Page 37 of Catching the Coach
Kara comes up to us with Kade in tow. “Kessler, nice to see you again,” she says with a big smirk on her face.
I return the smile. “Kara, always a pleasure. Kade, great plays out there my man.” I hold my fist out for a bump, which he enthusiastically returns.
“We just came over to say hi and let you know we’re heading home for showers and dinner. You guys are welcome to join us. We’re having burgers and fries.” Kara shrugs her shoulders. “Nothing fancy.”
“Actually,” I say turning to Lucy and Hudson. “I was hoping you two would join me for dinner?” I ask hopefully.
Lucy looks at Kara, who raises her eyebrows and mouths “do it” to her. She looks back at me, uncertain.
“That would be so cool. Can we please, Mom?” Hudson asks, turning out of his mom’s embrace to look at her.
I decide to use this to my advantage. I walk up and put my arm around Hudson. “Yeah, please, Mom,” I say, mimicking Hudson and giving her a pouty lip.
She smirks at me and Hudson. “OK, OK. But,” she says, looking directly at Hudson, “you sir, need a shower first. No one will let us in with that stench.”
We all laugh.
Little does she know that my mom has had that stench in her house plenty of times. But I’m not ready to disclose that’s where we’re going. I think she’d back out if she knew. Kara and Kade take off and I walk to the dugout with Lucy and Hudson to grab their gear. We grab everything and make our way out of the field and to her car. I reach down and grab Lucy’s free hand, lacing my fingers with hers. She looks down at our hands then up at me, giving me a shy smile.
Progress.
We throw the gear into the back of her car. Hudson walks to his side and climbs in. I walk around and open her door for her. She pauses and looks up at me.
“Where do you want us to meet you?” she asks.
“Oh no, I’m following you home. I’ll wait for you guys to clean up, then I’ll drive you.”
She gives me a surprised look. “Uh, are you sure? We can just meet you there, it’s no problem. That way you won’t have to drive us back after dinner.”
I lift my hand and lay it on her cheek, running my thumb across it. “Lucy, I have waited all week to see you again. Not being able to be near you during the game was torture. I would love nothing more than to spend as much time with you as I can. So yes, I am sure I want to drive you and Hudson.”
She visibly swallows. “Ok, then,” she croaks out.
I lean down and give Hudson a wink over her shoulder. “See you soon bud.” Lucy gets into her car and I shut the door. I jog over to my truck parked a few spots away and hop in. I follow Lucy out of the lot and onto the road.
About 15 minutes later we pull up to a small light blue cottage type house with a small neat front yard. Rose bushes line the walkway and small colorful flowers fill the spaces between. Lucy and Hudson climb out of the car and make their way to the porch. I hop out of my truck and follow them up the steps. Lucy unlocks the door and it opens into a spacious living room with the dining room and kitchen connected off to the left.
Hudson heads straight down the hallway and into a room off to the right, which I’m guessing is his bedroom.
Lucy sets down her bag on the entryway table and turns to me. “Make yourself at home. There’s drinks in the fridge if you’re thirsty.” She pops a couple of her fingers and fidgets with a ring on her thumb I’ve never noticed before. “I’m just going to hop in the shower really quick. Uh, where are we going? So I know what to wear, and tell Hudson what to wear.”
I step forward and take her hands in mine, quieting her fidgeting. “It’s casual, just jeans and a T-shirt will be fine.”
She nods her head, but doesn’t say anything. I let go of her hands and run my hands up her arm. “Can I hug you?” I ask, realizing I’ve never had my arms around her.
She lets out a small laugh. “Yes, you can hug me.”
I wrap my arms around her back and envelope her into me. She tucks her head right into my chest and wraps her arms around me. I inhale her scent, a mixture of coconuts and vanilla hits my nose. Her body relaxes into me and mine follows suit. We stand there wrapped up in each other for a few seconds. She pulls away and I reluctantly let her.
“I better go shower so we can get going.” Lucy heads down the same hallway as Hudson and stops at the door of his room. She knocks twice, then opens the door. I hear her say something about jeans and a T-shirt, then shut the door and head into another room at the very end of the hallway.
Hudson comes out of his room a few seconds later, clothes in hand, and heads into a door across from his, I’m assuming the bathroom. He shuts the door and a few seconds later I hear water running. Seeing as I have a few minutes to kill I decided to look around the living area. There are a bunch of pictures of Lucy and Hudson throughout the years. Birthdays, baseball games, a few at the beach. Most of them have Kara and Kade in there and I notice I don’t see any of people who would be the age of Lucy’s parents. I make a mental note to ask her about that sometime, wondering if they’re still alive.
I take my phone out of my pocket and take a seat on the couch. I send my mom a quick text letting her know Lucy and Hudson will be joining me. She texts back a few seconds later.
Mom
Oh Kessler! I am so excited to meet them.
