Behind in the Count: A Portland Pioneers Novel

by Micah K. Chaplin

  He put down his fork and reached out, putting a hand on her cheek. His thumb traced the curve of her jaw gently before he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. He heard her take in a breath, but she didn’t pull away. She seemed frozen in place, so he brought his lips to hers again, more firmly this time and letting the kiss linger a little longer.

  When he reluctantly backed away and removed his hand from her face, her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him. He couldn’t read her expression at all. She seemed to be looking for something in his eyes and face, but he didn’t know what.

  “Well …,” she said, sounding a bit breathless.

  “Was that OK?” he asked her, uncertainly.

  He began to wonder if he had moved too fast. Maybe following his instincts wasn’t always the best course of action.

  “No, that wasn’t OK,” she said.

  His stomach clenched and he looked down at his food. He was about to apologize when she spoke again.

  “That was amazing,” she said. “I wish there was a word more descriptive than that, but my brain isn’t exactly working at full power at the moment.”

  He looked up, studying her to see if she was sincere. She put her hand on his again and took a deep breath, apparently trying to find her words.

  “Knowing I’m your first date in more than a decade is incredibly flattering,” she said. “And then you kiss like that … I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now.”

  “Well, then I’d say we’re about even,” he said.

  “Can we eat now, though?” she asked. “I was so nervous about our date all day, I skipped lunch. And now that the first kiss is out of the way, I’m much more relaxed. And suddenly starving.”

  Derek laughed and nodded. “Please eat. I picked this place because Reid said the food is incredible.”

  His comment paved the way for a longer conversation about Reid and the friendship between him and Derek, and the mood was noticeably lighter as the meal went on. They opted to share a dessert, and they learned they both shared a strong preference for cheesecake, but only if it was served without any additional toppings. Plain only was the way to go.

  As he drove her home, Derek held her hand and – for the first time ever – prayed for traffic congestion and lots of red lights. He wasn’t ready to say goodnight to her, although he was definitely looking forward to the kiss that would certainly be involved.

  He marveled at his current mood and predicament. Only weeks earlier, he’d insisted to Carson, Reid, and his entire family that he had no time or interest in dating anyone. Zella had changed his mind – seemingly without him noticing when or how it happened.

  Standing at Zella’s door, he realized he didn’t really care about the specifics. With her arms wrapped around him, he didn’t care to wonder about the reasons for his change of heart. Kissing her, he didn’t want to do anything but simply feel and enjoy. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time and analyzing it would just be a waste of more time. He was ready for the teasing that was bound to be coming. He would even put up with all the “I told you so”-like comments he would hear. It was all worth it for the feeling of holding her before saying “goodnight” and slowly walking back to his car.

  Zella leaned against her door, listening as Derek’s footsteps faded down the hallway. The date had far exceeded her expectations. Derek had far exceeded her imagination.

  It all started from the moment she opened the door and he gazed at her with a look of complete adoration and appreciation. There was definitely lust too. She wasn’t fooling herself. No matter how much of a gentleman he was, he was still a man. She knew how their minds worked. And their bodies. Knowing she inspired lusty thoughts in Derek Beaman gave Zella an incredible sense of power.

  And then he’d confessed she was his first date in a long time. Probably since his ex-wife, though he didn’t say that. She knew enough about his past to be aware he was divorced and had been for a while. She never imagined he hadn’t dated at all in that time. But apparently that was the case.

  Until her.

  He’d asked her out.

  He’d kissed her.

  Oh boy, did he kiss her.

  That moment at the table took her by surprise and took her breath away. That cliché saying suddenly held some weight in her mind. After his lips left hers, it felt like several moments before she remembered how to inhale and exhale. And that was nothing compared to the kiss he’d laid on her at the door. For a guy who had always seemed a little guarded, Derek held nothing back when he claimed her mouth. The kiss had gone on for several moments, but she’d still been disappointed when he pulled away. She nearly invited him inside, but decided that was definitely too much too soon. He apparently agreed, stepping back to create space between them and then kissing her cheek gently, leaving her with a simple “goodnight.”

