2. Jett

Chapter 2

"We're getting there, Jett. Your range of motion looks better every week," Nick, the team's physical therapist, says. "I think at this rate, we could get you back practicing in May, maybe even pitching a few games by the end of the season."

"That's the goal," I say as I toss some of the workout bands in the basket.

It's been almost six months. Six fucking months since I completely obliterated my left rotator cuff and had to have it surgically repaired. Six weeks stuck in a sling and eighteen weeks of constant physical therapy. I'm fucking over it.

I have been the starting pitcher for the Seattle Mavericks for the past seven years, and all of my hard work has come to a complete stop. All because this prick on one of my old buddies' teams kept stealing bases the whole damn game. At the bottom of the sixth, he went to steal second, and when I turned to throw to first, I managed to tear my rotator cuff three centimeters.

"Davidson told me you're taking two weeks off, though. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nick raises an eyebrow and his forehead wrinkles.

Fuck yes, is what I want to say but instead, I say, "Yeah, I want to spend some time with my family before things get hectic again. I'll still work out while I'm there. Been years since I've taken a vacation longer than a weekend. Might as well take advantage now."

"Alright, but you have to make time to do these exercises correctly while you're there." He makes sure to stress the "correctly" part.

Do I want to get back to pitching? Yes, I do, but damn, this guy needs to chill out. At this point, I'm at my max for physical therapy sessions.

Nick's not a bad guy. He's very knowledgeable and has helped tremendously. However, if he doesn't stop micromanaging every workout I do, I'm going to lose it.

"I will. There's a gym in town, I'm sure. And considering we've been at this for months, I'm pretty positive I can do them in my sleep." I toss the last of the equipment in another basket and check the clock hanging on the wall. "I gotta get going. I need a shower then I'm headed straight to the airport. My flight leaves in a few hours. I'll see you in two weeks."

I clap Nick's back before making a beeline for the locker room, not giving him any chance to try to talk through any more moves to do with my shoulder.

I take a quick shower, throw on some clean clothes, and grab my bag. If I'm lucky, I may get out—

"Hey Jett, where are you off to?" Adam asks, walking into the locker room. "Me and some of the guys were just about to go for a run. You in?"

Adam is our team's catcher. We've worked together ever since we both got drafted and he's the teammate I'm closest to. I'm not typically a very social guy, which is the complete opposite of Adam. Hence how I hoped to sneak out of here while he wants to do a team run.

"Sorry, man. Got a plane to catch. I'm headed to the airport now."

"Oh, yeah. Spending some time with your folks right?"

"Mostly staying with my sister. I'll see my parents the weekend before heading back."

While my parents are great, being in their house for two weeks sounds like a nightmare. I would love nothing more to have a peaceful two weeks off and if I stayed with my parents my mom would have every day packed with shit to do. Staying with Anna is much safer .

Anna and I, of course, had the typical brother/sister dynamic growing up. She annoyed me, I annoyed her, but as we got older, the less she pissed me off.

"Oh, are we talking about Jett going to visit his hot little sister?" Justin asks, walking over to us. Justin is our short stop, who I could really take or leave. He's a hell of a ball player, but it almost doesn't feel worth putting up with his shit.

"Fuck off. My sister wouldn't give you the time of day, Justin." I say that with so much confidence. One, because I wouldn't allow it. Not in the way that she can't date any of my teammates, but in the Justin isn't good enough for her way. But more importantly, Anna has extremely high standards, and rightfully so. But I know for a fact, Justin couldn't meet a single one, even if she lowered the bar.

"Oh yeah, I can take that challenge." Justin puffs out his chest, and I can't contain my eye roll.

"She'd skin you alive." Adam laughs then turns back to me. "You're going for two weeks, right? Are you planning on sneaking away to Nashville again in hopes of finding your girl?"

"Nashville is a good seven-hour drive from where my sister lives. I don't think sneaking is really all that possible. My flight back here may happen to have a long layover there though. "

"I knew it." Adam laughs. "How long exactly?"

I shrug. "A day."

Adam laughs. "Awfully long layover."

"Hold on, Jett. Please don't tell me you're still holding out for that girl from what?" Justin stumbles like he can't process the concept of time passed. "Forever ago?"

