Playing By The Rules E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Five years ago, one night cost Amber everything. Her scholarship, her future, and her spotless record. Since then, she hasn’t broken a single rule. She refuses to even get close. But she’ll do just about anything to get her life back on track. Including facing the mistakes she made. 
Caleb has done everything possible to be the doting fill-in parent to his late best friend’s kids, right down to coaching their softball team. He’ll never replace their father, but he refuses to leave the girls or their mom without support. Even when it means sacrificing what he wants. 
When Amber’s new job puts her in Caleb’s path, he’s the one person who gives her the strength to face her past. They’re drawn to each other in a way that’s both comfortable and new. Healing from the past and moving into the future together feels easy, safe. Until the truth comes out, and there are no rules. 

Leseprobe

PLAYING BY THE RULES

A SMALL TOWN SPORTS ROMANCE

PARADISE PARK

BOOK 1

MARY E THOMPSON

Playing By The Rules

Paradise Park, book one

Copyright © 2014 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2023 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo (man) from depositphotos, Copyright © StarsStudio

Cover Photo (softball) from depositphotos, Copyright © enterlinedesign

Cover Photo (striped background) from depositphotos, Copyright © A-R-T-U-R

Cover Photo (wood background) from depositphotos, Copyright © Alexis84

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9899954-6-7

Created with Vellum

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

About the Author

1

Caleb Peterson was early. He told himself it was because it was the first game and he wanted to get there to make sure he greeted all the players. But he knew it was because of the new ump.

Rumors of her had made their way through the dads. Caleb had been told by most of the coaches and a few of the veteran umps that she was definitely something to look at. He heard about her full, perky breasts and her tight ass. Supposedly she wasn’t new to the area, but she was definitely new to the small community of girls’ softball. And she was already making a splash.

Caleb was grateful Becky and the girls didn’t argue. Becky was a trooper. Of course she had no idea why he was anxious to be early, but Caleb never shared that kind of information with her.

Amy and Candace were running around on the field already. A few of Candace’s teammates had arrived and the girls were playing catch and trying to throw the ball over each other’s heads. At nine, Amy was the ringleader, but seven year old Candace was holding her own.

Caleb looked through his stuff and realized he’d left his clipboard with the lineup in the truck. He jogged over to where Becky was talking to the other moms and said, “Hey. I need to run to the truck. Do you need anything?”

“Nope, I’m good,” Becky said with a smile.

Caleb nodded to the other moms and took off toward the parking lot. He said hello to parents and coaches he recognized as he passed and reached his truck without being stopped. His clipboard was lying in the back like it’d been waiting for him. He snatched it and turned to head back to the field with fifteen minutes still to spare.

Then he saw her.

She was sitting in her car white-knuckling the steering wheel. The car was off but her seatbelt was still on. She was pale and looked like she was sweating. “Oh, shit,” Caleb grumbled as he approached the car.

He wasn’t sure if she was having a heart attack, a panic attack, or just upset. What he did know was he couldn’t just walk past her without asking if she needed help. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to someone and he didn’t do anything to try and help.

Caleb approached the car from the front at an angle. He was hoping she would see him so she wouldn’t be startled. She looked nearly catatonic. He walked quickly to the door and knocked on her window. She didn’t move and Caleb panicked.

He yanked the door open and felt the cool air left from her air conditioning coat him. “Are you alright?” he asked as he kneeled next to her car and tried to force her to look at him.

She jumped when he touched her and threw her hands up like she was defending herself. Her blue eyes searched him as though trying to decide if he was a threat. Caleb fought not to lose himself in her gaze and looked over her extra curvy figure as she evaluated him.

She was wearing a tight white tank top and fitted black shorts. Her full chest heaved with each breath she took, giving Caleb a delectable view of what she had to offer. She wasn’t a twig, but she was strong, like she’d been an athlete in the past. Her strong legs promised him endless nights of pleasure wrapped around his waist as he drove deep into her.

