Light Up My Life Read online

  “Oh, is that it?” I asked with a giggle. “Then my plan is working.”

  “Well, shit,” Susie said. She was staring at her phone.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Tammy can’t play softball tomorrow with us,” she said. “We have a few people out with injuries, two people on vacation, and one person is sick. Now we won’t have enough people to play.”

  “I’ll play,” I said. That actually did sound like something fun. Maybe that could get my mind off things. At least there, I could go down swinging and wouldn’t jeopardize my future.

  “You sure?” she asked. “That would be awesome.”

  “Yes,” I said. “I would love to. I used to play in high school. I was a pitcher.”

  “Great. We might need you to pitch, but it isn’t fastpitch. Think you can handle slow pitch?”

  I shook my head. “Oh, I don’t know…” I grinned.

  Susie put her arm around me in the booth. “Thank you so much. You are a lifesaver.”

  “This is true,” I said. “I know. I’m that awesome.”

  She hugged me tighter and then sent a text to her team. I was looking forward to playing. It had been a while since I’d done anything recreational like that. I would have to get out my old glove.

  “Wow, that’s the first real smile I’ve seen on your face all day,” Kayley said. “It’s a great look for you.”

  I stuck out my tongue at her. “You know it.”

  We gave each other a high five and I sipped my martini.

  After a while, a few guys began to approach me. They were cute, but I wasn’t really interested. I took a few numbers, since I declined to give mine out, but I did it mostly to be polite. And besides, it was possible I might find myself wanting some dinner companionship one night. Sometimes, it was nice to sit down and have a meal with someone new, even if I didn’t want it to go anywhere.

  I was trying to force myself to be open minded. I was tired of being sullen and depressed.

  This funk I’d gotten myself in had to change.

  Chapter Three

  Lance

  “Great class, everyone! See you tomorrow. Go get ‘em!”

  I joined in the applause as our training class ended. I was actually interested in some of the new techniques we’d learned about how to move a victim in the field easier. The new trainer, Shelly Henry, was fantastic.

  She was also beautiful. I was not the only one who noticed this, but everyone kept their mouths shut. The brass was really sticking it in and breaking it off about this new fraternization policy. It wasn’t worth the hassle or headache. Besides, one of the veterans, Gary, seemed to have some intentions towards her. Or at least, it appeared that way from the look in his eyes when he was helping her with the demonstration. If the other guys noticed this, they weren’t saying anything. Gary was a good guy and didn’t need us ribbing him about stuff like this. It would only stir things up around the station and possibly get him in trouble.

  I was almost done with my shift, so I gathered up my stuff. I was tired. It had been a long shift, and we’d had several calls. There was something in the air today apparently.

  I clocked out and went home where I fixed some lunch, then showered. After that, I set my alarm and laid down to catch some sleep before the softball game I was playing in. Softball was one of my greatest loves. I’d been a baseball fan all my life, since I was old enough to even throw a ball. It was one of the few things that my dad and I actually had in common. I missed those days of watching games on TV, and the rare occasion that he took me to a live game. It was a simpler time when my dad and I actually got along. He always said I was full of so much potential, and at the time he imagined I would grow up to be just like him.

  I closed my eyes and tried not to dream about anything. But as I drifted off, my mind kept wandering to the days when I was young. A simpler time, before my father really started to express to me how disappointed he was in just about everything I did. It was tough to deal with growing up, but I felt it made me resilient somehow, as I got older.

  When I woke up, I felt refreshed and headed to the game. It was a beautiful evening for softball. It wasn’t too hot, and the sun was shining. I had my sunglasses glued firmly to my head with my strap, my hat was secured, and I was ready to have some fun.

  “Hey, man,” Nate Biggs, one of my best friends said to me jogging over to the dugout. “Let’s warm up.”

  He grabbed a ball and we jogged out to the field where we started to toss the ball back and forth. “So, how’s things going?” Nate asked.

  “Not bad,” I said. “No complaints anyway. Why do you ask?”

  “Just curious. I haven’t seen you for a while. It’s like you never want to hang out anymore.”

  “Nah, I’m just busy,” I replied. “I’ve been working a ton, and I’ve actually had a pretty active social life.”

  His eyes perked up. “Ah, now I get it. You’ve been hanging with the ladies. How many are you dating right now?”

  I shook my head. “It’s not like that. You keep trying to make me out to be some kind of a player, and that is just not the case.”

  “Man, if I had your kind of money, I would be.”

  “You are sad, dude,” I joked. “Besides, you and Mary are perfect for each other. That’s a match made in heaven.”

  “Well, if you say so.”

  “What’s the matter? Trouble in paradise?”

  “You could say that,” he replied.

  “Anything serious?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. Just the typical things.”

  “Uh, oh. That doesn’t sound good…”I teased.

  “Mary thinks I should spend less time at the office,” he replied. Nate was an attorney heading for partner in a large firm and had been working crazy hours.

  “I’m sure she is just venting. She knows how hard you are working.” I threw the ball harder at him. He caught it and tossed it back.

  “I’m not so sure,” he replied. “I sometimes wished I’d stayed single like you and never married.”

