I watched as she opened the binder and flipped through listings that she didn’t feel were adequate for my needs. She pulled several sheets from the metal rings and placed them on her desk. “Any of these interest you?”
The first place was nice, but it was pretty far from the field. I wanted to be close, especially for those mornings when the night before seemed to get in the way of me being on time. The next three were kinda stuffy, more for what I imagined to be a city official or politician.
“Okay, this could work.” I held out the last sheet.
“I was banking on you saying that, so I scheduled a showing in twenty minutes,” she said with a smile. Damn, she’s good!
We took my car, and I have to admit, when she climbed into the passenger seat, and her skirt rose, she had a nice pair of sticks.
The house was close, just a few miles from the city and only a twenty-minute drive to the field. We pulled onto a long drive that was lined with trees and ended in a circular lot similar to Ace’s. The house was modern, white brick and square. The front door was massive, the entry way floored with marble and the grand staircase just set the place off. “Wow,” I said and then made my way through the rest of the house. She didn’t bother me, tell me where anything was, just let me walk around and check it out for myself.
The kitchen was huge. I didn’t cook, but for parties it would be nice. A large pool was what sold me, but once I made it upstairs to the master suite, I would have paid double. A large balcony with hot tub right off the room, a large fireplace, huge shower complete with bench and if I had to count, at least one hundred nozzles. “You haven’t seen the best part,” she said.
I followed her, thinking there was no way anything could be better than what I’d already seen. A staircase that spiraled around the back of the house was accessible from the lower level near the pool and a private area off the master bedroom. We walked up the stairs to the roof where it had been turned into a beautiful oasis. Flowers, plants, a large white sofa and a fireplace were only part of the charm. The view was magnificent. You could almost see the top of the stadium from there and from the other direction the impressive Manhattan skyline.
“I’ll take it.”
Ace was ecstatic that I bought the place, but he wasn’t interested in helping me move. I didn’t have much really; at least not anything I wanted to keep. I packed my clothes, a few personal items and stuffed a picture of me and Whitney into my bag. I pulled the ring from my drawer, set it on the bed, and packed everything else before sitting down to have one last moment in the place where her scent still lingered.
I picked up my phone, dialed her number, and listened as it rang.
No answer.
No voicemail.
Clearly, she hadn’t listened to any of my messages nor cleared them out.
It was my sign.
There was no going back.
I tossed the ring box in the very bottom of my bag and headed out, closing the door behind me and walked toward the new chapter of my life.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Calvin
My body shook with excitement, and I thought I would puke as Ace lifted me from the ground and twirled me in circles. Rhett ran onto the field, throwing his arm around my shoulders as soon as Ace set my feet back down on the ground. It was a fantastic game. I’d been in a zone and pitched my first no-hitter!
Reporters swarmed me and shoved their mics in my face as they screamed questions over the top of one another. It was unheard of, un-thought of, a nobody from Indiana, a rookie in his first season with a team that was brand new pitching a perfect game.
“I love you, Whitney!” I yelled into one of the cameras and then ducked into the locker room to rejoice in my moment. It was glorious, I had to admit.
The team cheered and slapped each other on the ass as they pushed past one another to get to me. I felt like I was walking on a cloud, on top of the world, but missing only one thing. My damned heart still ached, no matter how many times I told it to stop.
I can’t count the times I’d laid in bed with Whitney, talking about my dreams of throwing a game just like I had tonight. I’d wanted this moment so badly, but now that it was here, I didn’t realize how little it would mean without her by my side.
Ace was throwing another one of his epic parties, and of course, this time, I was the honoree, but I really didn’t feel like partying. “You driving or you want me to pick you up?” Ace hollered as he headed out of the clubhouse.
“I was thinking about just heading home,” I said.
“Home?” he asked, his tone deeply offended. “I’m throwing this party in your honor.”
I took a deep breath and stopped myself from saying anything snarky. I hadn’t asked him to throw this party, and in my honor? That was a joke. Ace Newman threw parties because it was the second Tuesday of the month, or it was a full moon. Having him throw a party in your honor really wasn’t an honor at all.
“I’m not feeling up to a big party,” I said, hoping he would back off. That just showed how ignorant I really can be.
“Nope, no sulking, you’re coming,” he ordered.
“Okay, I’ll drive myself,” I sighed, realizing that at least that gave me an early out.
I ran home to change and ended up walking around my big fancy house, wondering why I bought it. Ace kept telling me to throw a party, get some ladies in the pool, and make this house a home.
We had totally different views of what a home should be.
I knew if I didn’t leave soon, Ace would have a van load of meatheads breaking into my house and kidnapping me. I grabbed my keys and drove to the party, the one in my honor. What a joke!
“Golden arm!” Sammy yelled, the second basemen on our team. He was a little guy, kinda odd, but always smiling. The front door flung open, and Ace stood there with a smile. “You had ten more minutes,” he said with a grin.
“Before what, you had me kidnapped by a group of muscle men?”
His grin grew and pushed open the door a little wider so I could see three men the size of Mac trucks standing behind him. “Something like that,” he laughed.
It was scary how well I was getting to know him, real scary.
“I’m glad you came,” Rhett greeted me with a firm handshake and a pat on the back. We hadn’t spoken about the night he drove Whitney to the apartment. I guess there was really nothing to say. It wasn’t his fault.
“I heard your message to Whitney on the news, it’s been plastered on every station, I’m sure she got it,” he said in a reassuring voice.
“Thanks,” I said, embarrassed. “Have you talked to her?”
His face changed from friendly to stern with one simple question.
“I mean, I know she was going to do some work for you,” I quickly added.
“If Whitney wants to talk to you, she will,” he said coldly. “I was just letting you know your message will be heard.”
My mind reeled, wondering if Whitney had kept that job with Rhett. If she had, she would be in New York, so if she did hear the message, then she wouldn’t have far to go to reach me.