Page 22 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

“One more time, and then we go,” Emma insisted. She opened the door and beckoned me inside. “I go home tomorrow, so this is my last chance.”

“Only if we’re quick.”

Emma moved through the empty retail space, her hand brushing against a brick wall. “They restored the fireplace.” Alone, with only me for company, she didn’t bother hiding the ache in her voice.

At Jack’s insistence, Aiden restored the smaller shop first to attract a tenant and pay Jack for some of his time.

“Thanks. I deserve all the credit.” Jack hopped down the staircase two steps at a time. “He was in the way.”

Aiden followed behind. “The overall vision was mine.”

Jack raised his arms like he wanted to shake his friend. “You bought the place, and that’s it. Thanks to me, you’ll have a place to live that isn’t a garage couch, and a storefront that won’t disgust the rich guys you work for.”

“The rich men I deem worthy of my services,” Aiden corrected.

My brow furrowed. “Aren’t you two supposed to be at the baseball field? It starts in thirty minutes.” Shane and Dean waited for us while Emma and I planned to swing by the library to pick up Lainey. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of Shane.”

Their sheepish expressions answered my question.

“In our defense, forcing him to play was a genius idea on our part,” Aiden said, and decided he needed a stronger defense. “Also, he gets to show off in front of you, and we need him on the team. Plus, we lost to Osprey Cove last year, and as team captain, he needs to defend my honor. ”

“You were the team captain. He demoted you, remember?” Jack said.

Aiden attempted a correction. “We mutually agreed that he should be in charge.”

“He sent you to the outfield.”

“Because of my spectacular skills of observation.”

“You’re last in the batting order.”

“Okay, yeah, I’m irked by this one.” Aiden turned off the dramatics as his expression switched to practiced charm. “Emma. Did you miss me?”

I interrupted before she could lob one of her infamous insults at him. “We’re visiting the storefront one last time before she goes home.”

He turned serious. “You can’t have it. I’m renting it out to a man.”

“That’d be discrimination and illegal,” Emma shot back.

“He’s sixty and plans to operate a model train hobby shop.”

“You’ll take the first tenant to sign a lease agreement.” Sam Taggert descended the stairs and stopped a few steps from the bottom. “It’s practical business sense, and thanks to Jack, this remodel will serve as the basis of our town’s proposal.”

“Mr. Taggert.” The man who married Shane and me.

His statement caught my attention, as a town proposal could mean government forms. Several times now, Shane stopped to laugh over my confession.

It was two nights ago, and I still refused to believe it was that funny.

It was an unusual hobby, but it didn’t stray into the realm of the bizarre. “How are you?”

“Rounding up these two before heading to the baseball field. With Shane joining us, we have a real shot at beating Osprey Cove,” he said.

Aiden pointed toward his father with an I told you so expression.

I didn’t care. “Mr. Taggert, can I ask about this town proposal?”

Sam wiped his forehead. “They want it on the computer. A poor decision, if you ask me.”

That wasn’t my concern. “That’s frustrating. You’ll want some help with it, I’m sure.”

“Shane’s sister can tell you more. It’s a grant proposal to redo some of our historic downtown buildings. Why don’t you get with her?”

Like a non-profit. Emma and I shared a look.

“Thanks, I’ll ask Sophie.”

*****

“I’ll go help Lainey with those drink orders.” Sophie jumped down from the bleachers and dusted off the back of her skirt. “We might be a little while.”

“It’s not a coincidence Jack is up, is it?” Emma asked. She watched Sophie move towards the snack stands. “Do you know what happened between them?”

It was the bottom of the fifth, and Sophie cheered for every team member. Save one. She sat, arms crossed, for Jack’s first time at bat, and it continued ever since.

“Not a coincidence at all. She can’t stand him.”

“This town’s baseball field also belongs on a postcard,” Emma muttered. She used her hand as a shade to scan the field. “I’ll miss you, Lilah.”

She wasn’t wrong about Fortune’s Creek. I remembered passing by the town sign and experiencing a sensation of difference.

Of better. Over half the town turned out for today’s baseball game, with everyone crowded onto the bleachers and overflowing onto the grass or into camping chairs.

In the bleachers next to third base, Osprey Cove’s crowd was less enthusiastic.

Aiden grumbled about his team captain demotion, but the results proved the wisdom of that change, with us leading by three points.

I took her arm. “It’s not like this is forever. You can visit, and I’ll be back in Atlanta. Besides, you could rent that storefront from Aiden and move here.”

Emma pursed her lips. “He already rented it. For a hobby train shop, I think.”

I rolled my eyes. “He made that up. It’s Aiden’s way of saying he wants a tenant he won’t hit on.”

“Oh, that explains so much. He has the maturity of a twelve-year-old, doesn’t he?” Her face twisted. “No, twelve-year-olds don’t deserve that. Look. He’s up.” She tapped my thigh.

Cheers erupted as Shane strode from the dugout, and I joined in.

I laughed when he showed me the team shirt: white and gold with a neon brown treasure chest on the front. The color scheme was painful enough to give me a toothache, but the gold cartoon dancing coins gave it an extra touch. Aiden lost the team captain’s position a few minutes later.

Seeing the raglan shirt on him now, with the sleeves tight on his arms, and the fabric stretched across Shane’s chest, I wasn’t laughing. The spring weather brought easy sunshine and a soft breeze. It picked up Shane’s hair, and I pictured my fingers playing with it.

The pitcher threw, and Shane swung.

CRACK!

My hands waved about, as if outside of my control. “Gogogogogogo.” I beat my chest, willing my heart to slow down.

