The Slider (Boys of Summer Book 5) Page 9

  I looked back at Charlotte and caught the widening of her eyes.

  “Guardian?”

  I nodded. “I can’t just… decide I want to try something out when I have to think about him. And…” I paused and considered my next words carefully. “And I just got out of a relationship within the last year. It did a number on me.”

  I dropped my gaze back to my lap, remembering Paul’s parting words to me when we broke up.

  “That bad?” Charlotte asked.

  I nodded and looked back at her. “It’s really screwed with me and I worry that bringing someone else into my life when I’m not sure about a lot of things will just… make it worse.”

  Charlotte nodded like she understood. And maybe she did. I didn’t know.

  What I knew was that I felt better having talked to her and gotten what I was thinking off my chest.

  “Oh, it looks like the game is about done!” Callie said from my other side. “Y’all ready to head to the field?”

  “Oh, I need to find my dad,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Emma said. “My assistant, Sue, is grabbing him and will bring him to field level.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  With that handled, when the other women stood and started shuffling out of the row, I did too, falling in line behind them as they led me from my seat and toward Jacob.

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the thought of seeing him after watching him play the game.

  I could freely admit that I’d developed a deeper crush on him after watching him on the field and hoped I’d get to see him before we left for the night.

  19

  Jacob

  Even though we lost the game, I was thrumming with energy as we went to the locker room, Noah walking with me.

  “How was it?” I asked him, wiping my sweaty face on the fabric of my jersey.

  “It was so cool!” Noah said, skipping ahead one step.

  I grinned. “I’m glad you had fun.”

  “Thank you, again, for asking me to come. This has been one of the best days of my life.”

  I sucked in a breath at his words, a warm feeling spreading through me.

  It felt good to know that I was the reason he felt that way.

  He paused at the door to the locker room, eyeing it, then the tunnel.

  “You coming in?” I asked, pausing with my hand on the knob.

  “Can I?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  I nodded. “Yeah, it’s not a problem.”

  I pushed through the door and grinned. Though we’d lost—which seemed to be a recurring issue with us the last few seasons—the team wasn’t down and out like they had been before.

  At least it didn’t seem like they were. Maybe it’s because I was ready to see Zoe again.

  I headed to my cubby and glanced over my shoulder to see that Chase had grabbed Noah and was leading him to the connecting door to the conference room where the food spread was.

  I quickly shed my jersey, wrapped my towel around my waist, and made my way to the shower.

  I made quick work of rinsing off and redressing, walking into the conference room after to join Noah, who I still didn’t see in the locker room.

  I hoped I hadn’t missed Zoe or Dan.

  I pushed through the door, leaving behind the sweaty smell of the locker room for the slight lemon tang of the cleaner used in the conference room.

  A quick glance showed it was mostly empty but for Chase, Noah, and Noah’s family.

  I swallowed thickly as I met Zoe’s gaze, watching as her cheeks tinted pink.

  I blew out a breath as I made my way to her, stopping to grab a sandwich and a plate, suddenly realizing how hungry I was after the game.

  “Jacob!” Noah said, a grin on his face.

  I nodded. “Hey.” I looked at Zoe and asked, “How’d you enjoy the game?”

  “She liked it just fine,” a female voice that didn’t belong to Zoe said.

  I glanced toward the voice and realized I should have paid more attention to who was standing around her. I’d zeroed in on her, ignoring the fact that she wouldn’t be alone.

  I’d need to remember that next time, because she was currently standing with what we all referred to as the Girl Gang. It was made up of the wives or girlfriends of some starters. They were a close-knit group and ones who I hoped Zoe would meet one day if we could get past what I said.

  But it seemed she’d already met them.

  Callie was the one who had spoken, and she was eyeing me with interest. Not the type of interest that said she wanted to sleep with me, but interest in knowing what I thought about Zoe and how I felt about her, I was sure.

  I’d need to be careful around her and her husband, too.

  “I had fun,” Zoe said.

  “You sat down below?” I asked.

  She nodded and glanced at the women before saying, “Yeah. Emma invited me down and I realized that as nice as the Sky Box was, I didn’t want to watch from that far away.”

  I nodded and filed that away for later. If I could get her to come to another game, I’d make sure I got a general admission ticket and not the fancy one.

  “But my dad stayed up there. I think he enjoyed it.”

  I smiled. “I’m glad.”

  We all stood in silence while I continued to eat my sandwich. I’d just put the last bite in my mouth when Callie asked, “So, Jacob, when are you asking Zoe out?”

  I was in the midst of swallowing when she asked, and I immediately choked. I forced myself to swallow, eyes watering.

  “What?” I wheezed, taking the bottle of water Zoe handed to me with more pink on her cheeks.

  “When are you going to ask her out?” Callie asked again.

  I glanced between Callie and Zoe, but Zoe wouldn’t meet my eye.

  Did she want me to ask her out?

  “Uhhh…” I tried to think of something to change the topic or stall. I didn’t enjoy being put on the spot and didn’t want to make Zoe uncomfortable.