‘Shit,’ he cursed himself, ‘I can’t be thinking about that.’

He realized she still hadn’t answered him so he went for another tactic, “What’s your name?”

“I’m fine,” she snapped. “Why are you in my car?”

Caleb backed up a bit and stood. “I thought something was wrong. Do you need help?”

“No. I don’t need help. I’m fine. I was just… I’m fine.”

“What’s your name?”

She sighed heavily, portraying her annoyance with him for giving a shit. “I’m Amber. Amber Wilds. I’m an ump here. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“Oh,” Caleb said. He was looking forward to meeting the new ump, to get a good look at her. She’d surpassed his wildest dreams. Well, for day one. Her tight clothes would fuel many more fantasies for him. “I’m Caleb Peterson. You’re actually working my game today.”

“You don’t look like a 7-8 year old girl,” Amber snarled at him.

He laughed and offered his hand to her. “I know you’re new here so why don’t I walk over to the field with you. My team is getting set up but the other coach wasn’t there when I came back out here. Where are your pads?”

Amber unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face him. He stirred a bit when he realized she was at the perfect height for a few naughty things that entered his mind with a woman face-to-face with his other head. The way her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips made him wonder if her thoughts were heading the same direction his were. He doubted it, but his cock didn’t get that message and tried to stand up and shake her hand.

As she stood her eyes drifted over him, settling briefly on his left hand before darting away and landing on his crotch again. Caleb watched her, fascinated by her, and more than a little turned on. Her eyes slowly lifted to his face and he wondered what she saw in his gaze that made her suck in a breath.

Caleb backed up a step when Amber swung her legs from the car and accepted his hand. A spark traveled through his body and jolted his cock once again. Her eyes flashed to Caleb’s and darkened as his lips parted with the breath he sucked in.

Caleb wanted nothing less than to throw her over his shoulder and drive her back to his house, but he couldn’t let Candace down. Besides that, sleeping with an ump could be perceived as an unfair advantage and might be pushing the rules a bit. Then again, with Caleb’s track record with women, sleeping with her would probably only hurt his team, not help them.

Amber left her door open as she went to her small trunk. She lifted it wordlessly and arranged her pads. Caleb watched as she sat on the edge of her trunk and stepped into her padded shorts. Then she pulled her upper pads on and covered them with a black t-shirt. She fitted her leg guards over her knees and shins before pulling her pants over the whole assembly. She reached back in and grabbed her mask then slammed her trunk shut.

He was still there. Watching her.

“Okay, I guess you can show me where the field is since you waited.”

Caleb tried to find his words but could only nod his head. Watching her get dressed was almost as intoxicating as watching a woman get undressed. He didn’t know how, but he knew he was dangerously close to walking back to a field full of little girls with a jackhammer in his pants.

Caleb turned from her and focused on his truck. It reminded him about why he was doing this. And what he’d lost on the way there.

Even though the pain lingered, Caleb was happy his erection faded.

Amber closed her car door and locked it then stuffed her key into her sneaker and followed Caleb. He found himself more curious about the new ump as they walked side-by-side wordlessly to the field. If he was lucky, he’d wear down her defenses by the end of the season and then get a shot to put his fantasies to the test.

* * *

Amber felt good about herself after the game. She knew she’d done a good job. Being back on a softball field was easier than she thought it would be. She’d stayed focused on the game and didn’t have any panic attacks.

Of course, hot Coach Caleb helped.

Caleb had introduced Amber to the other coach when they arrived at the field and made her feel like she was meant to be there instead of the outsider she’d originally felt like. It was clear the league was tight-knit and Amber liked that. She knew being an ump still put her outside the inner circle, but outside was better than non-existent.

Right?

Amber headed back to her car after the game alone. She’d seen Caleb talking to the other coaches and parents and left. She didn’t know what she would have done if he wasn’t talking to people. She knew she’d never go talk to him. She wouldn’t break the rules. Been there. Done that. Had the record to prove it.

