Unlike the first practice when it had been warm and humid, the weather had turned overcast and cool. A massive system of storms was rolling into the area, and the wind had already arrived. It was blowing away hats and throwing up the fine red dust from the infield every time a gust swept through. The boys were having fun though, so Nate kept practice going but watched the western sky for any sign of lightning.

“Okay, it’s coming your way, Brady.”

Brady jumped and got into position to field the ball, putting his glove on the ground. Nate rolled him the ball and watched as it slipped right past Brady’s glove and through his legs. “You’ve got to move your glove,” he reminded the boy.

While Brady chased after the ball, he heard someone call his name. Turning, he saw Charlotte beckoning him from the fence. As he walked over to her, he let his eyes roam over her, noting her long-sleeved black t-shirt and skinny jeans that showed off her great legs. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see her face because the wind blew her hair across it as fast as she could brush it back. She tried holding it back with both hands. But as soon as she opened her mouth to talk, the wind gusted hard and blew dust in her face.

As she coughed and spit, Nate shifted to try to block the worst of it from her.

“You okay?” he asked.

She spit one more time, then looked up at him with a scowl. “What a day to not have a hair tie. This wind is driving me crazy. Any chance you’re going to wrap up early because of the weather?”

“Not unless I have to. Why?”

Her eyebrows pinched together. “I have a guy from the city headed over to my house and I need to meet him. I didn’t even know they worked this late.”

“You want me to take Taylor home so you can go now?”

Charlotte’s expression relaxed into a smile. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. You go on home and take care of things.”

“Thanks, Nate. I owe you one.”

“Coach!” Brady called.

Nate turned just in time to see Brady hurling the ball at him. Throwing out his hand, he caught it right before it hit Charlotte square in the nose. She stared at his hand, only six inches from her face. “I guess I owe you twice.”

“This one’s on the house.”

Charlotte smiled and yelled across the field, “Hey Taylor, Nate is going to take you home after practice, okay?”

Taylor waved his gloved hand at her. “Okay.”

Charlotte looked at her phone, then back at him. “Thanks. I’ve got to run.”

Taking note of her urgency, he hoped nothing was wrong. At least he could check on her when he dropped Taylor off.

Thirty minutes later, thunder rumbled in the distance and a flicker of lightening flashed on the horizon.

Josh, one of the dads who helped out with the team, looked up at the darkening sky. “It’s blowin’ up a storm.”

“Yeah.” Nate turned and yelled out across the field, “Let’s pack it in. Everybody go home.”

The parents all hurried their kids along and helped him gather up his equipment. Nate called Taylor over to him. “I’m taking you home, buddy.”

“Awesome! I get to ride in your truck.”

Rain drops landed on the soft dirt with a muffled thud. Knowing it was going to start pouring soon, Nate pressed his hand against Taylor’s back. “Let’s run.”

Nate was surprised at how fast Taylor was. The kid was a natural athlete. He struggled more than some of the other players, but it was clearly from lack of experience, not ability. Nate wondered about his dad and why he hadn’t spent more time playing with the kid.

As they got to his truck and climbed inside, the memory of Charlotte learning to play catch last week still amused him. She was the epitome of grace, except when a hard object was being hurled her direction.

Shaking off his thoughts, Nate glanced in the rear-view mirror to make sure Taylor had buckled, then turned on the windshield wipers and drove out of the parking lot. Charlotte’s house was only a three-minute drive from the ball fields, but it was already raining heavily by the time he pulled into her driveway. “We’ll have to make a run for it again,” he said to Taylor, who had already unbuckled.

They ran across the yard with their shoulders hunched against the cold rain. Nate straightened as they moved under the porch, grimacing as water ran down his back. He raised his hand to knock, but of course Taylor just opened the door and ran inside. Nate felt awkward following him, but didn’t know what else to do.

The door opened directly into a dim room with a floral, wood-framed sofa and a fire place. He glanced around, noting unpacked boxes and several pairs of shoes against the wall. Dark shadows stretched across the hardwood floors, thrown by the light coming through the doorway at the back of the room.

