The waitress came and cleared our appetizer plates, refilled the water, and took additional drink orders. Jeremy excused himself to go to the bathroom. Without him at the table, my stomach twisted as I wondered what embarrassing question my mother would ask next. But Dale decided to take things into his own hands instead of waiting for her to attack.
“Mrs. Jenkins, I totally understand if you’re concerned about me dating Karen and spending time with Jeremy. But let me assure you that while this relationship thing is relatively new to me, my feelings for Karen are very real.”
He looked at me and smiled. “When I saw her for the first time two years ago, I knew she was special. She was standing at the wall at Victory Park and I was all the way across the infield but there was a connection between us I couldn’t ignore.”
Turning back to face my mom, he said around a chuckle, “Trust me, I tried because she turned me down every time I asked her out for two years.” Turning serious, he added, “Once she agreed to that first date, I swore I would do everything and anything to keep her in my life and make her happy. And that includes Jeremy. I love them both and I’m here for as long as they’ll have me.”
Chapter 30
Karen
* * *
“So what are you doing tomorrow night?” Chloe asked.
She’s taking Jeremy to a wall climbing gym then he’s spending the night at her place.
“Catch up on laundry and clean the house. Then I’m getting a mani/pedi at three o’clock, but after that I’m not sure. Watch the game. Read a book. Relax.”
It’s been a long week. I’ve been busy at work, Jeremy has had practice every night except for Wednesday, when we went out to dinner with my parents. Which, I have to say, went well.
“It’s too bad Dale is on the road again or you could have had some alone time.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “Speaking of, I want more details about your dinner with the parents. You said he managed to charm Marge?”
“It seemed like it. Her judgy stare wasn’t so bad by the end of the night.”
“Then I’ll have to talk to Dale and ask him how it’s done. It’s two decades later and I’m still seeing that stare. Which is mind boggling because she loved Jason.”
“She did, but you know it took time. And even though she liked him, she still wasn’t happy we stayed together all those years. She told me I was going to regret not ‘exploring the world.’” I used air quotes around those last three words. “But you know she and my dad didn’t get married until she was thirty and they started dating two years before that. She had a whole life and career before they even met.” I shrugged. “I guess she felt I was missing out by being ‘tied down’ to Jason all those years, but I never felt that way. We were happy together so why go exploring?”
“All true points. You’re not really an exploring kind of gal.”
“I can’t imagine dating the way you and Hope used to. It exhausted me just listening to your stories. And the one girl in my office is always entertaining us with her tales of online dating. It’s at the point where she meets these guys and expects the dates to be bad. So what’s the point?” I shook my head. “I’d rather be alone.”
“I agree and there’s no way I’d do what I used to. It was fun back in my twenties, but I’m much more discerning now.”
“But back to Wednesday’s dinner. I’d warned her to behave and with Jeremy sitting right there, she didn’t say anything. But she can’t control her face.” I chuckled. “The first time that pissy look disappeared was when Jeremy asked Dale how his arm was feeling after getting hit by a pitch. When he showed us his swollen, purple arm, she looked shocked instead of disapproving. Then the inquisition started. I seriously thought she was going to ask about his intentions toward me.”
“But you said Dale cut her off.”
She looked so excited by that fact.
“He basically told her that it took him two years to convince me to go out with him and he’ll do anything to keep me and Jeremy in his life.”
“You know, I’ll admit when I first nudged you to go out with him, I just wanted you to get out and have fun with a hot guy. But Dale has surpassed my lack of expectation and you two are really great together.”
“Things with him definitely turned out to be more than I expected.”
“You love him.”
That wasn’t a question.
“And he loves you.”
Neither was that.
“We actually exchanged the words in Myrtle Beach.” I shook my head and laughed. “This is all still surreal to me but I’m not doubting or questioning it anymore. Dale has let me know how he feels in every way possible and more than that, he makes me happy.”
“He’s definitely a keeper.”
Dale
* * *
“You owe me for this,” I said to Dan as I spotted Monica Blair across the room.
She was one of the see-and-be-seen women I spent time with through the years and the architect of the new children’s wing at our local hospital. Dan has always been involved here, making donations, attending fundraisers, and more importantly, regularly visiting the children.
Through the years, he’s gotten Jack, Cal, and me involved along with a few other teammates. But the four of us are the ones here today for the ribbon cutting.
“That woman is a shark,” Jack said. “I don’t know why you ever spent any time with her.”
“I could tell you but you might blush,” I said. “But seriously, she was just someone to spend time with when I was in town and she didn’t want more than that either. So it worked out well for a while.”
“She strutted you around town like a prize pony and used your name to open doors for her.”
Jack has a point, but I honestly didn’t care at the time. But once I met Karen and decided I wanted more out of a relationship, I stopped seeing her. She wasn’t happy because of the reason Jack mentioned, but eventually stopped calling.
