Anna had taken the next two days off from work and spent them by herself. It had been the first time she hadn’t spent any time with Ben since they went out on their first date. She could tell he was worried by the tone of his voice, but she needed to be alone with her thoughts.
Anna spent the days watching comedies she hadn’t seen before to help her forget about what she saw, and the nights drinking enough wine to help her fall asleep, only it never came.
Anna woke Saturday morning and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her appearance made her cringe. Her sleepless nights had become evident in her appearance that morning. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing the innocent animal hanging by its neck on her porch and every time she thought she was drifting off to sleep, the feeling of being pushed to her death caused her to jolt awake, gasping for air.
Her phone began vibrating on the nightstand beside her bed and she ignored it. She took a shower so hot, her skin turned red. When she stepped out of the tub, Anna wrapped herself in a towel and walked to her phone. Three missed calls from Karlie and a text from Ben. She opened the screen and read what he wrote.
Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well. Will I see you later? I miss you.
Anna smiled at the last part of that text. She didn’t realize that she had missed him, too. She started to feel bad that she shut him out. He would have done everything in his power to take her mind off the situation. Anna shook her head. His stalking ex-girlfriend was the reason there was a situation at all. She tapped a reply.
I would love to see you later. The day doesn’t feel complete unless I’ve seen that hot bod of yours.
She giggled at her response and closed the text screen, then brought up missed calls.
The phone didn’t even ring when Karlie answered. “I hope you’re not ignoring me because you don’t want to come today.”
“What are you talking about?” Anna rubbed her temple.
“The game? You promised to come with me.”
She flopped onto the bed. “I didn’t even realize that today was Saturday.”
“Please tell me you’ll still come,” Karlie pleaded.
“Alright, alright. Don’t get your panties in a knot. I’ll go.”
“Yay! It’s at the same stadium as before. Shall I meet at your house and we can Uber over?”
“Yeah, that works. I’ll see you soon.” Anna hung up and rolled off the bed. The only way she would get out of her funk was if she got out of the house and had a little girl time. She headed to the bathroom and started to get ready for the day.
After spending twenty minutes drying her hair, Anna realized that she had forgotten her wallet in her car. She slid into a pair of jeans and a striped tank top before walking out of the house to retrieve it. Once her car was in view, a wave of nausea hit her. Sitting in the driveway was her Honda CR-V with slashed tires and keyed door panels.
The ex had struck again.
Anna walked around the entire car to observe the damage. All four of her tires were flattened and every door had wavy gashes in them. The extent of the damage would cost her a small fortune to repair. She glanced at the phone in her hand to see the time. Ten thirty.
She opened up her map app and typed in, “tow truck company” then clicked on the first one that popped up. When a woman answered with the company’s name, Anna said, “Hi, I need to have my car towed to the dealership.” Anna couldn’t believe this was happening.
She gave the receptionist her address and hung up then looked up the number for Honda. She explained to them the shape her car was in, and they offered for her to use a loaner car until they were able to repair hers. They even offered to drop it off at her house so she didn’t have to drive over there with the tow truck driver.
It took all of Anna’s might not to start sobbing with their kind suggestion. She waited outside until the tow truck came and, when the man had it up on the bed of the truck, watched him leave until it was out of view. And just as perfect as timing can be, the woman dropping off her loaner pulled into the driveway.
They exchanged kind hellos and Anna signed a couple pages of paperwork before the keys were placed in her hand. She watched the woman climb into the passenger side of a white car and drive away.
Anna sighed. It would be another hour before Karlie arrived at her house and she debated whether it was worth telling her about the drama or not. She needed a friend to rely on so she opted to tell her everything.
It felt like an eternity before her best friend arrived. They hadn’t really chatted the past week and she was eager to see her. Anna ripped open her front door before Karlie had a chance to knock.
“Jesus, Anna. You scared me!” Karlie jumped.
“Sorry. I saw you through the window and thought I’d open the door for you.”
Karlie wrinkled her eyebrows. “I could have let myself in.”
Anna shook her head. “I lock my door these days.”
Her comment caused Karlie to stop in her tracks. “Why? You’ve been living here for years and I have never known you to lock this door.” She pointed to the front door. “What’s going on? Who do I need to kill?”
