by Kate Kisset
Back on the freeway, Danica looked up from her phone. “They’re playing the Humboldt Crustaceans.”
“What the hell kind of name is that?” Juliet chuckled. “This is turning into an American Horror Story, Backwoods Edition.”
“The field is in Arcata. Sorry,” Danica scrolled down the screen. “It’s a little farther north.”
Sarah curved around in her seat. “Farther north than Eureka?” Sarah eyes flashed. She blinked rapidly. “Oregon?”
“Not quite. We’ll just stay on 101, and go another fifteen, twenty minutes to get to the park.” Danica sighed. “Let’s not check into the hotel first, okay? We’re never going to make it.”
“Settle down now, Eeyore.” Juliet sipped from her mug. “It’s only the first game, and we’ve got three more.”
Danica peeked through the seats and watched Juliet fumble with the radio. Sarah leaned over and switched the station, but only found static, and Danica closed her eyes.
“Last stop for Fortuna, on the banks of the Eel rivv-ah evrah-body,” Juliet laughed. “Getting close to those mighty Crustaceans.”
Danica opened her eyes and gazed through the windows. The bright blue sky from an hour ago now looked like heavy, grey glue. The scene had changed from rolling hills to dense forest. All the nerves she’d managed to shove aside during her nap bubbled up to the surface again. Tucking her shaky fingers into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. No bars, and it was approaching four o’clock.
“Can I interest you in a tour of the Ferndale meat packing company?” Juliet whistled under her breath.
“How much coffee have you had, anyway?” Danica pressed her cheek against the cold glass.
The car pulled into the tree-lined parking lot of the Arcata ballpark at four thirty, and they parked a few rows behind the Crushers’ team bus. She spotted Luca’s truck a few slots away. Juliet and Sarah grabbed sweatshirts from the back seat and got out of the car. “Come on, slowpoke.”
While they wriggled into the heavy shirts, Danica fumbled over the duffel bags and suitcases strewn next to her, searching for her purse. Not that makeup would make a bit of difference if Luca really didn’t want to see her.
After digging her bag out from under the driver’s seat, she secured her compact mirror and settled into her seat. She looked pale and tired. Worry lines tracked across her forehead. Terror pulsed through her veins. She smacked the compact shut and tossed it back into her bag. What would she do if Luca turned his back on her and brushed her off?
She had no other plan. What if he loathed her and would feel that way about her forever? She couldn’t imagine life without him in it on at least some level.
“Don’t be such a chicken. Get out of the car.” Juliet’s voice reached her, muffled by the window. She and Sarah stood next to each other with their hands on their hips staring her down. Sarah rolled her eyes at the sky, threw up her arms, and stormed off. Juliet turned away and hurried to catch up with her.
“Hold on,” Danica clutched her bag and the Crushers’ sweatshirt Luca let her keep on the Fourth of July. She locked her door and scurried to catch up. “Wait,” she yelled through the misty parking lot.
Both girls wiggled their butts at her, but slowed their pace enough for her to slip into the shirt. The fuzzy, heavy cloth felt like warm armor against her skin. Although she felt a little safer, her legs quivered. She cursed herself for being such a baby.
“It’ll be fine,” Sarah looped her arm into hers and patted her hand. “You worry too much.”
Accompanied by the sounds of the crowd serenading the players with raucous cheers, they paid for tickets and meandered into the stadium. After scoping out the place for a few minutes, they decided to make their way to the visitors’ dugout.
Unlike Sonoma’s Arnold Field, that had some separation between the park and surrounding homes, Arcata Park was plunked in the middle of a neighborhood. The homes lining the perimeter were so close the occupants could sell hot dogs from their windows.
Danica shivered at the sight of the navy blue away team uniforms. A Crusher swung his bat and missed. That’s not Luca. His build isn’t right. On pins and needles, she kept her eyes focused through the netting, past the batter at home plate, and around to the away team’s ramshackle dugout.
