Chapter Six

A manda pulled up to the Hunter’s house, grateful for the beautiful sunshiny day and cool breeze. As she cut the engine, Kasey came around the house carrying a car seat. Marisol, her head down, followed him. She was dressed in a tiny version of the same red shirt with a bird on the front that Kasey wore. They were both in shorts and sneakers.

Kasey opened the passenger door. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

He hunched down and hit the flip to fold the passenger seat forward. Marisol lifted her head, and Amanda saw tears in the child’s eyes. Her heart broke for the tiny girl, too small to ride without a safety seat. “Oh, I’m glad you have that. My seats are very low in the back. I was afraid Marisol might not get a good view out of the windows, but that should sit her up high enough to view everything.”

Kasey gave her an appreciative smile before he leaned over to set up the seat.

Marisol sniffed. “I feel like a baby. None of my friends have to ride in car seats anymore.”

“I think you’re the perfect height and weight,” Amanda went on. “And you’re the best Tai Chi teacher I know.”

Marisol glared at her. “I’m the only Tai Chi teacher you know.”

“Not so. I looked up some instructors on the internet this morning. I got lost trying to follow them. I never once felt lost with you yesterday.”

Kasey straightened from installing the car seat.

Marisol halfheartedly pointed at Amanda with her thumb. “She’s trying to make me feel better.” Then she climbed into the back.

“Forgive her, M.” He righted his seat and slid inside. “Amanda doesn’t know any better.”

To stop herself from laughing out loud, she started the car and checked on Marisol in the rearview mirror. The child buckled her booster seat.

“The game is at the Astros stadium. They’re out of town, but a triple-A team is using their field.”

She shifted the car into drive and took off toward Houston.

“Uncle K, we need to talk.” Marisol still sounded down.

“Shoot.”

Amanda listened while she drove.

“First of all, I love you.”

“What do you want?” he returned. “Saying you love me after telling me we need to talk makes me think you want something.”

“Well, I do love you.”

“I love you too. Now, spill.”

“Can you help me convince Daddy to take me to Nepal?” The child sounded determined when she said, “I have to find a way to get there.”

Curious, Amanda asked, “Why?”

“Because of the Swayambhunath temple in Katmandu.”

“The temple with the monkeys?” Amanda asked.

“Yes. Have you been?” Marisol excitedly responded.

“Only heard of it.”

“The monkeys are holy.” The girl’s tone remained eager. “The first monkeys transformed from the head lice of Manjushri.”

“How else would they be holy?”

Kasey chuckled at Amanda’s comment, then explained, “She wants to be a veterinarian.”

“I plan to work with primates,” Marisol corrected him. “I’ve wanted to work with them since my third birthday when my dad brought me to the zoo, and I saw the workers interact with them.”

“I believe you will accomplish whatever you decide to do,” Amanda said.

“Thank you. Uncle K went last year, but wouldn’t take me along.”

“We’ve been through this. I can’t take you with me when I’m working.”

“I understand,” Marisol replied. “And I do love the pictures and videos you took of the temple monkeys and the sunrise.”

“Sunrise at Sarangkot was the best thing I experienced in Nepal.” Kasey flipped down the car visor to block the sun. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I can only describe it as spiritual.”

“Sounds amazing.” Amanda switched lanes.

“Will you help me convince Daddy, Uncle K?” Marisol grunted. “Mom is the real problem. She’s never going to let me go.”

He spun around to face his niece. “You don’t know that.”

“She’s the reason I’m in this baby seat. Do you really think she’s going to let me travel to Nepal? She says no to everything. She isn’t ever even here. Why does she have a say in what I do?”

“Because she gave you life.” He sat forward. “Always respect your mother.”

“I do. I just don’t understand why she doesn’t want me to do fun things.”

Amanda took the off-ramp and pulled into the right-hand lane behind a line of traffic entering the parking area. Signs with a bird, the same as on Kasey and Marisol’s shirts, were staked alongside the street. “What bird is that?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.

“A yellow-crowned night heron,” he explained. “The team we’re going to watch is the Herons.”

She turned into the parking lot. Kasey showed his phone to the ticket taker who scanned it. They were waved forward. Workers in bright orange vests directed traffic. Kasey showed his phone to each one they passed until they parked in a spot close to the huge stadium. She shifted the car into park. “What kind of pass is on your phone?”

“He’s very important,” Marisol offered from the back seat.

“I’m not,” Kasey argued. “I’m just acquainted with a few people.”

They exited the vehicle and walked to a private entrance. A security officer stood at the open black door. He smiled and held out a hand to Kasey. “Great to see you.”

“How are you, Hal?”

“Never better, man. The better question is, how are you? I saw the Star Breeze clip on you and Harper.”

“Hanging in. I’m escorting these two beautiful women with me today.”

Hal nodded to Marisol then pointed at Amanda’s purse. “Only see-through bags, ma’am. I have one here if you’d like to use it.” He reached inside the door.

“Thank you.” She transferred her belongings to it, and Kasey ran her purse back to the car. When he returned, they stepped inside a wide hallway painted orange and blue. The hall led to a huge room filled with people.

An older man in a Heron’s shirt hurried over. “Darling Marisol, how are you?”

