Balk (Home Stand #2)

by Lacy Hart

  In between the constant run around, the coordination of the events for the day, talking to authors, visitors to the library, and more, she found herself fielding text messages from Randy, Wes’ agent. Kristin met Randy several times, but they were hardly what she would consider close. It startled her to hear from him at first, and when she didn’t respond immediately to his messages, her phone began to buzz. She always answered right away, in case it was Wes’ parents or Izzy, and this time she didn’t even look to see who it was before answering.

  “Kristin, hi, it’s Randy… Wes’ agent.”

  “Hi, Randy,” Kristin said hurriedly. “It’s nice to hear from you, but I’m kind of busy right now. Can I call you back in about an hour or so? Or maybe you can try Wes’ line?”

  “Well, that’s kind of what I’m calling about,” Randy told her. “I’ve tried to get in touch with Wes for a while, and he hasn’t answered. Do you know where he might be?”

  “Honestly, Randy, I don’t if he’s not answering. He could be at his parents, up at the batting cage, in the shower. Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk. He’s done a lot of that lately.”

  Kristin realized what slipped out of her mouth and wished she could take it back right away.

  “Is everything okay?” Randy asked concernedly. “I know he’s going through a rough patch right now, but I didn’t realize it was affecting you two as well.”

  “It’s… well, it’s complicated, Randy, and I really don’t have the privacy or the time to get into it right now.”

  Kristin placed down a stack of children’s books at one of the author tables and then made her way to her office to grab some pens and Sharpies so the authors could sign items people wanted. She held up two fingers to Karen, who walked by, escorting one of the writers so they could begin, mouthing “2 minutes” to Karen as she slid by.

  Kristin reached her office and closed the door, sitting down in her desk chair to take a quick sip of her tepid coffee.

  “I’m sorry to bother you while you’re working, I really am, I was just… well, I’m worried about Wes,” Randy had hesitated before he let Kristin know his concerns.

  “You and me both,” Kristin answered honestly. “Randy, I wish I knew what I could do to make him feel better. This all came out of the blue. He never gave me any hint that he was unhappy or wanted to play again. Now the closer the season gets the more withdrawn and unhappy it seems. I hope you’re looking for him to tell him some good news.”

  “Well, not completely,” Randy told her. “I know how badly he wants to play right now. I’ve seen this with other clients I have. Retiring when you are still in your thirties, it can be tough to deal with. Once you are out of playing for a little bit, your body and mind miss all that you had, and you feel like maybe you can still do it. It’s not easy to just put that aside and pick up with another life.”

  “I get it, Randy, but I thought he had started the next chapter, with his parents, and Izzy… and with me. I don’t know what to do or how to do it at this point.”

  A knock on Kristin’s office door interrupted the brief quiet on the phone. Karen peeked her head in.

  “Kris,” she whispered, “we’re ready to start.”

  “Okay, I’m coming,” Kristin responded.

  “Randy, I really have to go. Try his cell again. I’m guessing he’s around and just hasn’t seen that you are reaching out to him yet. Let me know if you still can’t reach him, or if you think there is anything I should know or do that can help.”

  “Okay, thanks, Kristin. Bye.” Randy hung up, leaving Kristin sitting in her chair.

  She typed out a quick message to Wes again, to tell him that Randy tried to reach him before she headed out to listen to Karen introduce the author to the crowd, who responded with nice applause.

  Kristin stood towards the back of the crowd, to take everything in. She watched as the author read her book, which was an A to Z book all about China, with a dragon that took a little boy on a journey through the country to introduce him to different things. The author did different voices and brought the book to life, and the kids and parents enjoyed it immensely. Kristin smiled and laughed along with the crowd, happy it went so well.

  “The crowd really seems to enjoy it,” a voice said from next to her.

  Kristin gave a bit of a start and didn’t realize someone stood next to her. She turned quickly to see the gentleman there, as he watched the author and her. He stood straight and smiled at her, or more down at her since he was much taller. His smile got more full, and he nodded at Kristin, then turned back towards the author.

  “Yes, they do,” Kristin said politely. “She’s very engaging, and it’s a fun book, so it’s a great combination.”

  “You’ve done a great job with this event, Ms. Arthur,” the man said to her.

  Kristin shot him a look, getting a side glance of the impeccably groomed dark beard he had to match his well-manicured haircut.

  “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

  “Well, not formally,” he said. He rotated back towards Kristin and offered his hand. “I’m Richard Trainor, the new member of the library board.”

  “Oh, Dr... Trainor, yes, Marion mentioned you to me. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Kristin placed her hand in his to shake it. He had firm, strong hands, and Kristin took a quick look to see that his nails were better-taken care of than her own. He shook her hand and then glided it away. His fingers lingered over the tips of her fingers before she could pull her hand away.

