Chance for Home

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Before she could respond, he let go and turned to cross the lawn. She watched him for a moment before heading inside, his words playing through her mind. Was it her imagination, or had his last words been a threat?

  * * *

  Ryan couldn’t stop looking into the stands. Where was she? He had caught a glimpse of Maya twenty minutes ago, but Kari had yet to make an appearance in the stands, even though the first pitch was scheduled to be thrown any minute.

  Gavin, who was playing shortstop, called his name before throwing a ball to him as the infield continued their warm up. Ryan caught it and sent it to first.

  Apparently noticing his lack of concentration, Ben motioned to him, and Ryan jogged over, the two men meeting where Gavin was standing.

  “Is everything okay?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah, sorry. I just didn’t see Kari in the stands.”

  “Kari?” Gavin asked, turning to Ben. “Your sister?”

  “Yeah,” Ben answered.

  “She’s in the press box,” Gavin told them.

  “What’s she doing there?” Ben and Ryan asked in unison.

  “Beats me, but I saw Trent from public affairs walking her up there.”

  “That’s odd,” Ben said, voicing Ryan’s thoughts.

  The announcer’s voice came on over the loudspeaker to introduce the person who would throw out the ceremonial first pitch. To Ryan’s surprise, it was the serviceman who had caught his home-run ball in New York.

  “Positions, boys,” Gavin said, a subtle reminder that the game was about to start.

  Ryan walked the few steps to third base and watched the man he had met a week earlier make his way to the pitcher’s mound, a pronounced limp branding his gait due to his artificial leg. A hush fell over the stadium. Then he threw the ball, and the crowd went wild.

  The veteran held a hand up in acknowledgment of the overwhelming response and then turned and pointed at Ryan before leaving the field.

  Touched by the gesture, Ryan watched him exit. His eyes widened when he saw him reach the press area, and Ryan noticed Kari standing among the television cameras.

  The umpire called out “Play ball!” and Ryan tried to push his curiosity aside. Regardless of why she wasn’t in her seat, the important thing was that she was here.

  * * *

  Kari sat in the press box behind Alex Donaldson, the broadcaster she had met her first day in DC. Jaden Sampson, the man who had thrown out the first pitch, took a seat beside Alex. When Jaden glanced at her, she suspected he felt as she did, as though they had stepped into an alternate reality. Again.

  Every time she was around Ryan, she wondered if she was dreaming and would wake up to find none of this was real. Every time he kissed her, that feeling intensified.

  Now here she was, at the owner’s invitation, sitting in one of the press boxes with the man Ryan had spoken of only days before. She still wasn’t quite sure why the public relations staff had asked her to escort him during his time at Nats Park, but she rather liked exploring more of the facility.

  Jaden wore a headset and sat between the two commentators for the Nationals local television broadcasts. As part of his trip to DC, he had been invited to help announce the first two innings of the game.

  In between batters, the announcers guided the conversation to the wounded veteran’s story and how he had come to be noticed by the Nationals.

  The visit stretched from two innings to three before everyone said good-bye. Following the instructions the director of public relations had given her, Kari escorted Jaden down the hall to the owner’s box, matching her pace with his.

  “Thanks for staying with me in there,” he said.

  “It was my pleasure,” Kari said. “That was the first time I had ever watched the game from that view.”

  “Did I do okay?”

  “You did great. You were yourself, and you gave people a glimpse into what it’s really like for veterans when they come home after battle.”

  “That was why I agreed to come,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m really a Yankees fan.”

  Kari chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

  “Thanks. By the way, I think it’s really great how you were helping Ryan Strobel with his mom.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “He told me when we were talking after the game in New York.”

  “He did?”

  “Yeah. That’s why I asked if you could be the one to come with me to the interview today.”

  Kari’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t want to get stuck being shown around by someone who was trying to put words in my mouth. After hearing Ryan talk about you, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about that with you.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  They reached the door to the owner’s box. He forced a smile. “Do I look happy to be here?”

  Kari cocked her head to one side. “Maybe if you tell yourself you’re happy to be here, you’ll start to believe it.”

  “Right.”

  “And try to make your smile look less like a grimace,” she whispered.

  “Okay.” He blew out a breath. “Here it goes.”

  Kari chuckled and escorted him inside. Within minutes, he appeared at ease with the rest of the group. When she finally left him during the seventh-inning stretch to sit with Maya and Lauren, the truth about his allegiance to the Yankees had come out, and good-natured ribbing had ensued.

  Ball girls were throwing rolled-up T-shirts into the stands when Kari jogged down the steps toward her seat. She tugged on her ball cap to cut the glare of the setting sun and reminded herself that she wasn’t in her usual spot as she approached. The ticket Ryan had given her put her two rows down and several seats over from where Maya was sitting.

  She hoped an empty seat would be available closer to her friends, but unfortunately, the stands were packed for the Friday night game.

