Page 6 of Curve Balls and Second Chances (Pickwick Pirate Queens #1)

CHAPTER SIX

R ose was still angry at herself for how easily Declan had charmed her Thursday evening.

And worse—for how much she’d liked it.

She wasn’t a woman who needed flirting. She had responsibilities, a team, a house to maintain, a twin brother who still treated her like his little sister even if they were born four minutes apart.

She didn’t have time for two men circling like bees around honeysuckle.

She pushed open the door to the feed store too hard and made the bell jangle like a fire alarm. The Saturday shoppers stopped and looked at her.

Blushing, she held up a hand and laughed. “ Sorry ! No need for alarm. Just me barging in out of nowhere.”

Charlie Martin chucked. “ The way that bell went off I thought for sure there was a town emergency.”

“Nope. Just me coming in to ask for sponsorship money for the team.” She winked at him. “ You wouldn’t want to contribute, would you?”

Charlie smiled. “ Why , Rose . Are you soliciting me? And me a county deputy. And a married man, too.”

Everyone nearby laughed out loud, and Rose’s blush deepened. Her cheeks might just set off the smoke alarm after all.

“Well, are you open to that?” She teased, playing along despite the blush. “ Championships don’t come cheap, you know.”

Charlie reached for his wallet. “ Just teasin’ you, Rose . I’m happy to contribute to the Pickwick Pirate Queens taking the championship trophy.” He handed her a twenty. “ Sorry it’s not more.”

“Charlie, we’re grateful for help from anyone regardless of the amount.” She tucked the bill into her pocket.

From her position behind the cash register, Shelly Burke said, “ Rose , Mr . Campbell was expecting you to come in. He’s going to sponsor new shirts for the team for the playoffs. He’s back in his office.”

As Rose made her way through the store, friends and neighbors pressed bills into her hands as they passed her in the big aisle leading to the back. “ Stop , y’all. I need to write all this down so I can thank everyone properly for the donations.”

“Just win that championship for us. That’ll be thanks enough.” Said Amos Sanders as he pressed yet another bill into her hand. She gave him a hug.

“Thank you so much, Mr . Sanders ! And no pressure, right?” She laughed. So did the others but it was good-natured teasing. “ I’ll do the best I can and so will the team.”

“Of course there’s pressure. That’s part of my hard-earned social security in your hand.

” He put a gnarled hand on her shoulder and smiled to show he didn’t mean it.

“ I don’t doubt you, Rose . You always do what you say you will and if there’s a way you can make it happen, I’m sure it will.

You ladies enjoy yourselves. Winning the championship is a wonderful thing, but there will be other years if you don’t. Trust me. I’ve seen a lot of em,”

“Hey, Josh .” Rose said as she finally stood in the doorway to the office. “ Shelly said you were lookin’ for me to come in today.”

Josh looked up, his hair in disarray and eyes slightly unfocused. He shook his head, and his eyes came in focus, but the hair remained in disarray. Rose smiled to herself.

Typical for Josh who had no time for fooling with things like how his hair looked.

He was the bane of his wife Carol’s existence.

She was forever trying to get him to at least run a comb through the mess.

And took him regularly to the Cut and Run to get a trim.

But Josh looked good with his messy hair and thick glasses.

Just like the nerdy nice guy he’d always been.

He pushed his glasses up and smiled. “ Rose . Glad you came in. I wanted to talk to you about new team shirts for the championship tournament.”

“Now, Josh . You already paid for the shirts we’re wearing, and they got us to the playoffs. Don’t you think we might lose our mojo if we changed to new shirts at this point?”

Josh frowned. “ I hadn’t thought about it from that angle to tell you the truth. I’m just so proud of y’all for making it to the playoffs I wanted you to have some really nice new shirts to whoop some ass in during the tournament.”

“I really appreciate that, Josh . But I think we’ll stick with the shirts we’ve worn all season.” She laughed. “ I guess I’m more superstitious than I thought. And maybe some of the girls are as well now that I think about it. Ginny’s socks have been pretty funky smelling lately.”

Josh laughed with her. “ Okay . But the offer is on the table any time you want to circle back to me on it.”

Rose made her way back to the front of the store and stopped to talk to Shelly .

“So, are you getting new shirts for the playoffs? Y’all have had that same design for years.

Don’t you think you should do a special one just for these games?

You know, so everyone will know you’re in the playoffs when you wear them around town.

Something current and jazzy.” Shelly was all about new designs and current trends.

“Nope. We’re keeping the same shirts we’ve played in all season. I wouldn’t want to mess up our luck by changing them at this point.”

Shelly’s eye got round. “ Oh wow! I didn’t think about that.

You surely don’t want to mess up your luck at this point.

” She reached into her pocket and brought out a round silver metal piece.

“ This is my lucky quarter. I have it with me all the time I know it doesn’t look like a quarter anymore.

” She rubbed it between her index finger and thumb.

“ I’ve worn all the markings off over the years.

It’s from the year I was born. My mama gave it to me when I was sixteen.

She said I needed all the luck I could get with my attitude and wayward ways. ”

They laughed together.

“Well, it seems to have worked pretty well for you. A husband that adores you and two beautiful kids.”

Shelly smiled and put the much-worn quarter back in her pocket.

“You’re right about that. I’m truly blessed”

The heat outside had her hurrying to her truck where she found a note tucked under her windshield wiper when she came out of the feed store. It was written in sharp, clean handwriting on thick, cream-colored stationery—because of course Declan Rowe used stationery .

Rose—

Supper with the girls was fun. I’d love to take you out sometime—just the two of us. I hear the food at The Silver Catfish is legendary. Say yes.

—Declan

She stared at the note for a full thirty seconds, then turned it over, half expecting there to be a pressed flower or a wax seal on the back.

It seemed like his style. Cosmopolitan .

Not like the local guys she’d known all her life.

Honest , hardworking. Not fancy. But full of heart and good guys all he same.

There wasn’t a pressed flower or a wax seal.

And somehow it felt a little disappointing.

She glanced around the parking lot. No one was looking in her direction. And why would they be? It was a normal day for everyone. Including her. No need to read anything earth shattering into this.

She needed time to think over her response.

Hadn’t she just been thinking earlier that she didn’t need guys in her life right now?

Still , she’d make sure she was in a quiet place with plenty of time to think before answering.

Maybe the Universe was sending her a message.

Maybe it was time to be interested in someone.

Someone cosmopolitan. Someone so outside her usual life that no echoes of the past would intrude.

She slid the note into her bag and climbed into the truck, heart beating a little faster than she cared to admit. Declan was thoughtful, and steady, and—so far—uncomplicated.

But her stomach twisted as she pulled out of the parking lot, because nothing in Pickwick Bend ever stayed uncomplicated for long.