I ask, hoping to move on to a new topic that isn’t quite as depressing for both of us.

  “Well…” Jace blows out a breath. “I’m thinking sports psychology. Like you, I just want to be a part of the game. Doesn’t matter to me how.”

  After we put our containers back into the basket and dig into the cheesecake, I smile at his confession. “I think sports psychology is perfect for you.”

  Jace looks at me over his forkful of dessert with surprise. “You think so?”

  “I really do.” I take a bite of the cheesecake and wait until my mouth is clear. “Think about it. There’s a reason you’re the captain of our team. Coach didn’t just pick the best player to be captain. Eric would have made a crappy captain. He’s too wrapped up in his own world. So am I, for that matter. Until you, I was never really involved with the team. You, though, you legitimately care about every guy on our team.”

  “I care about the girls on the team, too,” he teases.

  I think he expects me to groan or roll my eyes, but a lump forms in my throat and I can’t tease him. “Yeah. You do,” I agree. “Jace…what you did for me…you’ve helped me so much. I really was going to quit. I did quit. If not for you, I would have given up the game and hated myself for it for the rest of my life. You knew that. You saw it in me. And you helped me get past my roadblock. You pay attention because you care. I have no doubt that you will be great at helping players get out of their own heads and over their hangups. You’ll be a great sports psychologist.”

  Jace swallows hard and can’t seem to form words. I feel bad for making him get emotional, so I give him a smirk and playfully say, “You know…one day…when your professional ball career is over, of course.”

  Jace barks out a laugh and finally smiles. “Of course,” he agrees. “I can’t wait to face off against you on the field one day.”

  I grin. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  “Not as fun as us being on the same team and playing against Sullivan.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Hitting back-to-back homers against him.”

  Now I really smile. I lift my little plastic cup. “Here’s to us being Eric’s rivals in the Majors.”

  Jace’s face lights up in that amazing heart-melting way that brightens everything around him. He picks up his cup and clanks it against mine. “To us,” he agrees.

  He watches me over the rim of his cup as he drinks to our toast, and the scorching look makes me blush. “To us,” I murmur, gulping the rest of my sparkling juice.

  Jace cleans up the last of our trash, placing it all in the basket, then moves the basket aside. He then spreads his legs and pats the grass in front of him, inviting me to sit with him.

  Oh, butterflies, how I’ve missed thee. The fluttering in my stomach explodes into utter chaos, and my dumb cheeks heat up hotter than ever. Jace cocks a brow, silently daring me to come to him. When I can’t seem to move, Jace holds his arms open and says, “Come here, Charlie.”

  Surprised by his boldness, I finally kick into motion. I carefully scoot across the
blanket and move to the space between his legs, my back to his chest. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me back against him, and together we watch the sun set over the river.

  Jace ducks down and places a featherlight kiss to the side of my neck. A shiver rocks me, and goose bumps rise on my arms. I’ve never felt more right than I do in this moment. I thought I was in love with Eric, but I had no clue. This thing with Jace is everything I ever wanted. I feel beautiful and wanted. Loved. And, most of all, I feel like me. I’m not hiding anything. I’m not worried about how I’m acting. I’m just…being me. Jace makes it so easy to simply be myself. And now, thanks to him, I have a much better idea of who that is. “Jace?” I ask, my voice a whisper in the peace of the moment.

  “Hm?”

  “I’m ready.”

  Jace pulls back just enough for me to turn and look at him. “Ready for what?” he asks.

  My face flames and the butterflies turn into nerves, but I force myself to say what I mean. “To be official. Us, I mean.” I gulp. “If you still want to.”

  Jace sits up straight and looks at me, his eyes bouncing back and forth between mine. Then, as if he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, his arms tighten around me, pulling me even closer to him. Slowly, a smile breaks out on his face and he says, “Charlotte Hastings?”

  A thrill shoots through me at hearing my full name, like he’s acknowledging the fact that I’m more than just Charlie. “Yeah?”

  “Will you be my girlfriend?”

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and then match his grin. “Yeah.”

  His answering smile lights up his whole face, and then his gaze drops to my mouth. My heart starts pounding, but as soon as his lips fall on mine, I relax into the kiss. This is right. I’ve never been so sure of anything.

  The Under the Stars theme of the dance makes me smile. It reminds me of my sunset picnic with Jace because both of us were tempted to skip the dance and stay down on the riverfront until it was time for curfew. If it hadn’t gotten so chilly once the sun went down, we probably would have. The venue the prom committee chose for tonight is really nice and has a balcony with heat lamps where we really can go outside and see the stars. Not that there are a lot, thanks to the light pollution of the city, but still, the atmosphere is romantic.