Heart of the Game Page 15

  A date? Most of the time it didn’t feel like she and Duke were on a date. Dates didn’t involve children. Dates didn’t involve parents. Dates didn’t usually involve midday drives to middle-of-nowhere Missouri. She could generally convince herself they weren’t on a date at all until Duke would glance away from the windshield long enough to make eye contact. When their eyes met, Duke communicated a hope she couldn’t deny feeling, too.

  “Can we at least watch the game at your parents’ house?” Joe asked, obviously still trying to work through his conflicting emotions about the schedule for the day. His excitement about being invited to Duke’s family’s home warred with his discomfort about the two of them missing yet another game, and this time to attend a birthday party for a baby.

  “Absolutely.” Duke pulled the car onto a residential street at the edge of town. “You’re headed into friendly territory, Joe. Almost everyone there today will be as excited about the game as you. It’ll be on in the living room and the kitchen, and they’ll listen to it on the radio out by the pool.”

  The news seemed to relax him a little. “And we’ll get there before first pitch?”

  “We’re here now.” Duke pulled into the driveway of a tidy little ranch home with beautiful landscaping.

  “Good.” He unbuckled his seat belt and reached for the door, but Molly stopped him in mid-grab.

  “Freeze. No one goes anywhere until we lay down the ground rules.” She turned in her seat until she could see both boys. “I want best behavior. That means your table manners, yes ma’ams, pleases, and no thank yous. Got it?”

  Both boys nodded.

  “I want you to be polite to Duke’s family and careful around the pool. Sunscreen for both of you, and floaties for Charlie anytime we’re outside.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Joe replied.

  Charlie added a “Yes, Mama.”

  “And you.” She turned to face Duke. “No running off with your brothers as soon as we walk in the door.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she answered with only a hint of irony.

  “I’m serious. You need to make proper introductions and stay by our sides until we get acclimated. I haven’t been to an event like this since before Joe was born.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Tony’s family was entirely too formal for pool parties or cookouts.”

  “But what about your family’s—”

  Her stern glare did its job of cutting off the line of questioning, and Duke recovered quickly. “Right, stay by your side. No argument there.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded and unbuckled. “Then let’s go.”

  They got out of the car, but before Molly could turn to undo Charlie’s car seat, Duke gave her hand a little squeeze.

  The move was sweet and reassuring, but the intensity in her eyes carried something deeper, more intimate. “My family’s close. I can’t promise we won’t get rowdy or goofy or socially awkward, but I promise you won’t feel alone today.”

  And she hadn’t. An hour later they sat together in folding chairs between the main pool and the kiddie version Duke’s parents had set up nearby for the little ones. Charlie splashed happily in the children’s pool while Joe dangled his feet in the deeper water and talked baseball with Duke’s younger brother, Nate, as they listened to the start of the game on the radio. Duke’s mother and sister-in-law were inside with the napping birthday girl. Her father and older brother drank beer on the patio. Everyone seemed happy and accounted for.

  The Duke gene pool was nothing if not persistent. Duke’s siblings all had their father’s coloring: sandy hair with complexions that seemed almost golden in the sun. The only major indicator of Duke’s mother’s involvement was her daughter’s bright blue eyes, though those were currently covered by a pair of aviator sunglasses.

  “Those two hit it off,” Duke said, nodding in Joe and Nate’s direction.

  “Yes, I heard them talking about on-base percentages versus batting averages earlier.”

  “That’s not surprising. We all love sports, but Nate’s the intellectual of the family, while Aidan’s more of the natural athlete.”

  “And which one are you?”

  “The middle child. Not the oldest, not the youngest, and not happy about being the only girl.”

  “Your parents noticed you only for the wrong reasons?”

  Duke shifted in her seat, reminding Molly she was almost absurdly protective of her parents. “I wouldn’t say that exactly, but…”

  “It’s okay. Me too.”

  “You’re a middle child?”

  “One of them, anyway. Two older and two younger. Three boys and two girls total.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of kids. How did you ever get noticed at all?”

  “I didn’t usually, unless I got in trouble.” She kept her voice steady and light despite all the memories that could’ve overwhelmed her. She’d had plenty of practice keeping them at bay. “Usually for sassing my parents or refusing to fit their expectations of how young ladies should behave.”

  “What—you? Speaking your mind?” Duke feigned disbelief. “I can’t picture you bucking up against authority at all.”

  Molly smiled despite the fact that those encounters hadn’t seemed funny at the time. “I guess I’ve always been independent. Maybe that’s why I’m not tougher on Charlie. I should probably make him eat better or rein in his wild streak, but I remember what it felt like to chafe against their ideas of who I should be. I want my boys to be themselves with me without having to fear…” She trailed off, not wanting to even think about the end of that sentence.

  “You’re an amazing mom, Molly.” Duke turned to face her, but Molly couldn’t see her eyes under the dark glasses. Still, her voice held only sincerity. “And you’re raising two wonderful sons. I’m not a parent, but if I were you I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “Thank you. I’m not sure about the amazing part. I make plenty of mistakes, but I know I won’t make the same ones my parents did.”

  “Earlier, I got the sense you didn’t want to talk about your family.”