  As she finally pulled away from the door, she locked it and went to get ready for bed. As she settled in for sleep, she could still feel his hands on her back, his breath against her lips, and the hard warmth of his body pressed against her. With a groan and a smile, she turned over. This would be one of the most delightful sleepless nights she never knew to anticipate.

  Despite only a few hours of shuteye, Zella felt cheerful when she arrived at work the next day. Somehow, she was even more focused than usual. Sure, there were occasional flashes of scenes and feels from the previous night, but she was still very productive. She didn’t realize she was humming until she looked up and found Kate Marks watching her with a knowing smile.

  “Must have been some date,” Kate said.

  “It was,” Zella said, surprised to feel her smile get even wider.

  There was no sense in hiding her happiness from her boss – especially not when Kate had been all but encouraged her to explore this thing with Derek.

  “I’m guessing that smile is similar to the one Reid said Derek has been sporting all morning,” Kate said.

  Zella blushed. “He’s such a nice guy.”

  “I have my qualms about athletes, but Derek seems like one of the good ones,” Kate said.

  “I think so too,” Zella said.

  She told Kate about the way Derek held her car door and her chair. The way he’d let her order first and choose the dessert for them to share.

  She decided to hold back the juicier details given Kate was her boss, but apparently Kate didn’t care about being professional at the moment.

  “So did he kiss you?” Kate asked.

  “Yes,” Zella said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “More than once.”

  “With as red as your face is, I’m guessing it was good,” Kate said.

  “So good,” Zella said, surprised by the wanton tone in her voice.

  Kate laughed. “Was that it?”

  “Yes, just a few really good kisses,” Zella said. “He hadn’t been on a date in more than ten years. And I kind of think he hasn’t dated anyone but his ex-wife. I figured slow was good. I’m not much of a fast mover anyway, so that was enough.”

  “Good call,” Kate said. “But if you’re this smitten after a few kisses, I can only imagine how you’re going to look after you get him into bed.”

  Zella had had some thoughts along those lines earlier, but had been trying to push them out of her mind so she could focus.

  “If you want me to get any more work done before the game, you probably shouldn’t suggest that again,” Zella said, laughing.

  “I doubt you need my help with those ideas,” Kate said, winking. “Good for you, Zella. Have fun but be careful.”

  “I know,” Zella said. “I’m sure it seems like I’m a little blind about all of this, but I know what I’m getting into. I know there are risks with him – not just his job, but also his past. But right now, it feels good. I’m just going to go with it.”

  “That’s fair enough,” Kate said, nodding. “See you at the game later.”

  By mid-afternoon, the lack of sleep caught up with Zella and she had to stif
le yawns. She suddenly had reservations about staying for the entire game that night. But as soon as she sat down next to Kate in the stands, her energy returned. It may have had something to do with the little wave from Derek and the subsequent jabs she saw Reid Benjamin and Carson Slater give him. She laughed a little and wondered what they were saying to him. He was smiling, so it must not have been too terrible. Plus, she knew about the friendship Derek had with each of the guys, so she could only assume he was receiving some light-hearted but potentially crude teasing that seemed to be typical of guys.

  “Don’t think about it too much. You don’t want to know,” Kate said.

  Zella looked over at her with surprise and curiosity.

  “I saw you watching the guys,” Kate said. “You probably don’t want to know what they’re saying to him.”

  “I don’t want them to tease him because of me,” Zella said.

  “Oh, they will whether you want them to or not,” Kate said. “But they do it because they like him and are happy for him. That’s just how guys handle it.”

  “Guys are weird,” Zella said.

  “You got that right,” Kate said, laughing. “But now I see what Reid was talking about when he said Derek is different.”