Anna giggled anxiously. “There will be no killing, thank you.” She pictured the squirrel again and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Anna.” Karlie placed a hand on her back. “What’s happened? You seem all shaken up.”
She took a deep breath before she replied. “I’m being stalked by an ex of Ben’s. She killed an animal and hung it from my porch.”
Karlie gasped. “Are you f’ing kidding me?” she exclaimed, horror on her face.
Anna nodded and proceeded to tell her exactly what had happened and how Ben came to her rescue.
“But why would you spend the last couple days by yourself? That makes me angry, Anna. I’m your best friend. You should have called me! We would have had an amazing slumber party.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I thought about you the whole time, but I just wanted to wallow in peace. I felt like I was being silly. Yes, it happened, but I shouldn’t have let it affect me like it did.”
Karlie growled. “How could you not? Some psycho bitch left a carcass at your door. I’d be raging mad. And I probably would have kicked Ben in the balls for it.”
Anna laughed. “It’s hardly his fault.”
“I know.” Karlie shrugged. “But he should have warned you.”
Anna breathed in. “It doesn’t stop there…” She paused.
“Dear God, friend. Now is not the time to leave me hanging.” Karlie shook a finger at her.
Anna went into detail about what she found this morning and how she handled it. Karlie’s face fell with every word. Not good, she thought. She is going to rip Ben a new asshole.
“I really hope you have called or texted Ben about all this.”
She shrugged one of her shoulders. “I haven’t yet, but I will this afternoon. I don’t want it to interfere with his game today.”
“Hell. No!” Karlie yelled. “This is not up for discussion. Ben needs to know that this woman has harassed you again. This is completely unacceptable!”
“Karlie, settle down.” Anna placed her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “I will tell him, but it won’t happen until later. Let it go.”
Karlie shook her head slowly. “I will make sure that you do.”
“Do you always have to be so difficult?”
A big smile erupted on Karlie’s face. “Of course I do. Especially when it turns my trustworthy best friend into a paranoid freak.”
“You are such a pain in my ass,” Anna said while laughing. She walked to the front door and pulled it open. “Ready? I requested the Uber just before you got here.”
“Alright,” Karlie began as she walked past Anna. “You win, but this is far from over.”
“I’m sure it isn’t.” Anna gave Karlie a light push out the door and closed it behind her. She pulled the keys from her purse and locked both locks.
They reached the stadium just a few minutes before the game started. Anna was bummed. She knew there would be no way they would get to their seats before the game started and she really wanted say hi to Ben beforehand. Anna smiled to herself. She was turning into a lovesick school girl. She followed Karlie closely to their seats and was thrilled to see that they were in the same section as before.
She spotted Ben standing at home plate waiting for the umpire to hand him a fresh ball. Anna watched him slam it into his glove and twist it three times before he threw it to the pitcher, who caught it and started kicking his foot into the mound. She glanced back at Ben who was already crouching down, ready to receive the ball. The batter took his stance and Ben placed a hand behind his back and lowered his head. As soon as the ball left the pitchers hand, he dropped to one of his knees, and the ball landed in his glove with a loud thud. The batter swung hard but missed.
The batter swung at two more pitches before walking back to the dugout, cursing loud enough to be heard in the stands.
“Watch your mouth! There are children present!” someone yelled loudly. Karlie and Anna looked at each other and laughed.
“Want a drink? I’m gonna run up to pee and I’ll grab something for us.”
Anna nodded. “I’d love a glass of wine.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
She watched Karlie make her way up the stairs and then focused her attention on the game. Ben got into position again except this time, the batter hit the ball and it went straight up into the air. Ben pulled his mask off and watched it until it started to come back down, and it landed right into his glove. Third out.
The team made their way to the dugout. Ben threw the ball into the stands and fans scrambled to get it. She observed him as he scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on her. A small smile formed on his lips and he mouthed the word, “Anna,” which gave her all the feels. Her face grew warm and she knew she was blushing. It seemed silly since there was no one to be blushing in front of.