  Resigned to sitting by herself, she searched for what would surely be the only empty seat in the section. Locating the correct row, she counted seats to where her ticket indicated she was supposed to sit. Instead of finding it empty, she saw a familiar face framed by long red hair. Brandi was back.

  A stadium attendant approached Kari. “I’m sorry, miss, but you’ll need to take your seat. The inning is starting.” When Kari didn’t respond, she added, “May I see your ticket?”

  Kari was still too stunned by Brandi’s presence to protest when the woman took her ticket from her hand. While Kari tried to regain her composure, the woman clearly went through the same exercise Kari just had only to find the seat occupied.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, studying Kari’s ticket again. “That’s clearly your seat. I can have her move.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll find somewhere else to sit.” Kari headed back up the stairs onto the concourse, her heart pounding uncomfortably. Dozens of thoughts raced through her mind, not the least of which was the way Ryan had held her last night.

  Reminding herself that Brandi hadn’t been invited the last time she’d shown up, Kari tried to push her insecurities aside. After all, Ryan hadn’t mentioned anything about his ex coming today, and if he was really the man she thought he was, the least she could do was give him the benefit of the doubt.

  She found an open spot on the concourse where she could see the game. Leaning her arms on the rail, she watched the rest of the game unfold. Shortly after the Nationals scored the first run of the game, several fans migrated onto the concourse, apparently planning to make an early exit to get ahead of the crowds.

  Though she was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic with the extra bodies pressing along the rail beside her, she didn’t relinquish her spot, determined to watch the game through to its conclusion.

  She caught a glimpse of Celeste and Rachelle, two of the other Nationals’ wives heading up the stairs toward where she stood.

  Knowing that Rachelle was friends with Bra
ndi, Kari tugged her ball cap lower on her head to shield her face from them. They were practically behind her when she heard her name mentioned.

  “I’m surprised Kari stopped coming to the games. I really liked her,” Celeste said. “And it looked like Ryan was pretty interested.”

  “Personally, I’m glad Brandi is back,” Rachelle countered. “Kari seemed nice enough, but she’s too much like Maya. They never want to go do anything. It’s like hanging out at home is the best thing life has to offer.”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes it’s nice to have some time at home without everyone trying to ask for autographs and get Shawn’s attention.”

  “It’s okay sometimes, but I much prefer going out. Now that Brandi and Ryan are back together, I’m sure he’ll be around a lot more.”

  “When did they get back together? I didn’t even know he and Kari broke up.”

  “It just happened today before the game. I guess she ran into him when she went into the front office to say hi to the secretaries and pick up the ticket I left for her.”

  “I guess she had good timing.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Kari blinked against the tears trying to form. Could Ryan’s feelings have changed so quickly? Or was he like Austin in trying to date two women at once? Had she simply been someone to spend time with until he decided what he really wanted?

  The conversation continued behind Kari, morphing to talk about their travel during their husbands’ upcoming road trip. As soon as Celeste and Rachelle moved beyond her, Kari swiped at her eyes and headed for the exit. She wasn’t about to go home with Ryan after what she had just heard, and there was no way she wanted to go home with Ben, especially since she would have to face Lauren, the person responsible for letting Austin know how to find her.

  Making her way to the main entrance, she headed down Half Street toward the subway station. She was a big girl, she reminded herself, despite her discomfort as she walked through the not-so-great neighborhood surrounding the ballpark. She would find her own way home, and maybe by the time she got there, she would know what to do about picking up the pieces of her broken heart.

  Chapter 30

  Ryan rushed to the parking lot, grateful he didn’t have to hang around for the after-game press conference. In a truly defensive game, the stars of tonight had been their starting pitcher and Lanski, who had hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to win the game.

  Eager to find out how Kari had ended up in the press area during the first pitch, he headed for his car, where he had arranged to meet her. He caught a glimpse of long hair falling over the back of one of his jerseys and was pleased to see Kari had opted to wear the one he gave her. He took several more steps before he caught a glint of red in the light and realized it wasn’t Kari waiting for him but Brandi.

  Instantly, his steps slowed. He looked around, hoping to see Kari nearby, but he didn’t see her or anyone else, for that matter. So much for his great idea of beating the crowds out of the clubhouse tonight.

  He was debating whether to turn around and go in search of Kari or anyone who could act as a buffer between him and Brandi when her eyes landed on him and she started forward.

  “Ryan, I was wondering how long I would have to wait for you.”

  He stopped walking, but that didn’t prevent her from closing the distance between them and putting her arms around his neck. Ryan pulled back, disentangling himself from her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I heard you and that Kari girl broke up and I thought I would come see you.”

  “You heard wrong.”

  Her perfectly shaped lips pursed in surprise. “Oh. I thought since she stopped coming to your games the past few weeks, she wasn’t in the picture anymore.”

  “Even if that were true, that doesn’t change where we stand. We aren’t getting back together. I thought I made myself clear on that the last time you showed up.”

  “We were together for more than two years. I don’t know why you would want to throw that away.” She put her hand on his arm. “I can’t help it. I’m still in love with you.”

