Chapter 5: Home Field Advantage
Dave was an early riser. As soon as the sun came up, his eyes were open and he was ready to start the day. This was particularly challenging when he had been awake late the night before at a game, or travelling, or unable to sleep because of a dark-haired beauty he couldn’t forget. The latter was the case last night, and now, stretched out on his back and covered in quilts, his eyes were wide open though he had not fallen asleep until well after midnight.
Attention from attractive females was something he was accustomed to, like most major league baseball players. There was always a pack of fans, groupies, social media followers and women he met randomly during the course of a normal day who gawked, stared, and tried to get and keep his attention. And yet, the girl in the hardware store had been different somehow. It was as if she did not even know who he was.
Apparently Breckenridge skiers were also early risers because from his bed and through the bedroom window of his rented condo that faced the slopes, Dave could watch the skiers come down the mountain. They were bright spots of darting color, snaking back and forth across the fresh powder, wrapped in ski pants and jackets of every pattern and color imaginable. He made a pot of coffee in the small kitchen and then brought it back to bed. Sitting up against the headboard in a pair of boxers with the sheets draped loosely over his lap, Dave enjoyed the mountain view before him and sipped from his steaming mug. It was a fantastic distraction for his eyes as his mind continued pondering the hardware store girl.
The truth was that Dave had always wanted to settle down with a nice girl, someone he could laugh with and share a life with, maybe even someone he could start a family with. But none of the screaming female fans, and even a few male fans, seemed the right group of people to go looking to for a partner. None of them knew him and if he weren’t a professional baseball player, none of them would have given him a second glance probably. And that was precisely what made the hardware store girl different.
She had not known who he was, or at least did not let on that she did, and yet she seemed completely struck by him. The soft glow that crept into her cheeks did not escape him, and she had not stopped blushing the entire time he was in the store. He wondered if her blush stopped at her face, or had travelled all the way across her gorgeous body. He laughed, thinking of how distracted by him she had been, to the extent that she had completely screwed up his order. Of course, he had felt bad going back into the store to get it remedied, especially since he had not even needed the items and had only wanted an excuse to talk to her after catching a first glimpse of her soft curves and long, blonde hair. And he figured he had gone back again not to get her in any trouble, but so that perhaps he could have another chance to see her, maybe invite her for coffee or dinner. And then he was slightly relieved when she’d stepped out by the time he returned. He hadn’t wanted her to feel embarrassed.
They seemed to have similar tastes too, at least as far as realtors were concerned. As he had fished in his pocket for cash to pay for his purchase, Trevor von Stoup’s business card had fallen out onto the counter. The girl had reached for it, expecting it to be a crumpled bill, and then recoiled as if bitten by a snake when she saw what it was. It was very curious, and he wondered why she had been so startled by Trevor’s card. Maybe she thinks the guy is a creep too, like I do. If so, she’s got excellent taste.
Even if he had found a nice girl in the recent years, making time for dating would have been more than difficult. During baseball season he travelled almost constantly. During the off season, he was training and working on the business side of baseball with his agent, Duke, as well as trying to get caught up on life he had missed during baseball season. He could not even remember the last time he had gone on a date, and that meant it had probably been years.
In that moment, Dave knew what he wanted. He wanted a date, a date with the hardware store girl, and a normal evening with a beautiful woman who was not with him because of his baseball career. Was it possible? He thought it might be, especially given that no one knew he was in town, no one besides Trevor and his realty folks. It had been so long since he had been in Breckenridge, he wondered where people even went on dates. But this did not bother him, not really. He was certain he could figure it out. After all, he had home field advantage, didn’t he? These were his stomping grounds, his kind of people and, given the chance, he was certain he could create an amazing date for a beautiful girl. There was only one detail missing: the girl. He didn’t even know her name.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game could be heard from his cell phone and he reached for it on the bedside table.
“Hi, Duke. What’s happening?” he said, cheerily.
“Did I wake you?”
“Not at all. Just having some java and wondering what to do with myself today. Maybe some skiing, I’m thinking.”
“You sure your knee can handle that?” Duke asked.
“I’m not sure of anything,” Dave laughed. “But you should see the slopes! I’d ski down on one leg if I had to!”
“Well, aren’t you just in a fine mood today? Glad to hear it, Dave. Really glad to hear it.”
“That sounds like a lead in to some bad news…”
“Nope, I didn’t call with any bad news. I called with no news, actually. Meaning, I still haven’t found a place for you to play spring ball.”
“Oh, that,” Dave said. He was surprised by how distant he felt from the world of baseball up here in the mountains of Colorado. That he was halfway hoping to find a place to move to and play baseball in the next week or so had mostly left his consciousness, and it felt good not to worry about any of that. “That’s cool. Don’t stress it. Really. I’m fine. I’m looking at properties and thinking about rebuilding my parents’ house, so I’m busy here and fine for a while. Why don’t we just plan on me taking the year off, Duke? I’ll rest up and get strong again, and we’ll see what happens next year, okay?”
“Sure, man. Looks like it’s headed that way anyway. Before I let you go though, what’s her name?”
“What’s whose name?”
“The girl you’re into.”
“What makes you think I’m into a girl?”
“I haven’t heard you sound this chipper and relaxed in years, Dave. Really. It’s been years,” Duke said, and Dave could picture his big grin teasing him when he said it.
“Well, that’s actually what I was just sitting here thinking about, to be honest. I don’t know her name!”
“Oh? A mystery girl?”
“Pretty much. I just know she’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen and seems really… I don’t know how to describe her. Down to earth? Real? You know, like someone I’d actually like talking to.”
“Geez Dave, you’ve got it bad. Well, good luck with that. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
“Sounds good, thanks for all you’re doing for me,” Dave said, and clicked off the call.
He tossed his phone on the floor and got out of bed, stretching. On the way to the shower, he looked around the condo. Surely there was something around that needed fixing, wasn’t there? Somehow he needed a legitimate excuse to get himself back to the hardware store, even if it meant he had break something himself just so he could go get the parts to fix it. He eyed the toilet. That seemed like something which, if broken, would definitely need to be fixed right away. How do I break a toilet?
You do have it bad, Big Dave, he muttered to himself, and stepped into the steamy shower.
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