She was picturing him in her bedroom with his uniform on and it only darkened her blush colored cheeks. Get your mind out of the gutter, Anna. She took a cleansing breath and tried to peer into the dugout. Anna didn’t have to crane her neck very far because Ben hopped onto a step and dangled his arms over the railing that separated them from the field.
Anna stared at the back of his head, willing him to look her way when Karlie came back, startling her.
“The line wasn’t very long. It was nice for a change.” She handed Anna a cold glass and took a long sip from her own. “Damn that’s good. It’s hot!” Karlie looked into the dugout before taking her seat. “I don’t see Nate anywhere. I wonder if they changed their minds last minute. He said that happens sometimes.”
Anna shrugged. “I didn’t see him either when they came in from the field.”
Karlie leaned back in her seat and pouted. It wasn’t long before Nate appeared at Ben’s side and she perked up. “There he is!”
Anna watched the men interact with each other and smiled. Their movements were so fluid and friendly. The smiles on their faces were contagious. Ben, being the friendliest man she knew, treated every one like he’d known them for years. It had easily become one of the things she loved the most about him. He never turned down an autograph and allowed anyone to take a picture with him.
Another player jumped up beside Ben and he slapped the man on the back. The other man, with the number thirty-three on his back, said something that caused Ben and Nate to erupt in laughter. Anna couldn’t take her eyes off their exchange. She thought of what he could have said that was so funny, and she giggled silently at where her thoughts were going.
Men are pigs, she thought. They are probably talking about the size of a woman’s tits or pooping. Just then, Ben snuck a glance in her direction and winked, causing her heart to melt into a puddle at her feet.
Karlie cleared her throat and Anna glanced in her direction. The look on her face caused her to laugh and say, “What?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering if you are going to pay any attention to me or if you plan to stare at your man the entire game.”
“I wasn’t staring!” Anna exclaimed, feeling heat rise in her neck.
“Okay, maybe staring wasn’t the right word to use. Maybe gawking? Ogling? Pick a word that best explains why you’ve been staring into the dugout and not at the field.”
Anna shook her head. “You caught me. He’s just so damn good looking I can’t help myself.”
She watched him turn and disappear into the dugout and seconds later walk onto the field with a helmet and a bat. He stood in the on-deck circle and swung the bat a few times when the crowd erupted in cheers. Anna saw the current batter sprint for first base and make it before the ball did. Ben started walking to the plate for his at bat.
“If you had been paying any attention to the game, you’d know that the bases are now loaded and your lover boy is approaching the plate with two outs. Do you know what that means?”
Anna may have been illiterate when it came to sports, but this was one thing she did know. If he struck out, the inning would be over. If he popped the ball up and it was caught, the inning would be over. Two scenarios that would cause him to take a blow to his confidence. But if he got a hit and all the players hauled ass to the next base, he would have helped the team gain another run. She suddenly felt sick with anticipation.
The pitcher threw the ball and it connected with Ben’s bat. It flew into the left side of the field and landed in the glove of one of the fans.
The next pitch was a fast ball and Ben swung hard. Unfortunately, it went right past him and into the catcher’s glove.
“I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack watching him right now!” Karlie exclaimed next to Anna’s ear. “Who would have thought having a personal connection to someone on the team would add so much suspense to a play?”
She was right. Anna didn’t care much for sports and enjoyed going to spring training games for the sun, fun and booze. If she hadn’t been sleeping with the man currently at bat, she wouldn’t have been sitting on pins and needles waiting to see if he succeeded or failed.
Ben dug his feet into the dirt and gave the bat a practice swing before getting into position. When the ball left the pitchers hand, Anna hardly saw it before Ben crushed it. The ball sailed through the sky and landed over the wall.
GRAND SLAM!
The crowd went wild and Anna and Karlie jumped to their feet screaming and clapping. Anna was so excited for him that she felt like crying. Ben jogged around the bases and, when he approached home plate, was greeted by his teammates who were high-fiving him and jumping with excitement.
Anna watched him trot back to the dugout. He looked into the stands and nodded in her direction before he disappeared. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked at Karlie.
“Thanks a million for making me come to this game today.”
Karlie hooked her arm around Anna and said, “We need some more wine.” They giggled and hurried to the concessions before the next inning started.