  “Please, call me Richard. I get enough of the mister and doctor stuff all day long. I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner or call you to let you know I was coming by, but I thought this would be a good day to see you in action, as it were. I’ve seen flyers all over town and on the town Facebook page announcing the event. You’ve done a great job getting the community to support you.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate that… Richard,” Kristin said. She noticed his dark brown eyes and the piercing look that they gave. “I think the library is one of the town’s great assets and we have so much more to offer.”

  “I agree,” he told her as he attempted to keep his voice down as the reading continued. “I’d like the opportunity to talk to you some more about what your plans are and what you would like to do. Marion mentioned you had a lot of ideas.”

  Kristin’s eyes lit up. She had the chance to get the ear of a board member now and maybe have someone that could sway the other members to let her try some new things here.

  “That would be great,” Kristin said excitedly.

  The crowd broke out in applause as the author finished reading, capturing Kristin’s attention again.

  “I have to go up there,” she said, pointing to the author’s table. “Why don’t you give me a call here at the library and we can set something up. Things are a bit hectic over the next few days, but I think maybe we can fit something in.”

  “I’ll have to check my appointment schedule,” Richard replied. “I’m pretty busy most days at my practice. Lots of people needing help and adjustments in this town. Do you think you could give me your cell number? It might be easier for me to reach you off-hours or send you a text.”

  “Sure, that would be fine.” Kristin reached into the pocket of the cardigan she wore and pulled out a yellow Post-It pad and pen. She scribbled down her number and handed it to Richard, who took the note quickly and looked at it, smiling.

  “Great, it was nice to meet you. I look forward to seeing you again and working with you.”

  Richard nodded at her as Kristin moved off towards the author, who sat at the table now as she got ready to sign books. Kristin glanced over her shoulder and noticed Richard still watching her as she walked. She arrived at the table and Karen greeted her there, handing a stack of books over to her to put in front of the author.

  “Who’s that?” Karen asked, watching Richard as he turned and headed for the door.

  “Richard Trainor,” Kristin told her. “He
’s the new board member. He has a chiropractic practice down the road. He came in to introduce himself.”

  “Seems a little… intense,” Karen said.

  “What do you mean? He seemed fine to me.” Kristin finished arranging things on the table before Karen pulled her off to the side so the author could begin signing.

  “I guess,” Karen shrugged. “I saw the two of you talking. He never took his eyes off you. Then, when you walked up here, he kept following you. It just felt weird to me.”

  “I think you’re reading too much into it, Karen,” Kristin said, not thinking much about it. “He might be the chance we have to get some more programs and funding for the library. Young blood on that board is what we need most right now if we want any hope of change around here.”

  “Okay, you’re the boss,” Karen said with a salute.

  Kristin smiled at the gesture.

  “We’ve got about 20 minutes before the next author. I’m going to go set up things over by the computers. The next one is a guy who wrote a cybersecurity book.”

  Kristin walked over to the computer area where a couple of people had already come in to take seats. She arranged a few of the extra folding chairs she had around the area and wheeled over the small podium they had for the speaker. She took a moment and rested her hands on the podium. Pride coursed through her once more, before her thoughts returned to Wes and what he faced. She pulled her cell phone out of her cardigan pocket and zipped off another message to Wes to ask if he had spoken with Randy yet.

  I hope he’s having as good of a day as I am, Kristin thought.

  12

  Wes spent the better part of the rest of the day in thought about what his decision would be. There were upsides to the opportunity. The team location made it so he wouldn’t be far from home, and it would allow him to get seen by scouts and other clubs that might be willing to pick him up. He was sure he could do enough to impress someone that his stay in independent ball wouldn’t be too long if he took it. Even the salary didn’t matter since he had done well as a major-league player and saved a lot of money over the years.

  Wes had done a little research on the Frontier League since his discussion with Randy. The teams all played in the same part of the country, though the Wild Things were the team furthest east. Wes knew this meant travel west for hours, and travel by bus, something he hadn’t done since his days in the minors nearly twenty years ago. Most of the players would be significantly younger than him, with the average age closer to Kristin’s than his by a long shot. And there was another age problem as well. Frontier League rules recently changed so that no one over the age of 27 could play on a team. Wes became crestfallen reading that. There went his shot, but why would the club say they had interest in him if they knew about the rule?

  After doing his research, Wes picked up the phone and called Randy again. He needed more answers. Wes was surprised when Randy picked up his own office phone.

  “Why are you answering your phone?” Wes asked.

  “Oh, Tammy was out running a few errands. That girl is something else. The best hire I have made in a long time. Anyway… so what’s going on? Do you have a decision for me? The sooner I can get back to the team, the better, you know.”

