Page 4 of Curve Balls and Second Chances (Pickwick Pirate Queens #1)
CHAPTER FOUR
T hursday at five, Rose locked the door to the Southern Sips coffee shop and headed out to meet some of the team for supper.
Sleep had been elusive last night after the prolonged practice session with Acen pushing the girls to their limits.
And pushing her emotions to the limit as well.
She had to get a grip on herself if she was going to survive until the playoffs were over.
Hopefully with a big regional trophy as her reward for doing the right thing for the team.
The dining room at Fin to Fork smelled like fried catfish, fresh cornbread, and a week’s worth of gossip.
Spotting her friends already seated, Rose slid into the booth next to Tasha , while Maggie , Ginny , and Dani crowded the opposite bench, looking over the menu even though they always had the catfish special.
“Y’all, I swear,” Ginny said, fanning herself with a laminated menu, “ Coach Rose has got us out there training like we’re headed to the Olympics .”
“That’s because you keep ducking fly balls like they’re angry bees,” Rose said, arching a brow.
“She’s not wrong,” Maggie muttered.
“Anyway,” Tasha said with a grin, “let’s get to the real topic. Namely , Acen Wheeler’s biceps.”
Dani groaned. “ Here we go.”
Rose raised a hand. “ No . Absolutely not. We’re not turning supper into a slow descent into thirst.”
Tasha leaned in, eyes sparkling. “ Just saying. For a man his age?—”
“We’re all his age!” Rose snapped, cheeks heating.
“Not me,” Ginny chimed in. “ Which means there’s still hope for me if I get dumped by my current honey.”
Rose shook her head. At twenty-five Ginny sometimes made her feel ancient. She reached for her sweet tea, took a sip to give everyone a beat to realize she meant business. “ We’re here to talk strategy, remember? The invitational bracket came out this morning. And we need to get serious.”
“It feels like we’ve been pretty serious already. I know I’ve got sore muscles to prove it.” Tasha said but added a smile and a wink to show she wasn’t being snarky.
They’d been friends for so long Rose knew Tasha was sending her a chill vibe.
And maybe she deserved it. She’d been pushing everyone hard.
And with the addition of Acen , they’d pushed harder.
The team would give their all and she knew that.
It was good to have a friend who could subtly call you out when needed.
“Strategize all you want,” Maggie said, opening her phone. “ I already saw we’re playing Madison County’s team first. And that’s one tough team.”
The Madison Marauders were certainly a good team, but Rose believed the Pirate Queens could beat them.
She was about to say so when the door opened and the whole energy of the room shifted. Conversations stopped, forks stopped clattering on plates.
Into the silence stepped a tall man in a navy polo and dark jeans, his sun-kissed blond hair tousled just enough to look accidental.
He had that clean, out-of-town look—like he hadn’t grown up enduring high humidity that left you feeling like you were breathing through a wet rag or learning to say sir and ma’am by the age of five.
His eyes were green and curious, and when he glanced around the restaurant, he smiled like the whole place was a warm joke he was glad to be in on.
He stopped at the checkout counter and spoke to Diane .
Rose saw Diane nod in their direction. What could be going on?
She glanced around taking in the stranger’s effect on the diners.
Old Amos and Sarah Donovan had a reserved look on their faces.
Not surprising considering that in a town this small if you couldn’t claim kin at least three generations back you were considered an outsider.
Amos and Sarah both could claim kin back to the eighteen hundreds on all side and considered themselves to be the authorities on who belonged - and who didn’t.
It could really get on a person’s nerves after a while. All that judginess.
A table of weekenders who must have arrived a day early looked curious.
Like they were wondering how this hot guy had stumbled into this little establishment.
Rose knew them from her coffee shop. Cindy and James were friendly.
Valerie and Sam not so much. The females looked interest. And who could blame them?
“Who’s that ?” Ginny whispered.
Rose found herself staring at the stranger for a second too long.
