Read Online Four Play: A Collection of Novellas by Amalie Silver - Free Book Online Page A

weren’t for you. But if you’re looking for a reason to go to him, I’ll give you one. We can take it from here. You’ve had a hell of a season, and we’ll see you next year.”
    I grimaced and looked up at the team. Everyone nodded their heads.
    “Yeah. Go to him,” Wanda said.
    I shook my head. “No.”
    “What are you afraid of? You’re not going to lose your spot on the team,” Coach said. “But if you don’t go, you might not ever find out whether or not he’s a part of your future.”

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 13
     
    It was a four-hour drive from Chicago, but it flew by in a flash.
    My mind raced with the idiocy of my actions, and cursing my team for convincing me that leaving in the bottom of the sixth inning of our World Series game was the right thing to do. But my stomach tumbled and my heart raced thinking that I couldn’t get to Nolan fast enough.
    On my way through town, I drove by the Jiffy Lube and searched the parking lot but didn’t spot his truck. Even more determined—now that I was only minutes from his apartment—I let my foot slam on the gas pedal as my grip tightened against the steering wheel.
    I arrived in his parking lot and shoved my keys in my purse. Running past his truck, I hurried to the front door and found his name on the registry. My thumb pressed his apartment number repeatedly and I waited for his voice.
    Seconds turned into a minute, and with the intense rush of anticipation, I swore it had been a half hour that I’d stood impatiently. Doubts and regrets cluttered my head as I realized I hadn’t thought once what I’d say to him.
    It had been three weeks that we’d spent apart; there was a possibility that he’d moved on, or worse, he had found someone new. I also had to consider the fact that he might not have forgiven me for acting so irrationally.
    I leaned up against the brick of his building as the thump from my chest slowed. My dry throat ached as I tried to swallow, and the summer heat was so consuming that I began to feel claustrophobic.
    I pressed the buzzer one last time and looked up to the windows.
     
    But I saw nothing.
     
    I wiped the sweat from my brow and walked slowly back to my car. As I dug into the bottom of my purse to find my keys, I heard a voice call from behind me.
    “Jack?”
    I swung around and saw Nolan standing on the steps of the entry. My heart fluttered and picked up its pace again, and the sun was even hotter as the nighttide began its ascent.
    “Nolan,” I whispered.
    We stared at each other. He kept his hands in his pockets, and I was too stunned to move.
    He cocked his head to one side and bounced down the steps.
    “Are you okay?” he asked, walking toward me.
    I nodded and swallowed.
    “You sure?” He suddenly seemed nervous and he looked around the parking lot for some kind of clue as to why I was there. “You’re supposed to be in Chicago.”
    “I know.” I nodded.
    He took long strides until we stood face to face. “But you’re here instead. Why?”
    I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves. “I left the game.”
    His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. He nodded, so I continued.
    “I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” I began, keeping my head down as I fiddled with the mini softball on my keychain. “How I handled our situation deserves an apology. And I am truly sorry.”
    My heart began to break a little, thinking about how I’d hurt him.
    “You left the championship game to apologize to me? Are you crazy?”
    “Maybe. I’m not really sure anymore.” I laughed, and then my tone grew more serious. “But I also knew that the only way to prove to you that you meant more to me than the game was to come here tonight and tell you. In person.”
    He licked his lips and tucked his hands in his back pockets. “So you thought you could just come here tonight and apologize, and I’d magically want to be with you again? That somehow leaving in the middle of the game would show me that