  Zella looked over at Derek, who was sitting in the dugout, chatting with Reid.

  “What’s different about him?” she asked.

  “I know you watched games last year. You must have noticed how he seemed so weighed down,” Kate said.

  Zella thought for a few moments. “I guess I didn’t notice that. I just noticed the excellent pitching.”

  “Yeah, somehow he had that even with whatever was plaguing him,” Kate said. “I don’t know. He just seems lighter this season. Reid seems to think it’s because of you.”

  “I don’t think I can take credit for that,” Zella said.

  “What else could it be?” Kate asked.

  “I know Derek’s been going through counseling to deal with everything – his recovery, his daughter, and so on,” Zella said. “Maybe he’s just found a way to balance everything and not let it weigh on him.”

  “Maybe,” Kate said.

  “And we’ve only gone on one date,” Zella said. “No matter how good it was, I don’t think it was enough to have that much effect on him.”

  “You never know,” Kate said. “Sometimes all someone needs is a little bit of light.”

  After the game, Zella went downstairs with Kate. While the GM was there on official business, Zella’s motives were purely social. Derek was waiting for her when she got down there, a fact that garnered an amused glance from Kate, but Zella didn’t mind. And there wasn’t much on her mind anyway as soon as Derek pulled her close and kissed her. When it ended, she was again breathless, and she found she had dug her fingers into the front of his sweatshirt, clinging to him.

  “Hello to you too,” she said softly, resting her forehead against his chest.

  “Hey,” he said, chuckling. “Sorry. I’ve just been thinking about that all day.”

  “Don’t apologize. I have too,” she said.

  “I’m going to have dinner with Reid, but you can have me tomorrow night if you want,” he said.

  “Oh, can I?” she asked, an amused smile on her face as she tipped her head back to look at him.

  “I didn’t mean it that way … I mean, you could, but … we just … I don’t know …,” he said, clearly flustered.

  She laughed and patted his chest. “It’s OK. I know what you meant. I would love to see you after tomorrow’s game.”

  “Good, because I’m probably headed to AAA after that – for who knows how long,” he said.

  “But then you’ll be back here, right where you want to be,” she said.

  “This is a pretty good place to be,” he said, his smile letting her know he wasn’t just referring to Portland or the ballpark.

  A throat cleared near them. It was somewhere behind Derek, but because of his height, Zella couldn’t see who it was.

  “You about done there?” the voice asked.

  Derek pulled away and turned around. Zella shouldn’t have been surprised to see Reid standing there.

  “As cute as this is, and as thrilled as I am for Derek about all this, I’m starving,” he said. “Sorry Zella.”

  “No apologies necessary. I’ll let you boys go eat,” she said.

  She leaned up to give Derek a quick kiss on the cheek, then extracted herself from his hold and left the guys behind.

  As she walked away, she heard Reid say, “Tell me again how you weren’t interested in dating anyone.”

  “Seriously dude,” Reid said.

  “What?” Derek asked.

  “I have been talking for ten minutes and you haven’t heard a word,” Reid said.

  “Maybe your story wasn’t that interesting,” Derek teased.

  “Even if that’s true, you used to at least pretend,” Reid said. “But ever since that girl came into the picture …”

  “Her name is Zella,” Derek said pointedly.

  Reid laughed. “Alright, ever since Zella came into the picture, you don’t listen to my stories as much.”

  “Quit being dramatic. I listen to you just fine,” Derek said. “But I admit I was zoned out just now. Sorry.”

  “No worries. My story wasn’t that interesting,” Reid said. “Your new love life is definitely better. When are you seeing her again?”

  “Tomorrow night,” Derek said. “Dinner after the game.”

  “And maybe dessert?” Reid said, winking at him.

  “Quit. No. Not yet,” Derek said.

  “Why not?” Reid asked.

  “We’ve only gone on one date,” Derek said.

  “So? From what you said about the goodnight kiss, you’re halfway there,” Reid said.