At her car she stripped her pads off and threw everything back into her trunk. As she closed it, Caleb appeared with a smile.

“You did great today. I know it’s hard breaking into a group like this, but you were a hit.”

Amber cocked an eyebrow at him and he laughed a deep, rumbling laugh that made the fine hairs on her body stand up. Her nipples too. It was the kind of laugh that belonged in the bedroom, not a little league field. Or maybe she just felt that way about everything with him.

“What I meant was we’re happy to have you. You were very fair and I like that. The girls need a role model and they’ll look up to you.”

“I’m not a role model,” Amber said with disdain.

“Yeah, you are. It’s great for the girls to see a woman in a position of power who is still fair and honest. You’re the first female ump they’ve seen.”

Amber rolled her eyes and said, “You’re kidding right? A position of power. I’m an ump at a little league game. I have no power.”

“To these girls you do,” Caleb said gesturing to one of the girls on his team walking toward them with her sister and mom. They were watching Caleb and Amber talk and Amber thought about giving them a dirty look but kept herself in check.

“Listen,” Caleb said, “I’ve gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Ump Amber. I think you have another game of ours next week. I’ll see you then.”

Amber nodded and felt a blush creep up her neck at the idea of him watching her again. She knew she was treading on dangerous ground, but all she wanted to do was grab a spoon and eat him up.

She watched as he jogged across the small parking lot to the girls and their mom. He lifted the younger girl into his arms and affectionately rubbed the head of the older girl. The mom watched him with love.

Amber couldn’t move. She watched as they all loaded into his truck and drove off.

And Amber’s felt like she’d been sucker-punched.

* * *

Caleb drove through the town of Paradise Park, New York, with Amber still on his mind. He couldn’t seem to shake the sight of her in her car, vulnerable and scared. She never told him what had her spooked. Then again, they were still virtual strangers. Why would she tell him anything? At least he would get to see her regularly for the next few months.

They passed the high school he and Becky had graduated from and the girls’ elementary school. Paradise Park was home. It always had been and always would be. Even in his darkest days Caleb couldn’t imagine leaving the town he loved.

Paradise Park was big enough to support its own college and some minor league sports teams, but small enough to still feel like everyone knew each other. It wasn’t really true, but Caleb felt like he’d known a lot of people in town his whole life. Of course that had good and bad points.

Caleb pulled into the parking lot of Davoli’s Pizza and the girls cheered. He smiled at Becky and they all climbed out of the truck.

Inside the aroma of pizza blasted them. Caleb inhaled deeply and went to the counter to order while Becky and the girls found a table. The man behind the counter was polite as always and Caleb thanked him.

They loved going to Davoli’s. It was a family-owned business, a true local business. The oldest brother, Matt, had been a few years ahead of him in school and the younger brothers and sister were just behind him. He never knew any of them well, but their parents had built the pizza place when they were in high school.

Caleb supported as many local and American businesses as possible. He’d always had pride in his country and his town. It helped that Davoli’s was the best pizza in town. Hands down.

Caleb carried the empty cups and table number over to Becky. The girls had run off to play video games, as usual. Caleb wondered what they liked better about Davoli’s, the pizza or the games. He didn’t really care. They were having fun.

Becky helped him get drinks and they settled back into their table. She didn’t waste any time saying, “So that new ump is pretty attractive.”

He slid her a look that asked what she was getting at.

Becky laughed and said, “Did you really think I wasn’t going to notice you drooling over her? Please. I think the whole field noticed.”

“Except her,” Caleb grumbled.

“What? She wasn’t charmed by you? Did Caleb Peterson find a woman that didn’t fall all over herself for him on sight?”

“You mean besides you, right?” he teased.

“Of course. You never existed for me,” Becky said quietly.

“Come on, Beck, don’t go there. We had a good day today. And it’s been more than five years.”

“I know, Caleb. It’s just little things that get to me. Brian would have loved to see the girls play. And Candace got her first hit today. He missed it.”