  Not so long ago, Ryan might have been swayed by her words, especially when delivered with such sincerity. Now that he had Kari in his life, he knew what real love felt like. He heard footsteps approaching and lifted his gaze to see Liam and Rachelle heading for their car. Shawn and Celeste followed behind them.

  “Hey, Brandi. So good to see the two of you back together again,” Rachelle called out.

  Ryan opened his mouth to dispute the assumption, but Brandi spoke first. “Thanks, Rachelle. I’ll see you at tomorrow’s game.”

  “See you then.” Rachelle led her husband toward their car. As Shawn and Celeste walked past, Ryan saw the confusion on Shawn’s face as he let himself get dragged along.

  Ryan looked down at Brandi, stunned. “Why did you do that?”

  “Ryan, we’re meant to be together. Isn’t it time we make up and put the past behind us?”

  “I’m starting to think we can just record this conversation and press replay.” He jerked his arm free and stepped back once more. “I don’t want to see you again. Period.”

  He stormed to his car and unlocked the door. He could only hope Kari wouldn’t take long to get here. He wanted to get away from Brandi as soon as he possibly could.

  * * *

  Kari stared out the window of the subway train, not seeing anything beyond the tears that kept welling up in her eyes. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to get back to Ben’s house, but she had used the subway map on the side of the train to figure out her general direction. The first text from Ryan came shortly after she passed from the District of Columbia into Virginia. The second sounded when she reached McLean. She ignored both.

  When her phone chimed a third time, she pulled it from her pocket to silence it only to see Maya’s name on the screen, asking where she was. A similar message popped up from Ben a moment later. Realizing it wasn’t fair to make them worry, she texted Maya.

  Left the game early. On my way home now.

  The response was instant. Why?

  I’ll explain later. She silenced her phone and tucked it into her pocket. Though she had left the game a few minutes early, the train was still crowded with people, most of them wearing Nationals T-shirts and jerseys. She tried not to notice the letters on the backs. Too many of the jerseys bore the name of the man she was currently trying to forget about.

  First Austin, now Ryan. Why did she keep falling for guys who were emotionally involved with someone else? She should have realized Ryan still had feelings for Brandi with the way he had needed her to act as a barrier between them the first night they’d met.

  She thought of her plans to transfer to a school in Virginia and wondered if she should reconsider. Why had Ryan bought the house across the street from her brother? She had thought avoiding Austin at Vanderbilt was going to be bad. Avoiding Ryan would be nearly impossible. Or would it?

  Kari planned to get her own place before she started classes in the fall, and she didn’t have to visit her brother at his house to see him. Besides, Ryan would be gone half the time during baseball season, and with Brandi around, he wasn’t likely to spend many evenings at home. She straightened in her seat. She couldn’t keep trying to avoid her feelings every time a man hurt her. Maybe if she faced the situation, she could figure out why she kept ending up in the same spot.

  The driver announced her stop, and she stood. Several other passengers led the way onto the platform, and she followed the crowd to the main level. Realizing she was at least five or ten miles from Ben’s house, she looked around for a sign to tell her where she could find a taxi, but there wasn’t one.

  She dug her phone out to look up a number for a cab. No service. “Great,” she muttered to herself.

  Not wanting to appear lost or vulnerable, especially at eleven o’clock at night, she let herself get swept along with the crowd, all the while praying she would miraculously find a
cab waiting for her when she got outside.

  When she exited, Ryan stood between his car and a sign that said Kiss and Ride.

  Kari straightened her shoulders. As much as she wanted to avoid a confrontation with him, she realized she needed answers. Why would he have given so much effort to be with her last night only to dump her the next day without even talking to her first? And how dare he make himself so important to her and then just walk away.

  Anger and hurt bubbled up inside her as she moved forward. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you.” Ryan waved at the train pulling away from the station. “I’m glad I guessed which station you would get off at. What in the world were you doing taking the subway? I told you I would bring you home. And you know Ben would have driven you if you didn’t want to wait for me.”

  “After I heard Celeste and Rachelle talking tonight, I figured you wouldn’t want to drive me home.”

  “What do Celeste and Rachelle have to do with anything?”

  “I heard them talking about you and Brandi. I know you got back together today.”

  “What?” His eyes widened, and she saw a flash of apology appear on his face. The look was enough to send her stomach dropping to the ground. She spotted two taxicabs a short distance away and turned toward them.

  “Kari, wait.” Ryan grabbed her arm to keep her from walking away. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Oh, really? What am I supposed to think?” Kari demanded. “I went to sit in the seat listed on the ticket you gave me and found Brandi sitting there instead. Then everyone’s talking about how they’re glad you’re back together with her, that I’m too boring, and we never go out with them. Obviously, you feel the same way.”

  “That’s not true at all.” Ryan lowered his voice. “Brandi ambushed me at my car. When she hugged me, that was all her. I didn’t want anything to do with her.”

  Two subway patrons walked by, their progress stalling when they noticed Ryan. “No way! You’re Ryan Strobel!”