Hot Corner (Baseball Romance) (4 page)

As Audrey parked in the lot at the ballpark, she sprinted back towards her office, fearing that she'd get barked at for coming back late from her lunch.  With all her rushing though, Audrey ended up bumping into a man on her way back into the ballpark.  As Audrey ran into the man, her book fell to the ground. 

Peter Short, the man she ran into, then bent over, and picked up the book.  Audrey was so embarrassed, and not just because she'd just run into a guy.  Peter didn't just pick up the book, he was staring at the cover. 

Audrey meanwhile couldn't help but notice Peter's equipment bag.  It was funny, Peter had rugged good looks, short brown hair, a tall strong body, and a warm gentle face.  He had the look of a baseball player for sure.  But Audrey knew everyone on the team, and she'd never seen Peter before until now. 

Audrey didn't know where Peter had come from, but seeing how hunky he was, she sure wasn't about to let the chance to talk to him pass her by.  Normally Audrey was the downright chatty, but things were different this time.  Audrey tugged on her blue dress without even realizing it, wanting subconsciously to look her best for Peter.  She ran her hands through her hair quickly, then took a deep breath while she thought about what she wanted to say.

Audrey couldn't believe she was putting so much fuss into starting a simple conversation.  She only got one chance to make a good first impression though.  And who knew, if the first impression wasn't good, there may not be a second.  Audrey debated whether to start with something witty.  She always liked to crack jokes when she was nervous.  It was a natural impulse to diffuse tension and keep things from getting awkward. 

Then again, maybe this guy didn't like jokes.  Of course if he didn't like jokes, Audrey would have little in common with him.  She felt herself getting sidetracked again.  Maybe a simple hello would just be best.  Then the conversation could just go from there.  Unless the conversation went nowhere.  Audrey knew one thing though--if she kept delaying, the man would be gone before she even had a chance to introduce herself.  Worried that the opportunity was slipping away, Audrey just said the first thing that came to her mind.  

"Funny running into you," Audrey joked. 

"Do you make a habit of running into random guys?" Peter asked. 

"Not usually," Audrey said. 

"So I'm a special exception then, huh?" Peter asked.

"That depends.  Do you want to be?" Audrey replied. 

"Well, I'm not shirtless surfer," Peter joked. 

Audrey then started blushing.  "You know, that's actually a really good book."

"I wouldn't know," Peter said. 

"You'd be surprised how good the story is," Audrey replied.

"You're right.  It would surprise me if a book like that had a good story," Peter said. 

"Look, I wouldn't expect you to understand," Audrey replied. 

"Good, because I hate romance novels," Peter said. 

"Wow, that's a strong response.  Have you even read any?" Audrey asked. 

"Nope.  And frankly, I don't even understand how women could read these," Peter said. 

Audrey was blown away by Peter's all too blunt opinions. 

"Excuse me," Audrey replied. 

Peter then realized how brash he sounded.  He immediately back tracked and was quick to apologize.  "I'm sorry.  That came out wrong.  We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot."

"That's because you put your foot in your mouth," Audrey said. 

"You're right," Peter admitted.  "What I should have said is, as someone who does read these kinds of books, what is it about them that draws you in?"

That one was easy.  "Well, the romance of course," Audrey answered. 

"But doesn't it bother you that relationships aren't really like that?" Peter wondered.  "I mean, nothing is that perfect."

Audrey would rather have talked about a hundred other things at that moment. 

"Isn't that the point though?" Audrey said.  "That there's a world out there--fictional or not--where things can flow perfectly."

"Don't you worry that it creates unrealistic expectations?" Peter asked. 

"No.  I mean it's just a book," Audrey said. 

"To some people at least," Peter replied. 

"Look.  We all need an escape.  I mean, isn't there anything you do to get away from the realities of everyday life?" Audrey asked. 

Peter shook his head side to side.  "Nothing this damaging."

Audrey couldn't believe how different the conversation was going than she expected. 

"I'm sorry.  I'm seriously confused here.  Did I miss something?" Audrey asked. 

"No.  Look, this isn't about you.  I shouldn't have involved you," Peter said.  "Anyway, I should probably head in.  Don't want to be late for my first day."

"Oh, so that's why I've never seen you before," Audrey replied. 

"That's probably because I just got traded from Savannah," Peter said.  "I'm Peter Short.  I'll be playing third base for the team."

"Ah, the hot corner," Audrey replied, referring to the nickname for third basemen.  And Peter was sure hot, even if he did manage to put his foot in his mouth plenty throughout the conversation. 

"That's right," Peter said. 

"I'm Audrey Maxwell," Audrey replied. 

"It's nice to meet you.  I hope I didn't get off on the wrong foot too much," Peter said. 

"To be fair, I did knock you off balance," Audrey replied. 

"Anyway, I have to go see the skipper now, but I'll see you around, alright?" Peter asked. 

Then just like that, Peter was gone.  Audrey didn't know what to make of it all.  The conversation had taken such a sharp and strange turn.  Still, despite having a roller coaster of a conversation, Peter was the first ball player on the team to give Audrey the time of day. 

There was a sharp divide between the front office and the baseball players.  The players were usually too caught up chasing one night stands and sleeping with gold diggers.  Most the women in the front office were after real relationships.  Those opposing attitudes rarely ever mixed.  

It was after an odd and awkward moment like she'd had with Peter that Audrey craved a simple romance novel all the more.  In romance novels, there were no loose ends.  No strangely frayed edges.  Everything was resolved cleanly and happily.  But in real life, that rarely ever happened. 