And now she’s here and I do kind of feel like she’s circling me. She’s been talking to the heads of the hospital, but her attention has most definitely been on me.
The photographer asked us for a photo so Dan, Jack, Cal, and I posed. That spurred Monica into action and she rushed across the lobby to my side.
“Can you get a photo of the five of us?” She’d placed her arm on the photographer’s arm to stop his departure. And even though what she’d said was phrased as a question, it definitely wasn’t one.
She plastered herself against my side, wrapping her arm around my waist. Logic would dictate that she should be in the middle. She’s a foot shorter than the four of us and with her on the end, I imagine the photo is going to look lopsided. But honestly, I don’t really care. I just want the guy to hurry up and snap the picture so I can peel Monica off my side.
Just before the guy snapped the photo, I felt her hand slide down to my ass and squeeze. I looked down at her but she just gave me a big smile before turning her attention toward the camera again. I moved out of her grasp and stepped away as soon as the guy had his shots.
She gave me a saucy smile over her shoulder as she walked away.
The guys and I did our thing there and then, since we have a few hours before we have to be at the stadium, decided to go to lunch.
“Thanks for today, guys,” Dan said. “I owe you one.”
“Yes you do. Monica grabbed my ass while we were taking that picture. And I swear that perfume she douses herself in is embedded in my jacket. I need to send it to get dry cleaned.”
I’ll admit that same scent used to be like an aphrodisiac, but now it just turns my stomach.
The waitress brought our burgers and refilled our drinks. We dug into the food, putting a good dent in it before speaking again.
“So Hannah said Karen and Jeremy might be coming up again.”
I nodded and finished chewing, then swallowed and took a drink.
“It’s not definite yet, but it’s looking good.”
We�
��re home for the next couple days, then in Ohio and Texas, followed by a ten-day stretch on the west coast. Then we’re home for nine days. If all goes well, Karen and Jeremy will come stay for at least those nine days.
“You know my wife is taking full credit for your relationship.”
“I’m aware,” I said around a chuckle. “And since she’s the one who convinced Karen to come to my birthday party, I’ll let her take it.”
“If they do come down, you should bring Jeremy to the academy,” Cal said, referring to the Next Step Baseball Academy he and Dan opened last year. “He can work out and get familiar with the place. Maybe convince his mom it’s where he wants to train.”
“I’m sure he’d love it and I’ll bring him with no ulterior motive.”
But I’ll admit, life would be much easier if Karen and Jeremy lived in Myrtle Beach. I can’t ask her to uproot her whole life just to be with me at this point. Once we get through the season, instead of heading to my ranch in Aspen, I plan on heading down to Clearwater instead. I’ll have the whole winter plus spring training to devote to our relationship. After we celebrate our one year anniversary, we can figure out what we’ll do going forward.
Chapter 31
Dale
* * *
“Call Hannah as soon as you can,” Jack said as I got out of the shower.
I didn’t like the look on his face, but instead of grilling him, I went to my locker and grabbed my phone and called Hannah.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as she answered.
“Relax, it’s nothing too awful, but it’s definitely something you should know.”
I’m not totally reassured when she says it’s not totally awful because Hannah has had to deal with some horrible shit through the years. So her idea of awful and mine probably aren’t the same.
“There’s a picture of you and Monica Blair looking pretty chummy circling the internet.”
“It has to be from years ago.”
“It’s from the ribbon cutting at the hospital last week and the headline and copy suggest that the two of you have rekindled your relationship.”
“Mother fucker!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. Dragging my fingers through my wet hair, I squeezed the back of my neck instead of punching the wall like I’m dying to do.
“Right now, it’s just on local sites, but you know how things explode once they get on the internet. I figured I’d let you know so you can give Karen a head’s up.”
“I appreciate it, Hannah. Thank you.”
Honestly, if she didn’t tell me about the picture, I probably wouldn’t have known. I stopped reading stories about me a long time ago.
We hung up and I got dressed in record time. I need to talk to Karen as soon as possible. Jack had obviously filled Dan in on the details because he didn’t look surprised when I told them I was heading to the hotel instead of out to dinner with them like I’d originally planned.
I texted Karen as I waited for my Uber to arrive, asking her if she was available to FaceTime in about a half hour. She said yes with a smiley face emoji so I’m guessing she hasn’t seen the pictures.
As soon as I got to my room, I dialed her number. Normally I use my Mac when we FaceTime so I can get comfortable, but I don’t want to take the extra time to power it up.
Her beautiful, smiling face filled my phone screen.
“Hi there,” she said. “You have great timing. We just got home.” I’d been trying to control the sense of panic I’ve been feeling since speaking to Hannah, but obviously haven’t been successful. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Physically anyway.” I dragged my fingers through my hair. “Hannah just told me that there’s a picture on the internet of me and a woman I used to see with headlines suggesting we’re back together.”
“Oh.”