“No, he didn’t. You know he was watching. He’s always with you guys.”

Becky nodded and wiped her eyes. “I still wish I could talk to him and share things with him. You’re great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the same.”

Caleb nodded. He understood. Brian Callahan was Caleb’s best friend. They grew up together like brothers. When they met Becky in high school, she became an extension of Brian. Caleb accepted her as one of them and the three of them were best friends ever since.

Brian and Caleb joined the police force together when they finished college. They’d only been on the job a few years when Brian was killed by a drunk driver. He was on duty and had pulled someone over. The drunk driver passed out at the wheel. Brian never saw him coming and ended up pinned between the two cars.

Becky and Caleb clung to each other afterward. They supported each other to take care of the girls, only four and two at the time. Becky wanted them to have a normal life but she could barely take care of herself some days. They moved into the other half of Caleb’s duplex and the four of them have been like a messed up family every since.

“It’ll never be the same without him, Beck. Nothing will. I can’t talk about women with you the same way I did with him.”

Becky laughed at Caleb’s grimace and took the opportunity to change the subject. “Why don’t you try again with the ump?”

Caleb slid her a long look knowing she’d pushed the conversation from her heartbreak to his life seamlessly. She shrugged her shoulders and he accepted the change. He could tell it was getting hard for her to talk about Brian. Truth be told, it was hard for him, too.

“I don’t know Beck. I’m getting tired of it all.”

Becky threw her hand over her heart and teased, “Oh, no, don’t tell me the Great Caleb Peterson is ready to settle down!”

He tried to glare at her but it turned into a laugh. “Ha ha. Very funny. And I don’t know about settling down. I don’t feel like chasing women as much anymore. She really didn’t seem interested.”

“You’re blind if you think that.”

“What are you talking about?” Caleb asked, leaning in to Becky like she was about to share a secret.

“She liked you. I saw it when her face fell after you walked over to me and the girls. She thinks we’re together.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed. He had noticed that Amber hadn’t left by the time he pulled out of the lot but didn’t know what to think. He pulled his baseball hat off then ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair. Becky watched him as he struggled to accept her words.

“Caleb, trust me. She likes you. And you clearly liked her. Why are you running scared now?”

“I’m not running scared.”

“Did something happen with her?” Becky asked him with her eyes narrowed.

The pizza arrived and saved Caleb from answering Becky’s question. He turned to call the girls but she stopped him. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I just saw her in her car. When I went to get my clipboard she was just sitting there. I thought something happened and went over to talk to her. She was terrified of something, but she snapped herself out of it and went on with the game. I was both worried and totally impressed by her.”

“And enamored.”

“I am not enamored. I’m just… Hell, I don’t know what I am. I felt something when I touched her-“

“Caleb! You touched her. In the parking lot. At the ball field?” Becky exclaimed in hushed tones.

“No,” Caleb shot back. “Not like that. Geez, what do you really think of me? I helped her out of the car and felt… something.”

Becky narrowed her eyes at Caleb and looked like she was trying to read his mind. Caleb knew he had to be losing it if Becky was confused. She’d had Brian. He was her life, and if she thought he was crazy, he had to be crazy.

Thankfully, before she had time to press him anymore, the girls came bounding over. “Yes, pizza. Thanks, Uncle Caleb.”

“You’re welcome. Dig in everyone,” he said with an eye on Becky. She gave him a look that he knew meant they weren’t done. He dug into his pizza and kept his head down, letting the girls chatter fill the air space.

His mind drifted to Amber and their brief interaction. Could Becky be right? He had no idea. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out. If he felt a connection to her right away, would it only get worse? He didn’t know if he was ready to let someone else in. The only other person he’d loved was Brian and even though losing a friend was different than losing a lover, he still experienced the deepest sense of loss.

Caleb never wanted to feel that way again.

The girls ate their pizza quickly and disappeared again. Alone with Becky, Caleb evaluated his options. He decided to go on the offensive before she wore down his defenses.

