Page 77 of Rain Delay

I was not expecting her to come here. I was actually hoping Wyatt would’ve been home when she arrived so I didn’t have to face her alone for the first time since the break up.

It was the first time in five years I had seen Willa. It was a little shocking to have her outside like she’d been living in this house. It was like nothing had ever happened. Like our friendship never ended and she was just here visiting both myself and Wyatt.

We’d been best friends at one point. Inseparable, actually. There were times I hung out with her more than Wyatt, we swapped clothes and secrets and swore we’d be in-laws by now. But then Wyatt and I ended, and the silence that came with Willa’s end was painful.

I smile at her. “Me? Never.” I tell her, setting my Kindle on the table next to me. “Good to see you, Will.”

“Shouldn’t you be with Wyatt at practice? Don’t you have to like to get videos of him and stuff?” Wyatt’s sister, Willa asked me as we sat outside by the pool.

The sun was doing its best to fry the tension out of my shoulders, because it definitely was hard to keep my composure with Willa sitting feet away from me.

“Normally, yes, but he was doing a modified batting practice today as he’s still trying to take it easy with his injury,” I comment, taking a sip of my water.

I tried to ease the tension. I didn’t really know how to act around Willa these days – I wasn’t even expecting her to be spending the weekend here. It was a family weekend at the ballpark, so all the families of the players would be coming to the games, with a little pregame breakfast on Sunday.

Willa set her drink down and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “Look, El, I’m going to be real with you because I don’t know how to be anything else with you,” she starts. “And normally I wouldn’t be so upfront about it, but if it’s just you and me talking, figured it’d be easier.”

I give her a peculiar look. “Alright…”

When Wyatt told me you were the one he was working with this season, I thought he was crashing out. But then he told me you were actually here, like living with him, then I knew he wasn’t joking.”

I felt the heat in my cheeks creep up. “I didn’t really have a choice in where I stayed or who I was staying with,” I told her. “It was totally a mystery to me until I saw him in the hallway upstairs when I was unpacking.” I shrug, fixing my sunglasses. “Things are professional.”

“Right, and I’m the Pope,” she snorted, a familiar look in her eyes. “I know Wyatt. I know that look he gets. He’s been a walking ghost for the last five years, it was so hard to get through to him. Since you’ve been here, he’s actually present and alert with everyone again.”

I traced the condensation on my glass, looking out to the pool. “My parents are still unsure about the whole thing. My dad especially – He thinks Wyatt is going to leave again.”

Willa’s expression softened, the humor fading into something more protective. “You and I both know he made a massive mistake five years ago. You two were young, he was scared of how much he loved you, and thought he had to choose the girl or the game. He chose wrong. He knows that. You know that.”

“Did he tell you all of this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“He didn’t need to,” Willa reached across and grabbed my hand. “He’s been showing it in the way he’s showing up for the family now, how he’s got that spark back in him, and the way he talks about you to me? He’s really trying.”

The weight of the words settle in my chest, a mixture of relief and anxiety. Before I could respond, the sound of the back sliding door closing echoed to where we were sitting.

“Hello?” Wyatt’s voice boomed from the patio.

“Speak of the devil,” Willa winked at me. “Watch how he looks for you first.”

A moment later, Wyatt was walking towards us. He was still in his practice tank and a pair of shorts, hat worn backwards as his eyes found mine. The corners of his mouth quirk up, and that intense gaze settles over me.

“Hey you,” he said, his voice dropping a little.

“Hi,” I say, smiling small at him.

Willa clears her throat loudly, a stupid smirk on her face. “I’m here too, little brother. Glad to see where your priorities are exactly where they need to be.”

Wyatt rolls his eyes, walking over to his sister and gives her a hug. “I know you’re here too, but I was looking for the person that actually lives in the house with me.”

Willa let out a dramatic groan, throwing her head back against the lounge chair. “God, you two are nauseating. I preferred it when you were just talking about her.”

Wyatt ignored her, his hand lingering near the back of my neck, his thumb tracing the hairline there. “Practice ran a little late. The batting session went a little later because Skip wanted to make sure I was ready to return.”

I turn to face him and smile. “You’re cleared to play?”

“Yeah,” he said, and wasn’t stubborn about it. “No blurring. No headaches. I’m cleared to start on Sunday’s game.”

I felt this surge of pride swell in my chest. I was so proud of him for how hard he’s been working to return to the game. I know how much it was eating at him to get back on the field, and now he had the all clear, I saw that spark return in his eyes.