Saving Drew

by Lara Van Hulzen

  “I promise we can talk about anything you want.”

  He smiled. Kate was trying. It was time to give the kid a break.

  “Not much to talk about right now. Why don’t you tell me more about your knight in shining armor?” He batted his eyelashes at her, teasing.

  She wadded up her napkin and tossed it at him, which he caught without flinching and set it down on the table. “Baseball player, sis. I catch a ball for a living.”

  “Meh. Whatever. So, you want me to tell you more about Jack? Okay, here goes...”

  She proceeded to babble on about how she and Jack met, something about him knocking her off her bike. Not a scenario Drew could see leading to love, and one Drew had heard her tell multiple times before, but, whatever. Kate’s rattling on meant he didn’t have to talk and she was happy again. Two things he was good with.

  However, throughout the meal, he noticed Meg looking their way from time to time. She was definitely checking him out for Baylee. One thing was for sure, a lot of people in Silver Bay cared about Baylee, kept an eye out for her. He was glad about that. He just wished they didn’t see him as the bad guy who would break her heart. If he were honest with himself though, a small part of him worried about the same thing.

  Baylee sat at her kitchen table across from Meg. She’d gotten ready early so she could get Casey settled and not be late for her date with Drew. Meg had agreed to babysit, give Jenny a night off from watching Casey. Her mother never once complained about all the time she spent helping with Casey, but Baylee tried to honor her mother’s time. She needed a life too. Her mother had texted Baylee an hour ago, saying she was headed to her bridge club. Baylee was glad her mom had made friends in Silver Bay. Kate’s mother, Rose, was in the same bridge club though. Baylee hoped there wouldn’t be too much said between the women about her and Drew. Oh, who was she kidding? They were the talk of the town, apparently. But she was finding that she didn’t care. All she cared about was what she and Drew thought. Or felt. Too bad she wasn’t sure about either.

  “Hello? Did you hear me?” Meg waved a hand in front of Baylee’s face.

  “What? Sorry.” Lost in thought, Baylee had missed what her friend was saying.

  “I said, he was at the diner today with Kate and at one point, looked pretty pissed.”

  That got Baylee’s attention. “About what?”

  Meg shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t eavesdrop, although I totally wanted to.”

  Baylee laughed. Meg’s honesty was one reason she loved her.

  “He and Kate have a good relationship. I can’t imagine what would have made him upset with her.”

  “Well, Kate did say she was grilling him about his love life. I’m guessing that might have gotten him worked up.”

  Heat rose in Baylee’s cheeks. Love life? Gracious. Up until then, she didn’t even think of whether or not Drew already had a girlfriend. Maybe there was someone back in New York and that was why he was hesitant to get any closer to her? No. He didn’t come across as someone who would two-time anyone. It had to be something else.

  “Sheesh, girlfriend. You think too hard. She was grilling him about you.”

  “Oh. Well. If that’s the case, why would he be angry?”

  “Hell if I know.” Meg stood and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. She popped a K-cup into the machine and hit brew. “Same situation with the kiddo tonight?”

  Glad for the change of subject, Baylee answered, “Yes. Dinner is in the fridge all ready to go, you just need to heat it up. There’s enough for both of you. Fresh baked donuts are on the counter there in the corner.”

  “Oh, I already spied those. You keep paying me to babysit with baked goods and I’m gonna weigh five hundred pounds.” Meg patted her flat, muscular middle.

  Baylee laughed. “Yeah. Right. And all my greatest dreams will be delivered to me on my front porch. Never gonna happen.”

  A knock at the door made both jump. “Never say never. Looks like your greatest dream just came knocking.”

  She shook her head at her friend and answered the door. Drew stood in the twilight, a bundle of long stemmed red roses in hand. His black dress slacks and shirt fit as if made especially for him. They probably were. Tailored and designed just for his athletic build. She’d worn a silky, emerald-colored, vintage dress she saved for special occasions. Drew said they’d be going to a nice restaurant. But now, she paled in comparison to him.