“What about you, Beck? When are you going to get out there again?”

Becky glanced toward the girls and watched them for a few moments. He knew she’d been hiding behind them for years but he hoped she was about ready to start living again. “I don’t know. A part of me misses having someone to share my world with. But I worry about letting someone in. Dating as a single mom is going to be so much different than it ever was with Brian. Of course we barely dated. We were just together almost immediately. I didn’t date many people. And of course I’ve never slept with anyone but him. That scares me more than anything I think.”

Caleb nodded along with Becky. He expected everything she had to say, but he knew they both needed to move on. “You’ve been focused on the girls for years now. You’ve done a great job with them-“

“With lots of help from you,” Becky interrupted.

“I was happy to. But it’s time for you to live your life a little. I feel the same way about letting someone else in. After all, you stepped in as my best friend when Brian died. I never even made new friends.”

“That’s just because no one likes you,” Becky teased.

“You’re just a barrel of laughs tonight. I just mean I understand how you feel.”

“I know, Caleb. We’ll both get there. I just think you’re closer than I am.”

Caleb felt heat creep over him when he brought up the image of Amber’s heaving cleavage in her car. Then her endless blue eyes and her quick wit. Yeah, Becky was right, Caleb was closer to letting someone in than she was.

“You ready to go home?” he asked.

She grinned, “Yeah.” Becky got the girls and they all headed outside to Caleb’s truck. He drove back through town to their duplex and pulled into his driveway.

“Do you need any help tonight?” he asked.

“No, I think we’re good,” Becky told him as the girls ran ahead to wait on the porch. “You go dream about your new favorite ump. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Caleb hip-checked her and said goodnight. They each disappeared into their own homes. Caleb turned on the lights and sunk onto his couch. He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. He’d only just met Amber. He knew she was hot, but he also worried she was a hot mess.

And that he wasn’t ready. His heart was still locked up. And he really didn’t want to give away the key.

2

Amber headed straight to the shower when she got home from the game. She needed a few minutes to center her mind before facing her roommate, Emily Parks. Amber adored Emily, and owed her everything, but sometimes Emily was too much.

Especially after the day Amber had.

In the shower she rinsed the sweat and dirt from the day off herself. She’d been working almost since sun-up with an early shift at the YMCA followed by a few hours at the grocery store. Ending her day umping was almost more than she could handle.

When the hot water ran cold, Amber reluctantly got out and dried herself. She bolted across the hall to her bedroom, hearing faint sounds of Emily in the kitchen. Amber pulled on shorts and a tank top and went out to face the music.

“Where’ve you been?” Emily asked as soon as Amber walked in the room.

“Working.”

Emily sighed. “I hate that you have to work two jobs to get by. I wish you’d let me help you.”

Amber shook her head. “Em, you’ve helped me enough. I wouldn’t have survived the last five years without you.”

“You’d have figured it out.”

Amber shrugged. Emily always downplayed how much her support meant to Amber. Amber had no one to turn to five years ago when her life fell apart. Emily was the only one who helped her. And stayed by her side every day since.

“I’m making dinner. You hungry?”

Amber snorted. “Always.”

She tied her hair up and winced as she lowered herself into a chair. “What was that?” Emily asked, always aware.

“Nothing. Just using muscles my body forgot I had.”

Emily wasn’t going to let her get away with that. “What muscles? Where were you when I got home from work?”

Amber sighed. There was no reason to keep it from her roommate and best friend. She knew Emily would support her, even if she didn’t entirely understand. “I started umping girls’ softball. Little League.”

“What?!? Are you kidding me?” Emily screeched.

Amber winced at the tone. She shook her head. “I need the money Em. Umping and coaching, especially little kids, is easy.”

“Then why do you look like someone used you as the ball instead. And we’re coming back to the coaching thing in a minute.”

Amber sighed again. “It’s hard being back on a field. I’ve missed it, you know. But I can’t sit back and watch my life pass by any longer.”

