Anything but Minor - Kate Stewart Page 0,83
with the wait. I would find a way to have my Elvis.
I had no other choice.
He was at an away game. I could surprise him and make myself available, which I’d indirectly done by ending my contract at Boeing. But then what? With Rafe, nothing seemed permanent, and I would never press him for anything different, no matter how desperate I was to have him more present in my life.
“Rafe,” I whispered as I watched a lonely wave roll in.
I reached for my cell and smiled at a text I’d gotten over an hour ago.
Rafe: I’m in pre-game and I can’t stop thinking about my dusty apartment.
My fingers hovered over the keys as I thought of a sly retort, but my heavy, aching heart refused to cooperate. For once, I decided to break the promise to myself to remain strong. In a moment of weakness, I sent him a link to a song that let him know exactly how I felt, a plea from my heart to his.
Alice: Without You, Eddie Vedder (youtu.be/r_AHWi7HR5g).
“Our boy is kicking ass!” Andy said animatedly as I opened my mailbox and pulled out a package.
“I saw,” I said with less enthusiasm as I’d hoped.
“Doll, he’ll be back in a few weeks.”
“I know,” I said distractedly as I studied the package with curiosity. I propped it on my hip as I took the stairs up to my condo. “But then what? More months together and then how many more alone?” Andy remained quiet as I once again cursed my dwindling resolve. “I’m tired, Andy. I just...this isn’t how I thought it would be. I mean, I was hoping to see him a little more, you know. I didn’t think I would feel like an army wife. He’s just so wrapped up in the season. I feel like he’s circling the world and I’m sitting here idle.”
“He is and you are.”
“Well, it SUCKS!”
Andy chuckled. “He loves you.”
“He tells me every day. I just...miss him.”
“Hang in there, doll.”
“Andy,” I whispered tearfully as I set the package on the counter, “please tell me this gets better.”
“Come see me at the bar tonight,” he said with obvious concern in his voice.
“I’m not up to it,” I said as I opened the box and pulled out the t-shirt. I smiled as I studied it. It was a woman’s cut, V-neck tee with Rafe’s team logo. I turned it over and saw Rafe’s number on the back, and above it in bold letters, “Rafe’s Pussy”.
I burst into laughter as I gripped the shirt to my chest.
“That sounded good,” Andy said with a smile in his voice.
“Present from Rafe,” I said as I sighed into the phone. “He’s such a bonehead.”
“A bonehead that loves you. Don’t forget that. Talk soon, doll.”
“Thanks, Andy.”
I wasn’t surprised by the knock on the door at 1 A.M. I assumed it was April. We’d been spending a lot of time together since we’d both ended up at the complex pool on a lazy Sunday. April was easygoing and had a knack for making me laugh with a brand of observant humor. I always thought of Andy when she was around and even tried to play cupid once by suggesting she come with me to the bar to meet him. She had insisted she was in no shape to date after her last disastrous love affair with a paramedic. I loved her company, and she made Kristina’s absence more bearable. She was a 911 operator for the city of Charleston and worked odd hours, but knew today was my last day at Boeing. I figured she’d probably come over with a bottle of something strong and details of a juicy call from her day to distract me from my ever-present, uncertain future. I opened the door in my Rafe’s Pussy t-shirt and boy shorts with a smile on my face. Standing in front of me was a disheveled and ridiculously sexy baseball player in full uniform. My chest quickly burst as I took a step forward, ready to tackle him, but he stopped me as he held up his hand.
“Turn around.”
I froze as Rafe towered over me. I was in complete shock and couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me. It was if I willed the moment into existence.
“Rafe,” I said as my body vibrated with excitement.
“Alice Boyd, I just pitched a game, skipped a shower, and flew for five hours to see you in this t-shirt. Turn around.”
He circled his pointer finger in the air as