  “You pestering people, babe?” Derek asked, wrapping an arm around Callie’s shoulders.

  Callie melted into his side and looked up at him with a grin. “Nah. I was just asking what we all want to know.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “When Jacob is making his move.”

  Derek arched a brow and looked my way. I stared back, hoping my face gave nothing away.

  “How about we let them figure that out on their own without meddling from you or the yenta.”

  “Why would Alvarez want anything to do with this?” Preston asked.

  I looked anywhere but at her. I didn’t know if she knew that he’d already talked to me about Zoe and had been teasing me about having her come out this week. I didn’t want to deal with anymore comments and I didn’t want to throw him under the bus if he wasn’t sharing.

  “I think that’s our cue,” Derek said, tugging Callie closer to him.

  “See y’all tomorrow.”

  They turned and left. A few moments later, the other men came for their women, and it was just Zoe, Noah, and me.

  “Where’s your dad?”

  “Someone named Sue is bringing him down?” Zoe said.

  I nodded. “That’s her coming in now.”

  Zoe turned to look at the door and her dad stepped through, grinning at her before thanking Sue and walking to us.

  “Great game, Jacob,” Dan said when he reached us.

  “Thanks.” I hoped I didn’t sound as surprised as I felt. Considering the hard look I got when I first met him, I thought it would take a while for him to warm up to me.

  “Did you see that line drive he hit in the fourth?” Noah asked.

  Dan nodded and said something in return, but I tuned them out, choosing to focus on Zoe instead.

  She was staring at her feet, the wall, the table. Anywhere but at me.

  “I’m really glad you enjoyed the game,” I said, stepping closer to her and lowering my voice. “And I’
m really glad you came.”

  Zoe nodded and glanced at me before dropping her gaze again. “I had a lot of fun. I forgot what it’s like to come to a game.”

  “You’ll have to come to another one.”

  She looked up again and met my gaze as she smiled and said, “I’d like that.”

  I cleared my throat, the butterflies from earlier swarming again. “Can I walk y’all to your car?”

  Zoe gave a jerky nod and nudged Noah and Dan. “Y’all can continue talking in the car. Let’s head out.”

  The two of them started walking, leaving Zoe behind as they continued talking about the game.

  I watched them and shook my head. “I didn’t realize Noah was that big of a fan.”

  Zoe laughed. “Yeah. This is their thing, actually. They love coming to the games and dissecting things, talking about plays and what could have been done differently.”

  “Sounds like they’re right up my alley. I love reviewing game footage and taking notes, trying to figure out how I could have done better or what I can do to help my teammates.”

  Zoe glanced at me. “You’d fit in well, then.”

  “For sure.”

  We walked in silence and I held the door to outside open for her.

  Soon the only sounds were that of the gravel underfoot and the faint noise of Noah and Dan talking. Most of the parking lot had cleared out by this point, so we didn’t even have car noise.

  As we walked, I gave myself a mental pep talk.

  I liked Zoe. I wanted to see her again. I could ask her out.

  “Are you interested in going to dinner sometime?”

  Zoe sucked in a breath, and I studied her from the corner of my eye.

  “Dinner?” she asked.

  “Yeah. That meal that comes at the end of the day. I’d have to work around my ball schedule, but I’d love to take you out sometime, get to know you better. Apologize again if you need…”

  I trailed off, hoping she’d laugh, and she didn’t disappoint. She laughed and shook her head.

  “Sure, I’ll go to dinner with you. Let you prove you aren’t a sum of what you’ve said in the past.”

  I winced at her words, at the truth in them.

  “I really am sorry for what I said.”

  She reached out and touched my arm. “I know. I believe you.”

  I smiled tightly. “I’ll apologize every day if you need me to.”

  She shook her head. “Nah, that would get old after a while.”

  “Come on, Aunt Z!”

  We both looked toward Noah, who was standing by what I assumed was Zoe’s car.

  “Duty calls,” I joked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. Text me with your off days and we can work something out.”

  I nodded and watched her walking away, trying hard not to stare at her ass with her dad and nephew standing right there. Talk about another way to make a bad impression.

  I stayed where I was, watching Zoe leave until I couldn’t see the lights from her car. Only then did I turn to go back into the stadium to grab my things and head home myself.

  20

  Jacob

  I’d discovered the downside to asking Zoe out for dinner: planning the damn date.

  I hadn’t dated in so long that I wasn’t sure if a simple dinner was okay or if I should do something more elaborate.

  I’ve heard some guys talk about taking their dates out and they went all out.

  It’s not that I didn’t think Zoe was worth it—because she was worth that and more—but I didn’t see the need to flaunt anything. I just wanted to take her out to dinner and enjoy it.

  Which is why I ended up getting us tickets to a concert in the park and packed dinner for us before meeting her at Somerville City Park the Monday after I’d asked her out.

  I’d wanted to pick her up, but she wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. Considering she had Noah and the rocky start we’d had, I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t push her.

  When I pulled into the lot, I saw Zoe’s car and parked as close to it as I could get.