  I shrugged. “Not everyone is cut out to be permanently single,” I said. “Some people thrive as part of a couple.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He threw the ball at me. “I’m just not sure which type of guy I am. I mean, why else do I feel like I’m missing something, like life is passing me by?”

  “I think that every married guy goes through that. It’s human nature to wonder “what if”. You just need to remember that you did all that before marriage and now it’s over. You’ve moved on to something else.”

  We finished warming up and took our positions in the field. I played short stop. It was the same position I’d played in high school baseball. I was pretty good at it. There were only a few balls that made it past me.

  I took my position and waited as the game started. As I did so, I happened to glance over the other team, the Timberwolves. Our team was the Lions. The Timberwolves looked pretty good. We had not played them yet this season, but they were doing well from what I had seen. We were undefeated though. I hoped that we could keep this winning streak going through the playoffs.

  As I looked over their lineup, I noticed that they had a new face. A pretty one. Hell, a beautiful one. Wow… she was definitely not on their team the last time we played them. She was tall, slender, but curvy, shoulder length blonde hair, and the most vibrant eyes I’d ever seen. I observed her walking into the dugout as her team got ready to bat. I could not take my eyes off her. The way she walked, a sexy strut that told the world not to mess with her, meanwhile eyes that showed so much passion and strength they drew me into her.

  The umpire yelled, “Play ball!”

  And we were off. I tried to get my head in the game as their big first baseman came up to bat. I was desperately trying not to keep staring at that beautiful woman, but it was extremely difficult. I was smitten from the moment I laid eyes on her. I knew that I had to meet her. It wasn’t often anymore that I felt that way abo
ut a woman. Typically, the attraction was all physical, but this was different. There was more than lust, more like, an infatuation. I had to know more about her, what she was all about, and not just because she was beautiful. No, there was something there that I couldn’t put my finger on. Something felt right, as if I had met her once before but we lost touch despite having a wonderful connection.

  The first batter hit a grounder right at me. It was a rocket, but I was able to grab it off a bad hop before it went into the outfield. I threw a rocket to our first basement Eddie Stump, and he grabbed it a step ahead of the runner. One out down.

  I was glad I’d made that grab. It had almost gotten past me, and this was because I found myself distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman, and I was trying my hardest to stop staring at her. She was peering out of the dugout, and I could see that she was staring back at me, most likely because of the play I’d just made.

  I tried not to lock eyes with her, but it was so hard. She was hypnotic. A wry smile was at work on her sexy lips and as she slowly took her gaze away, I found myself being lured towards her. It took all my willpower to keep my feet firmly on the ground and to get my head back in the game.

  The next batter hit a bouncing grounder to our second basemen, who threw the runner out at first base.

  “Alright everybody! Two down, Play at first! Let’s do this!” I yelled. I was getting pumped up. Our pitcher Rodney Daniels was doing a great job of making the batters chase curves and knuckle balls into the ground. We just needed one more out, and then we’d have the chance to put some runs on the board.

  My heart almost stopped as my eyes spotted the batter strolling to the plate. It was her. It was the woman I could not take my eyes off. Wow… it was even more amazing watching her walk with grim determination to the plate. She was staring out at the field, trying to decide where she wanted to hit the ball, where she could land a base hit. I could practically read her thoughts as she made her way up to the batters’ box. I pounded my fist into my glove and readied my stance. Whatever she did, I was ready for it.

  Rodney went into his windup and delivered the pitch. It was high arcing, but it ended up dropping short and hitting the plate. That was the same short, but deceptive pitch he’d been throwing so far. She wasn’t falling for it.

  She readied herself once again, in athletic stance that looked so relaxed. It showed she was not afraid to take her time and wait for the right pitch. She would gladly take the walk if it came down to that. Ok… here we go…

  Rodney pitched again. It was the same pitch, but this time a bit deeper. I thought she was going to swing too early and get under it for a nice pop up fly, but instead she waited until the right moment and delivered a devastating line drive towards the gap between me and our third baseman.

  It was low enough, but it was traveling like a lightning bolt. I watched the blur of the ball flying past me and by instinct, I dove for it. I stretched my hand out as far as I could. The ball smacked into my glove and I held onto it tightly as I landed hard on the ground. I felt the solid ground pounding into my ribs knocking the air out of me, but I held on all the same.

  I had it.

  Standing up and dusting myself off, I made eye contact with the woman as she jogged back to the dugout. She was looking at me with an expression of disbelief on her face. To be honest, I was shocked I’d caught it too. The ball was coming so fast and hard, I’m not even sure how I stopped it.

  I continued to hold her gaze as she retreated. As my eyes dropped from hers eventually, I could not help that my vision landed right on her ass pressing against the fabric of her thin gym shorts. Wow, she was fine.

  I shook my head trying to get back in the game as I jogged back to the dugout. I was surrounded immediately by high fives. “What a catch!” “Hell yeah!” “Way to go!”

  I sat down and chugged some water as the other team took the field. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the object of my desire was pitching this evening. Interesting… I wondered if she was going to pull out any stops to strike me out. Or maybe she’d be so pissed that I had robbed her of her hit that she would bean me or something. It was slow pitch, but I’d seen people do it. Softball could be quite the brutal game when some people decided to get a bit hot under the collar.