  “I don’t usually.” Maybe the family-centered setting or the relaxed atmosphere opened the door to subjects she normally avoided. Talking about her family reminded her of a time when she’d felt terrified, isolated, judged, and worst of all, vulnerable. Duke made her feel safe and secure and admired in a way that balanced out or even overruled the emotions tied to her past. “They’re conservative, my parents. Ultra-religious—not the loving, faithful kind, the fire-and-brimstone variety.”

  “How did they handle your coming out?” Duke asked cautiously.

  “They didn’t. They never got that far. They threw me out when I got pregnant with Joe.”

  “What?” Duke sat up, planting both of her sandal-clad feet on the ground between them and snatching off her sunglasses.

  “Sex before marriage is a sin.” She tried to shrug off the comment, but she couldn’t help steal a glance at Joe. “They saw him as my punishment and couldn’t stand the living reminder of my shame.”

  Duke’s face flamed an angry shade of red, the bright blue of her eyes fading to ice. “Sin? Punishment? Shame? How can anyone look at that boy and not see what a miracle he is?”

  Molly’s eyes filled with tears she’d held back for a decade, and Duke’s hardened features melted as quickly as they’d frozen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wanted to keep things light today. I’m not good at small talk, though.”

  “No.” Molly pressed one of Duke’s hands between her own, feeling the strength shrouded in softness, a combination that carried through all the way to Duke’s heart. “You’re very good, actually. You expressed my feelings on the subject perfectly. That’s why I got choked up. I was happy you saw the situation so clearly. People usually react with pity. That’s why I quit telling them.”

  “Pity for who? I hate that you had to go through such a major life event without a supportive family, but you got the better parts of
everything. You got your freedom, you cleared your life of people who didn’t love you like you deserved, and you got Joe.” Duke’s smile once again encompassed her whole face at the mention of his name. “The only person I might pity is your family for not getting the chance to know him, but honestly, I can’t find any sadness in myself for people who choose judgment over something as beautiful as the life you created.”

  Duke had reached inside her heart and given voice to her most deeply held beliefs. The feeling of connection, of belonging, of relief pushed out from her center, expanding her chest, washing out through her limbs. Riding the wave of emotion, she impulsively kissed Duke on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she lifted her finger to the spot Molly’s lips had touched as the area blushed crimson. “For what?”

  “For being so…so you.”

  “Sarah’s got a girlfriend. Sarah’s got a girlfriend,” Aidan called from across the pool. Molly looked up to find everyone looking in their direction. How long had they been watching?

  “Shut up,” Duke called.

  “Shut up’s a bad word, Duke,” Charlie called in a singsong voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

  The whole family laughed, breaking the tension. Molly quickly looked to Joe, who was laughing along. If the girlfriend comment bothered him, it didn’t show.

  Duke’s blush deepened, and her eyes narrowed like a cat ready to pounce, but she turned back to Molly. “I didn’t tell him you were my…I mean, he’s just…he teases me.”

  “And what do you usually do when he teases you?”

  She grinned slightly. “I usually dunk him.”

  “But?”

  “You asked me to stay with you.”

  Molly squeezed her hand tightly once more, then let go. “You have my permission to go throw your brother in the pool.”

  That was all the encouragement Duke needed. She already wore a pair of red swim trunks, but she stood and stripped off her baggy Cardinals T-shirt, revealing a sleek black swim shirt that hugged her skin tightly enough to showcase the indent of her oblique muscles. Molly hadn’t given any previous thought to what kind of swimsuit Duke would wear, but now she couldn’t imagine her in anything else. The combo was tomboyish and playful on the surface but showcased a powerful female form underneath. Molly couldn’t do anything but stare as Duke strode confidently around the pool.

  “Hello there, little sister.” Aidan smirked. “Nice to see you.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a while. How about a hug?”

  Aidan rose slowly until he stood several inches taller than Duke. He also carried at least an extra forty pounds.

  “You might want to get your wallet out of your pocket,” Duke warned. She had everyone’s attention now as they all stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. Even her mother stepped into the doorway from the kitchen.

  “Getting a little cocky up in the big leagues, are we?” He chuckled, looking her up and down as if sizing her up. She wasn’t a small woman, but compared to his build, she didn’t look like much of a challenge. Still, he must have seen something there or maybe he’d learned from past experience because he reached in his pocket and tossed his wallet onto the patio table.

  Duke lunged. She struck fast with a ferocious bear hug, pinning Aidan’s arms to his side and lifting him off the ground. Caught off guard, he stumbled a few steps toward the pool, but she couldn’t carry him the whole way. He regained his footing a few feet from the edge and crouched low in a wide stance. They scuffled and twisted, both of them scraping for more leverage. Aidan could have probably overpowered her if Duke hadn’t gotten the better position early on. She slid lower and worked her shoulder into his chest, then with one last thrust sent him over the edge. The splash of his body sent a wave crashing over the wall, and Duke did a little rain dance in the puddle.

  Everyone cheered and laughed, even Aidan as he bobbed up and down in the deep end. “Good to know you haven’t gone doughy sitting in the press box all day.”

