“I’m sorry that happened,” she said, meaning it.
He shrugged. “Me too. But things happen for a reason, you know? It took me a while to accept that, but now I have.” He shifted on the bench again, and now he was facing her, seeming not to care about the precarious sturdiness of the wood. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How has life treated you the last ten years? I’m not up on the art world, but I’m sure you’ve been successful. I remember how good your drawings and paintings were in art class, and that mural you painted on the side of Rusty’s Garage for the Too Dang Hot Parade was amazing.”
His compliments gave her a boost but not enough to talk about her past. “Is that still going on?”
“Of course. This year it’s on August 12. Although it’s not much of a parade anymore. Just a reason for everyone to go shopping, get a hot dog and a snow cone, and shoot the breeze.”
Riley took that in. The It’s Too Dang Hot for a Parade Parade, which had been shortened thirty years ago to the Too Dang Hot Parade, had been one of the few things she looked forward to each year, with the exception of the time she was fifteen and Mimi forced her to join the parade and wear a hat covered with small balls of yarn and a placard advertising Knots and Tangles. That had been embarrassing, not to mention a failure, since everyone who attended the parade already knew about Knots and Tangles anyway.
“I can’t believe there isn’t a parade anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s disappointing. But it’s also understandable why it disappeared. Lots of people have moved away. The high school band has grown and was invited to do other festivals in larger towns, so they stopped doing the parade. They were always the main draw. Plus, it’s too dang hot in August.” He grinned. “The name sure was accurate.”
“Then why don’t they change it to something else? Or have a parade another time during the year?”
“You know how folks are around here. They like tradition. I also think the older ones keep hoping that one day the parade will resume.” He looked at her, his expression serious now. “Hope is everything for some people. If you take that away, they don’t have anything.” He shrugged. “Anyway, you haven’t answered my question. What’s it like being a big-time New York artist?”
Riley swallowed. She knew about hope. She’d been filled with it when she left Maple Falls. She was going to shake up the art world, and if she returned home, it would only be as a success story. She was going to make something of herself and prove to everyone that she wasn’t a loser like Tracey. Instead, she found out that while she had been an exceptional artist in a backwater Arkansas town, she had little talent compared to the real artists in New York. How was she supposed to admit that to the golden boy?
“I’ve got to get back to Mimi,” she said, jumping up from the bench. “She was asleep when I left, but I’m sure she’s up now. I don’t want her to be alone for too long.”
“Right.” Hayden stood. “She’s still doing okay, then?”
She couldn’t help but smile. He’d asked about Mimi yesterday morning and was still genuinely concerned about her well-being. “She’s fine.”
“Good.” He glanced at the pond again. “I should probably get going too. I’m supposed to open the shop this morning. Dad’s going to Little Rock for a yearly tool show.” Despite his words, he didn’t make a move to leave.
Riley stared at his profile, but instead of focusing on his good looks, she found herself drawn to him for a different reason. He really is one of the good guys, isn’t he? But she couldn’t stand there fawning over him. Well, she easily could . . . She started to back away. “Uh, I guess . . . See you later,” she said, the awkward words punctuated with a loud duck quack.
“Yeah.” Hayden still didn’t move, but he wasn’t looking at her either. “Later.”
Somehow she found the strength to resume running, and she sprinted away from the park. But once she reached Mimi’s street, her legs started to buckle. Thankful Hayden wasn’t around to see her fail at running a second time, she slowed to a painful walk. Her body would pay for overdoing it today.
But the ache in her chest had nothing to do with her run and everything to do with Hayden. He had asked her a simple question, and she had bailed on giving him an answer. She’d have to keep her distance from now on. If she didn’t, and if he asked about her life in New York again, she might be tempted to tell him the truth—that after almost a decade of pursuing her dream, she was a failure. Just like Tracey.
* * *
As Hayden lightly jogged back home, he mentally kicked himself. Why had he been so nosy? He should have known better than to pry into Riley’s life. She was as closed as a tulip at sunset, and he should have recognized that when she didn’t answer his question the first time he asked. But he couldn’t help himself. She was still a mystery to him, and he wanted to understand her. Something had been drawing him to her since he first saw her at the airport. Something physical.
He hadn’t noticed it at first. She wasn’t the kind of woman he’d been used to dating. High school romance had been out of the question due to his baseball schedule and trying to keep his grades up for college, but he’d managed to have a social life at UCLA. Those girlfriends, if he could call them that, had been stereotypical party girls. He wasn’t proud that he’d partaken more than once in certain college social activities, and if he’d continued along that path, he would have put his scholarship in jeopardy.
Thankfully it all quickly grew stale, and he soon nixed his social life to spend the rest of his college days focused on the most important thing in his life—baseball.
Not anymore. His priorities had been forcibly shifted six months ago. It had taken time for him to accept that there was life after baseball, but he fully believed it now. Getting hung up on the past wasn’t an option.
Without realizing it, his jogging had picked up speed, and he was at a full run when he reached his house. He was breathing as hard as Riley had been. The thought of Riley triggered his memory of seeing her sweaty, red-faced, and unbelievably sexy. He grinned. The jolt of attraction he’d experienced sitting next to her on that old bench had surprised him. Then again, maybe he had finally grown up.
