Hector (Season One: The Ninth Inning #3) (16 page)

Even though I was just with her earlier, I’m anxious to see Zoey again. Plus, I know Carissa will have fun since she really likes her. By the time I finish showering and getting ready, Carissa is done as well. Both of my parents are in the living room with her. I don’t even glance at my mother. I don’t have to since I know she’s probably glaring or pouting.

“Let’s go, Carissa.”

She stands and we leave without another word spoken. It doesn’t take us long to arrive at Big Blue. We take a seat at the bar, a grin instantly appearing on my face when Zoey walks over to us.

“How’s your night so far, beautiful?” I give her a quick kiss.

“Better now. How was your day?”

“Wonderful,” Carissa answers her. “He took me shopping. Best big brother ever.” She leans over and kisses my cheek.

“I can’t see Hector shopping all day.”

“It was better than staying home. Besides, I couldn’t see me skydiving and I still did that.” I shake my head. “The things I do for you women.”

“I don’t care what you say, you liked skydiving.” Zoey pokes my chest with a smile.

“You’re delusional. Did you talk to your aunts about tomorrow? Are they coming?”

“Yes. All I have to say is your name and they burst with happiness.”

I grin. “Told you they love me.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She rolls her eyes.

“You two are adorable,” Carissa says.

“We know.” I laugh.

AUNT LANNY AND Aunt Minnie pick me up and the three of us are off to the game. On the drive over, I tell them everything about the other night at dinner. My aunts don’t say anything; they only listen to my complaining. I leave out the part about having the most amazing sex of my life with Hector but tell them he stayed over.

“Seems like you had an interesting evening, dear.” Aunt Lanny takes my hand as we head into the ballpark.

“I can’t wait for you to meet Carissa. She’s a doll, and you’ll love her.” I hand over our tickets and we stroll in. I didn’t want to talk about the dinner, or Hector’s mother anymore.

“Zoey.” I turn in time to see Carissa’s dark hair cover my face as she hugs me tightly.
This girl loves hugging.

“Hey.” I laugh and we release each other. “Let me introduce you to my aunts.”

As I introduce them, Carissa hugs my aunts and the three of them are already cracking jokes. I knew they would get along. My aunts take Carissa and me to the concessions stand and we buy junk food. Carissa tries to buy her own items, but Aunt Minnie won’t let her.

“You’re a college girl. You need to save your money,” she tells her. She always told me the same thing.

We find our seats and settle in. Carissa goes on and on about skydiving and my aunts tell her about when we went zip lining in the Amazon.

“We were down there with a charity group,” Aunt Lanny explains. “And then they took us up a large hillside, strapped us in, and shoved us off. Oh, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.” She laughs.

“You’ve been to the Amazon?” Carissa eyes are wide.

“We’ve been just about everywhere,” Aunt Minnie says. “We love to travel all the time. Sometimes it’s for fun, or helping out a charity, or just because we want something new.”

“That’s amazing.” Carissa sighs. “I wish I could do something like that.”

As my aunts go on and on, telling her of our adventures, I look out on the field. The lush green grass, the rich brown dirt shines under the bright sun. I’m lost in my thoughts when someone touches my shoulder. I look up to see Manuel, Hector’s father.

“Zoey.”

I stand up. “Mr. Rodriguez, um…” What do I say?

“I had Hector change my seats. Do you mind if I join you and your family?”

“Um…” I’m not sure if I’m hearing him correctly. Maybe I’m dreaming. Luckily, Aunt Lanny is quicker on the draw than I am.

“We would love for you to join us. I’m Lanny Purvis, Zoey’s aunt, and this is my girlfriend, Minnie Whitlock.” Aunt Minnie stands and they all shake hands. Carissa hugs her dad tightly and says something to him in Spanish I don’t understand.

When everything has settled down, we sit. I thought Mr. Rodriguez would sit by Carissa, but he sits on the other side of me. I’m nervous because I’m not sure if his wife is coming. I don’t want to cause a scene here. This is Hector’s job. I know it’s baseball, but it’s still his job. On top of that, we’re all wearing Hector’s jerseys. I could see our alleged fight being on the evening news.

“Zoey, I heard Hector say you have an art degree,” Mr. Rodriguez begins.

“Yes, I have a bachelor’s in art history.”

“Why art?”

“I’m good at it and I love history. I learned so much in college to hone my techniques and the history of the art consumed me. It’s a passion of mine,” I explain.

“Always following your passion is a good thing.” He nods and we watch in silence as the Angels take the field. I know we are sitting too high up for Hector to see us, but I lock eyes with the number thirty-five white baseball jersey.

“You know,” Mr. Rodriguez leans over to me. “My son has never defied his mother.”

“I’m not sorry for what I said to your wife,” I quickly reiterate what I told Hector.

“You should never say you’re sorry for something you believe in.” His tone is firm. “However, I also feel you shouldn’t be rude to people when expressing those beliefs.”

