Foul Pole by Tina Gallagher
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leo
“I can’t believeyou’re here and your wedding is in two weeks,” Keera said to Nori.
“The wedding is so low-key. Once we found a venue, the rest just kind of took care of itself. I have to pick up my dress when we get back, but that’s pretty much it.”
I’ll admit I was shocked when Trey called and said they were coming up to visit so close to the wedding. I figured they’d be running around taking care of last-minute details. Besides, it’s freaking freezing and the snow that got dumped on us by the storm that blew through a few days ago is not going away because of the frigid temperatures.
Of course, once my sister found out Trey and Nori would be here, she decided to come too. I told Anjannette to invite Keera because I want to get to know her better. Our short conversations coming and going at the studio aren’t cutting it. Supposedly for that same reason, Anjannette also invited Clay, who should be here any minute. I think there might be some matchmaking going on, but I won’t complain about that. There are worse people Angie could date.
“You’re seriously the calmest bride I’ve ever seen,” Angie said. “I was in two weddings last year and I swear I was ready to throat punch the brides by the time the big day arrived, and they were my best friends.”
Nori shrugged and looked at Trey, her eyes full of love.
“As long as Trey and I are pronounced man and wife, nothing else about the day really matters.”
“See how lucky I am?” Trey said in a sappy voice I wouldn’t have thought him capable of a year ago.
“Awww, that’s so sweet,” Keera said.
“I’ll tell you what’s really sweet, my parents are shutting the store down for four whole days to attend. That should be written in the history books,” I said.
“They've never closed like that before?” Anjannette asked.
“Random days here and there, but I could count those on one hand. Usually it's for family weddings. But since all our family lives closeby, they usually manage to work at least part of the day.”
“But Trey is special.” Angie added attitude to that last word.
“You know your mom loves me best, especially now that I’m getting married.” Trey rebutted. “She keeps saying if one of you got married, they’d close the store.” He chuckled. “Hell, at this point, they'd probably declare it a holiday.”
Angie threw her napkin and hit him square in the face.
“Jerk.”
Trey stuck his tongue out and Angie opened her mouth to say something but just started laughing instead.
“I want to know about the most important part,” Keera said. “Where are you going on your honeymoon?”
“We’re touring England, Ireland, and Scotland.” Nori squeezed Trey’s arm. “Thankfully this guy is a pro at navigating on the left side of the road from the right side of the car. We’re getting a rental in each country and we’ll just roam around. There are a couple major spots we want to see, but other than that, we’re going wherever the roads take us.”
“That sounds like heaven.”
“We talked about going to Iceland, but January is the coldest and darkest month there and the weather is really unpredictable. So we’ll go there some other time.”
“How long will you have after you get back before you have to report to spring training?” Angie asked.
“Four days,” Trey said.
“Are you going?” Angie asked Nori.
“Not immediately. I have some commissions booked that I want to get done.”
“So business is still going well?”
“It’s going better than well,” Trey answered. “My soon-to-be-wife is in demand.”
“I’ve been really busy,” Nori said. “I’m trying to figure out a schedule that will work once Trey is on the road so we’re never apart too long. Being based out of Myrtle Beach makes it easier when he’s home, for sure. But this is still relatively new for us, both my business booming and the logistics of keeping our time apart to a minimum.” She shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. All the other couples do.”
“Let me know when you’ll be in St. Pete,” Angie said. “I’d like to go and it would be fun if I had someone to hang with.” She looked at Anjannette. “Do you plan on going to spring training at all?”
“Oh uh, I don’t know.”
She looked unsure of what to say, so I interjected.
“We haven’t talked about it yet. I’m hoping she’ll be able to come down, but with the studio, I know it’s difficult for her to get away. So we’ll play it by ear.”
“Thankfully I have a great friend and awesome teacher who’s running things for me when I go to your wedding,” she said to Nori, then looked at Keera and smiled. “But I don’t want to abuse that or she’ll get angry.”
“Hell, maybe we’ll just let Clay run things and we’ll both take off for paradise in the middle of winter.” Keera laughed, but I’m not totally sure she’s joking.
Angie brought the conversation back to Nori’s business and I listened with half an ear as she discussed something new she’s been working on. I heard the words book covers, teasers, and graphics, but wasn’t paying enough attention to make sense of it. She stopped speaking when the doorbell rang and she hopped out of her chair to answer it. Definitely some matchmaking going on tonight.