  She climbed out of her driver’s side as I popped the trunk on my car.

  As I walked to the trunk, she smiled and waved before walking toward me.

  “So, what’s going on here tonight?” she asked.

  I arched a brow. “You mean, you didn’t look it up?”

  She shook her head. “You didn’t say, and I didn’t want to ruin whatever it was if you didn’t want me to know.”

  I studied her for a few moments. I couldn’t help but compare her to my ex. As much as I loved Lexi when we were married, maybe she would’ve reacted differently.

  She would have demanded to know what was happening and then probably complained the entire time.

  Zoe was a breath of fresh air in that regard.

  “There’s a concert in the park.” I grabbed the blanket I’d stashed and handed it to her along with the floor chairs I’d grabbed so we didn’t have to sit hunched over or laid out on the grass.

  She stared at the chairs and asked, “What are these?”

  “They’re so we can sit comfortably. I’ll show you when we claim our spot.”

  She nodded, and I turned to grab the last thing, a large tote with our dinner in it.

  I closed my truck and turned to look at Zoe. “You ready?” I asked.

  She nodded, and we fell into step with each other as I led the way to the entrance.

  “Have you come to this before?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, my ex and I would sometimes come.”

  A flash of jealousy raced through me at her mention of the ex, but I tamped it down. He was an ex for a reason, and I had no need to be jealous of him.

  “You?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Nah. I remember seeing it advertised, but during the season it can be hard to make plans. And I’m not one for doing stuff outside the home during the season. My off days I usually veg out on the couch.”

  I winced at my words as soon as I said them.

  “That’s not to say,” I quickly continued, “that I’m not happy to be here with you. Because I am. Happy.”

  I cleared my throat and hoped Zoe didn’t turn around and leave.

  She didn’t. She laughed. Laughed.

  The tension in my shoulders eased at the sound.

  As we reached the outdoor amphitheater, I pulled my phone out and opened the email with the QR code that had our tickets, letting the attendant scan it.

  “Welcome. We hope you have fun tonight,” he said.

  “Thanks.”

  We stepped inside, and my eyes widened. I’d never been in the amphitheater, so I didn’t know what to expect. The ticket I’d purchased was for the lawn, which we were standing on.

  But there were also long stone benches further down, close to the stage.

  The lawn was gently sloping, which meant we could still see once we sat down.

  “Here good?” Zoe asked, coming to stop on an empty space that wasn’t too near anyone else.

  I nodded, and we got to work setting our little area up.

  Once the blanket was flat and the food sitting in the middle of it, I showed her how to sit in the little chairs I brought.

  Her eyes widened when she saw. “No way!”

  She quickly sat on her own, tilting back slightly. “This is so neat!” she said, smiling at me. “I wish I’d known about these before. I have camping chairs for when I go to Noah’s games, but sometimes, there’s no space to stick one. These would be great for that.”

  “You can also use them on bleachers in a pinch.”

  She nodded and continued to stare at herself as she sat.

  I grinned. She was such a goof.

  “So, I wasn’t too sure what to get since this is a first date an all…”

  I started pulling things out of the bag and telling her what they were as I did.

  “I got us a deli sandwich each. Some chips. Grapes. Cheese. Two small bottles of wine plus a non-alcoholic b
ottle of cider. And some cookies.”

  I glanced at Zoe and noted the soft look on her face as she looked at everything.

  I cleared my throat and said, “I hope this is okay. I remembered you ordering a beer at the bar, but didn’t know if you liked wine, so I have the cider if you don’t want wine.”

  She shook her head and smiled at me. “No, this is perfect.”

  I grinned. Her words made my pride swell, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back.

  We split the food and started eating.

  “So, who’s playing tonight?” Zoe asked after several minutes of silence stretched between us.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Let me check the ticket.”

  I pulled my email back up and checked the tickets. “It says that there are two bands tonight. One is a quartet—“ I looked to the stage and saw they were already setting up, “and the other is a southern rock cover band called Southern Sands.”

  Zoe sucked in a breath, and I glanced at her. “What?”

  “Have you heard them?”

  “Which one?”

  “Either!” She was practically vibrating at this point. “But mainly the cover band.”

  I shook my head. “Can’t say that I have.”

  Zoe sucked in a breath. “You are missing out. They’re seriously good.”

  I nodded. “Okay. I look forward to it then.”

  Before we could continue talking, a long, low note rang out through the amphitheater, drawing our attention to the front.

  The note hung in the air for several moments before the quartet started playing.

  I wasn’t a classical music listener, so I had no idea what they were playing. But I could appreciate it as I listened.

  We finished eating while listening to them play. As their set finished, I packed our trash and topped off our wine while they changed the stage over for Southern Sands.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told her, standing. “Going to toss this and find a bathroom.”

  I quickly found a trash can and the bathroom. On my way back to our spot, my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and grimaced at whose name flashed across the screen.

  Lexi.

  I still had no idea why she was calling me since our divorce had been finalized months ago. There was no reason for us to talk.