  From behind her she heard, “You have got some seriously hot dreams my friend. Maybe mine will visit my house next.”

  Baylee elbowed her friend. “Hi,”

  “Hi, yourself.” His voice was deep and rich, like a dessert that went down smooth, the flavor staying with her after each bite.

  Meg cleared her throat. “Why don’t I take those and put them in water so you two kids can get going.” She reached for the roses Drew held. He handed them over, never taking his eyes off Baylee.

  “What? Oh! Right.” Baylee turned and introduced Meg to Drew.

  He stuck out his hand and shook Meg’s. “We’ve met. It’s nice to see you again.”

  “Likewise.” Meg smiled and gave Baylee a slight nudge out the door. The movement caught Baylee off guard and she tripped, landing right in Drew’s arms.

  “Have fun!” Meg closed the door, leaving them alone on the porch.

  He smiled down at her. “This is how I usually like a date to end, but I’m more than happy to start ours this way.”

  He kissed her lips then her forehead and took her hand, leading her to the car. Unsure of what the evening held, she liked how it was beginning. And she was more than certain she never wanted it to end.

  Chapter Nine

  The candlelight in the restaurant cast a soft glow over the room. Drew couldn’t take his eyes off Baylee. Across the table from him, she thanked the waiter for helping place her napkin in her lap and looked around.

  “I’ve heard about this place but I’ve never been here before. It’s stunning.”

  Stunning. An excellent word. But not one he would use to describe the restaurant. Rather, the woman across from him in a green dress that brought out the color in her eyes and hugged all her curves in all the right places. His own Marilyn Monroe. Stunned was a more appropriate word. It summed up Drew ever since Baylee had floated into his world.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Her question drew him from his thoughts. “That you’re beautiful.”

  The rosy color in her cheeks only added to her angelic face.

  “Thank you.” She looked down and fussed with her napkin. “I’m not used to a fancy place like this.” She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him. “I imagine you dine like this all the time.”

  “Not really, no.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make assumptions.”

  “Don’t be. It’s a fair one. People think because of the fame and money, I live on private jets and eat like this every night.”

  “And you don’t?”

  He smiled at the teasing twinkle in her eye as she spoke. “I’m not saying there aren’t perks, but no. We travel so much there have been times where I rush to the window when I wake up to try and get a grasp on what city I’m in. I honestly can’t remember.” He looked out the window next to them, the sun now almost gone on the horizon over the water. “Many times we don’t even check into a hotel until three or four in the morning. Things like good room service help keep morale up.”

  Yeah, he loved baseball. Loved his team. Traveling with the guys. But there were plenty of lonely times. Times he laid in a hotel bed, his arm sore from pitching, wondering how much longer he could do it.

  He took a deep breath in and let it out. Turned his attention back to Baylee, who listened with rapt attention.

  “Sorry. That sounds like complaining. All of it is worth it when I run out of the dugout to the pitcher’s mound. The smell of the grass, the feel of the ball in my hand...” His voice trailed off.

  “You’re not co
mplaining. You’re telling the truth. The bad of something doesn’t take away the good. It’s all part of the journey.” She smiled, but her eyes dimmed a bit.

  “What about your journey? Tell me some of the good and the bad.”

  Their waiter came by and filled their wine and water glasses. Drew thanked him but kept an eye on Baylee. He didn’t want the interruption to stop their conversation. He tended to pour his heart out to her every time they were together. He wanted to know more about her heart.

  The waiter left them alone and Baylee said, “Really, Drew. This place is so lovely. You went to too much trouble for me.”

  She was kidding, right? In truth, although he didn’t eat in a place that nice every night, he could. And he would if it meant spoiling Baylee.

  “No trouble. You deserve a nice night out.”