“Hi, Tanner.” She hugged the man.

Tanner smiled at Kasey. “Thanks for coming.”

“I appreciate the invite.” He motioned to Amanda. “Tanner Stern, this is Amanda Crane.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” His expressive eyes were light green.

From the local news, Amanda knew he was a businessman in Houston. “You too.”

Tanner rubbed his palms together and asked Kasey, “You ready to put your cleats back on?”

“I’m not sure those cleats fit anymore.”

“I’m serious. We can always use a skillful catcher.”

Interest peaked; Amanda listened.

Others came forward to greet them. Kasey called everyone by name as he introduced them to Amanda. Marisol spoke excitedly with a young girl who had Tanner’s same green eyes. While in the gathering room, three people offered them to sit in their private boxes, but Kasey explained they had seats by the dugout.

Once they stepped into the part of the stadium where gift shops and restaurants were, a chorus of “Hunter Kase,” greeted them.

A group of fans rushed toward them.

Kasey leaned down and spoke to Marisol. “Stay with Amanda. Okay?”

The girl frowned. “They’re going to ask you about Harper, aren’t they?”

“I think so.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Uncle K. Papa Rafe says it’s no one’s business.”

“Except it is because I’m on TV. I have a responsibility to fans. You and Amanda get some souvenirs and pick me out a pair of sunglasses. I’ll meet you when you’re done.”

“Okay.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

He rose, pulled a credit card out of his wallet, and held it out to Amanda. “Have fun.”

Before she could grasp it, he snatched it back a bit. “You girls try to control yourselves.”

She grinned at Marisol, then at him. “Can’t promise you anything.”

He relinquished the card with a chuckle and turned toward the fans. As he did, she put a hand on Marisol’s shoulder. The child glared at the gathering crowd. “Even without his breakup with Harper, this happens a lot. Even though Uncle K says he doesn’t mind, I think he does.”

“It’s part of his job, sweetie.”

Laughter came from the crowd around Kasey.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the gift shop with a bag of stuff. People still surrounded Kasey. When he spotted them, he explained to the fans he needed to find their seats. People continued to take pictures as he approached Marisol and Amanda. Marisol pulled out the sunglasses and hat she’d bought him. “Here.”

“Thank you.” He placed the hat on his head, the sunglasses over his eyes, and led them to front row seats right over the Heron’s dug out. The stadium was bright with lots of windows and the retractable roof was open.

“The field looks too green. Is it artificial turf?” she asked.

“No. They use real grass,” Kasey assured her. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”

“I’m good for now.”

“Okay. Marisol and I will be right back.”

They left her alone. Many people were already seated, but the gamegoers didn’t fill a fourth of the massive stadium.

Curious why Tanner spoke of Kasey putting cleats back on, she googled Kasey Hunter and baseball. To her surprise, he’d played triple-A ball and been called up to the majors to play a few games for the Astros at the end of the season one of the years they won the World Series. He caught three games and had a batting average of 299.

“Please stand,” the announcer said.

When The Star-Spangled Banner ended, the announcer continued, “Welcome our own Hunter Kase and his niece Marisol to the field to throw out the first pitch.”

Surprised, Amanda joined the applauding crowd. This man was a puzzle. Why hadn’t he said, Hey, I’ve got to throw out the first pitch tomorrow, you want to come along? Instead, he’d made it sound like Amanda bringing them to the game would be doing him a favor.

Kasey ran toward the pitcher’s mound with Marisol on his shoulders. A smile radiated from inside Amanda. The way he’d teased Marisol yesterday, spoke honestly to her today, and now shared the limelight with her proved how much he loved the kid. He lifted her from his shoulders, set her on the ground, and picked up the ball on the pitcher’s mound. He threw the ball to the catcher, making a perfect pitch.

A short while later, Kasey’s deep voice asked, “Are these seats taken?”

She spun around. Marisol stood beside Kasey grasping a cup of ice cream in her hands. She stepped in front of Amanda and sat in the next chair.

“Got you a drink.” Kasey handed her a cup and took his seat on the other side of Marisol.

“Thank you,” she said. “You never told me you played professional baseball.”

“I played for like two minutes.”

Marisol stood up and looked around as she ate her treat.

“You did amazingly well those two minutes.” She sipped the cold soda. “Why didn’t you go back the next year?”

“Money. Triple-A pay wasn’t enough to live on. I worked for the parks department during the offseason, and they wanted me full-time. I couldn’t put that job in jeopardy in the hopes of signing a major league contract.”

She frowned. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”

He shrugged. “I enjoyed the two years I played and that one week with the Astros was amazing. Plus, I got a World Series ring out of it.”

“You did?”

“They give them to everyone who plays on the team, no matter how much.”

“That’s amazing.”

The game became a pitcher’s duel.

“Uncle K.” Marisol pointed to where a group of fans were hanging Ks in the stadium. “You need to go tell them they put two of those Ks backward.”

“They’re supposed to be backward. They signify a certain type of strikeout. It’s when the batter gets out by not swinging at the third strike.”

Amanda’s brows furrowed. She’d never known about the backward K.

Kasey caught her expression and shook his head. “I have much to teach you girls.”

“It’s never a good deal when only one party thinks it is.” ~ Malcolm Forbes