I hang my head. “Maybe I—”

“Not you, Zoey,” he cuts me off. “I’m speaking of my wife. She needs to apologize to you. You did nothing wrong. I’m impressed you held out as long as you did. I thought you would have yelled at her in the airport.” His face remains stone and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

I’m not sure how to answer him. I turn back out to watching the warm-ups. Hector seems to be pushing on Blake’s shoulder and I think Blake might hit him, but Hector is laughing at him.

After the national anthem, we get ready for the game. Mr. Rodriguez and I chat a little more, but nothing about his wife. He tells me how much he loves selling homes and being in real estate. It’s his passion because when he and his family came to America, they didn’t have much. He only knew that he wanted to give his children the opportunities he didn’t have.

It’s sweet to hear his story. He cares for his family and is nothing like his wife. Hector is nothing like him either. Where Hector is outgoing, Mr. Rodriguez is more quiet and brief with his answers. He even interacts with my aunts and the five of us laugh a few times, although, Mr. Rodriguez’s laugh is more of a soft chuckle.

The Angels win the game by two and Hector does well, earning two more RBIs. We all walk out of the stadium and wait for Hector by his car. Even though my aunts parked on the other side of the lot, they want to see Hector.

When he comes out of the door, my heart skips. Man, he looks good in a dark suit and even though I’ve talked about him all day, I have missed him.

“Hector.” Aunt Lanny makes a beeline to him, hugging him tightly. “You did so well today.”

“Thanks, Lanny. I’m glad you could come. I see you’ve met my sister and my father.”

“We had an amazing day, Hector. Thank you again for inviting us.” Aunt Minnie hugs him.

“Any time you want to come, there will be a ticket for you both.” He grins at them.

“Stop spoiling them, Hector, or they’ll never leave,” I tease him.

“And why would that be a problem? They’re pretty and funny; they’re my kind of people.”

“Manuel, you raised a good boy.” Aunt Lanny pats Hector’s dad on the back. “Now, us pretty people are hungry. Would you like to invite you mother? Minnie and I would love to take you all out to the steakhouse.”

I see Hector glance at his dad and sadly, he says, “I think it’ll be just us today, Lanny.”

“Well, she’s more than welcome to join us if she would like. We’ll meet y’all there.”

I tell Hector I’m going to ride with my aunts and even though he’s a little disappointed, he nods in understanding.

When we reach the steakhouse, Hector holds onto me tightly as we walk in.

“I missed you last night,” he whispers in my ear.

“I missed you too.”

Hector and Manuel hold the chairs for all of us and make sure we’re seated. We all talk, joke, and have great food. Mr. Rodriguez tells us all to call him Manuel and he hopes to see us the next time he’s in town.

I think the dinner is a huge success.

I FINISH ANOTHER painting, a watercolor. I haven’t done them in years, but lately, it’s the only thing I’m doing. Since Hector is away on a road trip, I’ve only worked in my studio. I even called out again at the bar.

“You have so much talent.”

I turn to see Aunt Lanny standing in my doorway. “Did you break in?” I tease, putting down the paintbrush.

“No, I still have the spare key. I’m bringing you some dinner.”

I smile at her. “You didn’t have to.”

“Well, I know when Minnie is in the zone, she won’t eat unless I force it down her. Come on and take a break.”

I follow her into my kitchen and smell the lasagna. My stomach growls as she unwraps the plate. We sit at my small table, take a couple of bites, and then Aunt Lanny lays into me.

“I went to the bar and they told me you called out. Care to explain to me why?”

“I was in the zone.” I take another bite of the hot food.

“Zoey, why don’t you quit? You really don’t have to work. Your trust is still open to you and you know Minnie and I will help you.”

I don’t answer her right away. I chew my food slowly and try to figure out what I’m going to say. “I’m fine doing it this way.”

“I know; however, people rely on you. If you call into work all the time, you make it harder on others. Minnie and I both told you a year ago to quit.”

“I know,” I cut her off. “I’m aware of who depends on me. I don’t do it all the time. I want to finish these up before the show.”

Aunt Lanny doesn’t say anything for a moment. “Have you told Hector about the show?”

“No. I want to surprise him. He hasn’t seen any of the new stuff yet.” I’m nervous about what he’ll think about them. He’s my muse and I can finally admit it now. My paintings have turned toward him and my family. A couple are baseball-related, a couple are of flower gardens, and one is the leather chair Aunt Minnie sits in all the time.

I didn’t know about the show until Aunt Minnie showed me how several art dealers were looking for more work from me. I didn’t think anyone cared, but Aunt Minnie has been telling everyone about me. Even though the charcoal tree sold the last time, she still has a picture of it and everyone seems to like it a lot. Then Aunt Minnie told me she wants to do a show and there’s no point in arguing. I didn’t want to argue because I love all the new work that I’m doing. Normally, my work is darker and more serious, but now it’s been light, bright, and fun. I owe it to Hector. He’s changed my life and it’s been for the better.

“He’s going to love it.” She squeezes my hand and I take a deep breath, hoping she’s right.

WE’RE HAVING A team post-game meal, all of us in a good mood after winning. I figured I’d give Grumpy a break since I’ve been annoying the hell out of him our entire road trip. I can’t help it when he makes it so easy. Anyway, I’m sitting all the way at the other end with Trent, Jordan, and Colby.