It took a minute for him to process her question, he was so mesmerized by the expression on Allie’s face.
“Not so much. We stay together, like here, although the state provides. But I would not be able to treat anyone to an ice cream cone. My pockets were always empty.”
“Are you saying money is the only thing that separates us?”
“There are true competitors there, as here, and we play for the love of the game. Here, not so much.”
Taking a break between licks, Allie said, “There are some players who opt out of big contracts to stay with a team.”
“Ah, that is another difference. We have no say who we play for.”
“If you had to do it over, would you still have picked the Greenies?”
“I would, yes. I not only aligned myself with a good team but with a wife. They both suit me well.”
Allie’s eyes grew wide, although she couldn’t say anything until she’d swallowed the generous lick she’d swiped with her tongue.
“Shush.”
She was glancing around to make sure no one heard what he’d said.
He chuckled and asked, “May I have a taste of that?”
She narrowed her eyes, looking more irritated by that than his comment about her as his wife.
Grudgingly, she extended her arm so he could take a lick.
“That is good. Maybe I’ll be a bit more adventurous next time. What else do I not know about you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Favorite book?”
“The one I’m reading at the time.”
“Which is?”
“The Cub’s Way. It’s about Theo Epstein. He’s a genius, helped two teams break the curse.”
Of course, it would be one about baseball. It seemed she was as obsessed with the game as he was.
“Favorite color?”
“Pale yellow.”
“Favorite TV show?”
“Again, what I’m binging on at the time. Right now, it’s British crime dramas. I’m on season three of Vera.”
He’d have to catch up and begin watching it with her.
“Music?”
Casey laughed outright. “You haven’t heard her burst into song whenever the moment sparks something?”
He took the last bite of the cone, sat back, and said, “As a matter of fact, I have.”
She glanced up as if stunned he’d heard her. “I didn’t think I had gotten there with you yet.”
He was sad that she didn’t feel she could be herself in front of him.
“Why? I find it amusing and it gives me insight into what you are feeling.”
“That’s why I’m careful about who hears me. It gives my audience a clue as to what mood I’m in.”
She kept glancing at her phone as if there was an expected call coming in that she didn’t want to miss.
Casey laid more out for him.
“Another thing, this one irritating. She always has her cell with her, and at times, like now, I get annoyed with her lack of connection with who she’s with.”
Allie picked it up and shoved it in her pocket.
“Sorry. There might be someone who needs to check in.”
“And he can wait for you to finish an ice cream cone.”
She bit her lip, an apology in her eyes.
“There, see that? She bites her lip when she’s thinking about what you’ve just said, like she’s deciding whether it has merit. She works out regularly, loves scuba diving, which she does alone on our vacations, because, as I’ve already told you, I’m a klutz when it comes to any outdoor activity. She’s allergic to trees, pollen, and mowed grass and has a fit of sneezing whenever anyone mows their lawn. Oh, and she believes it’s imperative for her to watch a Greenie game or the odds of her team winning fall to zero.”
Allie had leaned back, nibbling on the edges of the cone.
“Have you covered it all?”
“Major highlights only.”
“I’ll let you two kibitz on my other flaws while I get my ice cream. I might need to eat a quart to mollify my hurt feelings.”
He took her hand before she could escape. “They are not flaws, querida. They are endearing qualities that I can’t wait to experience.” Before letting her go, he asked, “What song would you be singing now?”
She gave Casey a mocking smile. “It wouldn’t be I Get by With a Little Help from my Friends.”
“There’s one of those redeeming qualities. She doesn’t stay mad long.”
He watched her go, knowing there was still so much to learn about her. He’d barely scratched the surface. As much as he’d hoped he’d be alone with her, Casey had given him new insights that revealed her humanness and it added to the blazing light that was her essence.
She let him hold her hand as they walked back to the condo, and when they got there, she handed the bag of ice cream to Casey and led him into her bedroom.
It was after they’d made love, when she was nestled in his embrace, that she’d looked up at him with those sparkling eyes and asked, “You ever hear of Jason Mraz?”
He shook his head, kissed her nose. “Is he a ballplayer?”
She shook her head. “He’s a songwriter. There’s a song of his that’s in my head right now.”
“Can you sing it for me?”
“No. Too tired.”
He couldn’t argue with that. They’d just spent every ounce of energy on their love making.
He languidly threaded his fingers through her hair. “Are you going to tell me what it’s about?”
“I’ll tell you the title.”
“If that’s all I get, I’m listening.”
He met her eyes but couldn’t hold her gaze. She’d dipped her head into his shoulder and whispered, I’m Yours.
He brought her head up, stayed his hand on her neck, and kissed her.
“I should like to sing that one with you.”
And he did, with his hands and his voice, without words, promising himself he’d find it on-line tomorrow and hear the whole of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Monday morning dawned warm and sunny. Allie stretched like a cat as she came awake, enjoying one of the perks of being in Florida rather than Massachusetts in January. When she felt a hand drag her back against a furry chest, she purred. This was definitely one of the other perks of being