  “It was pretty amazing, but that doesn’t matter,” Derek said. “That would still be too fast. This is the first time I’ve dated in a long time. I don’t want to rush it.”

  Derek was glad Reid changed the subject after that. He wasn’t done bothering Derek about his love life, but he had to do most of it via text over the next few weeks as Derek was rehabbing with the AAA team and Reid was busy tearing up the majors. The stint in the minors was longer than Derek thought it would be. He thought he’d only need one or two outings in the minors, but management seemed to disagree. It had already been three weeks, and he still didn’t know when he’d be going back.

  Being away from the Pioneers was tough, and he was pretty lonely most nights after the games were over. Without Reid, Derek didn’t have anyone to hang out with. The other guys were considerably younger and most were still in party mode. He had dinner with them a few times, but when the drinks started flowing, Derek took off. Most of the guys were cool with it, knowing his history. But there were a few who started giving him a hard time and stopped inviting him. This created a bit of a rift between him and the rest of the team, so Derek eventually just quit trying to make friends. When he wasn’t at the ballpark, he spent most of his time alone.

  Zella made the two-hour drive to see him twice. Her visits helped alleviate some of his loneliness and kept him going, but they were far too brief. The first time she drove out, she watched him pitch and they had dinner before she left. The second time, they got a few hours together before he had to leave for a road trip. They talked every night, but those visits definitely helped cement things. He was beyond taken with her, and the feelings sure seemed to be mutual, even if neither of them had uttered the words.

  While he didn’t know when he’d be headed back to Portland, Derek did know when he’d be going to Oklahoma. The hearing regarding his visitation with Brynn was three weeks away. As soon as his attorney gave him the hearing date, Derek relayed it to Ms. Marks, explaining that he would need to be gone for two days at most. Fortunately, she understood and said she would work with the coaching staff to make sure there were no issues.

  Having a court date on the horizon gave him some peace
about his custody battle, but the uncertainty of his baseball future was getting to Derek. He had to remind himself every day that all he could do was keep working, pitch well, and wait for the Pioneers to bring him back. But the waiting was driving him crazy. He kept tabs on the team’s progress, and they were currently leading the division. He wondered if they had decided they didn’t need him. It was a terrible thought, but it kept sneaking into his mind. He finally voiced his concern to Reid one night when they were talking.

  “We definitely need you here. I don’t know why they haven’t brought you back yet,” Reid said. “Finnegan’s fine, but his inning count is starting to get a little high. He was only converted to a starter last season. They need to watch that arm.”

  “Yeah,” Derek said. “But as long as he’s going deep and getting wins, I guess they don’t care.”

  “They will. Soon,” Reid said. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve watched your stats. You are definitely ready to come back.”

  “Thanks,” Derek said. “I’m ready to be back. For many reasons.”

  “Your girl is fine,” Reid said, laughing. “She misses you, of course, but she’s still working hard and coming to most of the games. I think she’s becoming friends with Carson’s wife too, so … be warned.”

  Derek laughed. “That’s not a bad thing. Erika’s nice.”

  “She is, but when girls get together and start talking …,” Reid said.

  “It can’t be any worse than what we say,” Derek said.

  “You have no idea,” Reid said.

  “I’m not worried,” Derek said. “Erika has nothing on me, and Zella … well, we seem to be doing really well.”

  “Have you gotten any yet?” Reid asked.

  “No,” Derek said. “We haven’t really had an opportunity … even if we were at that point. And I’m not sure we are yet.”

  “You’ve been together for a month, you should be there,” Reid said.

  “We’ll see how it is when I get back,” Derek said. “Whenever that finally happens.”

  Zella was not enjoying the long-distance aspect of her relationship with Derek. But at least she felt certain it was a relationship. They hadn’t really had a serious talk about where they were, but he’d introduced her to his AAA teammates as his girlfriend. She figured that was good enough.