Perfect Catch(37)

If she didn’t love her brother so much and didn’t know he wasn’t quite…right, she might have murdered him in his sleep a dozen times over since he’d moved in.

But then who would watch Olivia?

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, with trying to help Kevin but needing him to help her. Depending on him became progressively harder and harder the more he withdrew from her and into his own dark, insular world. She used to know how to bring him back out, but it seemed over the last several years he no longer wanted to be helped.

He wanted to be left alone, but to what end?

If she let him drift off into his solitude, would she be proving him right when he said no one gave a shit about him? Or that no one should give a shit about him? But he had begun responding like a bitter toddler when she did try to help him. And while she had once believed she had infinite patience for her brother, she was starting to feel frayed around the edges. If she didn’t find a way to coexist with him, he was going to pull her apart entirely.

She arrived at the park five minutes late, and all thoughts of Alex had been driven out by her worry for Kevin. Thankfully she was still early for the game itself, just late getting her uniform on and going through a briefing with Donovan.

The older man gave her a stern look when she came into the crew office, but he didn’t browbeat her like she knew he was capable of, and she was grateful. She was worn thin by her morning, and though she figured she could handle some growling from Donovan, she also might have burst into tears at any moment. It was best to avoid weeping in front of the rest of the guys.

“You’re on second,” he told her.

Alice hated second. She had to dodge throws from home plate to second base on a regular basis, and what made things worse, the catcher for Lakeland would now be Alex and not the usual guy. Maybe it was best she was at second instead of home plate. She just needed to be on the ball tonight, rather than tuning out like she sometimes could at third.

On any other day she might have let her mind wander to thoughts of Alex—as was her usual course throughout the day—but now that he was actually here, somewhere in the same building as her, those “harmless” fantasies no longer felt safe. As if Alex might be able to read her mind and would somehow be able to tell precisely how unwholesome her designs towards him were.

She also had other things on her mind that afternoon.

Her discussion with Kevin—if it could be called a discussion—had left her feeling grumpy and hostile, certainly not emotions she wanted to express when she saw Alex for the first time in weeks. Her rapidly fouling mood made her feel bad for her coworkers and ever so slightly for the players who would need to endure her calls throughout the day.

The game went smoothly though. No one argued with her, play was smooth and free from any contentious calls, and Alex didn’t try to catch her attention across the field once.

He also didn’t play very well, which she feared might be due in part to her presence on the field. But it was obvious he, like her, had a lot more on his mind than when they would be able to see each other again.

It was after three when she left the park, and she made it to the diner on time for her three thirty clock in.

At four ten her phone buzzed in her apron pocket. She ignored it, continuing to take her table’s order, but when it was still vibrating by the time she got back to the kitchen, she knew she couldn’t keep putting it off.

The caller ID showed a local number she didn’t know.

Alex’s hotel, maybe?

She’d need to give him a lecture on incessant calling, but she was warmed he would call her so soon after the game had ended. Perhaps he wanted to invite her to dinner. Before she answered, she’d already begun to mentally flip through her wardrobe for possible options.

“Hello?” How much of a girly schoolgirl did she sound like? If her voice was capable of tossing its hair, it had done so just then.

“Mrs. Darling? Is this Mrs. Alice Darling?” An unfamiliar female voice came through the line, stern and joyless.

Alice didn’t bother to correct her incorrect use of Mrs. There were too many insane possibilities going through her mind, and none of them involved a hot date.

“Yes.” Her voice trembled. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but her brain was way ahead of her. Something had happened. There was something wrong with Kevin. Or…Jesus, with Liv?

She never should have yelled at him that morning.

Oh God. Oh God.

“I’m calling from the Lakeland Memorial Hospital. There’s been an accident.”

“Oh God.” This time it was spoken out loud, and one of the line cooks raised a brow at her.