The crowd cheered with me as he rounded first and second, bringing Jack home, before a final sprint into third.

I started breathing once more. “He’s amazing, isn’t he?”

Emma’s lips twisted into a sly expression. “How’s your newfound love for baseball?”

“He’s played since childhood.” I ignored the deliberate innuendo. “Throughout high school, and then some recreational leagues while still in the Marines.”

For all of Aiden’s good-natured complaining, Shane taking over as team captain was serendipity. He was a better player and instituted more drills and practice sessions. “I’m making changes, starting now, because I’m not playing on the losing side,” he had said.

“Uh-huh. So what happens next between you two? Is it permanent, or are you still in the strangest marriage I’ve ever heard of?”

“It’s….” I struggled with the correct words.

“Complicated?”

Shane’s confession, his straightforward explanation, and the vulnerability he showed shook me.

Shane overwhelmed me with information and with his presence.

He walked into my bedroom as I was preparing for an annulment and shared everything.

In the end, he suggested we continue, letting our relationship develop without plans or expectations, and I agreed, leaving us in the same place we were before.

A relationship where every step was out of order, and I wanted him more every day.

“We decided not to get an annulment for now.”

Emma leaned in to whisper. “Honey, I’m not sure you’re still eligible. Check on that.”

Unsure of how to respond, I kept going. “I should call my mother. Sarah Jane will want to know I’m married.”

“Sarah Jane won’t care, Lilah. She’ll tell you to sign an insurance policy and then-” Emma moved a finger across her neck. “Don’t call her. You’ll be miserable afterwards, and you know it.”

“She’ll want to know.” Sarah Jane would thank me for avoiding a wedding, congratulate me, and then ask if I was pregnant. “I’ll put it off a little longer.”

“Good. Now let’s watch the game.”

Sophie and Lainey returned with iced tea and popcorn a short while later.

“What did we miss?” Sophie asked.

“Jack is in the dugout,” Emma said, not bothering with a preamble.

**** *

“I enjoyed that more than I would have guessed,” Emma said. She finished her diet soda with a loud slurp. “It hits different when you know the players and friends explain all the statistics.”

“It’s not over yet,” Lainey said.

Emma pointed to the scoreboard. “Bottom of the sixth. It’s over. Let the other team go home and lick their wounds. Besides, I was promised dinner at the Gator Tale.”

The four of us organized a final girls’ night out before Emma left in the morning.

“Oh, excellent point. When does this cross over from a fair game to painful humiliation?” Lainey asked.

The two debated whether rules existed for calling games early, so I used the time to check in with Sophie. “I saw Sam Taggert earlier today, before the game.”

She stared forward, not meeting my eye. “Oh, yes? How is he doing?” Her innocent question came out in an innocent, neutral voice.

I drew my brows in, confused. “You sound like that’s a conspiracy. He said you two planned grant applications, so I’m volunteering my services. I’m an accountant who spent most of her career with non-profits. I want to help.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Oh, yes. Aiden’s business gave me the idea, and I spoke to him about a few older buildings in town. There’s a restoration program we want to apply for. It involves a lot of forms.” Her nose wrinkled. “I’d rather get on with the work, but we never get to do that.”

My stomach dropped. “Forms? I am in.”

“Are you joking?”

Remembering Shane’s reaction, I considered my response. “It is my background.”

“Let’s talk tomorrow, after Emma goes home. I’ll go over everything with you.”

*****

Diane dropped a fresh pitcher on the tabletop. “Fantastic game today, all of you. We sent Osprey Cove home empty-handed this year, didn’t we? You’ll have the whole town cheering you on against Panther Springs next. We lost to them last year, so it’s time for some payback.”

Shane shot Aiden a look. “I’m hopeful for better results.”

“I may have been a horrible team captain, but signing you up without your permission was inspired. Admit it.”

“I admit nothing,” Shane grumbled.

More townsfolk wandered in, including a few players and a couple enjoying their date night.

I sipped the cold beer and offered little to the conversation. Contentment filled me, not just for the game or the evening, but for everything. Emma sat on my right side, and Shane on my left. I made two more friends and might have found a job, or at least some way to contribute.

Was this what belonging felt like?

Lainey snapped her fingers, catching my attention. “Pete is here.”

My reverie broke as I squeezed Shane’s knee. “Can you call him over for us?”

“What for?” Shane asked, but he raised his hand and whistled without waiting for a response.

“Great game today, all of you,” Pete said. His long braid fell over one shoulder, covering the tiny hole in his flannel shirt’s shoulder.

All four men offered their thanks.

“I especially enjoyed seeing you on the field today. Your father would be proud,” Pete said.

Shane’s jaw tightened. “I appreciate that. ”

“We played together in high school, too. But that was years and years ago,” Pete continued.

I interrupted to give Shane some relief. “Pete, Diane is here tonight.”

Lainey added her part. “She talked about you at the game today, and again tonight.”

“She did?” He rolled back on his heels, and his eyes sought Diane as she moved from one table to another.

“She’d enjoy seeing you tonight.” I hoped my suggestion sounded casual.

“Why don’t you see if she’ll be at the next game?” Lainey asked.

“That’s a fantastic idea,” I added, playing more of my part. “You two should come together. We need more fans on our side.”

“Is that right?” Pete asked.

Diane noticed us talking, and her blush was visible across the restaurant.

Shane huffed. “Go ask her out, Pete. That’s what they’re suggesting. The whole town wonders when you’ll get around to it.”

It was Pete’s turn to blush. “They are?” There were several nods. “Well, if you’ll excuse me.” He went to lift his hat as a goodbye before realizing it wasn’t there.

“Simple is usually easier,” Shane said.