“ That ,” Dani said, leaning across the table, “is Declan Rowe . He moved into the old Langley place last week. Came in for a tire rotation and ended up talking my Uncle Joe’s ear off about vet care and boarding.”
“Hot and an animal lover,” Tasha murmured. “ The Lord is testing me.”
“Tasha! Seriously ?” Rose asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Definitely serious.” Tasha responded, licking her lips.
Rose glanced over to see if the man in question was watching the interplay at their table and seen Tasha’s move. Luckily , she got only a view of his broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist and a very nice backside.
As if on cue, Declan turned and caught sight of their table. His eyes landed on Rose . His smile widened.
Rose felt her cheeks heat and cursed her fair complexion that made blushes stand out all the more. Maybe she could blame it on the heat.
“Uh-oh,” Maggie muttered. “ He’s coming over.”
Rose barely had time to stop berating herself for the blush before Declan approached. Every eye in the place tracked his movements and Rose knew they’d be a hot topic of conversation later. But Declan acted like he didn’t notice.
“Excuse me,” he said, voice smooth and Southern with a lilt that hinted he wasn’t from this part of the South . “ Mind if I interrupt?”
Tasha smiled. “ Interrupt away.”
Declan turned to the table a few feet away with an unoccupied chair. “ May I borrow this chair?”
Of course, it was the table where Amos and Sarah were sitting, eyes still glued to the stranger in their midst. Rose held her breath. Amos nodded to Roses’s relief. And surprise.
Declan smiled, placing the chair at the end of the booth table. “ I’m still learning the lay of the land. Diane at the counter mentioned this was the famous Pickwick Pirate Queens . Women’s league champs?”
“That’s us,” Maggie said proudly.
Rose raised a brow. “ You a fan of slow-pitch softball?”
“I’m a fan of team sports, community engagement… and charming company.”
He looked at her when he said it. Rose felt the warmth bloom up her neck again and immediately hated how her heart skipped a beat.
“Well,” Rose said slowly, “we’re just grabbing supper, but you’re welcome to join us. If you don’t mind sitting next to the loud one.”
“I’m not that loud,” Tasha said.
“You are,” said the entire table.
Declan laughed and scooted his chair closer to the table, his cologne faint and woodsy, like cedar and something wild.
So much for discussing game strategy. A stranger at the table might mean a spy.
She laughed silently at herself. Get a grip McAlister .
This isn’t a world series level game. No one is here to steal your playbook.
But still maybe she needed a distraction.
The girls obviously thought she was way too tense about the upcoming games.
“I’m Declan Rowe ,” he said, holding out a hand. “ New guy in town.”
“Rose McAllister ,” she said, shaking it. “ Coach . Local .”
“I gathered.” His eyes held hers for a second too long. “ You look familiar for some reason.” Then he laughed. “ Wow . That sounded like the worst pick up line in history. But you do look familiar.”
“Was Riley McAlister your real estate agent?” Tasha asked.
Declan moved his gaze from Rose to Tasha . “ Yes .”
“That explains it then. Rose and Riley are twins.”
Declan returned his gaze to Rose . “ Is that right? Coach . Twin . What other interesting things should I know about you? For example, do you need a sponsor for your team?”
And just like that, for the first time in a very long time, Acen Wheeler wasn’t the only man in town who made her feel like something was about to happen.
An hour later the group stood in the hot parking lot where heat waves shimmied off the asphalt like wavy ghosts.
“I’ll be in touch about that sponsorship.” Declan said to Rose , taking her hand.
“I appreciate it.” Rose said, letting her hand linger in his grip. “ We’re always in need of funds to keep us going. The Southern Sips Coffee Shop is mine and I’m there six days a week till five. Stop by any time.”
Declan said his goodbyes to the others and sauntered to his car. Five pairs of eyes glued to the ass of his nicely fitting jeans.
“Whoo-ee!” Tasha said, expressing everyone’s thoughts. “ That is one fine piece of maleness. Smooth moves. And he has an eye for you Rose . Unfortunately for me.”