Ready To Love Again

by Annalyse Knight

  Katie and Chase sat farther up the beach on the dry sand and talked. Their conversation was light, and Chase found that the more he discovered about Katie, the more he wanted to know. They watched the sun descend in a streak of brilliant colors until Katie turned toward him and smiled.

  “What?” he asked, mirroring her smile.

  “It was this time of day when I met you the first time.” She looked over her shoulder and pointed down the beach. “Right over there. What were you thinking when we met? You looked so sad.”

  Chase shook his head and then looked at her. “What were you thinking?” he countered, watching a slight blush come over her face.

  “I needed to get away from my ex-husband. We argued because Buddy bit him, so my brother sent me to take the dog for a run until I cooled down.”

  “So I’ll have to give Buddy a big bone?”

  She caught his eye and smiled before she looked away. With just a glance, she had stirred something inside him that he couldn’t ignore. Leaning forward, he pulled her chin toward him and kissed her. Katie pulled away after a moment and looked down at the sand.

  “I also was bummed that you were married.” She looked at his hand and then into his eyes. “You took off your wedding ring.”

  He nodded. “I did.”

  “Why?”

  “It was time,” he answered, looking down at his bare finger. They sat in easy silence while they took in the last of the sinking sun.

  “What were you doing out on the beach that evening?”

  Chase picked up a handful of sand and let it slide through his fingertips. He wasn’t sure he wanted to open up that wound. When he glanced over at Katie, her encouraging smile changed his mind.

  “It was our wedding anniversary . . . and the anniversary of her death.”

  He hoped it was enough explanation for his dismal appearance that evening without having to go into too many details.

  Katie took in a long breath and let it out in a rush. “That must have been a hard day.”

  “Yeah, it was pretty bad. Liz laid into me about working that day, and Tony wanted to watch the video from our wedding. I just had to get out of the house for a little while.”

  After a few moments, Chase felt her warm body press up against his side. Her arm slid around his waist, and her head came to rest on his shoulder. They didn’t say anything else, remaining silent while they watched the children play and the sun set on the horizon.

  Chapter 10

  Katie was a frazzled mess by the time she made it to the first game of the season. Trying to balance work, baseball, and a new man in her life would be a challenge.

  Chase had spent hours teaching Shawn to pitch, but the day before the big game, he had let her know Shawn wasn’t ready. Katie had been relieved, since she knew she’d stress out watching the pressure he would be put through. Shawn, on the other hand, was quite disappointed.

  Katie found a parking place and rushed from the car to the bleachers as the first pitch was thrown by the opposing team. She spotted Gina and Liz on the far side closest to the dugout and went to join them.

  “How was work?” Gina asked when she handed Katie a diet soda out of a small cooler.

  “It was work. I love my job, but I hate smelling like fish all the time.”

  Gina leaned closer to Katie and wrinkled her nose while she sniffed. “You’re fine,” she said to reassure her.

  They watched one of the boys on their team hit a fly ball into left field. The outfielder caught the ball with ease, and the umpire called an out. Katie smiled over at Liz, who gave her a small wave.

  “How was school, Liz?”

  Liz rolled her eyes and then launched into a tale of a three-way friend fight that had left none of them speaking at lunch, although everything was fine by the end of the day. While Katie listened, she determined that she was grateful she had a son. If boys had a problem that a sock in the nose wouldn’t solve, it was rare. The drama and hatefulness some girls could stir up was ridiculous.

  “Tony’s up next.”

  Gina clapped, and they all cheered him on. He got in such a low squat that Katie couldn’t understand how he could whip the bat around as fast as he did. She leaned over to Gina, knowing she had a little more baseball knowledge.

  “Why is he squatting like that? Some of the other boys barely bend their knees.”

  “It makes the strike zone smaller. The pitcher has to concentrate harder on getting the ball in between his knees and shoulders.”

  Katie nodded. It was obvious Tony took the game seriously. It was surprising to her that there was so much strategy behind the whole thing. She’d just thought it involved going up, hitting the ball, and running around the bases. Apparently she had a lot to learn.

  There was a loud crack when Tony connected the bat to the ball and sent it flying over the heads of the outfielders. His little legs tore around first base, then second. When he came toward third, Chase shouted for him to get down. He went into a slide, his left leg curled under him while his right extended until his foot hit the base just before the baseman caught the ball.

  “Safe!” the umpire yelled, making a clearing motion with both hands.

  Chase grinned while Tony stood and brushed the dirt from his pants before giving his father a high five. The crowd around Katie erupted into rowdy cheers.

  “That’s a triple,” Gina shouted over the noise. “When the hitter makes it to first, it’s a single, and second would be a double.”

  Katie nodded as Gina rattled off the terminology. She looked back at Chase, his gaze trained on her, and she couldn’t help but smile at the intensity. His grin widened, and he gave her a small wave before he turned his attention back to Tony. Katie heard a giggle beside her.

  “You guys are too cute,” Gina said.

  Katie rolled her eyes, but secretly smiled to herself. Next up to bat was Cody. He stood at home plate and gave a few practice swings before he went into the same squat Tony had. The pitcher threw the ball, and Cody swung, missing it by a mile.

