by Caryl McAdoo
She took his hand and followed him out leaving all that money—with his name on it—just lying there on the desk.
Though she could barely stand it, she held her tongue until they were back in his truck. “How? Tell me how you could not sign that contract, grab that check, and run?”
“You didn’t read it, did you?”
“No, but so what? How bad could it have been? Five million dollars! What’d it say?”
“For one thing, they cut my you-and-April clause.”
“They did? Why would they want to do that. We’re good, aren’t we?”
He grinned. “Of course you are. Plus they’ve capped all the incentives. Most I could make was fifteen million.”
“Awe, is that all? Poor baby. Tell you one thing. That’d pay for a lot of planes to fly over Africa, Gij. Think of Jim.”
“Sweetheart, you never take the first offer.”
She didn’t mean for her ‘whew’ to be so audible. But he’d just pulled an elephant off her chest. So you are thinking about playing next year?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Why not?”
“I promised Pappaw.”
Her jaws clamped together. Even though she’d never met the grandfather or that he’d been planted six foot under over a year, she wanted to slap that old guy.
Actually, she wanted to slap Gij just as much, too. He wasn’t thinking right. “But darlin’, you have an amazing talent, and they’re trying to give you all this money, and…”
He pulled his truck over just short of exiting the parking lot. “Hold it right there.”
“Okay, I’m holding it. What?” She couldn’t keep her lips still. Pursing to the left, then the right, bottom lip pouted. She bit the inside of her cheek. Here it comes.
“Samantha Danielle, I gave Pappaw my word. I plan on keeping it.”
What a stubborn selfish oaf, but in a strange way she admired that in him. If five mil wouldn’t move him, then some peachy keen pumpkin could never turn his head. She sighed big then smiled. “I love you.”
“You’re not angry?”
“Well, no, but I’m sorta kinda sad—and glad. It dawned on me if all that money can’t entice you to break a promise you made, then, well, I’ll definitely be able to trust you with my heart.”
CHAPTER
twenty-0ne
Right at that moment, his eyes told the tale. He wanted her so much. Fat Free Hot Fudge! Was there such a thing? She knew what she saw in those eyes. He was going to take her home, and at last forget the stupid waiting.
Then his baby blues steeled. He grimaced then gave her his I’m-sorry-little-boy-grin.
Oh no! What happened?
For the longest while, he sat there on the parking lot. Cars whizzed by on Ballpark Way. Just looking at her; no one said anything. If only she knew what he was thinking... Got the truck going again and took his eyes off her.
She silently pondered her sad state of she-had-to-wait.
Then like one of Moses’s plagues, it overwhelmed her. “Hey, I have a question.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“How did your Pappaw see to it you stayed away from that Roxi girl?”
He shrugged and glanced at her. “After he beat me—except it wasn’t that bad—he sat me down for round two of our sex talk.”
She nodded. Her dad had passed that chore off to her Aunt Rachel, which was bad enough, but still better than him trying it. She couldn’t imagine. Ooooo, didn’t want to. She shook that thought away, far away, and focused on Gij.
“Okay, what’d he say that did the trick?”
“Told me my mother’s whole story, and how it was all his fault. Appealed to my love for him. Said he’s too old to do it all over again, and that I couldn’t repeat her mistakes, ’cause it would kill him if I fathered a baby out of wedlock.”
“Oh my.”
“Then after we both cried, he made me promise. And I did.”
What? He really was a thirty-three-year-old virgin?
“You mean you have never… I mean you’re a… Uh. Uh.” Oh, why did she always just blurt stuff out? “I’m sorry. I mean I’m glad. It’s good. It’s great. I didn’t mean to –”
“Stop.” He started laughing, and she laughed with him, so thankful that he finally hushed her before it got any worse. “But that’s correct. I never have participated in the joys God created to be between a man and his wife.”
Poor baby, poor her. Her neck muscles tightened. She closed her eyes and hunkered down waiting for the question. If ever she’d provided the lead in…
Why, oh why did she have to bring Roxanna up? Any second now. He was only searching for the right way to ask her, and then it would be over. Save her shopping for a dress she’d never have the chance to wear.
She opened one eye. He hadn’t turned east back to Irving, but west toward Ft. Worth. Maybe headed to Parks Mall? He looked like nothing was wrong, that he’d just told her he wanted to stop for a bagel with cream cheese or something bland.
Why wasn’t he asking her? Why didn’t he want to know about her past? He had to be curious.
Maybe he knew from her initial actions that she had participated as he called it, but figured she’d only enjoyed a guy or three and so no big deal. That might be true if he only counted the men she’d been seriously involved with.
The thinking of it made her gut queasy. How she wished she could offer to him what he brought to her. How could she ever have considered it so unimportant at the time?
Her past weighed heavy on her heart. There was no reason to shop for a stupid wedding dress. She had to tell him. But he’d walk away, and there’d never be another Gij Johnson, her own personal Big Train, her Babe, her knight in shining—she smiled.
Oh, how the man’s armor did sparkle!
And her? She had no armor. She’d pieced it out. And not even to the highest bidder. She’d given it all away for free.
