The Shortstop (4 page)

“Is it Daphne?”

“My last conversation with her left me uneasy.” Lowering my voice to a whisper, I say, “I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but when you were showering, she admitted something that surprised me. She said she tried to love Billy, but she still loves someone else. She started to cry when telling me. I’ve never seen Daphne cry before.”

“She recently told me that, too.” Annie nods solemnly. “She said it was some guy from back home who broke her heart. She won’t say his name but was adamant it wasn’t going to work. I got the impression he was in a relationship. Maybe a married man?” Annie snuggles in bed beside me before adding, “She’s always so confident and self-assured. I’m not used to seeing her so insecure.”

“Enough talking about Daphne.” I pull her closer to me before announcing, “Right now, I need to lose myself in my girl, in every way possible.”

For the next hour, that’s all I do.

Annie

It feels like we were just here. The magic and wonder I felt at the age of eight hasn’t dissipated. We’re acting like kids, and it feels awesome to be carefree after a grueling four years. The excitement that naturally comes before summer vacation begins is amplified that much more because we are starting a new chapter in our lives.

I’m a bit apprehensive with what our future holds. My man is about to explode in popularity. I feel as if it’s the calm before the storm. I worry when he’s playing pro, traveling, and becoming more and more famous, my schoolteacher career won’t mesh well. I’ve been having these visions of him on the road, surrounded by female fans, and there I’ll be at home, tending to fifth graders. I completely trust Quint. I’m not worried anyone would come between us. My worry is how my future will fit into his.

My concerns have been in the back of my mind all semester. Now that we’re on the threshold of his career, the reality is setting in. I haven’t mentioned it. He’s so happy and so excited that I don’t want to kill his buzz. I’ll figure it out somehow. Maybe Daphne’s right, maybe writing is my thing. I can write anywhere…that is, unless I suck at it, and then what?

Quint can’t hide how ready he is for his dream to finally begin. The perpetual smile on his gorgeous face has been hard to ignore. Which is why when it’s not there I instantly worry.

From where Daphne and I stand in line for a silly kiddie ride, I watch Quint on a park bench staring pensively into space. It’s during this unguarded moment when I’m not near him that I can see something is bothering him.

“What’s wrong?” Daphne asks when I turn away.

“Nothing. I’m just worried about Quint. He looks tired.”

Daphne follows my gaze and shrugs. “Maybe he’s not used to handling two hot women at once.” When her joke fails to make me laugh, she adds, “He’s probably worried about starting in a few weeks.”

“Maybe.”

I can easily state that’s not it. I know him better than any person on earth, sometimes even better than I know myself. Daphne still doesn’t understand our connection or our relationship.

Quint and I rarely fight. One night, shortly after we moved into our apartment, we had a doozy. Daphne tried to console me, but it backfired.

I sat and cried, showing her a side of myself she’d never witnessed before. Taking my hand, she said, “
Annie, as a friend, I must be honest with you. Sometimes an absence makes relationships stronger
.
You’ve had one relationship your entire life. Maybe you need to live a little, date other guys, and test the waters. You’ve been shackled and chained to Quint for so long that you are missing your freedom. Experimenting with relationships is a normal rite of passage. You’ve never experienced any of that. I worry that you settled too quickly and committed too completely
.”

I never forgot that conversation. I got very angry with her that night, one of the only times I told her off. She quickly apologized and defended herself by admitting she and I were very different. It had nothing to do with Quint and everything to do with her not understanding our connection. That was the last time she tried to give me relationship advice. Since that night, all our conversations revolved around her failures at dating. I found that to be a safer territory for us to explore without it affecting our friendship.

I love her dearly, especially her free spirit. She knows that I’ll never agree with her beliefs. Quint and I have had to defend our relationship too many times to too many people over the years. She isn’t the first person to come along and think we were crazy for limiting our options. We’ve heard it all, and it hasn’t affected our connection in the least.

I have no regrets. That’s proven every time I look at him, and my heart melts in my chest from a simple smile…or like seeing him waiting for us to disembark from the ride and watching his eyes immediately light up as they do whenever he sees me.

“Your girl is worried about you,” Daphne blurts out once we reach him.

“Daph.” She shrugs when I release a sigh. Another thing I learned to love about my friend was that she had a big mouth and opened it often.

Quint immediately gauges my expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Ignore her.” Taking his hand, I drag him to the next attraction that I want to ride. “Remember this one?” I ask excitedly.

He laughs and nods. “You threw up. Are you sure you want to take this one on again? You just ate lunch.” He pulls me into his arms and adds, “Should I go grab a barf-bag?”

“No, I don’t need a barf-bag.” I smack his chest. “I need to show this damn ride it doesn’t win.”

Daphne groans when he bends to kiss my lips long and hard. “There are children watching,” she quips as we make out in the middle of Fantasyland
.

Ignoring her, he says with a grin, “Well, let’s show this fucking lame-ass ride that no one fucks with my Annie Weber.”

“Quint,” I scold while looking at the people standing around us. Daphne is right. There are children here, and their moms are throwing dirty looks at my boyfriend for his choice of words.

“Sorry.” The adorable pout on his face as one of the moms reprimands him makes me laugh.

“He’s going to get us kicked out of here,” Daphne puts in her two cents before leading us to the line.

We move from ride to ride, covering every inch of the Magic Kingdom. Pensive Quint doesn’t surface the rest of the day. Not wanting to ruin our good time, I push it to the back of my mind.

On our way back to our hotel, we sit quietly on the monorail. I lean against Quint’s shoulder, feeling exhausted from all the walking. A loud yawn escapes, and he looks down at me, amused. “Did Disney wipe you out?”

