Unforgettable (Cloverleigh Farms #5)(11)

“No,” she said. “I thought it would be at Sadie’s wedding. I had planned to wash my hair, put on a dress or at least some real pants, maybe wear lipstick. At the very least, I was going to remain upright.”

I grinned. “I’m sorry if I scared you. You’re sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine. A little startled was all.” Then she opened her arms and gave me a smile, the one with the dimples that rolled time back even further. “So . . . hi.”

At first I was too shocked to react, but eventually I recovered my senses enough to put my arms around her. “Hi.”

She had to rise up on her toes to embrace me—I was a full foot taller than she was—and I leaned forward at the waist so she wouldn’t be pressed against my damp shirt, but damn, it felt good. So good I didn’t want to let her go right away. She even smelled nice—not exactly the same as she used to, but it reminded me of something warm and sweet, and it made me even hungrier. I allowed myself to hold her for a moment before stepping back.

“So how are you?” she asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest again. “I’m okay. How about you?”

“Pretty good.” As she spoke, she pulled her ponytail out and regathered her hair in her hands. “I’m usually alone here this early in the morning, so you surprised me. How was your workout?”

“I’m dragging a bit,” I admitted. “Didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “Just restless, I guess.”

Her face was the same and yet different, more mature—sharper cheekbones, soft grooves on either side of her mouth—and yet still girlish, with its freckles and dimples. The dark lenses of her sunglasses covered her eyes, and for the life of me, I couldn’t recall what color they were. Blue? Brown?

As I watched her put her hair up again, a memory popped into my head—the night we’d had sex, I’d reached over and touched it. That was how the whole thing had gotten started, right? I’d put my hand in her hair and pulled her head toward mine. I hadn’t planned on making a move—that wasn’t the reason I’d taken a detour to the field that night—but in that moment, I’d been unable to hold back. I’d just wanted—needed—to be closer to her.

“Josh seems like a nice guy,” she said, breaking a silence that had grown a little awkward while I was staring at her. “Have you met him yet?”

“Yeah. Last night. I had dinner with Sadie and Josh after my flight got in.”

“How long are you in town?”

“Too long.” I sort of meant it as a joke, but the words came out with more bite than intended.

“Why do you say that?”

I shrugged and looked at my feet. “I just don’t like coming back here that much.”

She looked genuinely confused. “But this town loves you. People are still talking about you around here.”

My jaw clenched as I thought about rental car Steve and the kid at the restaurant last night. “Yeah. And I know what they’re saying.”

There was an awkward pause while she groped for a polite reply. “So what are you up to these days?” she tried. “I heard you, um, retired from baseball.”

“Retired? That’s a polite way to put it.” My words had a sharp edge to them—again, not exactly what I intended, but I hated that I was now an object of pity and scorn when I’d once been worshipped.

She looked confused. “Is there another way to put it?”

“How about I fell apart on the mound during what was arguably the most critical game of my career? How about I tanked my future in baseball because suddenly I couldn’t fucking remember how to throw strikes? How about I failed to prove I was as good as everybody said I was—how about I just fucking failed, period?”

“Tyler, come on. You didn’t fail. You just—”

“Look, I know what everybody around here thinks of me, okay? You don’t have to pretend.”

She stuck her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “I’m not pretending anything. And the only thing I’m thinking right now is something I’ll say right to your face—you’re being a real asshole.”

Brushing past my right shoulder, she continued power walking down the track, her arms pumping angrily. It actually reminded me of the way Sadie didn’t let me get away with shit—or maybe it was that Sadie grew up to be like April, the closest thing to a female role model my sister had in the house.

I remained rooted in place for another minute, jaw clenched, mad at myself for being a dick to her. It wasn’t her fault I’d turned my baseball career into a dumpster fire and didn’t know what I was supposed to do with the rest of my life. And after what she’d gone through, she deserved better from me. Turning on my heel, I ran down the track until I caught up with her.

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her by the elbow.

She jerked her arm away from me and picked up her pace. “Leave me alone, Tyler.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You’ve done it for eighteen years, so just keep on keeping on.”

“No. Come on. I’m sorry.” I darted ahead and jogged backward in front of her. “I’m sorry, okay?”