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Chapter Eight
Blue
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“Why do you usuallynot go to the Friday night team builders?” I ask Harris before taking a big bite of my hot dog. Harris was right, these really are the best hot dogs I’ve ever had. So much so that I’m not ashamed to admit that this is my second one.
“I don’t know. I spend forty plus hours a week with these people, I don’t want to have to spend my Friday night with them, too.” He turns his attention from the game and meets my gaze.
“So you skip them because you want to?” I ask, shoving another bite of hot dog into my mouth.
“Pretty much.” He chuckles.
“You’re rotten.” I giggle.
“Rotten?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Just something my mom always says.” I pop the remainder of the hot dog into my mouth and then wash it down with a long drink of beer.
We’re already in the seventh inning, and while I originally didn’t think I would enjoy myself, I’m not ashamed to admit when I’m wrong. I’m having a blast.
Harris was so right about this. The lights. The crowd. The energy.The hotdogs. It’s everything he described and so much more. I’m honestly kicking myself for not trying this out sooner. Then again, I wonder if I would be enjoying it as much as I currently am if it weren’t for the man sitting next to me. I know I’m supposed to hate him, but is it bad that I don’t really hate him anymore? I’m honestly not sure if I ever did or if hating him was just some kind of attempt at self-preservation.
“Tell me about your parents.” He angles toward me so that our knees touch. “Do they live close by?”
“Not anymore. They moved to Florida last year after my dad retired.”
“So, you grew up here?”
“About a half an hour outside of the city.”
“Any other family around?”
“Not really. A couple distant cousins that I’ve never been close to. My grandparents are gone and my mom’s sister lives in Texas. My dad was an only child. Our family is pretty small.”
“No siblings?”
“Only child.”
“So it’s just you?”
“It’s just me.” I nod. “I have friends from college I still talk to and of course, my friends at work. But as far as family goes, it’s just me.”
“Do you miss them being around? Your parents.”
“Every single day. But it also gives me an excuse to visit the sunshine state a few times a year and I don’t have to pay for a hotel, so there’s that.”
“I’d love to meet them one day.”
“My parents?” I look at him like he has five heads.
“Why not?” He chuckles at my reaction.
“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Or are you forgetting about our ticking clock?”
“The ticking clock only applies if I don’t succeed.”
“I think we both already know that you won’t.” I tap his nose with the tip of my finger playfully.
