Page 28 of Rain Delay

“That’s when I wasn’t working for MLB, Wyatt. Stakes are higher now. People are actually taking my shit seriously now.”

I sigh. “I know that.”

Something in the air shifts. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

“Things are different,” she tells me.

“So you’ve said,” I grin at her. I could tell I was starting to get under her nails, and I’m living for it.

“Because they are, Wyatt.”

I don’t push further. “You can still have fun.”

Her brows lifted slightly. “Are you volunteering?”

A smirk curls my lips. “Depends on what your idea of fun is.”

I watch as her cheeks turn red and she just shakes her head. “You were supposed to be here to see a video I made for you, not make things what you’re making them.”

I put a hand on my chest. “Me? I would never stray away from keeping things professional, El.”

“Right…” she drags out, turning her back to me again. “I’ll let you know when it’s posted.”

I smile, moving away from her. “Sounds good.” I tell her before I look at her just a beat longer and then make my way to the door.

I glanced back at her, seeing that she was already back in work mode. “Try not to work all night.”

She doesn’t look up from her computer. “No promises.”

I huffed out a quiet laugh before stepping out into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind me.

Maybe I did too much. Maybe I was starting to cross boundaries that we both agreed we would steer clear of. It was getting harder to listen to those rules.

The rules were starting to feel less like boundaries and more like a countdown. Every day was starting to feel a little easier around her, which should’ve been a good thing.

Instead, the more time I spent around her, the harder it became to remember why I’d convinced myself that I could live a life without her in it.

Chapter 10

Eliana

“MOM, I SWEAR I’M TAKING CARE OF MYSELF,” I say to my mom over the phone.

I had told her about the new job, but I didn’t tell her who the new job was going to be with. She was aware that I was living with the athlete this season; I just hadn’t gained the guts to tell her exactly who the athlete is.

She huffs out a laugh. “I’m your mother; I’m going to be concerned about every little thing, no matter how old you are! Are you eating right? Taking care of yourself?”

“Yes, Mom,” I roll my eyes, leaning back against the chair. “You know how it is during the first month of the season; it’s chaos.”

I can tell she’s in the middle of doing something based on the way her voice wavers in and out of sounding close and then not. There wasn’t much she did these days besides talk to me or my siblings. Or garden. She did love gardening.

I’ll admit I do miss being back home. I haven’t been back to Kimberly since I graduated college. I went up for holidays, but never actually spent time there where I wasn’t ‘required’ to.

The guilt of living only an hour and a half away and not being able to visit more often ate at me more than I’d like to admit. I was her youngest child, and I know that my parents would drop everything in a snap to come see me or my siblings.

Mom and I could talk for hours about nonsense. We always had to have our daily gossip sessions. I liked hearing about the neighborhood drama, and she liked to hear any juicy details I found out about any players or staff members.

“What? Are you hiding something from me? Like a secret boyfriend or something?”