Jordan (Season Two: The Ninth Inning #5) (16 page)

“I wouldn’t test him,” Felix says with a laugh.

“Your chances would be a hell of a lot better if you’d stop moaning when you’re in there and stop mentioning her hands,” Colby tells him.

Tanner shrugs, not fazed at all. I just shake my head at all of them.

I call the salon and before the third ring, a woman answers, “This is Above a Dream salon. How may I help you?”

“I need to schedule an appointment with Heidi.”

“How soon would you like it?”

“This week?”

There’s a pause before she says, “I’m sorry. She’s booked with appointments for a while. I have an opening with Skye, if you don’t want to wait.”

I frown. I want Heidi to be the one who cuts it. “It’s Jordan, Heidi’s husband,” I say, as if that will fix the issue.

“Oh, well, I can ask if she wouldn’t mind switching some clients around, or if she wants to stay late to for you.”

She probably stays late enough as it is. I think for a moment before it hits me. “When does she take her lunch breaks?”

“Between noon and one.”

Perfect. I can swing by before I need to be on the field for a night game. “Make sure she doesn’t make plans for tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you.”

It won’t take her long to cut my hair and she won’t be quite so mad if I bring her lunch. Hopefully, anyway.

Later, I’m relaxing on the couch when there’s a knock on the door. Tanner. Please, don’t let him drive me crazy. I stand and let him in. He’s loaded down with I’m not sure how many bags.

“Why in the hell do you need so much shit?” I ask as he walks past me.

“I didn’t have time to do laundry first.”

Shaking my head, I close the door and wave my hand for him to follow me.

“Jordan, is that your wife? She’s hot.”

I swivel on my heels to see him standing midway down the hallway, studying wedding pictures on the wall. “Yeah,” I grit, “come on.”

“You’re separated and you still have pictures of her up? Why? Doesn’t that get in the way of dating?”

I push open the door to the spare bedroom a bit too hard. “Here’s your room.” He walks in and looks around, dropping his bags onto the floor. “There’s a key on the dresser. I expect it back once you leave. Bathroom is across the hall. Laundry room is downstairs next to the kitchen. Make yourself at home, don’t break anything, and don’t ask me about my wife.”

Tanner rolls his eyes. “Any other rules, Dad?” he jokes.

“No. Let me know if you can’t find anything.”

“Will do. Thanks again, Jordan.”

“No problem.”

My stomach grumbles from the aroma practically blasting from the takeout plate. I stopped by Heidi’s favorite restaurant and ordered her favorite dish. It smells delicious, and I wish I had grabbed me something too. I’m waiting until after to eat though.

After I park, I grab the bag with her food and walk into the salon, hiding it behind my back. Heidi is standing at receptionist’s desk, talking, and looking at the computer. The sound of the door opening has her looking my way with wide eyes.

“Jordan, what are you doing here?”

I give her the same grin I used to when I would flirt with her, bring the bag out from behind my back. “I need a haircut and I was hoping if I brought you lunch, you could cut it and still eat before your break is over.”

Heidi hesitates before asking, “What’d you bring me?”

My grin widens. “Soup from Al’s.” Never have I met someone who enjoys soup year-round like Heidi does. I had her the bag and she inhales the lovely aroma before frowning and scrunching her nose. “What’s that face for?” It’s her favorite and I know it smells good enough to eat.

She clears her throat. “Nothing. I didn’t feel good for a second. Go have a seat while I put this in the back.”

Before I can object with her not feeling well, she turns and walks away. I take a seat at her station and wait. She wordlessly returns, grabbing a cape and securing it around my neck. My phone starts vibrating in my pocket, so I pull it out.

“Hey, Mom,” I answer, wondering why she’s calling. We’re not all that close, and I hear from my parents a handful of times throughout the year.

“Hey, Jordan. I need to ask you something.”

“Um, okay.” Heidi is trying not to make it obvious that she’s listening, but the moment I said ‘mom’, she started paying attention.

“Are you divorced?” I’m stunned by her question, and I’m quiet long enough that she continues, “I can’t believe you, Jordan. How could you not tell us you divorced Heidi? What happened?”

“What makes you think I did?”

“I saw a photo that was taken after a practice or something and noticed you weren’t wearing your ring.”

At the mention of my ring, I bring my hand to my hidden necklace and finger it, ignoring Heidi following my movements in the mirror. Since when does Mom pay attention to that kind of thing? I didn’t think they followed me that closely.

“Mom, if I was divorced,” Heidi flinches, “don’t you think I would tell you?” I’m ready to end the conversation, so I add, “Look, Heidi is about to cut my hair, and then I have to get to the field. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” If she calls, then I’ll talk to her. The last thing I want to do is talk more about this with my mom.

“Okay. Glad everything is fine. Bye, Jordan.”

“Bye.” I end the call and slip my phone into my pocket. “Sorry,” I mumble as Heidi begins to work her magic.

“It’s fine.” I watch as she gulps. “Speaking of, my lawyer said it’s going to take longer than we thought with the paperwork.”