As he followed Taylor through the house, he heard Charlotte’s voice. The low-pitched tones and slightly rough nuances of her voice reached out to him, and he thought again how much he enjoyed the sound of it.

The first thing he noticed about her was that she’d pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. Remembering her fight with the wind earlier, he smiled. She stirred a small pot on the stove while she talked on the phone, washed in the glow from the hood light over her head.

“Hey, Mom,” Taylor said, oblivious to the fact that she was on the phone. “We’re back.”

Charlotte glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened when she saw Nate. Her surprised expression made him uncomfortable about coming in, but he relaxed when a smile spread over her face. She motioned to her phone and mouthed, “Sorry,” before focusing on her call again.

Taylor leaned around her and stood on his toes to peer into the pot. “Yes. She made ramen.”

Charlotte stepped away to the dining area, probably so she could hear whoever she was talking to, so Nate strolled over to stand next to Taylor at the stove. “You know, I haven’t eaten this since college.”

“Do you want some?” Taylor asked.

“I’d better not. Not unless your mom invites me.”

“Mom!”

She glanced his way, and held out one finger, signaling for him to wait.

“It’s alright. Let her get off the phone. Want me to get some for you?”

“Yes. I only like the noodles, though. Not the juice.”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “What? You don’t like the broth? Oh man. There’s something wrong with you.”

Taylor laughed and showed him where the silverware drawer was. Nate grabbed a fork and one of the bowls on the counter. He carefully added steaming noodles to the bowl until Taylor said there was enough. Taylor settled down on a chair at the table and pulled up a fork-full of noodles to blow on. Clearly this kid was a ramen pro. Did that mean Charlotte had a hard time affording groceries, or just that they liked noodles?

Charlotte came over and sat her phone on the counter. “Sorry. That was my friend, Jill. I love her to death, but she’s impossible to get off the phone.”

“No worries. I just didn’t want to drop Taylor off and run without talking to you.”

“I’m glad you stayed. It gives me a chance to say thanks. And I saw you drooling over the noodles. Want some?”

Nate grinned. “I do, actually. And besides, it’s pouring outside.”

Charlotte’s lips turned up in a gentle smile that drew his attention to her lips. When he nodded, she handed him a bowl and gestured to the pot. “Why don’t you finish that off and I’ll make another package?”

“No, you eat these. I can cook more,” Nate said.

“Don’t worry about it. It takes three minutes. Here.” She poured the contents of the pot into one of the bowls until it nearly overflowed. She carried it over to the dining room table for him, while he grabbed a fork out of the drawer and followed her. She sat the bowl down and turned, bumping into him.

When her hand came up to steady herself against his chest, they both froze, looking into each other’s eyes for a long, still moment, broken only by the sound of Taylor slurping behind them. He stared at her lips again, this time wondering what it would be like to kiss her. A spark flared between them, but Charlotte stepped back, not quite meeting his eyes.

“What can I get you to drink? I have water or milk.”

“Water is fine.”

Charlotte nodded and let out a heavy breath as she stepped away. The right side of Nate’s mouth quirked up. It seemed she was as affected by him as he was by her.

A few minutes later, they all sat around the table while Nate told her how practice had gone.

“I’m done eating. Can I go play on my tablet?”

“No. You need to do your homework and go to bed.”

Taylor’s face scrunched up angrily. “No. I’m too tired to do homework.”

Nate looked at Charlotte, wondering how she would handle this.

She didn’t even pause before asking, “But not too tired to play a mindless game? I don’t think so. Go get your homework done and if you hurry, you might have a few minutes before you have to be in bed.”

“A few minutes. That’s not enough time.”

“Bed time is non-negotiable. Get a move on.”

Taylor made an awful groaning noise and stomped through a hallway where Nate assumed his room was. Sure enough, a door slammed a few seconds later.

Charlotte sighed and shook her head. “Sorry he acted like that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nate said. “He’s a great kid. I’d be surprised if he didn’t act out now and then.”

“I guess. And actually, he’s been happier since we moved here, despite his occasional moodiness. I credit t-ball for that.”