  “What’s wrong with you? It was over your head! Watch the damn ball, Cody!” a deep voice snarled behind them.

  Katie couldn’t believe an adult could be so rude. She turned around to see who had spoken and was surprised to realize it was his own father berating him. Before Katie could say anything to him, Gina stood, leveled a stare at Mitch that would have made a linebacker cower, and then turned her attention to Cody. The rest of the parents picked up her cue and chanted Cody’s name, drowning out his father’s ranting when he missed again.

  With the little bit of encouragement, Cody hit the next pitch straight to the short stop. The player scooped up the ball and looked back and forth from Cody to Tony, not knowing which way to throw it.

  The next player struck out, which left two outs with Tony on third and Cody on first. Shawn was up to bat, and Katie held her breath. It seemed like so much pressure to put on a little boy.

  “Come on, Shawn! Bring me home!” Tony yelled from third base.

  Shawn took a deep breath and let it out before getting into position. Katie couldn’t believe it was her child who was standing with the bat in his hand. His stance mirrored Tony’s, and he looked confident. She had missed all the practices because of work and hadn’t realized how much he had learned over the past few weeks. The pitch was thrown, and he swung, tipping the ball as it flew behind the umpire.

  “Foul ball!” the ump yelled.

  “It’s okay, Shawn! You got a piece of it!” Daniel bellowed from the first base line. Then the boys in the dugout started to cheer. Shawn squared his shoulders and dropped back into his stance. Katie heard Chase’s last-minute instructions just as the next pitch was thrown. Shawn connected with the ball, sending it soaring into the outfield. She stood in excitement and cheered while he passed first base and slid into second, sending not only Tony but also Cody home.

  The rest of the game wasn’t half as exciting to watch after Shawn’s victory in the first inning. He beam
ed the rest of the game, not even letting the fact that he wasn’t pitching affect his mood.

  She found her eyes traveling to Chase often and couldn’t help but admire the way he interacted with the boys. His positivity and confidence in their abilities brought out the best in each of them. He encouraged them with warranted praise, and when they needed correction, he did so with firm and precise instructions. Above all, he was fair. Chase didn’t just use the best players—he gave each boy a chance at whichever position he wanted and then coached him to excel at it before moving him to another spot. The boys loved him.

  They won the game by a landslide, and Chase and Daniel pulled the boys together to have their after-game rally. Katie came up as close as she could to listen without intruding.

  “There was a lot of good baseball played out there today,” Chase said, and the boys all nodded in agreement. “Cody and Tony did a great job pitching.”

  Daniel cut in. “Now, every game we give out a game ball to the most valuable player.” He held up a baseball. “I think it’s appropriate that the first ball of the season goes to a new player. Never played baseball before stepping foot on this field.” Daniel looked around to each boy before he continued. “We played on the momentum he built with his double in the first inning, which brought in two runs.”

  Katie smiled to herself when she looked over at Shawn, who had just figured out he was the MVP. His eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open.

  “Shawn! Good job.” Daniel said, tossing the ball to her son. Shawn’s face lit up with a huge grin.

  They broke up the huddle, and Shawn ran over to his mom, holding his new prized possession. “Look, Mom! I got the game ball!”

  Katie felt Chase’s warm breath on her neck when he snaked his arms around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder.

  “He earned it,” Chase said with a hint of pride in his voice.

  He placed a kiss on her cheek and squeezed her hips. “I’ve got to work tomorrow afternoon, so we’re going to skip pitching practice, but Gina said she’d still keep the kids until you get off work.”

  Katie smiled and took his hand, swinging it with hers. “Are you busy tonight?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I work tonight, and with the exception of tomorrow, I work night shifts for the rest of the week.” Regret was in his eyes.

  “That’s okay.” She tried to hold in her own disappointment.

  “I’ll call you later?”

  Katie pulled on his jersey until his face was inches from hers. “Yes, please.”

  Chase grinned at her and bent down to give a slow kiss. He pulled away and smiled down at her before placing another light kiss on her lips and turning back toward the field to finish cleaning up.

  Katie watched him until he was on the field, and then she motioned for her son. “Shawn, let’s go.”

  When they were on their way home, she asked Shawn how his day went.

  “Coach made Tony and me apologize to Cody and his parents for the other day,” he said with a small pout.

  “And how did that go?” She was thankful Chase had taken care of the situation, since she didn’t know if she could have kept her temper in check.

  “Cody’s mom was pretty mad, saying stuff about me being a little criminal. She wasn’t half as mean to Tony, which is okay with me, but still . . .”

  I’m sure she wasn’t. You can’t catch the eye of the coach if you’re a bitch to his son.

  ~*~

  Over the next week, Katie’s determination to win Amelia’s approval at work paid off. She had taken on tasks that showed her competence beyond feeding fish and spent extra hours helping the research team come up with a plan to try to prevent the white shark from taking a bite out of another tank mate.

  She was deep in thought when Amelia came into the small office they shared.