Hayden caught his breath and put his hands on his hips. Since Riley’s arrival he’d been thinking about his teenage years more and more, and it hit him that he’d always thought she was sexy, in a natural and aloof kind of way. Had she always liked to run? Maybe if he’d known that, he would have asked her to join him on a run or two. He’d been running since middle school as part of his off-season training. He shook his head at the dumb thought. She would have told sixteen-year-old him no and sent him on his way. Like she was obviously doing now.
He needed to get a grip. Riley had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him hanging around her, and he needed to respect that. For all he knew, she had a boyfriend back in New York. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the thought. Maybe that’s why she was so distant with him, and he couldn’t blame her. If she were his girl and some guy was asking her questions, he wouldn’t like it one bit. So, no more trying to make friends with her, even though he still wanted to. And no more prying questions.
As he entered his parents’ house, he wiped the sweat from his face with the hem of his T-shirt. He’d been living at home since returning to Maple Falls, but he had always seen this living situation as temporary. Now that he had purchased a house that he would start fixing up in a week or two, his time in his childhood home would soon be coming to an end. He had to admit he didn’t mind staying with his parents. They were easy to get along with, and after years of eating on the road, he could never get enough of home-cooked meals.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw his mother coming down them, dressed in a light-green short-sleeved blouse, white pants, and white slip-on shoes. She was fiddling with a colorful sheer scarf wrapped loosely around her neck as she walked off the last step and stopped in front of him. “How was your run,
honey?”
“Good.”
“Where did you go?”
“The park, as usual. I’m going to get a shower,” he added quickly before she could ask any more questions and he’d have to mention seeing Riley. He wasn’t sure if anyone knew she was back in town.
“All right. There’s pancakes and sausage for breakfast in the warming drawer under the oven.”
Yes! “Thanks, Mom.” His stomach growled as he moved to let her walk past him. “Where’s Dad?”
“Finishing up reading the paper on the back porch. He said it’s too nice a morning to sit inside. By the way, we won’t be back until later tonight. Your father has promised me a fancy dinner at some steakhouse in Chenal. I can’t remember the name of it, but he said it had good reviews on the internet.”
“Have fun. Let him know the store is in good hands.”
His mother smiled and tucked a strand of her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ear, the color courtesy of regular six-week appointments at a salon in Hot Springs. “He knows it is. We’ll see you later.”
Hayden nodded, then bounded up the stairs, forcing his mind to focus on work and not on Riley. Business usually picked up on Friday and Saturday since people tended to work on their DIY projects more on the weekend than during the week. After a quick shower, he stepped onto the pale-blue bath mat and reached for the matching towel hanging on the hook. He had just wrapped it around his waist when his cell phone buzzed on the double sink vanity. When he saw the caller, he wiped his hands on the towel, then swiped at the foggy screen twice.
“Hey, Erma,” he said. “You’re on speaker, by the way.”
“Good morning, Hayden. How are you?”
“Just fine.” He rubbed his shoulder but didn’t look at the scar. Occasionally he felt a twinge of pain, but his surgeon had been one of the best in the country, and the healed tendons and muscles rarely ached now. Still, he preferred to ignore the six-inch vertical scar going across the side of his shoulder. He didn’t need a visual reminder of the past. “I’m getting ready for work.”
“Oh, I won’t keep you long then. I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything for you, Erma.”
“Oh, you really are a peach, aren’t you? I promise this will be the last one. Obviously, I won’t be able to continue as assistant coach for the church softball team.”
Hayden tucked the towel tighter around his hips. “I’m so sorry about that, Erma—”
“No more apologies, understand?”
Her strict tone caught his attention. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I hereby officially resign as coach.”
“You don’t have to resign, though,” Hayden said. “I’ll hold your place until you’re ready to play and coach again.”
A pause. “I, uh, I’m not sure when that will be, so it’s best I resign. But I do have a replacement in mind.”
He wiped his face with the hand towel hanging by one of the sinks. She would probably suggest one of her Bosom Buddies, or BBs, as he’d heard them called. None of them except Erma and Myrtle were on the team, and Myrtle was still on her cruise and wouldn’t be back for a while. The BBs were excellent cheerleaders. They’d come to several practices and, of course, the first game. They always brought snacks, too, which was a bonus.
He couldn’t imagine who she had in mind. None of the women, except maybe Madge Wilson, looked like they were in good enough shape to play softball, even in a church league. “Who are you considering?”
“My granddaughter.”
Hayden froze, then picked up the phone and took it off speaker. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am. Is there a reason why Riley can’t take my place?”
Other than her not wanting to be around me? “Uh, not off the top of my head, no. Have you run this idea past her?”
Another pause. “I’m sure she’ll want to take the position.”
Hayden paused. For the first time he heard a note of uncertainty in Erma’s voice. “You are?”
“Yes, I am sure, and I have to go. Have a nice day.”
“Erma—” She had already hung up.
He set the phone back on the vanity and blew out a breath. He wasn’t going to tell Erma no. He said he would do her a favor and he meant it. But he doubted Riley would be interested in the coaching position, and from the way her grandmother hung up on him, he was almost positive Riley had no idea she was being volunteered. He frowned. So much for keeping my distance.