“I’m glad. He’s a natural.” Nate grinned at her. “After seeing you trying to catch a ball, I have to assume he gets it from his dad.”

Charlotte laughed. “You pegged that right.” But then her smile faded. “Actually, his dad plays for the Royals.”

“Wait. You don’t mean Daniel Mabry?”

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Anybody who follows baseball has. Wow. Sorry, I know you obviously have some personal issues with the guy, but as a coach, I admit I’m kind of jazzed about having a pro’s son on my team.”

Charlotte waved away his apology. “Be as excited as you want. Playing ball is about the only thing that man’s good for.”

Nate watched as she twirled noodles onto her fork. Her jaw was set and her lashes lowered. “I can’t help but wonder, if Taylor’s dad is earning a pro-athlete’s salary, why are you tight for money?”

Charlotte smiled a little as she looked up at him again, but her eyes were sad. “Just because we eat ramen doesn’t mean we’re broke.”

Nate didn’t answer. He just waited patiently.

“Okay, fine. My grandma passed away and left me this house right after our divorce was final. I hated living in a cramped apartment in Kansas City, so I told Daniel we were moving here. He didn’t want me to, so he wouldn’t agree to it. I was finally able to get the court to rule that I was able to move here with Taylor. Daniel got mad and stopped paying child support about five months ago after he found out about the court order.”

“How does he get away with that?”

“He won’t for long, but the fastest way to make him pay is to have is wages garnered. Unfortunately…”

“He doesn’t get a paycheck in the off-season,” Nate added as he realized what the problem was.

“Yes. And moving states added another complication. But everything is set up now so that as soon as they cut his first paycheck, his support money will be sent to us. I just hope I can make everything stretch until I get my salon going.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have a small nest egg that I inherited with this house and some savings that I’m going to use to open a beauty salon.”

“Really?” Nate leaned forward, intrigued. “Tell me about it.”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “There used to be shed in the yard facing the main road. The building is gone, but the foundation and plumbing connections are still there. I’m planning to convert one of those tiny pre-built sheds into a salon. But I have to get the city to approve it all. That’s why I had to rush home. The guy who gives permits came over to look at what I wanted to do. I hope I’ll get a decision soon.”

“Is there a zoning issue?”

“I hope not, since it’s on the main road and on the edge of town. But we’ll see. Even if they approve it, I’ll have to add a gravel driveway, handicap ramp, and meet other requirements for the public. It’s going to take a while, regardless, so I’m going to need a job.”

Nate stirred the last noodles around in his bowl. “What can you do?”

“Obviously, I’m a trained beautician, but the only salon in town said she doesn’t need anybody. And she was less than friendly about it.”

Chuckling, Nate said, “I’ll bet Betsy will be fired up about competition moving in on her thirty-year monopoly. She’s been the only place in town since I was a kid.”

Charlotte’s eyes grew wide. “I figured.”

“What are you going to do in the meantime?”

Charlotte shrugged. “I’ll get a job somewhere.”

“Jobs are hard to find in this town. You know, I might be able to help things with your salon move along faster.”

“How so?”

Nate shrugged. “I’m good buddies with several people on the town council. And if you need any help with the finances—”

“That’s nice, but I couldn’t ask you to put yourself out like that. It’s one thing for you to help me mow or give Taylor a ride home. Something like that is…too much.”

“Don’t forget the shoes.”

“Shoes? What are you talking about?”

Nate grinned, enjoying the chance to tease her. “Just reminding you I bought Taylor a pair of shoes for when the ones you got him wear out.”

Charlotte scowled for a second, then rolled her eyes. “I forgot about that. Well, you wasted your money. There’s no way I’m going to ask you for those shoes.”

“We’ll see. And I’m not worried about the money.”

“Of course not. You have money, don’t you? Do you know what the problem is with rich people?”

Nate’s chest felt tight as he saw anger flash in her eyes. He kept his tone level. “No. What?”

“They think they can solve everything with cash. Well, guess what? There are a lot of problems money doesn’t solve.”

“Trust me, I know. But you’ll find, Charlotte Mabry, that if money doesn’t work, I just move on to the next solution.”