Before I can respond, Daphne releases her own yawn. “I’m beat, too. I may need to take a nap before dinner.”

Through a second yawn, I point to Daphne and say, “What she said.”

Quint frowns, asking, “Are you too tired to go out to dinner? I made a reservation at a special place for us.” He waits expectantly, searching my face.

“No, I’m fine. A shower will help wake me up.” Placing my lips on his ear, I whisper, “And maybe a quickie.”

His frown disappears, and a grin spreads across his lips. “Consider it done.”

Expecting a gagging sound or an insult, I’m surprised when Daphne promptly stares out her window and ignores us. Quint follows my gaze. “Daph, you okay? You’re looking pale.”

“I suddenly don’t feel well.” She looks at Quint quickly. “I may skip dinner.”

“Do you think it was something you ate?” I ask, concerned.

“Maybe the heat? I have a headache, too.”

“Don’t get us sick.”

“Don’t worry, shortstop. I’ll stay clear of you.” She shakes her head before muttering, “Thanks for your concern.”

“You’re welcome.”

The two start bickering and all is once again right in the world.

“You look gorgeous, gorgeous.”

Looking at my dress, I smooth the full skirt over my thighs and ask, “You sure this is okay for where we are going?”

“Annie, you could wear a sack and look gorgeous. The dress is perfect.” He wraps his arms around me and buries his nose in my hair. “And you smell so good. If we didn’t have a reservation, I would be repeating what we did an hour ago.”

“There’s one solution. We go, we eat, we come back to continue what we started an hour ago.”

“You’re so smart.”

“I know.” I place a brief kiss on his lips that he quickly turns into more. Pulling away breathlessly, I shake my head. “No. I’m starving, and you owe me a nice dinner.”

“You’re right.” Grabbing his jacket, he holds out his hand. “Ready?”

“One question. Is Daphne really sick or is this your scheming?”

He looks guilty for all of two seconds before denying my claim. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He releases my hand to slip on his jacket and takes it again to pull me toward the door.

“Wait.” I stop short, halting him in his tracks. “Were you okay today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You seemed upset about something.”

“Babe, I’m at the happiest place on earth with my girl. I couldn’t be happier. Come, or we’ll be late.” He looks so damn good in his jacket, shirt, and dress pants. I rarely get to enjoy Quint dressed up. I’m dying of curiosity, wondering where he’s taking me. He said this was a celebration of our graduation. We are having dinner with our parents the night we graduate, but tonight will be for just the two of us.

Daphne has set up shop in the living room with room service and the TV remote. When she sees us, she frowns. “Have fun,” she says with no enthusiasm.

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

She shoos me away with an irritated look. “Get lost.”

Giving her forehead a kiss, I tell her I love her before Quint literally drags me out of the suite. Once in the elevator, I ask, “So, where are we going?”

“Nice try.”

I should know better. I can never get Quint to let me in on a surprise. I’ve tried pouting, begging, even bribing. His resolve is ironclad. Hand in hand, we walk out of the hotel, and he leads me to where a black sedan waits for us. The driver opens the door and nods. “Miss Weber.”

“Thank you.”

Quint slides in after I do and takes my hand back in his. His smile is electric. My returning smile even more so. He lifts our hands and plants a kiss on my knuckles. It’s a short drive to our destination, and a few minutes later we are in front of the Grand Floridian Hotel. I’ve heard of this place and have seen pictures online. As I stare at the architecture in awe, Quint chuckles while dragging me into the hotel. He’s so self-assured, leading me right to the back toward a concierge desk. An older gentleman stands when we approach.

“Mr. Lawson, Miss Weber, I’m Mr. Oliver. Welcome to the Grand Floridian. We’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”

“Thank you,” we both say in chorus.

Quint tucks my hand in the crook of his elbow, still smiling wide as we are led down a beautiful hallway. At a set of French doors, Mr. Oliver opens one and motions for us to go ahead. A pavestone pathway leads us through lush foliage and out onto a small, private beach. The lagoon separates the hotel from the Magic Kingdom, and it’s beautiful. A platform sits on the sand holding a small, round table that is set for two.

“Mr. Lawson, you’re quite the romantic. Who knew?” I tease, but I’m not serious. He’s always shown me signs of romance over the years.

He shrugs. “I try.”

After pulling out my chair, he sits across from me with a warm smile. Two filled champagne flutes sit before us. He lifts his and I mimic the motion. “To our future.”

I clink his glass with mine before repeating his words.

It’s such a lovely evening. A warm breeze blows over the lagoon. The sky above is already dark with night, while the horizon still glows a warm orange from the setting sun. “Quint, this is amazing. When did you plan all this?”

“I Googled special places to dine in Disney.”

The beach is secluded, except for the waiter who stands at the end of the path waiting for us to summon him. 

“Where is everyone?” He looks around and shrugs, but otherwise doesn’t respond. “Did you reserve this beach?”

“Maybe.”

“Quint, this must be costing you a small fortune.”

Again he shrugs and sips his champagne. “Annie, I’m about to start my career for the Baltimore Orioles. I think I can afford a nice, romantic evening for my girlfriend.” He takes my hand in his and adds, “I hope this is just the beginning of many more romantic nights to come.”

“Me, too.” Lifting our entwined hands, I place a kiss on his. “I love you, Quint. I’m so happy for you. You deserve all the success in the world.”

“
We
deserve. Annie, I’m not doing this without you.”

“I know. I’m right beside you, always.” He smiles warmly before kissing the same spot on my hand that I just did on his.

The waiter appears with our meal. Throughout dinner, we discuss things we’re looking forward to, and things we aren’t. “I hate packing. Seriously hate it. I wish I could blink and have everything in our new apartment in Baltimore.”