  “Well, I have a few questions first,” Wes said as he paced around the bedroom. “The biggest thing is the age thing. Did you know they have an age rule? No one over 27. That should nix everything before we even start.”

  “I did know about it,” Randy said. “The team said they were going to talk to the league office to see if they could get a waiver of the rule for you. They seemed pretty sure the league would go for it. They haven’t had a star player to hang their hat on, and the whole league might get a boost in attendance everywhere you go with you there. I think it’s just a formality, but you have to give the okay before they decide to move forward with it.”

  “Am I going to be more than just a sideshow attraction for them, Randy? They know I want to play, right?”

  “They know, Wes, but you have to see it from their point of view too. They want the attention it brings. You both get something out of the deal. Hey, you knew it was going to be this way if you went to anything other than the majors right away. That’s the reality of it, Wes. If you really want to play badly enough, you’re going to have to put up with it. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. You don’t have to say yes to it.”

  Randy had laid it all for Wes as plainly as possible.

  “Any other questions?” Randy said, breaking the quiet.

  “Nope, I think that’s it,” Wes stated. Wes walked downstairs and sat on the couch. He looked up and stared at the blank big screen TV.

  “So, what do you think?” Randy pressed for some type of answer.

  “Tell them yes,” Wes announced.

  “Really? You don’t want more time to think about it? Maybe talk things over with Kristin and Izzy more?”

  “No, I think we’re good. Just let me know what the next steps are. Thanks, Randy.” Wes hung up before Randy had the chance to say anything that might get him to change his mind.

  Wes blurted out his decision without a second thought. It was what he wanted to do, but a hint of guilt crept into his body. He didn’t talk about the decision with Kristin, Izzy, his parents, or with anyone. Would they see it as a selfish move? He felt strongly that they would tell him they supported him, but would they say that just to appease him? Wes had been enough of a jerk lately that even he realized he acted that way, and this might push things over the edge.

  Wes considered calling Randy back to pull out of the entire thing. He could stay retired, enjoy life, work on the farm, do charitable events like the library, maybe show up for some Old-Timer’s Day games, do memorabilia shows, or anything else that might keep him connected to the game. That was enough for a lot of other retired players, so why couldn’t it be the same for him?

  The answer to that question approached the front of Wes’ brain instantly. He knew he couldn’t be pleased if that’s how things played out. He needed certainty, and this was the only way he was going to get it.

  “But now I have to convince everyone else of that,” Wes said out loud to himself.

  ****

  The last of the crowd left the library, and Karen went and locked the front door. Kristin busied herself and picked up empty coffee cups and paper plates to toss in the trash. The last speaker read from his latest thriller novel and kept the audience on edge, and he was clearly the hit of the event. Kristin made sure to take plenty of pictures with her phone all day long that she could post to social media tomorrow and for the coming days so that people could see what a success the day had been.

  “Man, that was some day!” Karen exclaimed. “We must have had everyone in town come through here at some point. Look at all the names we got signed up for our mailing lists, too. You knocked this one out of the park, Kris.”

  The baseball analogy wasn’t lost on Kristin.

  “Yeah, well, we kicked ass today,” Kristin said with a smirk. “Thanks for all your hard work, Karen. You went above and beyond today.”

  “Hey, I was happy to do it. We’re a team you know. Of course, it’s going to take us half the night to get this place put back together,” Karen said as she surveyed the library.

  Kristin placed the last of the garbage she saw in the bag and pulled it out of the trash can.

  “Let’s leave the rest for tomorrow. It’s just putting chairs back and breaking down tables. All the garbage is done. We can clean up and vacuum in the morning. I’m ready to call it a night,” Kristin announced.

  “Are you sure?” Karen asked.

  Kristin held up her wrist and looked at her watch.

  “It’s already after 9, Karen. Just go home. I’m going to turn off my computer and gather up my stuff, and then I am out of here. I’ll close up.”

  “You’re not going to stay and do all this by yourself, are you, Kris?” Karen asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “No
way,” Kristin told her. “I need your muscles to do the tables with me.”

  Karen gave a quick flex of her biceps to show off.

  “Okay, that sounds good. Now I’ll get home in time to get Brian to drive down and see me tonight. He’s probably just getting off work. I’ll see you in the morning, Kris. Great job, boss! Love you!” Karen blew Kristin a kiss and headed for the door as Kristin let out a laugh.

  Kristin walked into her office, sat down, and sighed as she kicked off her high heels and rubbed her aching feet through her stockings. She turned her head back and forth to try to work out some of the kinks she felt after a long day on her feet. Kristin grabbed her sneakers out of her bag and slid into them. All she thought about was getting home, getting out of her bra and pantyhose, and kicking back on the bed to relax.