Page 20 of Dibs
“I thought you said your knee was fine,” a low, familiar voice rumbled behind me.
“Yeah,” I said with a chuckle, glancing at Chase. The bartender placed the drinks in front of me, and I handed over my credit card. “It’s usually fine, but standing on the field all day can aggravate it a bit. I’ve been dealing with it for so long, it seems normal at this point.”
Chase took a seat on the barstool next to me. “I texted you a few times after you left UCLA, but never heard—”
“Thanks for ordering my drink,” Heather interrupted, saving me from an awkward conversation with my former roommate. A conversation I was sure would bring up topics neither of us was prepared to discuss. She sat on my other side and leaned around me to talk to Chase. “Where’s your wife?”
“Uh.” He waved to get the bartender’s attention and ordered a beer. “Actually, Jamie’s my ex. She’s upstairs with our daughter.”
“Oh really?” Heather ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. “You guys get along so well. Gage and his ex can’t even stand to be in the same room with each other.”
Chase quirked an eyebrow, and I shrugged. I had no idea why Heather felt the need to bring up Lisa. I tried to avoid anything having to do with my ex if I could help it. Would things be easier if she and I had a relationship like the Matthewsons?
“We don’t need to talk about my ex.”
Chase cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So, how did you two meet?”
“Well.” Heather smiled. She loved talking about her job. “I’m a reporter for KNWL news, and we were doing a story on the Teacher of the Year award for our local school district. When I interviewed the award winner, the sparks flew. We’ve been dating ever since.”
Chase glanced at me. “You’re a teacher?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I teach history at Coastside High School.”
The three of us continued to chat while we enjoyed our drinks. We kept the conversation to our kids and the team. It seemed as though Chase and I were both a bit apprehensive about diving into learning much about each other. That was fine with me because I didn’t want things to be weird between us since we’d be seeing a lot of each other given our sons were best friends.
* * *
After winningboth games the day before and one earlier in the morning, we made it to the tournament’s championship game. The opposing team was up to bat in the bottom of the last inning with a runner on base and two outs. We were only ahead by one run after a rocky inning earlier. I knew our boys had the talent to pull off a win, but that didn’t stop my knuckles from turning white as I gripped the chain-link fence surrounding the dugout while watching our pitcher set up to throw. The batter swung at the first pitch and sent the ball flying toward center field, where Dylan was playing.
“Let him catch it,” I murmured under my breath.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I watched him track the ball and move underneath it. The sound of the ball hitting the leather of the glove was music to my ears. The parents in the stands cheered as the boys raced back to where I was standing.
Dylan’s teammates gave him high-fives as he passed. When he stopped in front of me, he couldn’t seem to contain his smile. “Did you see that, Dad? That was awesome.”
“It sure was.” I ruffled his dark brown hair. “You did a great job out there.”
After we shook hands with the other team, I had a quick chat with my players before we all headed to the parking lot, most of us having flights that left in a couple of hours.
“Hey, Jase, wait up,” Dylan shouted as we walked toward our rental car.
His friend and Chase stopped and waited for us to catch up.
When we reached them, I clapped Jase on the shoulder. “You played great this weekend.”
A huge grin spread across his face. “Thanks, Coach.”
Our sons began walking together; Chase and I followed a few steps behind. “Thanks again for your help yesterday. The boys enjoyed having you out on the field with them.”
“I had a blast out there. I’d love to help in the spring if the offer is still good. I know you were sort of put on the spot at dinner the other night. You’ve clearly got a great program going, and I don’t want you to think I’m trying to change anything.”
I shook my head with a small smile. “I think Dylan would be pissed if he found out his dad turned down your offer to help with the team. In case you missed it, the kids think you’re the shit.”
Chase laughed. “All right then. I can’t wait.”
* * *
Mondays after travelingfor a tournament were always difficult. I could barely keep my eyes open as I graded a stack of essays before school started. After landing the night before, I dropped the kids off at the house so they could get ready for bed and then drove Heather home. By the time I crawled into bed, it was well past midnight.