I really want to walk away and ignore Justin's question completely, but he's got the personality of a child. If I don't give him some sort of answer, he'll pitch a fit and annoy the shit out of me for days about it.

"I'm not ‘holding out' for her. I more… keep an eye out for her when we're in Nashville for games or visiting an old buddy of mine."

Wyla is my one that got away. And honestly, it's a total lie to say I'm not holding out for her, but I really don't feel like getting into all that with him.

It's no secret that I travel to Nashville multiple times a year when our schedule allows it, but Adam and Justin are the only two who really know why, considering they were the ones who dragged me out to the bar that night.

Truth is, I want to find Wyla, and every time I go, I hope it's the time I run into her. You don't have to believe me but it was love at first sight with Wyla. I've been kicking myself for five years for agreeing to one night only .

Justin shakes his head. "Dude, that's sad. Was her pussy golden or something?"

I can't punch a teammate. I can't punch a teammate.

"Justin, quit being a prick." Adam hits him in the stomach. "We've got a workout to do, and Jett's got a plane to catch"—he turns to me—"who knows, maybe this time you'll find her."

I wake up around eight the next day to music blaring from what I'm guessing is the kitchen. Growing up, our dad was an early bird and not a quiet one either. Despite his best efforts, he was only able to convert Anna into a morning person.

Baseball is really the only reason I get up early now, but that doesn't mean I like it.

Knowing the music will only probably get louder, there's no way I'm falling back asleep. I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt then head to the kitchen.

Anna flops some pancakes on her plate then starts to dig through the fridge. I walk past her speaker and immediately turn it down to a normal volume .

"Hey! I was listening to that," Anna snaps. She turns around with whipped cream and strawberries in her hands.

"I realize that. That's why I didn't turn it off completely. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess. I just didn't realize you were Dad 2.0."

Anna scoffs. "You take that back."

I take the strawberries from her and pop one in my mouth. "No."

It's been years but strawberries were Wyla's favorite. I can't see them and not think of her. They're a damn staple in my fridge at this point.

Anna rolls her eyes. "Careful, J. I'll send your butt out of the guestroom straight to Mom and Dad's house. Give you a real dose of Dad in the morning, then you'll be grateful." She tries to take the strawberries back but I pull them away while walking over to the table. She sighs. "You're making it hard to be happy you're here."

I snort a laugh. "So, what's the plan today, Banana?" I ask, using the childhood nickname she hates.

She rolls her eyes. "Um, I have a birthday party to go to. My friend's niece is turning four today. She loves art, so I got her some paints and art supplies." Anna plops down at the kitchen table with her plate of pancakes that are now covered in whip cream and syrup. "You're more than welcome to tag along or you can hang here. You could go explore. There's not a ton in Aster Creek, but it's a cute little town. The beach is a short drive too."

Anna reaches for some strawberries again, going fast in case I try to pull them back again. "I will say, though, this town definitely has more football fans. Not many people here even know that you're my brother so I don't think you'll have to worry about getting recognized. Plus, the Bennetts know how to throw a party, even if it's a child's birthday. They're always great."

I weigh my options. A kid's party doesn't really sound ideal, but I have no plans for this week. "I'll go with you."

"You're sure?" Anna raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I came to spend time with you and I have nothing else going on. You said their parties are fun, so why not?"

"Okay, great. We'll leave here in a couple hours. The party starts at eleven."

I stand to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. "Drink?" I ask, and Anna shakes her head holding up her mug. "Alright. Hey, is there a gym in town that would let me do day passes or something?"

"Well there's only one gym in town. I'll warn you now, though… it's a little lackluster. I'm sure you could ask for a day pass, but the guy who owns it is a dick. He'd probably make you pay for the month. It's not overly expensive so I'm sure it won't break your pretty bank account."

My laugh is muffled with a drink of water as I sit back down and reach for the bowl of strawberries. "No, I don't imagine so. Paying for this house almost did." Which is very much a lie, but it's my brotherly duty to remind her.

Anna scoffs, and takes away my bowl. "Hey—"

"Buy your own, jackass," Anna grumbles.

I roll my eyes. "I'm going to get ready. Will you text me the address for the gym?"

"I'll go with you," Anna mumbles with her mouth full. "A run sounds nice this morning. Just give me twenty minutes."

I know Anna's twenty minutes is really at least thirty. "I'm leaving in twenty, Anna."