She studied him. Such a gentleman, he might never ask. And if he didn’t, would what-he-didn’t-know-wouldn’t-hurt-him apply? He probably expected her to bring it up. Should she just blurt it out?
Tell him, then go get her stuff and go back home? But not her apartment—all the way home to Dimple. No. She hated what was she going to do.
“Hungry?”
She made herself look at him. “Not really.”
“There’s a Mickey D’s up ahead. Thought we’d grab something quick. There’s a bridal shop I found online not too far up ahead.”
“Okay, I’ll take a biscuit with jelly and sweet tea.” The man was unbelievable. Was he even human?
He pulled through the drive in. Her drink came first, then he handed her a wrapped biscuit with two strawberry jelly packets and a napkin.
“Thanks.”
As much as she tried to stop worrying about her past, it haunted her hard as she tried on dress after dress. Between the fifth and six one, she decided not to borrow trouble and keep her mouth shut, not bring anything up about her bygone days.
But then sooner or later, she would have to tell him.
How could she not?
The rest of that morning and the next two disappeared like a Thanksgiving turkey with too many drop-in outlaws. And no dress bought. She tried twice to settle, but he wouldn’t have it; almost like he enjoyed watching her parade around in white.
What a joke. But okay, she would go along with the gag if that’s what he wanted to believe.
Too quick for her, Sunday morning rolled around. Jeff stuck to pitching him on short rest, and even the talking heads at ESPN got into the debate. One of the TV idiots claimed the Pirates would eat Gij for lunch. Sammi Dan knew better.
The win burned in her bones.
If her fellow saw his seven and seven to come to fruition, then Pittsburg must fall; the One-eyed-Maties, just another victim to her Gij’s double-edged sword. Maybe him pitching every fourth day instead of five had to be.
Had God arranged all of this?
After only two outfit
changes and her third cup of coffee, she found him in the kitchen. “What time do you want to leave?”
“I’m ready.” He tossed her his keys. “How about you drive?”
“Happy to, you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She followed him toward the garage. He stopped at the door to the garage and turned, filling the entrance.
“What?”
He grinned then stepped aside, for half a heartbeat, his truck was all she could see, then her eyes adjusted. The most gorgeous vehicle she’d ever laid eyes on, a 1976 emerald green Cadillac convertible trimmed in gold with spinner wheels and a plush white leather interior sat in the spot his Pappaw’s old truck usually filled. Her dream car! She squealed and clapped then hugged his neck. “How’d you know?”
“I’ve been a FB fan of yours for over a year now. You even posted a picture of it—or one like it.” He looked off and set a strain on his expression. “Late February; it had turned off nice, and you lamented about not having your dream car to take out for a joy ride around Dallas.”
“I love it. This is it! You know I had one for like a week in high school.”
“Yes, ma’am. I remember the story. You wrecked it, and your dad wouldn’t get it fixed.”
“This isn’t that particular one is it?”
“No, according to the Texas DMV it got crushed .”
She pouted and hung her head. “Awwwe, that’s so sad.” Then she turned that frown upside down and winked. “Well, get in, big boy! We’re about to have our own personal parade.”
Even before she reached the front gate, it hit her hard. He’d been buying her presents from like day one, and she hadn’t got him anything, not one thing. She had plenty of money now since he’d paid off all her debt. She’d have to think of something because he wouldn’t take the best thing she had to offer.
He definitely was not a man who had everything, because he didn’t have her. Well, he sorta did, but he could have oh so much more. Once the gate opened and she pulled onto Hunter Ferrell, she made a mental note to find something he didn’t have that he would want and get it for him. And pay for it with her money, last time she checked it was piling up.
Gij loved surprising Samantha Danielle, but goodness, the woman drove like no one else had a right to be on the road. Okay, from now on, he’d drive, and she could have her own personal parade when he was somewhere else.
A few folks recognized one or both of them and went to hooting and hollering. He didn’t much care for the lack of privacy, but she seemed to love it.
She waved back at them. “Wooooo Hoooooo! Yeow!”
He saw her wheels turning. She wanted to go straight and take a longer way through the neighborhoods, but turned west like a good girl onto the highway toward the ball yard. If he wasn’t pitching today, he wouldn’t have cared, but he needed some time.
The guy at the guard shack did a double take, then motioned her on in.
She jumped out, ran around, and opened his door. “Thank you. I love her so much. She drives like a dream.”
“You’re welcome.”
“See you at the pre-game.”
“Of course.”
“Shutout or no-no today?”
He leaned in close, resisted the urge to kiss her neck, then whispered. “Don’t you breathe a word of that to anyone.”
“Of course not, but you can tell me. If you know, that is?”
He shrugged. “I don’t. It’s in God’s hands.”
“Speaking of hands…” She slipped hers into his and dragged him toward the building, but before they even got close, she went to skipping circles around him and singing. “I love my Caddy. I love my Caddy, but not as much as I love my daddy!” The woman acted pure giddy. Man oh man, he should have bought her that Caddy a year ago.
Once inside, she settled down and got her game face on. He left her at the media room and headed for the bullpen. He needed a quiet place to pray before he went though his pre-game.