“Why do I get the feeling you mean something else?”

Amber hated how astute her friend was. “I applied to go back to school. I want to finish my degree.”

Emily was quiet. Eerily quiet. Amber didn’t like when her chatterbox best friend didn’t speak. It usually meant bad things were coming her way. “Are you sure about that?”

Amber shrugged. “I’m not really sure about anything. What I know is I can’t afford to live here by myself and even with two crappy jobs, it’s hard for me to find anywhere to live alone. There isn’t anyone else I know that I could move in with.”

Emily shook her head. “What does any of that have to do with going back to school? If you can’t afford a place to live how are you going to afford school?”

“I’ve applied to be an RA.”

“Seriously? A resident advisor? Why?”

Amber rarely felt worthless around Emily. She’d had enough practice around everyone else she knew, but with Emily she could be herself. Admitting just how far she’d sunk was hard to voice. “You know why, Em. You just asked how I could afford school. I’ve applied for loans and if I can get in as an RA I’ll get free room and board. I can’t afford school, but I’m a drain. I work jobs alongside high school kids who are preparing for their future. If I could move up and do more I’d feel better but everything wants you to have a college degree these days. I’m only short a year, maybe a two at this point. Then I can get a decent job and do more with my life than leech off you.”

“You aren’t leeching off me.”

Amber snorted. “We both know that isn’t true. You’d have moved in with Tim by now if it weren’t for me.”

“No, I-“ Amber shot her a glare. “Okay, fine, you’re right. But I like living with you. It’s not like we haven’t had fun.”

Amber smiled. “We have. But you’re getting married in a few months and I need to move on with my life, quit relying on you to take care of me.”

Emily stuck her tongue out at Amber and they both laughed. “Let’s eat and watch trashy TV. You can tell me about coaching and the hot dads at softball.”

“How did you know there were hot dads?”

Emily shot her a look of disbelief. “There’s always hot dads coaching. But I have a feeling there was one in particular who caught your eye.”

Amber let her mind drift back to the cute dad who’d interrupted her panic attack. His eyes were so kind that she nearly lost herself in him, but that wasn’t what stuck with her. He was hot with a capital h. If he hadn’t gotten into his truck with a wife she might have asked him out.

“He’s married,” Amber told Emily.

“Damn. Definitely need to find a single dad.”

“Yeah. I’m not into breaking up anyone’s marriage.”

“That would be bad. So, how are you coaching and umping at the same time? And I thought coaches were volunteers at this level?”

Amber nodded. “I’m umping for the little girls, coach pitch. I’m offering my services as a pitching coach.”

“Holy shit. Are you sure about that Amber?”

She laughed mirthlessly. “I thought we already talked about this. I’m not sure about anything, Em.”

“It’s been a long time since you played.”

“Five years.”

Emily sighed. “Are you ready? It’s not the same since no one will be trying to decide if you’re going to be a star, but can you handle being around it?”

Amber shrugged. “It was my fault everything was taken away from me. I thought I was invincible.”

“We all did in college. But you can do anything now. You can get back everything you lost. If you still want it.”

“No, I really can’t. With an arrest on my record it’s not as easy to go through life.”

“You weren’t ever convicted. That cop was on a power-trip. You didn’t drive, just started the car.”

“The problem is I would have driven to Andy’s that night if I hadn’t been arrested. I would have taken that chance and I could have hurt someone. Things could have been much worse for me.”

“No one got hurt. You learned your lesson. I haven’t seen you touch alcohol since that night. Driving after you’ve been drinking is never a good idea, but you can’t beat yourself up over something that didn’t happen.”

“Yeah, but I did get arrested and had my license suspended. So I can beat myself up over that.”

“You’ve been beating yourself up for years. If you’re going back to college you’re going to be around athletes all the time. You’re going to need to be prepared to answer questions and face people who might know who you are.”

“Yeah, I know,” Amber said. “I figured working with young girls would help me ease back in. Maybe I can help them not make the same mistakes I did.”

