Spring Training Read Free Page A

himself, evidently so used to it he couldn’t smell it anymore. “It was just a little getting to know the team thing last night.” He fiddled with the belt loops of his jeans as he avoided eye contact.
    Disappointment clamored and Teri tried to swallow it down. Only one day, and he was already partying. With one last look at her son’s averted face, she turned toward the kitchen. “Go take a shower. We’ll talk when you get out.” She was already dreading the conversation, one she could predict almost down to the exact words. The excuses, the defensiveness, the promises.
    Damn it, Em. When are you going to grow up?
    She’d had reservations about his quitting college to take this shot at pro ball, but he’d vowed to take it seriously. Pressing her lips together to try to keep from swearing out loud—or, worse, tearing up—she entered the small kitchen, set down the bags then began to put away the perishables she’d impulsively bought for Em at the natural foods store she’d spotted on the way into town. His favorite yoghurt, orange-peach-mango juice, hummus and red peppers—the only raw vegetable she didn’t have to fight to make him eat. The contents of the fridge surprised her a bit — she’d expected to see only beer, pop and ketchup. Instead, she had to work to make room for the peppers in the crisper drawer amongst an assortment of other veggies.
    She sensed movement behind her as she finished, and straightened to find Aaron putting away the non-perishables from one of the other sacks in the small pantry. He turned away quickly as she stood, gaze sliding away from the vicinity of her backside. She raised a mental eyebrow. He was checking out her ass? She snorted. Now there was something that didn’t happen every day. If she’d known, she might’ve put on some makeup and worn something besides loose yoga pants and a T-shirt. But comfort was way more important to her than trying to compete with the pretty, young things who could always be found hanging around the teams. Especially while traveling.
    Teri had become comfortable in her own skin in the past decade, when she’d finally accepted that as long as she was fit and felt good, it wasn’t necessary to be a stick. Oh, she wasn’t fat. But like most women who’d had kids, her hips hadn’t ever quite snapped back to where they were beforehand. And on the dark side of forty, she was starting to notice a certain propensity to softness, even with a religious workout schedule.
    They finished setting things away in silence, then were left with nothing to keep them from awkwardly waiting for Emery to reappear. Trying not to stress about the coming talk with her son, Teri peeked at Aaron, after folding up her reusable bags to take home, and found him observing her intently.
    “Sorry for the not-so-friendly greeting. You’re not quite who I expected to find at the door,” he finally volunteered.
    Teri relaxed a bit as she smiled. “Now, you know I have to ask who you did expect.”
    Aaron grinned back, and something about him again struck her as familiar.
    “Well, when Emery said his ‘number one fan’ was coming to spend the night, I thought he meant…” He trailed off, embarrassed, then gestured with a grimace. “You know, not a mom .”
    “Hmm. Guess I don’t want to go there.” She studied him, but his identity still didn’t come to her. It was driving her crazy. “Aaron…Aaron…” she finally murmured aloud. “You look really familiar, but I just can’t place you.”
    His smile dropped as if a curtain had fallen. He shrugged as a cloud passed over his eyes, negating the pleasant banter. It was such an abrupt change that Teri immediately regretted her nosy angling for information.
    Without thought, she crossed to him and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
    Aaron took a deep breath and Teri felt his corded forearm flex under her touch. “No, I’m sorry. I overreacted. You’re probably just thrown