Page 18 of Curve Balls and Second Chances (Pickwick Pirate Queens #1)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
S aturday morning dawned clear and hot, the kind of summer day that shimmered off asphalt and soaked through shirts before noon.
Game Day .
Rose arrived at the ballfield early, coffee in hand, hair pulled tightly back in her signature ponytail, clipboard tucked under her arm.
The bleachers were still empty, but the smell of cut grass and concession stand popcorn lingered in the air like tradition.
This field had seen heartbreak and home runs in equal measure. Today , it was about to see both.
The first game of the tournament season always carried the smell of gun powder and sweat and determination.
The Pickwick Pirate Queens were playing the Madison Marauders , their biggest rival and the team most likely to complain about Rose’s "liberal interpretation" of the batting order.
She didn’t care.
She was more focused on keeping her own team from imploding.
Because as much as she’d hoped practice would reset the mood, Briana’s surprise appearance had shaken them all.
“Morning, Coach ,” Dani called, jogging up with her bat bag slung over one shoulder.
“Tell me you brought ibuprofen and optimism,” Rose said.
“I brought a six-pack of both,” Dani grinned. “ We ready to beat the glitter off those Marauders ?”
“Let’s hope so.”
One by one, the rest of the team trickled in— Tasha , with her game face on and hair braided like she was going to war. Ginny , all nerves and sunblock Maggie smacking gum like it was keeping words in her mouth she wanted to say but knew she shouldn’t
By the time the opposing team arrived, the stands had started to fill.
And then Declan showed up.
Rose spotted him instantly - he stood out, even in a crowd.
Gray T -shirt, jeans that hugged his frame too well, and a Pickwick Pirate Queen hat he’d found somewhere pulled low over his eyes.
He picked a spot halfway up the bleachers, nodded to a few familiar faces, and sat down like he had every right to be there.
She hated how her stomach flipped. Hated how her heart picked up the beat just a little bit. Today was about the game. Not her love life. She waved casually when he looked in her direction, then put her thoughts firmly on the game and her strategy.
Then Briana arrived.
In a sundress. And wedges.
To a softball game.
“Of course she did,” Rose muttered.
She ignored the looks and the low whisper of gossip that followed Briana’s entrance. Instead , she turned her full focus to her team.
“All right, ladies,” she said, gathering them in a tight circle near the dugout. “ We play clean, we play smart, and we don’t get rattled. No matter who’s watching from the stands.”
A few eyes darted to the bleachers.
Rose didn’t flinch.
“You hear me?”
“Yes, Coach ,” came the chorus.
Acen arrived in the dugout and high-fived everyone.
“Alright, team. We’ve got this. Y’all know it. I know it. Let’s show everyone in the stands what we’ve got.”
A cheer loud enough to scare away a few birds that had perched on the roof of the dugout rang out drawing the attention of the fans who cheered right back.
Rose’s spirits rose and she grinned at Acen .
The game started slow. Both teams tight, their bats quiet. By the third inning, it was still scoreless, and the sun was brutal.
But in the top of the fourth, something shifted.
Dani cracked a double down the third base line, and the dugout erupted. Tasha followed with a bloop single that brought her home. Suddenly , the Pickwick Pirate Queens were up by a run and the momentum turned.
Rose watched her team come alive—grinning, cheering, high-fiving like they were invincible.
And for a few glorious innings, it felt like the past couldn’t touch her.
Until Briana sauntered down the bleachers and made a beeline for Acen who was sitting at the end of the dugout bench closest to the entrance. He was so focused on the game that he didn’t even look up.
Rose’s chest tightened.
She tried not to look.
But she couldn’t not see the way Briana leaned in, all soft voice and tilted smile. Couldn’t ignore the way Acen stiffened but didn’t get up.
Couldn’t stop the fear that maybe she was wrong to believe him.
Then he stood.
Not fast. Not dramatic.
But enough.
He stepped away from Briana . Said something quiet. Something final. And turned back to the game.
And Rose saw him choose her .
Without hesitation.
Briana didn’t storm off. She simply pivoted, lips tight, and walked toward the parking lot like she’d never intended to stay long anyway.
Rose breathed again.
By the bottom of the seventh, the Pickwick Pirate Queens were up 3-0, and the Marauders were starting to unravel. When Dani made a diving catch at third to end the inning, the stands exploded.
And Acen ?
He stood and clapped.
For them.
For her.
After the final out, after the handshakes and cheers and the loudest rendition of “ We Are the Champions ” that had ever rattled the Pickwick Bend field, Rose jogged over to the bleachers to hug everyone she could get her arms around.
Declan met her halfway. She hesitated for a moment, aware of Acen behind her. Most likely watching this little encounter. She shrugged mentally. She wouldn’t spend her life worrying that Acen would be jealous every time she smiled at another man. And they’d made no promises to each other. Yet .
“You came,” she said, smiling at Declan .
“You told me to.”
Laughing, she replied. “ Didn’t expect you to sit through seven innings and a heat index of ninety-eight.”
“I’d sit through a double-header if it meant seeing that look on your face again.”
Rose flushed.
Declan looked away as someone called his name from the parking lot. He turned back to her for a moment.
“Don’t forget I want to see you again soon.” He winked before turning to walk toward the parking lot where friends waited for him leaving her stomach churning.
Acen stepped into the void left by Declan and said, “ Looks like charming and handsome is still interested in you.”
“Don’t get cute.”
“Sorry.” He muttered.
She hesitated, then stepped a little closer. “ You handled Briana .”
“She doesn’t belong in this chapter.”
“And what chapter is this?”
He smiled. “ The one where you and I try again. Slower this time. Smarter . I’m not interested in anyone else.”
Rose studied him, her heart thudding.
“Take all the time you need, Rose . I’m not going to run off again. And if you need to do some exploring first,” he looked away for a moment and she could see his throat move like he was swallowing something bitter, “you do that too.”