With her eyes stinging from the cold, she searched for him while she and her friends strolled in front of the crowded bleachers, making their way to the other side. Luca could step out of the dugout and grab his bat any minute. She fought the urge to run back to Juliet’s car.
“Here?” Juliet pointed to an empty section.
Danica gulped a breath and settled on the cold metal bleacher three rows back from the field. Dampness seeped through the butt of her jeans, and she hugged herself to ward off the chill.
The smell of spicy pepperoni wafted over the crowd on a breeze. Juliet nudged her thigh and wiggled her eyebrows.
“No, thanks.” Danica waved her off. “Can’t risk pizza breath. You two go ahead.”
Scooting back, she made room for Sarah to squeeze by and follow Juliet in search of food.
“Now batting for the So-No-Ma Crush-Herrs…DAN-NY DEEEEP!” Danica jumped out of her seat to find him, but she was at the wrong angle, too high up in the bleachers to see him below. Finally he came into view on the field. Her knees shook, but the rest of her body locked up.
She gulped a breath and swallowed, locking her eyes on him. Luca moved like a tiger stalking prey, taking strong, aggressive strides to the plate.
Juliet and Sarah returned to their seats with pizza, and Danica leaned forward so she could see around them, keeping her attention on the action on the field. His pristine uniform clung tightly around his muscular thighs and round butt. She couldn’t breathe. He held his hand up to stop the action, stepping away from the plate.
Danica’s stomach flipped. “Turn around, Luca. Please turn around. I’m here.”
Sarah bumped her with her elbow. Danica covered her mouth and tried to take a deep breath.
After tucking the bat between his legs, Luca shrugged out of his helmet and cap and ran his hands over his shiny black hair.
His face. When he angled his head in her direction for a split second, she leaped off her seat. Not seeming to notice, he turned back to the game, put his helmet back on, gripped the bat, and resumed his menacing stance.
Inning after inning she watched, wishing somehow, some way, Luca would spot her in the throng. Maybe he’d tell his coach that she was the girl of his dreams, and damning any consequences, would race off the field, out of the gate, and storm the stands to her arms. But it didn't happen, at least not by the seventh inning.
Every new time at bat brought him and his teammates only ten feet away. But Luca never looked up at the stands. She resisted the urge to get out of her seat, hang over the metal railing and grab his shoulder. If he’d hit a home run, maybe he would’ve glanced in her general direction, but the play never materialized.
After the game, the team massed around the dugout. A few Crushers’ boosters and groupies lined up near the gate separating the field, probably wanting autographs, or to congratulate them on the win. But she wasn’t just a fan, and needed more than a few minutes of one-on-one time, enough time to get through to him, to make him believe she truly loved him. Dejectedly, she trailed behind Sarah and Juliet out of the stadium.
“Nothing,” Danica said miserably, breaking her silence in the parking lot. “Absolutely nothing is going my way.”
Juliet bumped her with her hip. “It’s only the first game. We have several lovely, three-hour stretches of frizz-inducing weather to go. Just think, nine more hours of watching Luca.”
Danica threw her a grin. “Do you even like baseball?”
“I like his sexy buddies. I’d like them even more if they served wine at the games.” Juliet unlocked the car. “At the very least, beer should be mandatory.”
Sarah held the front passenger door open. “I
insist.”
“It’s okay. I’m happy you’re here,” Danica said, climbing into the back seat.
Sarah pulled the seat belt over her shoulder. “He’s bound to see us sooner or later.” The buckle clicked shut. “Let’s find a drugstore and grab some folding chairs for tomorrow’s game, because my butt’s sore. We also need snacks...unless the hotel has room service?”
“Nope.” Juliet looked back through the rear window and pulled out. “We’re staying at a no-tell-motel. It’s low budget.”
Danica stole a glance at Luca’s red truck as they drove away. It looked so lonely, sitting there in the dust. “The players don’t make a ton of money, so I found an inexpensive place.”
“What?” Sarah poked her in the shoulder. “Are the Crushers staying at our motel?”
Danica swung her head around. “Not sure. I did some research—”
“Stalking,” Juliet teased.