Swiping his hand over the foggy mirror, he relaxed, the lines creasing his forehead disappearing in his reflection. Despite Erma’s insistence, there was no way Riley was going to agree to be his assistant.
His frown suddenly returned. Too bad.
Chapter 5
Late Saturday afternoon Hayden unlocked the gate to the one and only ball field in Maple Falls. Like most of the town, the field was old and needed some TLC. When he decided to start the church softball team, he spent two entire weekends cleaning up the grounds and creating the infield, killing grass and weeds that had grown over it and building up the pitcher’s mound. Fortunately his friend Tanner Castillo helped out when he wasn’t working at the Sunshine Diner. Otherwise it would have taken Hayden much longer than two weekends to finish. The end result didn’t look great, but it was definitely an improvement and would serve its purpose.
He walked over to one of the dugouts and leaned his huge canvas bag of bats and softballs against the skinny wooden bench, dropping the other bag on the ground. His glove was lying inside the bag on top of the bats, and he picked it up, slipping his hand inside as he’d done thousands of times before. The worn leather fit him like a second skin, which it practically had been for the seven years he’d used it.
As always before practice, he walked to the mound. Common sense told him he shouldn’t since there was no reason for him to be there, but he couldn’t help himself. The moment the sole of his athletic shoe touched the hard-packed dirt, he was transported to the past, his mind and senses filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of a baseball field during a game. The murmuring of the crowd, the fans wearing their favorite player’s jersey, the scents of popcorn and beer hanging in the air. He remembered the feel of the mound beneath his feet, the excitement of staring down a batter and striking him out.
His jaw clenched and he stepped off the mound. There would be no more strikeouts, not from his arm. Now he was forced to experience the game that had meant so much to him a different way—as a spectator, or in this case, a green coach of an even greener softball team. As he stared at the spot where home plate should be, he yearned to pitch again. Sure, he could still throw a few balls overhand, but he’d never reach 70 mph, much less the 100-plus mph fastball he’d pitched in his prime. The memory brought him back to earth.
Hayden jogged back to the dugout and dropped his mitt on the bench, then dragged the other bag to the field, unzipped it, and started placing the bases around the diamond. He’d just finished straightening home plate when he heard a car pull into the gravel parking lot. When he looked over, he saw two cars right behind it—including Erma’s.
Surprised, his nerves started to jump. For once the store had been busy yesterday, and he hadn’t had time to think about Erma’s phone call—until he closed up for the night. The more he’d thought about it then, the surer he was that Riley would tell her grandmother no. But if that was the case, why was she here now? Had Erma actually convinced her to be his assistant? She must have used all her sweet-talking charm to make it happen.
Erma’s car stopped a few spaces away from Harper Wilson’s red Mercedes. When Harper got out of her car, he wasn’t surprised to see her meticulously dressed for a simple softball practice, and knowing her, every item of clothing had a designer label. The first time she showed up at the field, Hayden had been skeptical, especially seeing her perfect manicure, makeup, and brand-new expensive cleats. As it turned out, Harper had played softball when she was younger and was fairly good, not to mention extremely competit
ive. He chalked that up to her owning her own real estate business. She was his utility infield player, subbing when needed, and was also a backup pitcher.
Olivia Farnsworth, Bea’s grandniece, got out of the passenger side of Harper’s car. As a librarian, she couldn’t be any more different from Harper, both in looks and temperament. Olivia was petite and shy with black hair and olive skin due to her Hispanic heritage, the opposite of blond-haired, blue-eyed Harper. Olivia possessed a distinct lack of athletic ability but nevertheless put in 100 percent effort, which he appreciated.
The rest of the team started to show up and make their way to the field. Tanner Castillo, who played shortstop, wore his usual Sunshine Diner baseball cap, his long ash-blond ponytail pulled through the snapback of the cap. Hayden and Tanner’s friendship had started in elementary school, and although they had gone their separate ways after high school, they picked up right where they left off when Hayden returned to Maple Falls.
The catcher, Jared Young, was the new pastor of their church and only two years older than Hayden. Anita Bedford, a waitress at the Sunshine Diner, where Tanner worked as a cook, played right field. She and Olivia took turns playing right field. The Mathis cousins, Jimmy, Jesse, and Jack, who was known as Jackie—all in their late teens and pretty good players—made up the rest of the infield. Lonnie Finch, a construction worker in his early forties, was a decent pitcher, and bringing up the rear were Junior Dobbs and Eddie Trimble, two men in their fifties who struggled to pick up ground balls due to their love of Southern cooking, not to mention their fondness for enjoying a few beers now and then. They would take Myrtle and Erma’s places in the outfield. The team was short on subs, but maybe once the season progressed, more people would be interested in joining.
Hayden smiled as he watched his eclectic team heading toward him. He’d known most of these people all his life, except for Harper, who had attended a private school in Hot Springs, and Jared, who was new to all of them. Hayden was proud of this ragtag group, despite the fact they hadn’t gelled on the playing field yet. He was confident they would, eventually.
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