Chapter Nine

Peter soon melted away from Audrey's mind as she dug into book two of her series after work.  Audrey gobbled up the second book in only a couple of sittings, filling her head with even more fantastical dreams.  After finishing book two, Audrey's yearning for Hawaii returned with a vengeance.  Her circumstances hadn't changed though.  She still hadn't heard a peep after sending the e-mail to the hunky surfer in Hawaii.  Hope had returned after reading the book though.  And the promise of escaping was growing more alluring by the day. 

At the same time, Audrey's sister Elizabeth was busy making wedding preparations.  And like most wedding planning, things got out of hand in a hurry.  To be fair, Elizabeth had a lot on her plate.  It became really a family effort though, and Audrey's mom Carla spent more than a few evenings dizzy with wedding preparations. 

While all this was going on, Audrey faded into the background.  Then one day Carla came back from her book club with a surprise.  

"I have great news," Carla said, with a smile on her face that just wouldn't go away.

At first Audrey thought her mom had come to the wrong person.  Surely the news couldn't be about Audrey.  But it was. 

"For me?" Audrey asked. 

"Don't act so surprised," Carla said. 

"Why would I be anything but surprised?  I can't remember the last time you had good news for me," Audrey replied.

"Well your luck is about to change," Carla insisted. 

"I'll be the judge of that.  So, what's the news?" Audrey asked.

"The book club came up with a guy for you," Carla revealed. 

"You're kidding," Audrey replied. 

"Oh, is that why I've already set you up on a date?" Carla said.

"Mom, you set me up on a blind date?" Audrey replied. 

"Yes, a blind date honey," Carla insisted. 

Audrey remained critical though.  "But how can you be so sure I'll like him?"

"I'm your mom.  Who knows what you like better than me?" Carla replied.

"I do," Audrey replied.  "I know myself better than anybody."

"Audrey, happiness can't come back to your life if you don't let lit.  So let it already," Carla insisted.   

***

It was hard to argue with her mom's logic.  So Audrey ended up agreeing to the date, even if rather reluctantly. The details about this man were scarce to non-existent.  All Audrey could get out of her mom was that he was back in town after a long time away.  That he was supposedly very handsome and caring--according to Audrey's mom at least.

Audrey's mom of course would share more info if she had it, but the recommendation was coming from a friend of a friend, which of course seemed like a silly way to make a potential love match.  But who was Audrey to question the book club?  It wasn't like she had many prospects of her own.  Or any prospects for that matter. 

Still, Audrey liked to believe that she wouldn't play such a secondary role in finding the love of her life.  It was the blind part of the date that was really throwing her off.  There was enough of a concession in having to turn to her mom and her book club to find a date.  But the man they picked was just shrouded in such mystery.  The only kind of surprise Audrey liked was the pleasant kind.  But there was only a 50/50 chance of that happening. 

Audrey thought that the book club would find a man that she already knew.  That was in the same circumstance as her--fairly recently back on the market and ready for love again.  Then they'd have some common ground, or at least a little familiarity.  But it turned out that beggars really couldn't be choosers. 

As the date approached, Audrey grew more nervous than usual.  Finally Audrey got herself all ready for the date.  She got all dressed up, but it turned out it was for nothing.  The waiting game was Audrey's least favorite.  Audrey used to hear men complaining about how annoying it was when women made them wait.  She always thought the men were blowing things out of proportion, but now she realized they weren't.  Anxiety was a terrible thing.  Audrey's nerves were already more jelly than steel to begin with.  The true problem with waiting was the uncertainty of it all.

Then again, Audrey was also the impatient type.  But was it really impatience when her date was not on time?  Maybe he was just running late.  Or maybe he was right around the corner.    Audrey just had to wait it out.

Audrey called her mom to make sure the guy had been given all the right details--and more importantly--the correct address. 

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Carla insisted. 

Audrey hoped her mom was right.  "Yeah, he's probably just running late.  Although I feel horrible now about every guy I've ever kept waiting in my life."

"Don't worry.  He'll be there soon," Carla said.  

As the minutes went by though, Audrey wasn't so sure.  Maybe the guy had reconsidered.  Maybe he hated the idea of blind dates.  Maybe he wasn't going to show up at all.  Letting Audrey's mind wander was a dangerous thing.  But giving those thoughts legs and room to run was even worse.

Still, Audrey tried to hope for the best.  Her mind so often lingered on the worst though.  Time was running out on optimism though.  At that point, Audrey's date was over a half an hour late.  It was becoming all too clear that Audrey had been stood up.  She couldn't believe it.  It was so humiliating.  Carla tried to come up with something to say to her daughter on the phone that would make her feel better, but she struggled to find the words.  Audrey meanwhile knew there was nothing to say.  The embarrassment spoke volumes already. 

Audrey just wanted to eat a whole tub of ice cream.  But just before she broke into tears, a car pulled into the driveway.  A sweet sense of relief came over her.  Maybe it would work out after all.  But her date would sure have some explaining to do.  He had better have a good explanation.  For the moment though, Audrey was just relieved that there would be a date after all. 

Audrey's enthusiasm proved to be short lived though as she saw the man getting out of the car.  It wasn't her date that had pulled up after all, but rather her sisters fiancé John.  Audrey couldn't believe it.  She'd gotten all excited for nothing.  She was still stood up. 

As John made his way inside the living room, irony came with him.  After all, John had come over to pick up Elizabeth for their date, but Elizabeth wasn't ready yet. 

"I'll be down in a minute," Elizabeth said, from the top of the stairs. 

John mumbled to himself.  "I hate waiting."

Audrey couldn't help but break out into awkward laughter.  "Tell me about it."

A few minutes later though, Elizabeth was ready and left with her fiancé.  Audrey meanwhile was still out of luck.  It was so embarrassing.  Absolutely humiliating.  Audrey couldn't believe it.  She'd had been through a lot of heartbreak in her life, but she'd never been stood up before.  This was a new unwanted milestone.  And one that she wouldn't soon forget.