"It's almost like I said twenty minutes," she snarls then reaches for her mug.

I take the opportunity and steal the bowl of fruit. "Twenty minutes."

"Jackass!"

So Anna's "lack luster" comment was a big understatement. That gym was a shitshow. Equipment decades old, a smell that rivals the worst BO you could imagine, and I'm trying to block out the hundreds of health code violations from just walking in the door.

I do what I can and Anna doesn't venture from the treadmill, not that I blame her, and we head back to Anna's to get ready for the party.

We pull up to a small light blue house with white flowers in the windowsills. There are cars lined up in the front yard. For a four-year-old's birthday party, this place looks packed. We hop out of the car and can hear the sound of kids screaming and laughing.

"Come on, it's around back." Anna motions for me to follow her.

When we round the corner, we're met with not one but two bounce castles. A smaller one for jumping and a larger one that's got a huge slide. Tables scattered about, all with pink balloon decorations pinned in the middle. Cornhole off to the side, and the smell of food on the grill in the air.

"Hey, Wav," Anna says as a girl with long black hair buzzes by but stops in her tracks when she notices us.

"Ahh, Anna, you made it. Stevie will be so happy you're here." I'll say the girl is pretty, and something about her seems oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. "You must be J. I'm Waverley," she says and holds out her hand.

I return her hand with a shake. "Hi, Jett, actually. Anna here likes to call me J to annoy me."

"I had a hard time saying Jett as a baby, sue me," Anna huffs. "J suits you better anyway."

Waverley's eyes go wide and her smile falters. "Jett?"

"Um, yeah." Does she recognize me, maybe? Anna said no one here really watches baseball but it's not uncommon for me to be recognized at random times.

Waverley's now staring at me, not in a cleat chaser way but like I'm a puzzle she can't figure out. Another woman with dark hair walks up with a baby on her hip. This girl also looks somewhat familiar? Sisters, I'm assuming, but why do they look familiar to me?

"Hey, Anna, I'm so glad you could make it." She smiles.

"Hey, Winry," Anna greets her, then turns to me. "This is another one of Waverley's sisters, Winry and her daughter Georgia."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Winry holds out her hand.

"Hey, I'm Jett," I say, returning her hand.

Winry's hand slows as she shakes my hand, and it looks like her mind is processing my name. What, are they fans or something and just don't completely recognize me?

"Jett?" she whispers, and turns to her sister .

"Jett," Waverley repeats.

They stare at each other for a minute and seem to be having some weird sister telepathy because one shakes her head while the other gives her a wide-eyed look.

"Guys, what's going on?" Anna asks.

The sisters don't say anything because the toddler in Winry's arms squeals, "Dada!"

Georgia wiggles in her mom's arms, reaching for one of the men walking up to us. The one with tattoos rests his hands on Waverley's shoulder while the one not covered in ink takes Georgia from Winry.

"Hey, Princess." He kisses her on the cheek, then looks at Winry who still seems to be trying to sort something out via their sister wavelength. "Hey, Win, are you alright?"

Winry starts to bite at her thumbnail. "Um, yeah… Um, y'all know Anna… and this is her brother… Jett."

The two guys look at each other with furrowed brows.

I usually never willingly tell people that I play for the MLB but at this point, I just want to put all of these weird looks to rest. "I'm sorry, you guys might recognize me from baseball. I play for the Seattle Mavericks."

They all glance at me still with this puzzled look. "Nah, it can't be," the man covered in tattoos says.

Can't be? Can't be what ?

The guy, who I am assuming is the little girl's dad, turns to Winry. "Win, why don't you and Wav go find… your sister, and we'll stay here and chat."

Why are they being so weird? Even Anna seems genuinely confused. Winry nods and Waverley takes her hand as they race off.

Awkward silence fills the group as the man with Waverley stares at me, and the other stares at Anna. The assumed dad speaks up first. "I'm Graham, Winry's husband, and I'm sure Win introduced Georgia. This is Owen, Waverley's husband."

I match the scowl on Owen's face. I'm not typically an easily intimidated guy, but something also tells me that Owen isn't exactly someone that you mess with. Not to mention a kid's four-year-old birthday party is not exactly the best place to get into a fight.

More awkward tension fills the air around us.

Owen speaks next. "So, Jett…ever been to Nashville?"