Morning After (A Reynolds Security Novel) by Melissa Hale Page A

double on the first pitch and the girls cheered like crazy. Ethan was up next and there was some pointing and giggling from the peanut gallery but no cheering. Erica swallowed any potential embarrassment and yelled. Ethan glanced up at her as he approached the home plate and grinned.  The woman sitting to her right looked at her again, this time she joined her in cheering. When Ethan hit the ball she put her fingers to her lips and whistled loud and long. It was a single. Now she had drawn the attention of the women on the top bench. She could feel their eyes on her and it made her supremely uncomfortable.  The next batter hit a pop fly which was caught and he was called out. The next two batters struck out. Ethan never made it past first base and Jace didn't get off third. When Ethan's team took the outfield she was surprised to see that Ethan was pitching. She began cheering again reminding herself that he had spent the last two days helping her and putting her at ease. Cheering for him seemed a small price to pay. The woman on her right scooted closer and held out her hand.
    "I'm Norma." She smiled.
    "Erica." She shook the woman's hand and they began to chat. The next three innings went much the same. Ethan's team scored three runs, the other team scored two. It was in the end of the fourth inning that the catcher on Ethan's team went after a pop fly and collided with a runner trying to make his way home. The collision didn't look bad at first but when the catcher didn't immediately get up, Erica took a closer look.  The catcher was clutching her knee. The runner she had collided with knelt beside her. After a moment he waved to the bench and the players surrounded her.  Erica stayed where she was, she could no longer see the catcher, only the people surrounding her. After a few minutes the catcher emerged in the arms of the runner she had collided with. Erica couldn't suppress a smile, he looked as if he would carry her all the way home, or anywhere else she wanted to go.  It wasn't until the rest of the crowd decided to disperse that Erica looked for Ethan. When she finally spotted him he was almost right in front of her. He smiled at her and she smiled back despite the fact that his appearance made her suspicious.
    "Remember when you said if I needed a catcher..."
    "No." She said before the words were all the way out of his mouth.
    "You can do it."
    "No I can't, it was girls fast pitch softball and it was years ago!"
    "I bet you still remember how, it's not much different."
    "Ethan I can't, I haven't even thrown a ball in years."
    "I'll help you warm up."
    "So what's the verdict?" Erica looked up at the new voice and saw the first baseman with the fan club. She realized with a start, she had seen him before. He had been in the coffee shop with Ethan.  "Are you going to help us salvage the only lead we've had all season?"
    "I really can't, I haven't played in years."
    "Haven't you been watching Darlin'? You don't have to be good to play on this team." Ethan and Jace both laughed and Erica was warmed. They didn't take themselves too seriously. They weren't overly competitive. They were just out to have a good time. 
    "All right." She sighed and the grin that lit up Ethan's face was worth it. "Does anyone have some gear I can borrow?"
    Jace took off to find some gear and Ethan held his hand out to her to help her step off the bleachers.
    Erica could not have felt more conspicuous or uncomfortable if she tried. The borrowed uniform and gear didn’t fit right. The pants were too tight in the hips and waist and the jersey was too tight in the bust. She felt like she was trying to wear an adolescent boy’s clothes. Thankfully the catcher’s gear covered up the most embarrassing areas. She stretched as much as she could in the tiny public restroom. She felt a little better when she sank down into the catcher’s stance. It felt natural, familiar. She could almost hear her dad cheering, yelling at her to keep her eye on