Ready To Love Again (25 page)

Cody’s confidence level grew, and he stood a little taller with the encouragement, giving Chase a firm, determined nod. When Chase walked back to the dugout, the umpire called the game back into play.

While Chase was on the sidelines, he felt a looming presence behind him. Focusing all his attention on Cody, he ignored Mitch when he tried to get his attention. He watched while Cody threw his next pitch, which landed a perfect strike into Tony’s mitt. Chase yelled his approval, then turned to face the boy’s father.

“What did you tell him?” Mitch sneered.

“That’s between us, Mr. Arnold.”

He turned back to the field as Cody threw an outside pitch, losing some of his momentum. Chase clenched his teeth, angry with himself for allowing Mitch to distract him from giving Cody the support he needed. Mitch stepped out from behind the fence, and Chase moved farther to the side, hoping Cody would fix his gaze on him and not his father.

“It’s all right, Cody! Next one will be in!”

Mitch grumbled behind him but kept his mouth shut. Cody threw the next pitch. It was a strike, but the umpire called it a ball. It happened all the time. Umpires weren’t perfect, and the rules were set so the ump had the final word—it was pointless to argue.

“That’s okay! It was a bad call, Cody!”

Chase wasn’t about to contradict the ump, but his reassurance to Cody was his way of letting the umpire know he wasn’t happy.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chase watched Mitch stride toward the umpire, fists clenched. He stopped inches from him while Tony scrambled to get out of his way. Chase motioned for Tony to stand by Shawn at first base, and then he stood back and watched while Mitch dug his own grave.

Daniel, who had been in the dugout, was next to Chase in an instant, a huge grin on his face.

“Blue isn’t going to take that for long.” Daniel chuckled while Mitch screamed at the umpire, his face turning a deeper shade of red with every angry word.

Chase smirked while the scene played out. There wasn’t anything they could do, and honestly, they both wanted to see the umpire put Mitch in his place. The only way either one of them would interfere was if punches were thrown—otherwise, Chase would watch with a small bit of satisfaction when the ump threw Mitch out of the game.

The umpire pulled off his facemask, his silver hair matted to his head from the heat of the day. His lips pursed when Mitch continued to throw every insult and dirty word he had in his vocabulary. Chase cringed at the thought of the children having to listen to his foul mouth but smiled with approval when the ump stepped back and, with a quick jerk of his thumb over his shoulder, gave him the sign they’d waited for.

“You’re outta here!” the umpire yelled, bracing himself for a fight. Daniel and Chase took a few steps forward in case they needed to pull Mitch off him, but by the looks of things, the umpire could handle himself.

Daniel’s grin was huge when he leaned over Chase. “Twenty bucks says the old man takes Mitch down.”

Chase shook his head. “I’m not stupid enough to take that bet.”

Mitch ran out of obscenities to yell, so he started kicking dirt on the umpire’s shoes.

“That ain’t cool,” Daniel said through gritted teeth.
 

They both jogged over to Mitch and pulled him away by his shoulders. Kicking dirt on an umpire’s shoe was just as offensive as spitting in his face.

“Be a man and get out of here.”
 

Mitch started to push past them again, and Daniel growled.

Not wanting to tangle with him, Mitch sneered at them both and stomped off to his car. When everyone realized he was leaving, a huge cheer came from all the parents in the stands. Daniel chuckled under his breath and gave Chase a discreet fist bump before walking back to the dugout. Chase made his way back to his position by the fence, and the ump jogged over to him.

“I’m sorry, Coach O’Donnell, but that asshole pissed me off with the way he heckled your player. He’s lucky I didn’t bust his chops.”

Chase couldn’t help but pat him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I was about to let him have it myself. Can I have a minute to talk to my pitcher?”

The umpire nodded and ran over to home plate, waving Tony back to his position. Chase jogged out to Cody, who looked embarrassed while he moved the dirt around with his toe.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Cody looked up, and Chase could see the humiliation in the boy’s eyes. The desire to grab Cody’s father and knock some sense into him for putting his kid through hell crossed Chase’s mind.

“Listen, you only have to throw two more strikes, and this game’s over. Do you think you can do it?”

Cody shrugged.

Chase waved Tony over to the mound when he realized he was losing Cody to his doubt.

Tony ran up and seemed to know what his teammate needed to hear. “You’ve got this. Remember when you threw that awesome fastball during practice?”

Cody nodded and raised his eyes to meet Tony’s.

“The batter’s slow on the swing. He won’t be able to touch your fastball.” Tony grinned, then gripped Cody’s shoulder with a camaraderie that came easily to him. “You can do it.”

There was an instant change in the boy. He straightened a little more and puffed out his chest with a confidence Chase hoped would carry him through his last pitches. He patted Cody on the shoulder and turned to go back to his position, while his son raced to home plate. Tony pushed his facemask over his eyes, squatted in front of the plate, and punched his mitt before he held it out to give Cody a target.
 

Tony’s voice filled the field with affirmations when Cody slid a fastball into his glove with a practice pitch. His enthusiasm spurred on the rest of the team to root for Cody when the batter stepped back up to the plate.

Chase cheered as if he were watching the major leagues when Cody wound up and threw a perfect pitch. The umpire called a strike, and the crowd came to their feet, rooting for him. Tony and Shawn ran over and jumped up and down in a circle around Cody, and the whole team swarmed him and patted him on the back. He reached out and fist-bumped Shawn before Tony grabbed him in a hug. Their laughter floated over the cheers of the crowd.

They had a team meeting in the dugout right after the game. When Chase asked the boys who should get the game ball, every boy yelled a loud, unanimous “Cody!” He strutted forward and accepted the ball from Daniel, and when he returned to his seat, he high-fived Tony and Shawn. This game was the first outward display of team unity Chase had seen from the boy, and he hoped the positive experience would carry over into the remaining games.
 

