Bailey sat in a lawn chair, peeking out from under her baseball cap at the parents and children that surrounded her.  The bleachers were filled and the lawn behind the home bench was covered with spectators.  Apparently the first game of the season was a big deal here.  Her eyes found her son warming up with the coach.  He looked focused and loose, but she could see the nerves in his limbs and his posture.  She knew her son, and while he lived for this, he was scared, too.  His reputation at this school would be made on this game, good or bad.  For his sake, she hoped he pitched the game of his life.

“Billy says this new kid is pretty good.”  Voices ebbed and flowed around her head and all anyone seemed to talk about was Carter and his arm.  “I hope he’s right.”

“I hear he’s got a fast ball that even the coaches couldn’t touch.”  Another voice peppered into the conversation.

“Sam says the kids got a knuckle ball, too.”  The chorus of voices continued to swim around Bailey’s head and she smiled.  She didn’t know much about baseball, but she knew her son was good.  Even in Boston, at a school filled with talent, Carter had been one of the best.

“Beautiful day for a game.”  This time the voice spoke close to Bailey’s ear and she jumped, looking up to find a set of blue eyes that were beginning to become familiar.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  Justin unfolded a lawn chair and set it next to Bailey’s, taking a seat.

“It’s okay.  I was off in space, anyway.”  Bailey looked for her son again, feeling uncomfortable for reasons she couldn’t pin point.  “I didn’t realize that baseball was such a big thing here.”

“Well, it is when we’ve actually got a chance of winning this year.”  There was amusement in Justin’s voice and Bailey turned to catch him grinning at her.  “Word has it that Carter is one hell of a pitcher.”

Bailey blushed under his gaze, telling herself it was the compliment.  “Baseball is his life.  He and my father would spend hours studying pitches, plays, and statistics.  I think they know more about the Red Sox than the coaches do.”  A small pang of hurt settled in her chest when she thought about her father.  She swallowed hard, forcing the ache away.

“The whole school has been a-buzz with talks of today’s game.  Poor Carter couldn’t seem to get a second to himself.”  Justin continued to talk, oblivious to the fact that Bailey was stiff and silent.  She noticed the way his words dripped with twang, a feature she had overlooked until now.  It made sense, though.  She wasn’t in Boston anymore.

“He’s never been fond of a lot of attention.  He certainly doesn’t get the shy from me.” 

Justin settled back in his chair and Bailey took a deep breath.  She kept willing herself to relax but it just wasn’t happening.  “So, what brought you to Shelby Forest, anyway?  We don’t get many outsiders here.”  His question was innocent, but Bailey felt her heart race pick up and she had to grip her water bottle to keep from shaking.

“Uh, well, I have family in Memphis but I didn’t want to be in the city anymore. So, Carter and I just…ended up here.”  She wasn’t sure if her voice was as unsteady as it sounded to her ears, but she kept her eyes forward and held her breath.  She didn’t have many more answers to give, so she was praying he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“I’ve lived here my whole life.” 

Bailey nodded, thanking whatever deity saved her this time.  She was especially relieved when the game started and they conversation turned entirely to baseball.  The crowd on the E.E Jeter side of the benches hushed as Carter took the mound and threw a few pitches.  A murmur rippled through the people around her, and everyone was curious to see Carter throw to an actual batter.

They didn’t have to wait long. 

With hardly any effort, Carter struck out the first batter.  The young boy at bat had wide eyes as he watched the baseball fly past his body; one, two, three.  He didn’t even attempt to swing.  The crowd roared as the umpire called the last strike, and Carter allowed himself a small smirk as he heard his mother’s whistle.  He stayed focused, though, and tuned out the noise of the spectators.  He couldn’t afford to get too full of himself.  Not yet.

Batter number two retired in a similar fashion, this time swinging furiously at all three pitches and missing by seconds.  Again, the crowd went wild.

“Jesus, he’s got an arm.”  Justin’s voice was filled with awe and Bailey’s chest puffed up with pride.

