Behind the Plate (The Boys of Baseball #2) - J. Sterling Page 0,81

Even if it backfired and ruined the friendship—because, sometimes, it did. But we never let our friends walk around, looking like fools.

“I think that Chance wouldn’t want to be the guy you chose to be with out of default. Does that make any sense?”

“No. Explain.”

“Hypothetically speaking, if Chance had told you he saw Jared cheating, you most likely would have broken up with him and then given Chance a chance. Ha-ha. Chance a chance,” she said, laughing at her own pun. “There’s no way he’d want you to date him just because Jared had messed up.”

It was like a lightbulb went off inside my brain. “He wants me to date him because I want to be with him over anyone else.”

“Yep,” she said, sounding excited.

“But that’s exactly what I did.”

“But he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know anything yet.”

I felt super annoyed with myself. Somehow, I had turned this situation into a complicated mess when all I meant to do was make it easy. Breaking up with Jared first without additional complications, strings, or judgment. Taking the time to make sure my feelings for Chance were real without the pressure of Chance knowing I was single. Coming back early to tell him that I had chosen him and wanted to be with him, if he still wanted me. Everything I’d done was supposed to be the right thing, but it felt like I’d messed it all up instead.

“I still want to know why he didn’t tell me.” For whatever reason, I couldn’t let that part go without hearing it from him.

“I’ll take you over there,” Sunny said, pushing herself up from the couch without me even asking. It was like she’d read my mind.

“Thank you.” I grabbed my purse and my cell phone, and we bolted out the front door.

I couldn’t get to him fast enough.

We drove in relative silence the short distance to the baseball house until Sunny started peppering me with questions. The house was around the next turn, and she asked, “Are you nervous?”

“Not really. I just want to hear everything from his point of view. You and I can make excuses and try to figure him out, but none of it matters if it isn’t true.”

“You’re right. You guys have a lot to talk about.” Sunny looked around as she pulled into the driveway and stopped her car. “I don’t see his truck anywhere.”

I looked around, too, like I might be able to prove her wrong. “Me either.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’ll just wait. He has to come home eventually,” I said with a shrug before opening the passenger door and sliding out.

With my luck, Chance would go stay the night at his parents’, and I’d be waiting out here for him for a week.

Sunny rolled down the window. “Work it out with him. You’ve waited too long not to,” she said before adding, “And call me if you need me to come get you. But I’m hoping you won’t.” She wagged her eyebrows as she drove off, leaving me standing outside the baseball house, looking like a damn groupie.

Talk It Out

Chance

I parked my truck, and my head was all over the place as I walked toward the front door, staring at the ground. I’d rushed over to Danika’s apartment after leaving my parents, but no one had answered. She didn’t have a car, so I’d had no idea if she was home and avoiding me or if she genuinely wasn’t there. I kind of figured she was ignoring me. While I didn’t blame her for it, I really wanted to make things right, and we couldn’t do that if we weren’t talking.

I noticed the black shoes against the white pavement first, and my eyes roamed up, taking her in. “Danika.”

She was sitting on the stoop of my house, all alone. Maybe my mom was right, and she really didn’t hate me.

“Hey.” She sounded sad, and it made my chest ache.

“I was just looking for you,” I said, hoping we were on the same page.

“You were?” Her tone turned skeptical, and I hated it.

Things seemed so shaky between us, and I wanted them to be rock solid.

“Of course I was.” I reached out my hand to help pull her up. “I want to talk to you. I want to fix this. I want to explain.”

She inhaled softly before her eyes turned glassy. “I really need to know why you didn’t tell me,” she said, her voice breaking slightly, and I realized that I’d hurt her.