“You’d be a great coach. Those girls will be lucky to have you help them.”

“I just hope their parents don’t dig into my past too much or I’ll never get a client.”

“Oh, hey, I almost forgot, are you working tomorrow night?”

Amber shook her head and stuck her chin out at Emily to ask why.

“Tim and I are going out to dinner. He asked if you wanted to come with us.”

“No way am I intruding on your date,” Amber said enthusiastically. She carried her plate to the kitchen and rinsed it before putting it in the dishwasher.

“It’s not a date. We were going to go over some wedding stuff. He asked Paul to come too.” Amber started to cut her off but Emily held up her hand and said, “No, we’re not trying to set you two up. He’s Tim’s brother and you’re my best friend. That’s why you’re my maid of honor and he’s Tim’s best man. We wanted to do dinner so we could get some help with a few things, like favors and gift baskets for the relatives staying at the hotel.”

Amber sighed, “Can we have them over here?”

“I already asked, but Tim said he wants to go out. And he’s paying.”

“No,” Amber protested. She had her pride and she wasn’t about to take a handout. “I’m not going to let him pay for me.”

“Relax. He’s paying for everyone. He knows how expensive this wedding is and if he’s asking us all out to dinner, he wants to pay. He’s going to pay for Paul’s dinner too.”

“Yeah, but Paul’s his brother.”

“And you’re my best friend. Listen, if you refuse, we’ll figure something else out, but this was his idea. He said he was going to pay before I even asked. It’s not a charity thing.”

Amber huffed a sigh and shook her head. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m ordering the cheapest thing on the menu.”

“I don’t care what you order, but thank you. It means a lot to me.”

“I’d do anything for you, Em. And Tim. Well, except date his brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. We know you don’t date. I wish you could meet someone,” Emily sighed.

“Why?” Amber said bitterly. “So someone else could see what a horrible wreck I am?”

“To bring some happiness into your life. You were happier when you were with Adam. I’m worried about you Amber. You’re killing yourself and you’re not happy.”

“I’m as happy as I can be. An evaluation of the ways my life sucks isn’t going to improve my mood. So if that’s where you’re headed, save your money and don’t go on that trip. I had everything when I was with Adam. But he dropped me as fast as everyone else when I got kicked off the team.”

“Not me,” Emily whispered.

“No, Em. I don’t know what I would have done without you these last few years. I’d probably have ended up in a ditch somewhere. But I can’t bring a man into my world right now. Until I fix me, I don’t want anything serious. I like my men long and my flings short.”

Emily laughed and Amber felt her heart lighten a bit. She hated weighing her friend down so much. Emily had a great life and a great guy. And Amber didn’t like knowing she was keeping her friend from him. She hoped her prediction about being homeless wouldn’t come true once Emily married Tim, but if she didn’t get a position as an RA, and into college, she had no idea what she was going to do.

* * *

Amber stumbled out of the bar. She turned and laughed at her friends behind her. They’d all just gotten back into town from Christmas break and were out celebrating. It was the beginning of their last semester as college students and stars of the University of Paradise Park softball team.

“Amber, are you sure you don’t want a ride?” Megan asked.

“Nope, I’m perfectly sober,” Amber said as she tripped over her four inch heels. She fell and barely caught herself before she hit the ground. “See,” she exclaimed with a huge grin, “if I were drunk, I couldn’t have caught myself.”

Her friends laughed and agreed. Amber wouldn’t dare risk her career. And they all knew it.

Amber was the team captain. She grew up watching the UPP Tomcats softball team. Her dad played baseball and he loved sharing the game with his oldest daughter, the tomboy. Amber’s sister, Gabby, was always a girlie girl. But not Amber. She and her dad were tight, and he took her to watch the UPP Tomcats play whenever they could go.

Amber always knew she would play for the Tomcats, and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. Her friends knew that. So when she assured them she was fine, they waved and agreed to meet up with her at the party.