Just What I Needed

July 8 (Evening)

Kari was quick to text Jeffries and told him to meet us at the pizzeria after the game.

"Of course you already have his phone number," I smirked.

When I had approached my dad following the game about our plan to go out for some food, he wanted to come along at first.

"Um, Mr. MacKenzie," Holly tried to approach the subject delicately. "We were kind of hoping to have just a... um, a young people's hang out?"

My dad looked from Holly to me.

"I don't know if it's safe for Jordan to be out. She's still supposed to be resting. The company might be too much for her. "

"I'll take the responsibility for her, sir," Nate said, clapping a hand on my dad's shoulder. "I mean, obviously she is aware of her own capabilities but what I mean to say is that, if Jordan feels ill or overwhelmed, I will be with her so I will escort her home. I assure you I won't leave her alone."

"If my daughter has so much as a scratch on her..." My dad started.

"Not another scratch sir, I promise," Nate responded, holding up his right hand in a Scout's Honour fashion.

For the first time all summer, I was walking to the pizzeria in a group that I didn't feel uncomfortable in. In addition to Holly, Kari and Nate, Jeffries had brought another teammate, Nino Rodriguez, that Holly seemed smitten with right away.

Rodriguez was short for a baseball player, but he was lean and walked with a swagger that someone of a much higher stature would hold. He had a dark olive-skinned complexion and he had a heavy Central American accent. Holly was quick to suss out that he was originally from Puerto Rico but his family had moved to Connecticut a few years ago. He played in left field and he had already been signed by the Minnesota Twins organization.

We walked along, recapping all of our favourite moments from the game that afternoon. "Yeah well if you didn't save that terrible throw I made from the outfield, we'd have never gotten the out at home plate," Nino high-fived his teammate as we approached the doors of the pizzeria.

As Nate opened the door and motioned for the rest of us to enter, I became aware that I would have to remove my hat and sunglasses to sit in the restaurant. It was inevitable that I was going to get strange looks.

Sheepishly, I removed the straw hat and sunglasses as we all crammed into a booth together.

"You look great," Nate leaned over and brushed a stray piece of hair away from my face, sensing that I was feeling self-conscious.

Holly winked at me from across the table.

I don't know if any of the others had instructed Jeffries or Rodriguez to ignore my garish face but neither of them flinched or asked about my appearance. It occurred to me the whole team might know, since Nate left the road trip early to get back to me.

"What do you like on your pizza?" Kari twirled a string of hair around her index finger as she flirtatiously batted her eyelashes at Jeffries. "Choose wisely, because I judge men harshly for their pizza topping choices."

"Oh dear..." Jeffries mocked being afraid. "I mean, for me, nothing is off limits."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." He repeated with a mischievous look, locking eyes with her.

"Well, I draw the line at pineapples and anchovies," I piped up.