“And found where the team stayed last year,” Danica leaned against the window. “But I didn’t realize the ballpark was in Arcata—they could be staying here in town. Our place is at least twenty minutes away in Eureka.”
“Brace yourself, Sarah,” Juliet warned. “Our hotel is nothing like the hotels you and Jamie go to.”
“Hey, easy.” Danica shifted in her seat. “It won’t be that bad. Besides, one of us is unemployed.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t be for long.” Juliet turned onto Highway 101.
They found a drugstore in Eureka and bought three folding patio chairs, wine, water, and tons of junk food. Deciding to not take a chance on finding any restaurants near their motel, they made a quick stop into the Brick and Fire and got a pizza to go.
Her heart catapulted at the sight of Luca’s truck the second they pulled into the parking lot of the Eureka Economy Lodge around nine. The team bus was parked next to it.
“I don’t believe this. No way.” She shrunk into her seat, ducking. “Juliet, pull to the other side of the hotel.”
“What, no recon?” Juliet turned the wheel. “Don’t you want to know what room he’s in?”
“Yeah,” Sarah chimed in. “Maybe I’ll play doorbell ditch later and force him talk to you.”
“Please,” Danica begged, her nerves jumbling her thoughts. “I-I just started to relax, I can’t handle seeing him right now.”
Sarah reached over the seat from the front and rubbed her knee. “Not to worry. I won’t do anything. I’ll just check us in.”
“I’ll come with,” Juliet pulled into a dark parking spot in front of the fence bordering the lot. She turned off the ignition, and the car was suddenly quiet. “You wait in here,” she commanded under her breath, opening the door.
“We’ll be right back,” Sarah said in a conspiratorial tone, and bolted out the door.
The car door slammed shut. Danica unbuckled her seat belt and squeezed between the two front seats, scrambling to manually lock Juliet and Sarah’s doors. She knew there was an automatic button somewhere on the Subaru’s dash, but couldn’t find it.
Banishing her paranoia, she twisted and crawled into the back seat. Keeping her head low, she peeked out the back window. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The pitch-black parking lot full of cars was quiet.
Through the misty air, she surveyed the blue and cream two-story motel. Its bare-bones style seemed right out of the fifties. A few rooms facing the parking lot had the lights on inside, casting shadows through the curtains. Where are you, Luca?
The following days passed in an adrenaline blast of baseball games, dinners out, and late night chick flick movies in the motel.
So far, operation GLB (Get Luca Back) had been an epic fail. Through every heart-plummeting strikeout (two), and each rush of hope with the smack of the bat, Luca’s indigo eyes never left the action on the field, or even moved in Danica’s direction.
By the fourth game, the last in the series, exhaustion bordering on heartbreak threatened to overwhelm Danica, but Juliet came up with a brilliant idea. They would position their folding chairs as nonchalantly as possible behind the fence, adjacent to third base. Danica agreed this new seating arrangement would offer Luca, who played in the outfield behind third, an excellent view of her. The chairs would be in his line of sight whenever he was on the field.
With Juliet and Sarah rallying her, she pulled out all the stops and wore the white skirt Juliet insisted she bring. Sarah wouldn’t hear of her wearing any other shoes than her tan, three-inch wedges. She said they made her legs look longer.
Arriving at the game around one, they lined the chairs near third base. Trudging carefully in heels, Danica parked hers on the other side of Sarah’s, on the outside, the closet position to the bag. Luca was the runner at first base.
Rubbing her arms over her bulky sweater, she looked over Sarah to Juliet. “I am freezing. He’s not even going to see me.”
Danica stared down at the goosebumps on her thighs, trying not to feel deflated. But she was running out of options. They were driving home tomorrow.
“Want me to grab a blanket from the car?” Sarah offered.
Before she could answer, the sound of a bat connecting with a ball made her turn. The ball flew high into the outfield. A Humboldt Crustacean hovered under it for a catch, but missed. Luca tagged up and tore to second base. The ball rolled away from the fielder, and Luca reached third base.