I looked over at Anjannette who’d gotten quiet and was giving her wine glass more attention than it deserved. She looked like a deer in the headlights during the discussion about spring training. And I’ll admit, I’m feeling the same way at the moment. I’ve always looked forward to the start of the season, but this year, I realize I’m not exactly dreading it, but I’m not chomping at the bit for pitchers and catchers to report either.
This is the first time I’ll be leaving a girlfriend behind while I’m traveling around the country playing baseball. It makes me have a lot more empathy for the guys who have wives and/or families and have done it for years.
I love Anjannette and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep our relationship intact during the time apart. I just hope she feels the same way.
Anjannette
“Okay,spill. What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet and distracted since Saturday.”
I’m not ready to discuss what’s on my mind, but I know Keera won’t stop pushing until I tell her.
“I don’t know if Leo and I are going to work out.”
“What?” she screeched, then in a more moderate tone repeated the one-word question.
“After the spring training discussion Friday night, I really started thinking about it. How are we going to make this work? This is his career we’re talking about. It’s not like it’s only for this year.”
“If you love each other, you just will.”
The waitress set our plates down in front of us and topped off our water. Surprisingly, my margarita is still full. I don’t even know if I’ve had a sip yet, so I took one before Keera commented about it.
“That’s a pretty idealistic vision, don’t you think?” I asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Keera, I looked up the schedule. There are a hundred and sixty-two games during the regular season and another thirty in spring training. Plus pitchers and catchers report early, so Leo will be down in St. Pete fifteen days before it starts. If they make it to the post-season, that adds a few weeks, depending on how far they go.”
“Anjannette, you’re spiraling.”
“I’m not spiraling, I’m facing the facts. After Leo leaves for spring training in a few weeks, I may not see him again until October.” I rubbed my forehead. “If I lived in Myrtle Beach, it would be a little easier, but I don’t. Even if I lived in a city with a team he plays against, there’d be more of an opportunity to see each other. But the closest teams the Waves play are in New York and Baltimore, which aren’t exactly in our back yard.
“Stop focusing on all the scary numbers and try to figure out when you can take small increments of time and go see him. You know I’ll take care of the studio for you. Plus you’ve been thinking about hiring another teacher.”
“What am I going to do, hire someone then be like, ‘here are the keys, I’m off, see you later?’” She rolled her eyes instead of answering. “And I can’t expect you to fill in all the time. You have a full-time job.”
“Maybe not for long,” she mumbled under her breath but I heard it anyway.
“Why? What’s happening with your job?”
“There are rumors of cutbacks and since I’m middle management, my job will be one of
the first to go.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll wait and see what happens. If they do let me go, I’ll get a severance package, plus I’ll be able to collect for a few months. It will only be a fraction of what I’m making, but I’ll be fine. I have some savings and I don’t have any living expenses right now.” She picked up a taco and gestured with it. “And that’s all I’m saying about myself. We’re talking about you.”
She took a bite of her taco and I figured I should at least pretend to eat mine. Normally I have one gone by now, but my stomach has been in knots for a few days now and I’m just not hungry.
“What’s the real issue here?”
“I told you the real issue.”
“No, there has to be something else because there’s no way in hell any sane person would even think about giving up on a relationship with a great guy like Leo because of what’s basically a scheduling conflict.”
“It’s more than a scheduling conflict.”
“Not really.”
I set the taco back on my plate and pushed it to the side. And you know it’s a sad day when I don’t want to eat a taco.
“Leo will basically be gone for the next seven months. If our relationship was further along, I might feel more confident that we could make it work.”
Keera popped the last bite of taco into her mouth and watched me while she chewed, like she was trying to figure out some big mystery. But I can’t let her do that. It’s too embarrassing. I don’t even want to think about the big fear lingering in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, all this talk has brought it front and center. Namely, how am I supposed to make things work with Leo when he’s away for more than half the year when I couldn’t keep it together with a man I lived with for five years?
To distract her from reading my mind, I threw her a bone.
“I’m not making any decisions right now, just thinking of all the possible scenarios. We still have a few weeks to spend together, plus Trey and Nori’s wedding.”
“While you’re thinking of all the possible scenarios, just remember what Granny Vi said, ‘Don’t be a Miranda.’”