  Molly shook her head. Nothing about Duke could ever be described as doughy, and she’d be damned if that didn’t turn her on a little bit.

  “No hard feelings?” Duke asked.

  “Not at all,” he answered overenthusiastically and reached out to her. “Give me a hand up?”

  Duke shook her head. “Not a chance.”

  “Sarah,” her mother warned in a tone only a mother can use. “Don’t be a poor sport. Go help your brother up.”

  She sighed heavily but didn’t dare argue with her mom. “Yes ma’am.”

  Seeming resigned to her fate, she neared the edge of the pool and extended her hand to Aidan. He wasted no time in taking the peace offering and using it to pull her in beside him. She curled into the water with much more grace than he had, then surfaced a few feet away and shook the water out of her hair. If Molly had found her sexy before she dove into the pool, the wet and disheveled look pushed her over an edge of her own.

  God, what had come over her today? Duke wasn’t her type at all. She didn’t tick any of the boxes on Molly’s must-have list. She wasn’t feminine, or even pretty really. She wasn’t quiet or refined. She didn’t lead a normal, steady life. Sure, she had a good job, a cool job, but she didn’t work normal hours or bring any sort of consistency to their lives. She liked boys’ games and roughhousing instead of bubble baths and romantic comedies. She liked hot dogs and soda instead of wine and fine dining. Duke had nothing in common with the woman Molly’d dreamed of meeting.

  Duke splashed Joe, teasing him away from the radio and into the water. Molly had to concede one point to Duke: she was amazing with the boys. The one item she did satisfy on Molly’s wish list in a partner happened to be a pretty big one. And while she was being honest, Duke wasn’t as feminine as the type of women she generally found attractive, but she did have more than a few appealing physical features. Her eyes, for one, were enthralling; her hands, too, soft and strong, with long, graceful fingers. Today’s swimwear also revealed a few of the curves her work clothes often kept hidden, though even her usual khakis flattered her hips and backside.

  “May I join you?” Lorelei Duke interrupted Molly’s thoughts.

  “Of course.” She hadn’t had much time to talk to the matriarch of the Duke family yet, but she liked her, and Lorelei had doted on the boys all afternoon, stuffing them with treats and spoiling them with compliments. “Thank you so much for having us. It’s been such a wonderful day.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “I am, very much so. And the pool is such a nice way to keep the kids cool on a hot day.” She smiled as Charlie jumped from the edge into Duke’s arms. She made motorboat noises and spun him around.

  Lorelei laughed lightly. “Then again, some of the kids are bigger than others.”

  “Sometimes she does seem like one of the boys.”

  “She always has,” Lorelei said wistfully. “When I had a girl I envisioned pink dresses and pigtails, baking and baby dolls. Instead she wanted grass-stained jeans, muddy boots, and baseball. Always baseball. When she told me she favored women, I thought, thank God she’s got an interest in something that doesn’t involve a bat and a ball.”

  Molly marveled at the admission of how Duke’s upbringing differed from her own. “So you’re saying nothing much has changed.”

  “She’s been pretty much the same person from the time she turned eight until a couple months ago.”

  “Oh, what happened then?”

  “I’m not certain, but the day we met you at the stadium, Sarah seemed different. She paid attention to you and your sons, even with the expanse of her home field in front of her. She turned to you and Joe for affirmation instead of to her father. I’ve never seen her seek anyone’s approval but his.”

  “Not even yours?”

  Lorelei waved her off. “She never had to work for mine. Dale always presented more of a challenge for her, and her for him. They’ve danced around each other their whole liv
es. His interests always became her interests until she saw him next to your family. Now when she calls, she’s as likely to tell us stories about Joe or Charlie as she is about baseball.”

  “I didn’t know.” Molly remembered that day, but she’d been in mom mode, eager to protect Joe. She hadn’t considered Lorelei might have also been seeing her child in a new way. “I’m surprised she thinks of us outside of the ballpark.”

  “Are you? She brought you here, and on a game day no less.”

  All true. She’d known instinctively this weekend was important for Duke, for all of them maybe. She’d admitted last night she was learning to see herself differently. Maybe Molly was seeing her differently, too, or maybe not new so much as a more complete version of the woman she’d already known was special. Watching her wrestle with her brother showed a physicality Molly’d never seen before. Talking with her about her own family showcased first ferocity, then tenderness and understanding of someone she could confide in. Seeing her brother’s teasing, her mother’s adoration, her father’s challenge made Molly marvel even more at Lorelei’s comments about Duke choosing to share that kind of attention and affection with her.

  Molly could practically feel her heart opening, expanding, as Duke took hold of an ever bigger piece. She tried to remember her earlier internal arguments about why Duke wasn’t her type. She attempted once more to list all the reasons she didn’t fit the list in her head, but every time she looked at her, bright-eyed, playful, attentive, and even sexy, she had a harder time summoning the image of some abstract dream date she’d so recently held in her mind. Duke might not have been anything like the woman she’d wanted to fall for, and yet she was falling for her anyway. Maybe there was no logical explanation, or maybe Sarah Duke had simply revealed herself as better than her box score, too.

  Top of the Fifth

  Don’t Mess with a Winning Streak