After the team meeting, Shawn and Tony went to work gathering up all the equipment, and Chase walked over to his girls on the bench. Liz ran and jumped up to plant a big sloppy kiss on his cheek.

Katie leaned in and kissed Chase’s cheek, whispering her congratulations in his ear. He took her hand and pulled her into his side, loving the feel of her pressed up against him.

“We have Daniel’s SUV, so we can take the kids home and you two can get out of here,” Gina said with a big smile.

Chase had never wanted to hug his sister more than he did at that moment, but that would require him to release Katie, so instead he nodded his thanks.

“Have fun.” Gina waved at them before she trotted over to Shawn and Tony, then grabbed the bag of gear and hefted it over her shoulder. It was almost as heavy as she was, so when she went to take a step, she started to topple over. Daniel groaned and ran over to wrestle it out of her hands before she hurt herself. Katie and Chase chuckled.

When they turned toward each other with eager anticipation, Chase asked, “Are you ready?”
 

Katie gave him a shy smile and nodded. She didn’t ask him where their destination was while they drove north on Highway 1 toward Monterey. They exited the freeway and made their way down to the commercial wharf. When they parked, Katie’s forehead wrinkled as if she were trying to solve a puzzle. “Are we having an early dinner on the wharf again?”

Chase shook his head and gave her a lopsided smile. “You’ll see.”

He grabbed both bags out of the trunk and took her hand when she climbed out of the car. Once they reached the gate that led down to the boat docks, Chase pulled out his key and slid it into the lock.

“What—Chase, where are we going?”

He didn’t answer, refusing to ruin the surprise while he led her down the docks. They stopped in front the pristine sailboat that was his pride and joy. Chase looked over at her, and she started to understand.

“This is your boat?”

He grinned at her and nodded. “Welcome to the
Mia
.”

Chase climbed aboard and turned back to offer his hand, helping her up the ladder. She appeared a little apprehensive when she glanced around, her footing unsure. He guided her across the rigging while she stared in stunned silence.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, running her hand over the mast.

He corrected her. “She.”

Katie turned toward him with a flirtatious smile. “Does that mean I should be jealous?”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Hardly.”

Looking out across the sky, he saw the sun making its descent. If he wanted to make it to their destination before dark, they needed to get going. Chase kissed Katie’s neck and took her hand, leading her to the deck below.

“Let me show you around, and then we’ll shove off. Have you ever been on a sailboat before?” Chase helped her down the stairs.

She shook her head. “No, I’ve been on a large research vessel, but that was back in college.”

“Then we should get you some Dramamine—smaller boats tend to rock more.”

Chase was glad he’d checked to make sure he had everything when he prepared the boat earlier in the week. He went to the galley and popped open the safety latch on the cabinet, grabbing the box of medication and handing her a tablet before he put the box back.

“You don’t get seasick?” she asked, and Chase laughed.

“Uh . . . yeah, the first time I was on a boat, I spent the whole time with my head hanging over the railing.”

She grimaced, and Chase smiled, trying to ease her mind. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. Some people never have a problem.”

Katie nodded and walked further into the cabin. “It’s—she’s beautiful. What kind of wood is this?” She ran her hand across the paneling along the wall.

“Older sailboats have teak decks and paneling, but with newer boats like this one, you usually need to request it. Teak weathers better in the salty air than other woods.” Chase took her hand and turned her around. “So this is the living area and the galley.” He pulled her to the bow of the boat. “There are two berths up front.” Pushing the curtains aside on both sides, he revealed a bunk bed on one side and a twin bed on the other. She nodded and bent to poke her head into the small sleeping area.

“So a berth’s a bedroom,” she mused. “It’s tiny.” Katie leaned back and gave him a quizzical look. “I can’t imagine you sleeping in that small space.”

Chase chuckled and shook his head. “That’s where the kids sleep.” He pulled her toward the aft. “This is the head.” He stepped into the small bathroom, and she peered in.

“The toilet and the shower are in the same spot?” A cute wrinkle formed on her brow.

“Yep. There’s not a lot of room in a thirty-six
-
foot sailboat.” He nudged her back into the hallway and pushed open the door to the master berth.

“This is where we’ll sleep tonight.”

Chase pulled her inside the small space, and she looked around with wonder. In the master berth, there was a queen-sized bed with a small cabinet for a closet. A built-in trunk sat along the starboard wall to the side of the bed. A windowed hatch, along with several portholes, let in a generous amount of sunshine from the corner of the ceiling. Chase looked back at Katie. She pulled his hand behind her back and stepped closer to him, tipping her head up to meet his eyes.

“It’s perfect.”

Those two little words eased the doubt he’d harbored since he began to prepare for their trip. Giving her a quick peck, he stepped back before he lost all control, picked her up, and tossed her on the bed. Her bottom lip jutted out in disappointment, and Chase brought his thumb up to trace it, turning her pout into a small smile.

“We need to shove off, or we won’t make our destination before sunset,” he whispered.

“You haven’t told me where we’re going.”

He gave her a big grin but didn’t say anything. Katie released a disappointed sigh when she realized he wouldn’t answer, then followed him back above deck. “So what do you need me to do?”

Chase shook his head and brought her to the helm. “It’s all electronic.” He flipped a switch, and the engine purred with a quiet hum.

“I always thought it took a whole crew to sail a boat.”

“It would be difficult to sail this by myself without the help of technology.” He backed the boat out of the slip. “I can override everything manually, but with Tony and Liz being children, I wanted a boat that would allow me to do it alone if I needed to.” They motored through the harbor until they hit the open bay. Chase flipped another switch, and the jib unfurled.