Today, it is for me, too.
The booth is cooler, protected from the direct sun, but with the front completely open to the field, the slight breeze has kept the air fresh. I move quickly to get everything set up. I’ve only barely finished when the door flies open.
Garrett pulls up short when he sees his stool. I’ve moved it to the center of the floor so it’s hard to miss. He sets the equipment on the counter, and then his gaze finds me where I’m standing against the wall.
He cut his hair and his tan looks deeper and his eyes seem bluer and I’m so happy to see him, it hurts. My heart is going crazy and I want to launch myself at him. I want to grab him by the ears and kiss his face off. A sense of relief sinks all the way to my bones. This is who I want to be with, no matter what.
Does he still want to be with me?
My nerves choose that moment to make an appearance. I watch as he walks to the stool and picks up a rose. The petals have begun to open, the color as vibrant as the scent is sweet.
He raises his eyebrows. “Yellow?”
“Apology.”
He picks up a second rose. “White?”
“Forgiveness.”
He adds the third rose to his small bouquet, his teeth working a dent in his bottom lip. “Red?”
“It’s actually orange. Just looks red in this light. It means enthusiasm.”
“Liar.” He steps closer. The hope in his eyes makes my knees wobble. “Does this mean you finally came to your senses?”
“I saw your tryout on Saturday.”
“You did?” He breathes in the roses. “Then you saw it went okay.”
“Better than okay.”
“You’re a good coach.”
“You’re a fast learner.” I glance out the window. Our team has taken over the field now. Not much time before warm-ups will be over. “You’re going to Florida?”
He nods. “If I want to.”
“And you do?”
He leans back against the counter and crosses his legs at the ankle. “I do. I just have to figure out how to convince this stubborn girl not to break up with me.”
“Stubborn, huh?”
“And not very bright, honestly, because if she had a bit of sense, she’d see that she’s got me so messed up that even baseball doesn’t feel right without her.”
“Not very bright?”
“Did you hear any of the rest of that?”
I step closer. “Maybe you should say it again.”
“I’ll say whatever you need to hear.”
“Five minutes!” The voice booms loud enough to drown out the growing noise of the crowd. It’s getting close to game time, but I don’t move and neither does Garrett. “The day when I threw you those pitches…when I left…you didn’t come after me. You stayed. To practice.”
He nods. He knows what I’m talking about. “A lot had just happened. You know? And part of me was trying to make sense of it and part of me was mad.”
“Why mad?”
“Because you gave me back my dream. You don’t do that for someone unless you love them. And then you walked away.” Hurt flares in his eyes. “You don’t want to follow me, but I’m supposed to chase you.”
The words strike deep, the way hard truths usually do. “That’s what the white rose is for.”
He looks at the bud and then glances out the window. The umpires are meeting with the coaches in the center of the field. “I want to keep playing baseball,” he says. “And I want to keep seeing you. Even if we have to see each other on a screen for a while.” He worries at his bottom lip again. “I know I promised I wasn’t going anywhere, and Florida is across the country. I haven’t figured that out yet, but I’m going to work on it. In the meantime, I want to support you, too, Josie. I’ll get the whole team using essential oils if you want. We’ll be one big ocean breeze or whatever you want us to smell like.”
I smile at the thought, at the sincerity in Garrett’s voice. He would do it, too. “I’m not going to be selling AromaTher. At least, not full time.”
“You’re not?”
“I’m switching my major from business to education. I’m going to be a teacher.”
His eyes brighten. “That feels right.”
“And I spoke to Coach Richards. I’m going to help coach his summer leagues.”
His cocky grin has never been so wide. “Told you I’d get you to love the game.”
“Really?” I say drily. “Because someone recently told me that you can’t predict outcomes. You have to play it out.”
“I hope more than one person told you that, or I’m taking back the chocolate bribes I passed out.”
I laugh. “I can’t believe you got to my mom, too.”
“It wasn’t how I wanted to meet her, but I’m glad I finally did.” His smile fades. “You know I’ve got a top one hundred list, and that’s always been number one. Other sports, there’s a clock. You can hold on to the ball and wait. You can stop trying, give up or hold out. In baseball, there’s no clock. You have to play the game to the very last out. It’s the only way to know.”
I join him at the counter, seeing what he sees. Seeing a future I would never have imagined a few months ago. A future so bright, I’m filled with its light. “My number one favorite thing about baseball is you.”
“Well, that goes without saying.” He throws an arm over my shoulder.
I tip my head into his neck. “I’m going to regret telling you that, aren’t I?”
“Oh yeah.” He pulls me closer until we’re touching in too many places to count. His hands are warm around me, so solid. Like Garrett. “All the time my uncle Max was teaching me about the game, he was really teaching me about