She looked down and started nibbling her bottom lip like she does when she’s nervous or uncertain. I don’t ever want to make her feel either of those things.
“I want you to know that it’s total bullshit. She’s the architect for the children’s wing of the hospital so she attended the ribbon cutting I was at last week with Dan, Jack, and Cal. I haven’t seen the picture, but honestly the only contact I had with her at the event was during a photo opp and the guys were in it too, so I’m not sure how anyone could come to the conclusion that we’re together.” She continued to look down and bite her lip. “Please say something. Anything. I need to know what you’re thinking.”
Her gaze met mine through the screen.
“So you’re saying there’s nothing happening with this woman?”
“No, nothing. I haven’t laid eyes on her in nearly two years and we were in each other’s company for less than five minutes at that event.”
Karen knows I wasn’t a saint before I met her, but it’s still embarrassing admitting how shallow I kept my relationships. But despite my discomfort, I told her about Monica and explained that she liked spending time with me because of how my name increased her profile in a male-dominated field. I got no-strings sex out of the deal, but thankfully Karen didn’t make me spell that out.
“I realize that most of what’s on the internet is fake but I’m still glad you let me know. It would have been a shock to see the picture without warning.”
I blinked. “So we’re okay?”
“Yeah, we’re okay. Unless there’s something more.”
I stared into her eyes and my mouth curled up into a smile.
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
She flashed a sexy smirk. “I think you’ve mentioned it once or twice. But you can tell me again. I don’t mind.”
Karen
* * *
I flipped through the Netflix menu, trying to find something to binge watch that will numb my brain enough so I can’t think. In the past week, more pictures of Dale and that woman have appeared on the internet, each with a sexy are-they-back-on headline. He swears they’re not, but at this point, I have to wonder if I’m just being a fool.
After dropping Jeremy off at school this morning, I headed back home and curled up on the couch instead of going into the office like usual. While I haven’t officially announced to anyone there that Dale and I are dating, they found out. I can’t face the looks of pity or deal with hearing the whispers today.
Before I could settle on something to watch, my phone rang. I held my breath until I saw Chloe’s name on the screen. I’m sure Dale will call as soon as he sees the latest picture and I can’t handle talking to him right now. My thoughts and feelings are just too jumbled.
I swiped my finger and Chloe’s face filled my screen. A second later Hope appeared.
“I just saw the latest. How are you?” Chloe asked.
There’s no way I can answer that, so I just shook my head.
“Sorry but I’m behind on this,” Hope said. “I’m looking up the picture now.” Her face fell. “Oh shit.”
“Well said.” My chuckle held no humor.
The latest picture shows Dale and Monica lying on the beach facing each other, him in board shorts and her in a tiny bikini. His hand is resting on her hip and hers is on his chest.
“What are you thinking?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t know what to think. He swears he’s had no contact with her in two years and I bought that after the first picture. But this is what, the eighth one? I want to believe him, but at this point, I’m afraid I’m just being gullible.”
“Have you talked to anyone else? Hannah?” Hope asked.
I shook my head. “It’s not a good sign if I have to check what Dale is telling me with someone else, is it?”
“I guess not,” she said.
“Are you still going up there in a couple weeks?” Chloe asked
“I hate to disappoint Jeremy but I don’t know how I can go if this continues.” Dale’s name flashed on my phone. “He’s calling right now,” I said, then hit the decline button. “I need to get my thoughts together
before I talk to him.”
“I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’m going to give it anyway,” Chloe said.
“Now there’s something new.” I rolled my eyes.
“I believe him. What he told you about that woman using their relationship to further her career makes sense. I did a little digging and rumor has it, she’s starting her own firm. I’m sure she’s behind the articles. And he said they were involved which explains the pictures.”
“See that makes sense,” Hope said.
“It does, but I still need some time to process all this. I mean, if this Monica person is doing this, who else is going to pop out of the woodwork with their own stories?”
“So you’re breaking it off with him?” Chloe asked.
I blinked back the tears thoughts of that brought on and swallowed.
“I think we need to take a break.”
My phone buzzed and Dale’s name popped up on my screen again. Instead of declining this time, I said, “That’s him again. I better go tell him what I’m thinking.”
Chapter 32
Dale
* * *
This fucking break is driving me insane. And I swear, Monica Blair better hope I don’t see her because I won’t be responsible for my actions.
My teammates have given me a wide berth and I can’t blame them. I’ve been miserable. I haven’t spoken to Karen in a week and it seems like forever.
After getting my shoulders rubbed down, I took an extra-long shower, turning the water as hot as I could stand it. I’ve been so tense lately, my back and neck feel like they’re made out of cement. Plus I have a headache I can’t shake.
The good thing is that the locker room is mostly empty by the time I get out of the shower. I dried off and stepped into my boxer briefs and pants.
Swing and a Kiss: Carolina Waves Series Book 4 Page 22