The buzz built during his warm-ups, then his interview with Samantha Danielle only doubled the noise.
A fan wearing an eye patch and bandana held up a big sign. GET US ONE, AND GIJ IS DONE! And another with a big ‘thirty-eight and counting.’
Well, they didn’t call them fanatics for nothing.
At exactly seven after one central time, Blue pointed at him and hollered, “Play ball!”
The crowd went wild as though he was about to throw his last pitch instead of his first.
Carlos wanted heat, and Gij gave him two exactly where he put his glove, then the jerk with the stick slapped the third one over the head of Fielder. Gij turned and checked the big radar gun in centerfield. Ninety-eight.
Well, no wonder he caught up with it. Gij bore down and stranded the guy on first with two strikeouts and a come backer.
He breezed through the Pirates’ lineup with only a couple of weak grounders and a pop up, then the second time around, seemed they had him figured him out. Not another hit, but a couple of guys smoked him hard.
Praise the Lord, the ball sailed right to one of his teammates each time. At least the good guys scored him a couple of runs. But when was he going to get a nice fat lead? Was that the deal, Lord? It’s got to be tough.
Hey, so far so good.
Someone in the upper deck was posting “Ks.” He was already at ten and next to him, another guy had his scoreless inning streak updated to the current forty-four.
Then in the seventh, Blue went blind and passed out a walk on five pitches that should have been a punch out. Gij grabbed the rosin bag and bounced it up and down on the back of his hand. He glanced over to the camera well.
Samantha Danielle still hollered at the ump.
Movement pulled his eyes up, a lady with her face painted like the Texas flag waved a big sign GIJ FOR PRESIDENT and SAMMI DAN FIRST LADY. Fun. He hoped Samantha Danielle saw it. She’d get a big kick out of that.
He dropped the rosin bag then turned his attention to the batter. Carlos wanted more heat evidenced by the signal of a neon orange fingernail. Gij twisted back and flung a hard one. The guy yanked it into left field.
Choo pulled up and played it on one hop. Men on first and second. No outs.
Well, old son, fine fix you’ve got us into now.
Carlos stepped out in front of the plate and went through the signs. Okay, a wheel play might work. As expected, the guy squared to bunt, but missed. Again, he missed. Yes, sir. That worked pretty good.
Then three straight pitches got fouled off, but the batter got around better on each one. Gij leaned in. More heat. He shook his glove. Again his catcher put down one finger then tapped his inside leg. He shook him off again.
His catcher called time and trotted out to the mound.
Corporan kept his mask on. “Something wrong?”
Gij covered his mouth with his glove. “No, but I want to throw this guy a slider.”
“You don’t have one.”
“Yes, I do. It bites hard and gets dirty.”
“If I can’t catch it, I’ll block it.”
Blue reached halfway to the mound. “Break it up, boys. Let’s play ball.”
Gij changed his grip, blocked out that it had been the slider that tore up his arm nineteen years ago, and focused. God healed his arm. He twisted back and let it fly.
Sammi Dan leaned out. The white blur sped toward home. The bad guy swung. The ball broke hard into the dirt. Corporan held both arms to his side and blocked the pitch. The man on second broke for third.
Carlos hustled after the ball and fired to third. “Strike ’em out. Throw ’em out. Double play.” She jumped up and down. “Bang! Bang! Johnson! Woot! Woot! Corporan!” Her fist pumped the air again and again. “You the man, Gij! Way to go Rangers!”
Her heart beat double time. She’d been holding her breath over those two on base. Two hard ones slapped Carlos’ glove.
Then one more of those throws where the bottom dropped out like that other one, and Gij was trott
ing off the field. She’d never seen him let go of one of those drops before, it had more break than Nolan’s overhead curve.
The fans went wild, and she led the cheers.
Six easy outs later, and he was done.
Unbelievable.
The man hadn’t given up a run, not one single bad guy had stepped on home plate while he pitched.
History! She was watching fantastic, remarkable baseball history, and she loved it, adored it. Well, she did, but she loved and adored the man making the history way more.
Never had there ever been a rookie come in and throw four shutouts and a no-hitter in his first five starts, had there? She needed for April to look that up. But no one around her had mentioned anyone ever doing what Gij was.
And he loved her.
It had to be a miracle, like the Red Sea splitting in two and all those Hebrews—six hundred thousand men plus women and children, had to be millions—walking across the sea’s bottom on dry land. Amazing.
A hand shook her. “Sam.”
She faced April. “What?”
“The post-game interview. Come on, we need to get out there.”
Right, she had to go work, but what she wanted to do was smother him with kisses. Then dance around like a little kid and howl until the moon came up. She looked skyward. Please, God. If you’re up there doing all this, please don’t let it end.
CHAPTER
twenty-two
Once he finally got inside the locker room, Gij headed straight to the trainer, and the man iced his shoulder. Just like he’d told his Pappaw so long ago, a fast ball and a straight change just weren’t enough to get the really good hitters out.
Samantha Danielle leaned against the wall just outside the clubhouse. “What took so long? Something wrong?”
“No, not really. I had the trainer ice my shoulder.”
“How come?”
“Precaution, no big deal.”
