Page 2 of Curve Balls and Second Chances (Pickwick Pirate Queens #1)

CHAPTER TWO

A cen leaned against the porch railing, sipping sweet tea from a sweating mason jar and wishing it was a beer.

After the meeting with Rose earlier he sure could use one.

Instead , he took another sip of tea and turned his eyes upward.

The sky had changed to that deep Tennessee indigo, and cicadas buzzed like they’d been waiting twenty years just to welcome him back.

A warm breeze drifted through the yard, carrying the faint scent of honeysuckle and freshly cut grass.

Somewhere down the road, a dog barked twice, then gave up, deciding it was too hot for the trouble.

The Wheeler house hadn’t changed much over the years that he’d been gone.

The shutters still hung just a bit crooked on the upstairs windows. His dad had tried to get the boys to climb up and fix them years ago, but somehow, there had always been something more interesting to do. Somewhere else they urgently needed to be.

The porch still sagged just a little in the middle, another project they’d never gotten around to fixing, but the joists underneath still held firm.

A testament to old-time builders and quality foundations.

And there was still that old moss green metal glider swing with a little rust on the corners and creases due to exposure to the elements—the one he and his best friend Riley used to sit on when summer nights stretched long and full of stories and the future seemed bright and shining to the young men they’d been on the verge of becoming.

And with Rose , too. Young love, laughter, stolen kisses. The brush of her hair against his cheek when she leaned in, the way she’d laugh into his neck before darting away. He shrugged the memories away, forcing himself back to the present.

“You talk to her yet?” Riley asked, stepping out onto the porch with his own mason jar of tea in hand. At the Wheeler house everyone was family who served themselves from the bottomless pitcher of sweet tea that was a mainstay in the Wheeler refrigerator.

Acen didn’t answer right away. Still caught up a bit in memories of the past. And things that once done could never be undone.

“I take it from your silence that she didn’t throw herself into your arms.”

Acen snorted, pushed away from the porch railing. “ She didn’t throw anything. That was almost more concerning.”

Riley lowered himself into the glider and absently picked at a rusty spot on the arm, eyes on his old friend. “ You didn’t expect her to still be mad?”

“I just…” Acen paused, swirling the tea in his glass, leaned against the railing again. “ I don’t know. It’s been twenty years.”

“Yeah, and you ghosted her for all twenty.” Riley kicked long legs clad in faded jeans out in front of him, slouched to a more comfortable position.

“ I never asked you about it because I didn’t want to put you on the spot or strain our friendship.

I figured whatever happened was between you and Rose .

And it was up to the two of you to work it out.

But now you’re back in town, it’s going to be hard. ”

Acen winced. “ I didn’t ghost her.” But in his heart, he knew he had. And the reckoning was at hand. Could he ever make her understand?

Riley raised his index finger. “ You left.” Raised the next finger. “ You didn’t call.” Raised the next finger. “ You didn’t write.” Raised a fourth finger. “ You never came back, not even for Christmas .” Putting his hand down, he asked. “ Is there another name for that I haven’t heard?”

Acen frowned. Riley was holding no punches on this conversation. “ Okay . You’re right. You think I don’t know that?”

Riley shrugged, taking a swig of tea, ice rattling against the glass jar.

“ How would I know what you know?” He shook his head.

“ Like I said, I’ve always tried not to take sides.

But she is my sister. My twin sister. You’re my best friend.

I’ve been in a tough spot all these years not talking to either of you about the other one.

Just trying to keep everything on the back burner.

And here you come, riding back into town to stir up all those old memories.

” He pushed a hand through his hair. “ She’s not the same girl you left.

She stayed. She built a life here. Doesn’t mean she’s not still hurt. ”

Acen leaned back, the porch railing creaking beneath him.

Being hit with the truth was a bitch. “ Point taken. I came back for a lot of reasons. Mostly for my dad. But let’s be real.

With my knee blown out, I can’t play pro ball anymore and I’m not sure what I’m going to do going forward.

Who wouldn’t come home under those circumstances?

And honestly? What do I have to offer any woman at this point? I’ve got a lot to figure out.”

He sighed in frustration at the cards fate had dealt him, then cast a look at his friend. Hating that Rose was so much on his mind when other things needed to be on the front burner at this point. Giving in to his feelings, he asked, “ How is she really? No b.s.”