“He practices for hours every day, even when it’s not baseball season.  He’s been pitching since he could stand and throw.”  She felt a bittersweet smile tug at her lips as she remembered how her father coached Carter as soon as the boy could hang onto a ball.  They had bonded over Carter’s pitching and it had given both the man and the boy something to be proud of.  Bailey wished that her father could be here now to see this.

“He’s good, Bailey.”  Justin’s words were swallowed by the wave of cheers that crashed around them.  Carter struck out the third batter in three pitches.  “If he keeps this up, he’ll throw a no-hitter.” 

“Don’t jinx him!”  She swatted at Justin’s arm, flinching when she realized that she’d actually touched the man.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Justin grinned, happy to see Bailey finally loosen up.  “Don’t worry about it.  I deserved it, I’m sure.”

Bailey blushed under his smiling gaze, but she couldn’t help taking a moment to truly look the man over.  He was wearing khakis and a button up shirt; the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and the collar unbuttoned.  While he dressed the part, Bailey had a difficult time imagining this man as a teacher.  He looked too…pretty.  And she realized how absurd that sounded.

“What made you want to be a teacher?”  She asked, surprised that she’d let the question slip.  She had no real desire to get to know this man better, especially because he was Carter’s teacher.  Somehow, though, she couldn’t stop the curiosity.

Justin glanced over at Bailey and shrugged.  “It just seemed right.  I’ve loved reading and writing, so it was a natural progression to move toward English.  The teaching thing…that’s just happened naturally.”  He licked his lips, his eyes turning back to the baseball game but his focus still entirely on the woman next to him.  “Adolescence was a rough time for me and I relied on my teachers a lot.  When I decided to teach, I knew that I wanted to be around this age.  I knew I had something to teach them.”

“Oh,” Bailey’s lips formed a tight ‘o’.  She didn’t know what to say to that.  Congratulations?  Good luck?  Better you than me?  She hadn’t made small talk in such a long time, the words escaped her.  “Cool.”  She cringed at the word that actually came out of her mouth.  She’d been spending too much time with her son.

Justin laughed.  He was amused by Bailey’s awkwardness.  It wasn’t very often that he got to meet someone new and go through the process of figuring them out.  It was kind of nice to see what made this woman tick.  “What about you?  I can’t imagine a girl like you grew up wanting to be a secretary.”  His question was posed with a smile but it fell a little when he noticed the strange look on Bailey’s face.  He immediately apologized for prying.

“No, it’s okay.”  She took a deep breath and attempted to smile back.  “It’s just…that was another life, you know?  I…Amelia is really great to me.”  She knew her response was lame and she knew that it would only lead to more questions, but she was caught off guard by his inquiry and she hadn’t thought about her answer.  Back in Boston she had gone to school for journalism.  She had been a writer for a local paper while she took night classes, working her way toward a bachelor’s degree.  It was that degree that had gotten her in trouble in the first place.  It was also a degree that had been awarded to a person that no longer existed.  She’d had to leave that part of herself behind.

“Enough said.” Even though it wasn’t.  Justin held up his hands in surrender.  He was prying and he needed to stop.  There were a lot of other people around and he knew how rumors spread here in Shelby Forest.  He didn’t want to drag Bailey and Carter into town gossip anymore than they already were.

Luckily, Carter was back up at the mound and their conversation had an excuse to die.

The twelve-year-old was on fire, and each pitch flew past the batter without coming close to the bats.  The home crowd was beside themselves with excitement and the opposing team looked beyond flustered.  Their batters were swinging wildly now, hoping to make any sort of connection with the ball they could.  Once someone got a piece of a breaking ball, but it popped foul and was caught by the third baseman, retiring the side.  Inning after inning Carter struck out all three batters with less than five pitches.  E.E. Jeter’s line up even managed to score three runs, putting them in the lead and bringing them the win.

Carter was rushed by his entire team, and the young boy’s eyes sparkled as people cheered his name.  The fathers in the crowd shook his hand and patted him on the back, commenting on how great he’d done.  Bailey was beaming as she stood back, waiting for a chance to wrap her son in the tightest hug ever.

“You kicked serious ass, baby.”  She pulled him in to her arms, squeezing him until he coughed in her ear.  “Sorry.”  She let him step back and noticed his face was crimson with embarrassment. 