I clench my hand into a fist. She’s been checking in to see how much longer she has to be married to me? What the hell? It’s moments like this when I briefly wonder if fighting so damn hard is worth it. It’s when I ponder giving up. She’s done nothing but fight me twice as hard and maybe it’s pointless. She’s made up her mind, and maybe I won’t be able to change it. Heidi is making it so hard to stay strong throughout this mess.

Yet, one glance into the mirror as she keeps her eyes on what she’s doing and I know I won’t stop fighting, I won’t give up, and I won’t ever stop loving her. Of course it’s worth it.
She
is
always
worth the bad, the pain, and the heartache because she’s perfect for me, even with the hell she’s put me through.

Until we’ve signed our names on those divorce papers, I won’t give up. However, today is not a day for talking. Heidi is probably doing a happy dance on the inside because I’m not talking to her. She keeps glancing at me in the mirror, expecting me to say something, anything. She’s almost done when I can’t take the silence anymore.

“Sorry to come on your lunch break, but if I waited for an opening, it would’ve been Christmas,” I exaggerate. “It’s good that you’re busy though.”

Heidi nods. “Yeah, I think the convention helped us out.” She runs her fingers through my hair and it takes everything I have not to let my eyes roll into the back of my head at the sensation. “All done,” she tells me quietly.

“Thanks.” Once I stand, I turn toward her. “Don’t put too much into this,” I repeat her famous words, “but there’s a couple of tickets waiting for you if you wanted to come tonight. I know you miss it. You could bring a friend if you don’t want to go alone.”

Heidi gives me a real smile. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll go then.”

Maybe, my ass. I can’t focus on the game because I’m pissed for even hoping she’d come and pissed that she didn’t show. She should’ve come. Not for me, but because she’s a baseball fan. That should have been reason enough for her to come. I was so sure she would since her smile was genuine. Knowing how Heidi has been lately, she probably lost her nerve after I left.

I’m so lost in my own head, I barely know what’s going on, much less the score.

By the time I fall into my bed, I’m exhausted, but for some reason I can’t fall asleep. I’m almost asleep when I hear a long, loud groan, “Oh, God, girl.” My eyes flash open. I hear a scream and then a shout from Tanner and I’ll be damned. He seriously did not bring a chick here. I did not need to know that
he
is a screamer. I did not need him to have sex in my house.

I throw the covers back, get dressed, snatch my phone, wallet, and car keys off my dresser, and leave. There’s no way I’m about to interrupt him. I can still hear them from the living room. A glance at the clock shows it’s a bit too late to knock on Colby’s door. Would Heidi turn me away?

There is only one way to find out.

When Heidi opens the door, I know I’m sick of her being surprised to see me, even when she has a right to be. Why can’t I get a happy look? Just once? My eyes roam over her body. She’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and I’m sure there’s some shorts hidden underneath it. She wouldn’t answer the door half-dressed. My fingers itch to touch her, but I can’t, so I ignore it.

“Can I crash on your couch tonight?” I ask before she can speak.

“What...why?”

“Tanner is loud when he has sex.” Heidi bunches her brows. “Please, Heidi? It’s late and I’m tired. I’ll be gone before you wake up in the morning.”

“Okay.” She steps aside and I walk in. “I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket.”

“Thanks.” I take the moment to look around. She’s made herself a home here, but it’s odd that there’s no TV. It looks as if there are other things missing too, which is odd.

“Here you go.”

I take the items from her and make a makeshift bed on the couch. As a thought hits me and since she’s standing off to the side watching me, I ask, “Do I snore?”

Heidi snorts a laugh, causing me to look over my shoulder at her. “Yeah, you snore, Jordan.”

“Badly?”

She nods as I turn to face her. “You’re loud. Why are you asking?”

“Colby roomed with me on the last road trip. He complained about it. I didn’t think it could be too bad because you never complained.”

Heidi folds her arms over her chest, a small smile playing on her lips. “I got used to it and usually, it didn’t bother me because I could sleep through it. Although, sometimes, you were so loud, I used earplugs.”

“Really?”

She nods. “There was a box of them in my nightstand. I would wake up before you did to take them out so you wouldn’t notice.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I ask as I set my phone, wallet, and keys on the coffee table and begin to remove my shirt.

Heidi’s eyes are glued to my chest where my tattoos are. She clears her throat. “What would it change? You would still snore and like I said, I only used the earplugs sometimes.”

I nod. “Well, night, I guess,” I say, my hands moving to the button on my shorts.

“Night.”

She quickly turns and leaves before I can finish undressing. I lie down on the couch and once again, can’t fall asleep. Heidi is too close. I wonder what she would do if I crawled into bed with her. Kick me out? Let me lie next to her? Claim we need another ‘normal’ night? Either way, I wouldn’t be able to take the blow of any of those possible outcomes. So, I close my eyes and hope I can fall asleep soon.

“SO, HE WAS on your couch, less than twenty feet away from you, and you did nothing?” Patty asks.

“Yes,” I sigh. “I wanted to talk to him and ask him to come to bed with me, but...” I trail off. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but they won’t come out.