  “We have a huge problem.” Amelia’s hands were on her hips in an authoritative stance, but a smile played at her lips. “The head researcher on the white shark project told me I should start thinking about hiring another aquarist soon.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  Amelia’s grin got wider when she sat on the corner of Katie’s desk. “It seems your help with the research team this week has them discussing that they need you onboard as soon as they can get more funding. They just need to keep the shark on exhibit until they can win over some more donors.”

  “Wow. That’s great news,” Katie said, leaning back in her chair. It was happening quicker than she had hoped it would. There was only one problem. The shark was acting on her predatory instincts, so some of the research team wanted to let her go to prevent injury to the other exhibits. Katie agreed with their decision, even if it hampered her career goals. “What happens if they release her back into the wild?”

  Amelia frowned. “That may delay your involvement with the project, but she won’t be the last. Since we’ve been successful at keeping her on exhibit, there will be other sharks. The answers we’ve gained from having her here have been too valuable. Plus, she has also become an ambassador for her species. I think the research team is hoping she’ll change public opinion toward white sharks.”

  Katie nodded. She’d had the opportunity to lead a discussion in the aquarium’s theater about white sharks. It had been remarkable to feel the admiration and wonder coming from the people in the audience when she remembered only fear and speculation from her college days.

  “Have you fed the white shark yet?”

  Katie glanced at the clock and shot out of her chair. “Crap. No. I’ll get to it.” She went for the door, but Amelia’s laughter halted her in her tracks.

  “Don’t forget your walkie-talkie,” she said with another laugh, tossing Katie the device and shaking her head.

  Katie groaned and clipped the radio to her belt before she slipped into the hallway, throwing one more apology over her shoulder as she left.

  “It’s only been five minutes,” Amelia said with a laugh.

  When Katie reached the kitchen they used to prepare the meals for the exhibits, she sliced the salmon and mackerel into large chunks, then set the knife on the edge of the table. She was excited about her future and the opportunities that were opening up. If she could get into the research project, she’d be on her way to financial independence from her ex-husband. She laughed aloud at the look she envisioned on Victor’s face when she told him he didn’t have any control over her anymore because she didn’t need his spousal support checks.

  Distracted, she turned to put the contents into a bucket when she lost her footing on the slippery floor. Grabbing at the table to stabilize herself, she felt the knife slice deep into the palm of her hand. On instinct, she released the table and pulled her hand close to her body instead of catching her fall. She hit the concrete hard and lay there for a moment before she felt the wetness run down her hand. Katie knew from the way her hand was bleeding that the cut was bad. Cautious of her injury, she sat up and checked the rest of her body for damage. She’d be sore the next day, but her hand was the more pressing matter at that moment.

  Katie yanked off her sweatshirt, thankful she’d thought to wear a T-shirt underneath, and wrapped it around her hand. She pulled her walkie-talkie off her belt and took a deep breath to steady her nerves before she pushed the talk button.

  “Amelia, I need you in the kitchen immediately.”

  “Katie? Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

  Katie took several deep breaths and leaned against the stainless steel cabinets. Shock registered across her boss’s face when she walked into the kitchen and found Katie on the concrete floor.

  “What happened?” Amelia asked, kneeling next to Katie.

  “I cut my hand.”

  Amelia unwound the sweatshirt from Katie’s hand and gasped when she saw the damage. She wrapped it back up and pulled out her cell phone.

  “Gina, get your car and meet me out front. You need to run Kat
ie to the ER. She cut her hand, and it’s pretty serious.”

  Katie’s stomach rolled, and she felt every heartbeat in her hand. Taking long, steady breaths, she breathed through the pain.

  “Are you okay?” Amelia asked. “You’re really pale. Do you think you can walk?”

  “Yeah, let’s go. I don’t know how long I’ll last before I pass out.”

  Amelia pulled Katie up and wrapped her arm around her waist just in case she went down. She held her tight to her side while they made their way back down the long concrete corridor to the employee parking lot. Gina waited in a red convertible.

  “What happened?” Gina asked, flinging open the passenger door.

  Amelia situated Katie in the car before she turned to Gina and filled her in on the accident.

  “I’ve already called Chase,” Gina said. “He’ll wait for us at the Emergency entrance.”

  She looked over at Katie with concern before she pulled onto Oceanview Boulevard. Katie laid her head back on the seat and tried not to focus on the blood-soaked sweatshirt.

  Gina zipped in and out of traffic, driving right up to the emergency room doors, where Katie caught a glimpse of Chase pacing out front. Before Gina had the car in park, he flung open the door, scooped Katie out, and swept her toward the entrance to the hospital. She was in too much pain to protest, instead laying her head against his chest while he carried her past the registration desk and toward his office.

  “Aren’t you going to take her into the ER?” Gina asked, trying to keep up with him.

  “I’m already breaking a thousand rules. I don’t want an audience.”

  Katie shook her head against his chest and looked up at him. “I can’t let you get in trouble over this. I can—”

  “Do you have insurance?”

  She blanched, then shook her head. “No, not until next month. Shawn’s on Victor’s insurance, but mine ended when the divorce was final.”

  “That’s what I figured.” Chase kissed the top of her head before he shoved open the door to his office. “I won’t feel better until I’ve taken a look at your hand, and trust me, if you need stitches, I’m your man.”