The tightness still twists in my gut as I get settled, but it’s a bit lighter. I’ll take it.

Val helps me get my accounts live again, and we slide through the matches. As we flag the ones we like and wait to see if we’re a hit, it takes my mind off the baseball player who, in the right situation, could have been a total home run.

It’s too bad that I’m a strikeout queen.

CHAPTER SEVEN

COLE

Do you have everything?” Mom tosses her mustard-colored bag over her shoulder and looks at me like we’re headed to the World Series. Pure excitement.

I hold my hands out in front of me. In one of them is my wallet and the keys to Dad’s truck. In the other is a travel tumbler that she filled with coffee while I took a quick shower.

“If we’re running errands in town, I’d say that I’m good to go,” I say. “But if the look on your face means anything and I was mistaken, now is the time to tell me so I can prepare.”

She squeezes my biceps as she walks by. “Nope. Just running to town with my son for the first time in years.” She holds the front door open for me. “I’m just excited to show you off.”

I stop on the threshold. “Then you better make sure you never open a door for me again, young lady. That’s my job. Do you want Dad coming out here and kicking my ass?”

She laughs.

I reach over her head and press my palm over the door. “After you.”

“Thank you.”

We make it to Dad’s truck and climb in. Mom settles herself in the passenger’s seat, then buckles up while practically bouncing around the cab. I get strapped in and then get us backed out onto the gravel road.

The rock crunches under the tires as we roll quietly away from the house. Trees line the road with bright-green leaves. Flowers bloom in the ditch and under the trees, just starting what my parents promise is a show from Mother Nature in the spring.

“What do you think of it here so far?” Mom asks as casually as a woman amped up on caffeine can.

“I haven’t seen a whole lot of it yet.”

“Didn’t you go for a jog yesterday?”

I nod.

“And to Fletcher’s. And Bud’s?” she asks.

“Yeah.”

“Then you’ve seen Bloomfield.” She smiles. “It’s so lovely, isn’t it?”

I stop at the stop sign, turn on the blinker, and then make a right turn to town.

“It’s a nice little town,” I say.

“Oh, honey. It’s better than a nice little town. The people here are so friendly, and the weather is unreal. You get all four seasons, and sometimes you get all four in a day!” She laughs as if this is the funniest joke ever.

I ignore her nudge toward a discussion about my future.

“Fish is going to come up next week and hang out,” I say. “I told him you wouldn’t mind.”