LITMIR.BIZ

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a self-pitying funk, as a matter of fact, but then a very wise man came to visit me and told me that there were still plenty of worthwhile things I could do. He steered me toward teaching and coaching. In fact, he’s the one who brought me to Serenity.” He grinned. “Fortunately for you, you have me to tell you the same thing.”

      “Gee, how reassuring,” Ty grumbled sourly.

      Cal gave him a long, hard look. “You really are having a pity party for yourself today, aren’t you? Look, here’s the truth, Ty. There’s no reason to think our situations are alike. I had complications. You’re healing well. It’s just going to take time and determination. You lose the rest of this season, so what? You’ll be back stronger than ever next year.”

      “Is that your medical opinion?” Ty inquired.

      Cal came around his desk and perched on the corner. “Okay, what’s really got you down today? It’s got nothing to do with pitching, because we both know your prognosis looks good. What put you in this mood?” Cal gave him a knowing look when Ty remained silent. “Why did I even ask? This is about Annie. You came home thinking everything would fall into place just the way it was in the old days, and now you’re figuring out that if you want her back, you’re going to have to work for it.”

      “I never expected it to be easy,” Ty insisted. “I know she hates my guts.”

      “If she does, that’s probably a good thing,” Cal said.

      “In what universe?”

      “Hate’s the opposite of love, or so they say. If she had no feelings for you at all, that’s when you’d really need to worry. Have you called her?”

      Ty shook his head.

      “Stopped by the spa while she’s there?”

      “No.”

      “Dropped in over at Ronnie and Dana Sue’s?”

      Ty regarded him incredulously. “You have to be kidding me! Dana Sue’d probably slap me silly with a cast-iron skillet. You weren’t here for the scene she made when she found out Ronnie had cheated on her. That is one scary woman.”

      Cal chuckled. “She is feisty, no question about that. So, what, then? You’re waiting for Annie to make the first move? Good luck with that.”

      “Yeah, I know,” Ty said glumly.

      “Then what is your plan?”

      “I don’t actually have a plan.” He thought about it, then murmured, “Flowers? I could send over a ton of daisies. Annie always loved daisies.”

      “It would break the ice, at least. But I don’t think you can count on flowers doing the hard work for you. When it comes to courting a woman, you have to put yourself out there, take a few risks. Flowers are too easy.”

      “In other words, she’s going to want to see me bleed.”

      Cal bit back a smile. “In a manner of speaking. I think you owe her a little public groveling, don’t you?”

      “Just for starters,” Ty conceded. Truthfully, he owed Annie that and a whole lot more. He stood up, feeling marginally better. “Thanks.”

      “You coming by the field tonight? Ronnie and I could use some help coaching Little League. We have too many kids and too few coaches.”

      “And give Ronnie a chance to beat me to a pulp? No, thanks.”

      Cal chuckled. “You could always hold your little sister or your baby brother. Ronnie would never throw a punch at a man holding a kid.”

      “I am not hiding behind a toddler who’s still in diapers,” Ty said, referring to Cole. “Or Trevor or Jessica Lynn, either, for that matter. That would be pathetic.”

      “So is hiding out from Annie,” Cal said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Deal with her, Ty. At least you’ll know where you stand.”

      Unfortunately, he already knew where he stood with Annie. And Cal was right about one things: flowers—even entire vanloads of them—weren’t going to fix things.

      Annie shoved the plate of food aside, untouched. But a pointed glance from her mother had her pulling it back.

      “I’m just not hungry right this second,” she grumbled, even as she ate several bites of Sullivan’s pot roast special only to wipe the look of concern from her mother’s face.

      “You’re upset about Ty,” Dana Sue said. “I get that. And I’m really sorry I kept quiet about him being back here. I was just trying to find the right time to tell you.”

      “I understand,” Annie said. Once she’d cooled down, she’d realized how impossible the whole situation was, especially for her mom and Maddie.

      Her mother regarded her worriedly. “I just don’t want you to…”

      “Stop eating,” Annie said, completing the unspoken thought. “Mom, it’s okay. Really. I ate breakfast this morning—ask Erik. I’d almost finished before I saw the article in the paper about Ty being back. I even had a bowl of soup at Wharton’s for lunch. You can ask Grace, if you want to.”

      “I’m not going to spy on you,” Dana Sue said with a self-righteous display of indignation.

      Annie raised a brow. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

      “That was a long time ago,” her mother replied. “When you first got out of the hospital, yes, your dad and I kept a close eye on your eating habits. We had to.” Unspoken was the fact that Annie had lied so often, they hadn’t dared to trust anything she told them.

      “You had your spies when I was away at college, too,” Annie reminded her without rancor. She’d understood why they’d done that, too, and since she’d had no intention of reverting to her old ways, she’d never voiced any objections to the frequent calls to the dorm counselors. Lately, though, she’d thought they were beyond all that. She’d worked hard, not only to stay healthy but also to regain her parents’ trust. It hurt to see that distrust back in her mother’s eyes, but on some level she understood it.

      “I’m a mom. Sue me,” Dana Sue said blithely, not so much as blinking at the charge that she’d spied. “Let’s drop this for now. I have something important I need to ask you, and I want you to be totally honest. If this bothers you, you have to say so.”

      Annie regarded her curiously, surprised by her somber tone. “What are you talking about?”

      “I’m supposed to go to Helen’s tonight.”

      “A Sweet Magnolias night,” Annie guessed. “What does that have to do with me?”

      “Will it bother you if I hang out with Maddie?”

      There was a tiny little twinge, but Annie stomped on it. Her mother was not being disloyal. “Mom, don’t be absurd,” she said, meaning it. “You guys have been friends forever. Just because Ty and I aren’t speaking doesn’t mean you and Maddie shouldn’t.”

      “You’re sure?”

      “Of course I am. Go.”

      “You and I could do something instead, especially if you want to talk about all this. Or we could drive over to Charleston and see a movie. I’ve already cleared it with Erik to leave him in charge here at the restaurant, so I can take off now.”

      “The last thing I want to talk about is Ty. That subject is dead. Over. Kaput.”

      “Really?” her mom asked skeptically.

      “Yes, really.”

      “Then how about the movie?”

      “So I can sit there for two hours and feel guilty for keeping you from spending the evening with your friends? No way.”

      “Then what will you do tonight?”

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