  She blushed again at that and looked out the window. He was beginning to think he’d lost his chance at her answering his question when she turned back to him. “I guess people probably think I’ve had more bad than good in my journey, but I don’t.” Her smile lit up the room. “I have Casey.”

  “A given in the good column, absolutely.”

  “But my marriage didn’t go well.” She looked out the window again. “Erik and I met in high school. He was captain of every sports team we had, was set to play football at Texas A&M. And he did. For almost two years until an injury sidelined him.”

  Drew gut clenched. He was all too aware of what an injury could do.

  “Anyway, he stayed in school but had to walk away from football. From sports. We got married our senior year and graduated. Not long after, we had Casey.”

  With a sigh she said, “Erik fully admitted he wasn’t ready to be a parent. He was still mourning the loss of football and was having trouble letting go of college life and moving forward. As soon as Casey started showing signs of... well... Erik just couldn’t connect with Casey. He didn’t want to throw a football or do athletic things. Erik struggled with that.”

  Drew disliked the man more and more by the second. What kind of man couldn’t love his son no matter what? His own father was nothing like Drew, but still encouraged him in what he loved, what he wanted in life.

  As if reading his mind, Baylee said, “It’s easy to judge Erik, but I don’t. He’s not a bad guy. A child like Casey takes extra patience and care sometimes. Erik was barely able to care for himself and me let alone another person beyond that. He filed for divorce two years ago and didn’t want to seek counseling or work on things. We parted ways and I moved here. Started over. We didn’t live in a super small town there, but enough for people to know Erik. I didn’t want Casey to grow up in that shadow.”

  The waiter returned, snapping Drew from his focus on Baylee. In listening to her story, soaking in the details, he’d forgotten anyone else was even in the room.

  “Are you ready to order, sir?”

  “Could you give us another minute, please?”

  “Of course.”

  The waiter moved away again.

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t even looked at the menu.” Baylee picked hers up and started reading.

  Drew could only stare. He’d known strong women in his time. Hell, he was raised by one. But this gorgeous creature, who sat across from him, had her husband walk away from her and their son because he was basically too immature to handle being a grown-up and she had no harsh words. Nothing but acceptance. How was that possible?

  “Okay. You’re looking at me funny.”

  He blinked. “Sorry. I’m just processing everything.”

  “Well, instead of processing, why don’t you tell me what you think looks good on this menu so we can order.”

  They did and Drew called the waiter over to take down what they wanted for dinner.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about things that bring down the evening. You’ve made these nice plans for us. I want you to enjoy them.”

  “Do you always think of other people before yourself?”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “I would. You always put Casey first. You take good care of your mom. The friends in your life adore you...”

  “That’s because I bake for them.”

  “No. It’s because you’re... you.”

  Another smile that lit up the night crossed her face and she slid her top teeth over her bottom lip. A move that made him want to kiss her senseless, public restaurant or not.

  “Let’s talk about you. Let’s talk about baseball.”

  With the way her eyes brightened, there was no way he could say no, but he hoped she wanted to ask about the sport, not how he was doing.

  “How have your training sessions been going with, Tyler? Is that right? You said your trainer’s name is Tyler.” She took a sip of wine and leaned back again in her chair.

  Okay. She did mean how he was doing. However, the thought of sharing with Baylee didn’t send fear through him the way it did with others. He was willing. Something he hadn’t been in quite a while.

  “Yes. My trainer’s name is Tyler. He came with me from New York. He’s staying in a hotel in San Jose near the training facility.”

  “He doesn’t mind that you’ve decided to stay longer?”

  “It’s seventy-two degrees here. It’s not in New York. He’s fine.”

  Her laughter warmed his insides.

  “Training is going fine.”

  “Hmmm, I know you aren’t a man of many words, but I have a feeling there’s more to this than ‘you’re doing fine.’”

  Their waiter set plates down in front of them. Drew’s steak with baked potato and Baylee’s fresh halibut made his mouth water. He hadn’t noticed until that moment how hungry he was.