“Mom…”  He scolded.  Middle school boys didn’t get hugged like that by their moms.  “I have to get my stuff in the locker room.”  Ducking his head, he disappeared into the crowd and Bailey headed back to her chair.

“You get the brush off, Mom?”  Justin’s amused voice was back, and Bailey felt as if he were following her.  She smiled politely, but she wasn’t really in the mood for any more conversations.

“Yeah, I guess he’s getting too old for that.”  A frown marred her face at the thought.

“Don’t worry, he still loves you.”  Justin packed up his own chair, walking along side Bailey toward the parking lot.  “I pretended that I was too cool for my mom, too, but I still call her twice a day and she lives ten minutes away from me.” 

Bailey was saved from answering when a group of team parents cornered her and invited her and Carter out to dinner.  She hated the idea of having to make more small talk, but she would leave the decision up to her son.  She knew that fitting in was difficult for him so she didn’t want to take away his chances of making more friends.  Plus, she should probably start getting used to these people.

“I’ll ask Carter when he comes out.”  She smiled at the mother that had asked, but as she packed her things into the trunk of her car she could feel the questioning gazes burning into her back.

~*~

Dinner was an awkward affair that had Bailey wishing she could crawl into a hole and hide.  Carter had happily trotted off to hang out with the other boys, the fathers were sequestered at their own corner of the table, and the women were chatting easily all around her.  Unfortunately, the topic of conversation wasn’t about sports or even kids, it was about Justin Timberlake and he’s apparent liking for Bailey.

“I tell you girlfriend, I’ve know Justin my whole life and he’s hardly ever looked at a woman like he was lookin’ at you today.”  The blond next to her prattled on and Bailey felt her face flush crimson.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  The defense was weak, but Bailey didn’t want to cause a scene.  She hardly knew these women, and while she hated the gossip that surrounded her, it would have been rude for her to walk away.  This was why she hated social situations.

“Pshaw.”  The brunette, Shelly or Sally, waved her hand in the air and sent a conspiratorial look toward the other girls.  “Justin has been single for a long time and we all just figured that he was going to be a bachelor forever.  I think he’s excited by the prospect of someone new.”

Another blond on Bailey’s right giggled loudly.  “Yeah, all of the good women here are already married!”  The rest of the group cackled like hens and Bailey sank lower into her chair.

“He’s my son’s teacher.”  She attempted to defend herself again.  She understood the allure of connecting her and Justin.  They were both young, single, and it was a small town.  People thrived on other people’s personal lives and created rumors like this.  “I have no desire to get into a relationship.” 

The other women gave her a knowing look that alerted Bailey to the fact that they weren’t buying it.  For some reason they had all decided that Justin was after Bailey and it was a good idea for the two of them to get together.  She was hoping that someone would speak up on Justin’s behalf, maybe remind everyone that he was a local and she was an outsider and the two just didn’t mix.  Maybe even an old flame marking him as ‘hands off.’  That wasn’t the case, though, and they all happily prattled along about how Justin really needed a good girl in his life, especially since he was getting older.  Apparently being in your mid thirties and not having spawned any offspring was a crime in Shelby Forest.

And it appeared that having a son that could out-pitch every other middle schooler in the county made her a ‘good girl.’  Small town life was way too overwhelming for Bailey.

“Well thanks for the invite, but I have to get Carter home so he can finish his science fair project.  He’s barely even started.”  The excuse was a good one, because a few of the other mothers stood to gather their sons, reprimanding the boys about not mentioning the fair.  Bailey happily grabbed Carter from the fray and escaped to their car.

“Thanks for letting me go out, Ma.”  Carter said as the slipped into the car.  “I know you don’t like hanging out with other women much.”

Bailey laughed and ruffled her son’s hair.  “Got that right, Bub.  They kept trying to get me to go out with your English teacher.”

“Mr. Timberlake?”  Carter’s face screwed up in thought for a moment and Bailey was waiting for the protest, but instead she got, “he seems like a really nice guy.”

She groaned.  “Not you, too!”  His response was an impish grin.