Lost in my thoughts, I hear excited voices approaching the field. Turning my head, I grin when I see Savannah and another woman leading the kids along the sidewalk to where I’m waiting.
The kids are an assortment of ages, and ethnic backgrounds, but it’s the small blonde child who catches my eye. She looks so lost as she clutches a soft bunny to her chest while sucking her thumb.
Savannah bends to say something to the child, and then the next minute the child’s thin arms go around Savannah’s neck. Savannah looks momentarily startled before she returns the embrace and lifts the child into her arms. As the child settles against Savannah, and cuddles her bunny, Savannah looks toward me and it’s clear as day that she’s delighted with the little girl’s response to her.
Savannah’s gaze tells me everything I need to know. She’s missed me, like I have her. She’s also telling me so much more now that she has the blonde bundle in her arms.
Instead of sitting like an idiot, staring at the girl of my dreams, I move over to Savannah, and can’t decide whether or not she’d be okay with me kissing her on the cheek in front of her friend and the kids.
I shouldn’t have bothered worrying because, when I get within arm’s reach, Savannah reaches up and places a quick kiss on my cheek. “I missed you,” she whispers, and steps back.
Clearing my throat, I smile at the little girl, and ask Savannah, “Who do we have here?”
“This is Tammy…Tammy, this is a friend of mine, Jace Stone. He’s the man I’ve been telling you about. The softball coach.”
Tammy removes her thumb and says, “You have a nice smile,” so quietly that I’m not sure I’ve heard her correctly, until Savannah agrees.
“Yes, he does.” Then she whispers, “He makes me feel safe.”
Tammy looks thoughtful before passing her gaze back and forth between us. “So he looks after you so the bad things don’t hurt you?”
My heart breaks for this small child. What the fuck has she been through to cause that kind of question?
“Yes, he does. He’s with the police, and he’s a good man.”
Fucking hell. She’s going to be bringing me to my knees.
Before we go any deeper right now, and I ignore the softball to concentrate on what’s hurt Tammy, I step back and inhale to get myself back in control.
After the session though, I’m going to find out what’s going on with her. It’s going to be niggling at the back of my mind until I know, and until I’ve helped her in some way.
“Hey, Mister.”
I glance down as I feel a tug on my T-shirt. I see a ginger haired boy who has the cutest damn face I’ve ever seen staring up at me.
“Is that really your leg?” he asks, his eyes riveted on my prosthesis.
“It is.”
“What’s it called?”
I smile down at him. “It’s a flex-foot cheetah.”
“Wow,” he says in amazement. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
He takes that in for a few minutes, but I wait, knowing something else is going to be asked—he has questions written all over his face.
“Good…Can I catch out there?”
Chuckling at his rapid change of subject, I ruffle his hair, and ask, “And what’s your name?”
“Catcher,” he grins.
This boy makes me smile. “Okay, then, Catcher. You know how to play ball?” I toss the ball up in the air and catching it, toss it lightly to Catcher…and he catches it! “You can get into position behind the batter, okay? At some point you’ll have to play in another position, though, to give everyone a turn.”
“Yes!” Catcher shouts and runs off.