His supreme bottom was now directly in her line of sight, facing second base. Danica gulped a breath and held it while sharing quick glances with Sarah and Juliet. The action on the field stopped.
The next batter stepped out of the dugout. Luca suddenly turned in her direction and said something to the base coach. Sarah poked her in the ribs, and Danica crossed her legs slowly and grinned. Sensing an ever so slight double take from Luca, she uncrossed her legs methodically and crossed them again. Bingo. He flinched.
Luca glanced in her direction, touched his helmet, and turned back to the batter now in the box at home plate.
Even though she wasn’t positive he saw her, because he didn’t even smile, never mind run off the field and into her arms, her heart beat elatedly. She tried not to give up hope while she watched the rest of the game.
The women passed Luca’s truck on the black asphalt parking lot on the way to Juliet’s car. They reached the Subaru, and Danica had an idea. She abruptly stopped and turned around.
“You going back to the stadium?” Juliet scrunched her nose.
Danica nodded. “No. Go ahead and get in. I’ll be right back.”
She reached the old red truck and warily browsed the passenger seat through the dusty windshield. Recalling the many times she’d sat smug and happy there, with a perfect view of his Adonis profile, her eyes began to fill, but she brushed off the tears. After ambling to the front of the truck, she reached up over the hood on tiptoe as far as she could.
With her body leaning against the filthy grill to get in position, Danica didn’t care about the grease stains or dirt smearing her white skirt.
Starting from the far left, she wrote I Love You in gigantic bold letters in the grime. Satisfied Luca would be unable to miss her message, she hurried back to Juliet and Sarah. She knew from their expressions they’d been watching.
“It’s the best I can do,” she said, climbing into the back seat. “I can’t think of anything else.” She clicked her seat belt and leaned back, praying he’d see what she wrote and know the message came from her.
Juliet started the car. “Even if he comes around from the back, he won’t be able to miss it.”
Sarah leaned around the headrest to Danica. She was about to say something when her eyes widened. “Oh, jeez, here he comes.”
Danica twisted in her seat and looked back. “Oh, no.”
“What? Should I stop?” Juliet drove the car several yards to a shady area.
“Two girls,” Sarah and Danica answered simultaneously.
Juliet shut off t
he car, unbuckled her seat belt, and they all turned around and peered through the back window.
Luca reached his truck, removed his bat bag from his shoulders and flung it into the bed. He sprinted to the passenger door and opened it for two blond women around Danica’s age. They must have said something funny to him, because he flung his head back in a signature gorgeous laugh before he shut their door.
“He doesn’t seem to be noticing my note,” Danica mumbled.
Luca bounded to the driver’s side, hopped in, and took off.
Juliet’s face tensed. She started the car and backed out quickly. “We didn’t plan this road trip for it to end this way,” she said, speeding out of the lot.
There wasn’t any traffic, so they quickly caught up to Luca’s truck. Luca’s bumper sticker, I really like baseball, so take me home, baby came into view. Danica didn’t think it was funny anymore.
“We’re following him?” Sarah’s voice trilled. “He’s going to see me, ya know.”
“Then put your head down.” Juliet turned to Sarah. “He doesn’t know my car.” Her mouth curved into a smile. “That’s what you get for stealing the front seat from Danica.”
“Ah, hello… I take it you have a plan?” Danica voice quavered. “’Cause I sure don’t.”
Juliet made a left turn, still following Luca. “Tiny town.” They came to a stoplight on Fourth Street.
Danica kept her eyes on his truck up ahead. Her pulse raced. Luca pulled up next to a parked car and then backed into a space on the street.
The light turned green. Juliet flashed a grin at Danica before moving through the intersection. “Who’s ready for a cocktail?”
The Subaru approached Luca, and Sarah ducked. Danica crouched in her seat and stared through the side window.
Now on the sidewalk, Luca opened the door for his two giggling passengers. Their car passed him on the same side of the road, and Danica swung her head around to keep him in view. Her stomach roiled. Luca meandered into a tavern with a girl on each side.