  Baylee said thank you to the waiter and picked up her fork and knife. “This looks divine.” She cut small piece and placed it in her mouth. A long mmmmmm with closed eyes followed.

  Drew cleared his throat and took a sip of water.

  “Okay. Keep going. You were telling me how things are ‘fine.’” She put air quotes around the last word, her utensils still in her hands making the movement funny. “You know that’s a woman’s MO. To say we’re fine when we’re not. You can’t steal it.”

  He laughed and cut into his steak. “You have me there.”

  “Well, Tyler says I’ve healed well and I should be throwing like I was before.”

  “Should be?”

  Drew took a bite of steak and chewed. Did he dare say it out loud? What if he did? That would make it all real. The mind mess. Him throwing wild. Who was he kidding? It was real. There was no way around it.

  “Tyler thinks I can throw harder than I am. And my pitches are wild.”

  “Wild?”

  Right. Baseball wasn’t her sport. Not yet, anyway. “It means I don’t have any control. The ball is all over the place. It isn’t going where I want it to go.”

  She set her fork and knife down and sat back. “So it’s mental.”

  Her knowledge of baseball was lacking, but her understanding of Drew was uncanny.

  “Yes. Much of baseball is. Especially pitching.”

  “You’re worried you’re going to hurt it again. Your shoulder. If you throw as hard as you can.”

  It wasn’t a question. “Yes.”

  “And you’re scared.”

  And there it was. Laid out on the table in front of him to either brush away like he did with everyone else in his life, or address head-on like he had a knack for doing when he was with Baylee.

  “Yes.” He took another sip of wine and sat back as well.

  “What do you want?” The question came to mind and flew out of Baylee’s mouth before she thought it through.

  She’d always thought herself the type to filter her thoughts before speaking, but something inside her sensed Drew would be truthful in that moment about his feelings, more so than ever before, and she didn’t want to miss the chance.

  Her question threw him off guard, she could tell
, by his furrowed brow and how he cocked his head.

  She said it again. “What do you want?”

  “I want my position on the team. I want to play baseball.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Not the knee-jerk answer you give when asked that. What do you want?”

  He looked out at the window, the sky now dark, lights from a few boats twinkling on the water like lightning bugs. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. His beard was still there, trimmed, but there. The man oozed testosterone and heat. But she focused on those blue-grey eyes of his that studied the night, looking for the courage to answer her.

  “I want to go out on my terms.” He looked at her then. “I want to go out on top. Not as a has-been who tried to come back from injury but just couldn’t cut it.”

  Her heart hurt for him. She’d walked this road before with Erik. But unlike her ex, Drew wanted to stay in his sport for the right reasons. Erik wanted the fame, the attention. Drew avoided it. He loved baseball. End of story. And she saw nothing wrong with wanting to end a career on a high note.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay. So do it.”

  He laughed. A from the gut, all male sound that made her tingle all the way to her toes.

  “That’s it. It’s just that simple.”

  “I didn’t say that.” She picked up her fork again and scooped a piece of fish into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before continuing. “But you know how to throw. I’ve seen...”

  “You’ve seen me throw? When?”

  Ooops.

  Busted. She frowned and put her fork down. Time to pay the piper. “After you left the other night, when we watched a game together, I looked you up.”

  “Oh, you looked me up, eh?”

  His teasing tone mixed with his eyebrows lifting made her giggle.

  “Yes. Yes I did. I watched you pitch.”

  She’d watched him pitch for hours on her computer. Mesmerized by his talent. Every time, his mechanics were the same. His focus laser-sharp. She’d experienced that focus on her and it made her insides go gooey. The man was control personified. He homed in on what was in his sights and nothing else mattered. It thrilled her and scared her at the same time. Of course, seeing the man in baseball pants was a whole other level of attraction for her, but she would keep that little nugget to herself.