Riley tilted his head, sizing up his friend and the information, then relented. “ Tougher . Stubborn . Quieter than she used to be. I think she buried a lot more than people realize.”

“She looked good,” Acen said before he could stop himself. Remembering the long auburn ponytail swirling over her shoulders at practice earlier made his gut cramp with memories. Too bad she’d been wearing sunglasses. But memory supplied the deep blue shade for him.

“Yep. And she knows it,” Riley said with a grin. “ She runs the women’s softball team now. Got the best rec-league record in the region.”

“Yeah,” Acen said quietly. “ I saw that today. She always did have a good arm,” Acen said, a soft smile tugging at his mouth.

“Better now. You should see her pitch. Like watching a storm gather.” He gave his friend a hard look. “ Keep that in mind if you piss her off. She can throw a mean punch as well.”

Acen was quiet for a beat. “ I didn’t expect her to still… get to me like that.”

“Yeah,” Riley said, his voice going softer. “ She does that.”

The porch creaked again, and Acen looked out over the yard, where a line of fireflies had started blinking between the hedges. The air was heavy with that particular June stillness, the kind that felt like it was holding its breath. Somewhere , a train horn carried faintly over the hills.

“Briana’s back too,” Riley said, almost as an afterthought.

Acen stiffened. “ What ?”

“She got in two weeks ago. Been staying at her sister’s place off County Road 6. Didn’t think it was my news to tell. I haven’t told Rose either.”

He sighed. “ And there will be hell to pay when she finds out I knew and kept it to myself. And I thought she has enough to juggle with you being here. Briana said she wouldn’t be coming into town.

She’s been going to Corinth when she needs to shop.

But I know eventually she and Rose will come face-to-face.

I most likely should tell Rose tonight. But the timing really sucks on all of this. ”

Acen muttered something under his breath that wasn’t fit for polite company. “ But you’re telling me.” He took a big drink of tea, giving himself a minute to process the news. “ What’s she doing back?”

Riley shrugged. “ Something about a remote job and needing a reset. But don’t worry. She hasn’t come around looking for you.”

Yet. The word didn’t need to be said.

Acen set his tea down and rubbed the back of his neck. “ What a welcome home.”

Riley leaned forward, placing his jar of sweet tea on the floor. “ What happened graduation night? Were you sneaking around with Briana for a while?”

Acen shook his head, pushed up off the railing and paced the length of the porch.

“ It was all so long ago. And so stupid. I didn’t have a thing for Briana .

I didn’t even know the kiss was going to happen.

She followed me outside and the next thing I knew she had a lip lock on me.

And , hey, I was an eighteen-year-old guy.

When a woman throws herself at you like that you go with the flow, right? ”

“Seems to me that you could have exercised a little restraint, my friend.” Riley leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “ I thought you and Rose had an understanding back then.”

Acen sighed. “ Yea . We did. Sort of. But , I was scared. Heading off to college, big scholarship in the works, lots of pressure. So , I guess I messed up in a moment of weakness.”

Riley gave Acen a hard look. “ Why didn’t you explain to Rose ? Make it right before you left?”

Acen winced. “ Like I said. I was scared. And , maybe, I wanted to be free on some level. You know, sow some wild oats before making a lifetime commitment.”

“I think you were just being selfish.” He held up a hand to stop the words he could see waiting to spill from Acen’s lips. “ I’m not saying you were wrong or right. Just , maybe you should be clear in your own mind why you did what you did before you go trying to get back into Rose’s life.”

“I’m going to offer to help her coach her team to the state finals.”

Tea spewed from Riley’s lip as he coughed up the liquid he’d just sipped. “ You’re what ?”

Acen crossed his arms over his chest. “ You heard me. I’m going to offer to help her with the team.”

Riley stopped coughing. Red faced from the exertion, he said, “ Have you lost your mind? Did you not hear a word I’ve said about her? She built that team from nothing. She’s a great coach. You don’t need to get up in the middle of that and throw her off her coaching game.”

“Christ. What a mess.” Acen muttered.

“You wanted to come back,” Riley said, not unkindly. “ Just remember what you’re walking into.”

“I came back for my dad. That hasn’t changed.”

Riley gave him a long look. “ You came back for more than that. Whether you admit it or not. Just make sure you don’t hurt her again.”

Acen didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.