  Rodney was the first batter up. He struck out with three straight pitches, chasing every single one of them. This girl had a fantastic curve and some great movement on her pitches. I was instantly intrigued. This was going to be a challenge. Wow, a woman as beautiful as that, as athletic as this, and as skilled as she was—I was getting so turned on. She was amazing. And I didn’t even know her name.

  Next up was Debbie Alderman. She hit a grounder to the third baseman. Debbie had wheels like nobody else and her speed forced the third baseman to rush his throw. He overthrew at first and Debbie got on base.

  After that Carl Pritkin, our right fielder was up. He hit a pop up and was quickly called out.

  Ok. It was up to me. I was batting fourth. The cleanup slot. I had a runner on base. I needed to get this done. I had to score.

  I strode to the plate and faced the pitcher. I watched her eyes narrow into slits as I stood there in front of her. Yes, this was intense. She bent forward slightly and eyed her target. I took a few practice swings to warm up and give her a bit of a target, right where I liked it.

  She threw the first pitch. It came at me and I instantly saw the fact that it was not spinning. It was a great knuckle ball. It went up high in the air and then it came down right towards me. It was going to clear the plate. I had to swing, or it would be called a strike.

  I waited for the right moment and I swung hard. I felt the bat connect with the ball. I hit it hard. I could feel it, and it felt sweet. Yes!

  I took off running towards first as I watched the ball go. I’d done it. This one had to clear the fence. I was sure of it.

  But my enthusiasm quickly turned sour as I arrived at first just to see the ball clear the fence out of bounds. It was a long foul ball. Damn.

  I jogged back to the plate and picked up the bat. Ok… I’d got a big piece of it. I could do this.

  She was feeling the pressure. I could see that the fact I’d almost hit the ball for a homerun was getting to her, but she looked determined. It was a very sexy look on her. I loved her strong body language, her confident manner, and those intense eyes. Oh, how badly I wanted her.

  She went into her windup and delivered the pitch. This one was a bit straighter, less arc. It was coming right down the middle. It was a bad pitch. I could see that she hadn’t meant to throw this ball to me this way so that I could destroy it.

  I stepped into the swing and swung hard. The ball suddenly dropped about a foot and my bat went right over the top of it before the ball landed right in the catcher’s glove.

  Alright, this was getting interesting. I had not seen that pitch coming. It was some kind of breaking ball. This girl was good. She was a ringer, had probably played high level competitive ball somewhere. I had to stay on top of things here.

  I smiled at her as she got set for her windup again. She smiled right back at me. She leaned forward and got ready for her rotation once again. This was it. I had to make this one count.

  I took a deep breath and waited for the ball.

  “Come on, Kat! Zing him!”

  I listened to the yells from her team’s dugout. Kat? So, that was her name… interesting. A piece of the puzzle solved. Alright, Kat. Bring it on.

  She pitched the ball. It was a high floating pitch that hit the top of the arc and then began to drift a bit to the side as it came down over the plate. I didn’t even think about it.

  I patiently waited and then swung hard on the ball. I knew it was a solid hit instantly.

  As I ran quickly towards first base, I saw the ball sail over the left fielder’s head. It bounced off the fence and he retrieved it to throw it back in. By this time, I was already jogging into a nice double.

  I stopped on sec
ond base and looked up just as my teammate ran into home, RBI double. The ball made its way back to the infield and then to Kat. She caught the ball and stared at me. At first, she was angry, but then she smiled and shook her head.

  She was competitive like me. I loved it. And I could tell she was impressed. I was getting under her skin.

  And that was a good thing.

  * * *

  “Good game,” I said after we finished congratulating the other team. Kat shook my hand and then started to walk away. I felt a bit odd being so close to this amazing woman. She had it all, from what I had already seen. She had the beauty, intensity, competitive streak, and this natural way about her that told the rest of the world that she was a real force to be reckoned with.

  Yet, there was still so much I didn’t know.

  “Good game,” Kat said as she began to walk away.

  I wanted to jog after her, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to indicate that I was interested. At least, not yet. It was ok, I had time. I just had to play it cool. A woman like this would never be easily won. Hell, she probably wouldn’t even give me any feedback until I’d really proven myself. She probably had a hundred guys all vying for a chance to take her out to dinner. Then again, I had a hundred women in the same position.

  But I was tired of that life. I found myself between a rock and a hard place, a catch twenty-two if you will. I did not want a long-term relationship, or - God forbid—marriage, but I did want someone special in my life. I was a bit lonely and tired of dating women that I didn’t have any real connection with.

  “With a little practice, you might become a decent pitcher,” I said. I could not help the shit eating grin that spread across my face. This was too much fun.

  Kat stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around slowly. I could see the anger in her eyes, but also, she was half grinning. I had gotten to her. A woman as hot as her was probably not used to men who didn’t fawn over her or kiss her ass, but I was not most men. I Didn’t need a woman, I just wanted her. But if I couldn’t have her; I’d have to be content with the career, and friends I loved. Another wonderful woman would no doubt enter my life at some point in time. Either way, I won.