Clutch Hit Faith O'Shea (red queen free ebook txt) 📖

“So noted.”

“Also, don’t forget to take sunscreen if you wear it. It’s not readily available and if you do find it, the price will be prohibitive.”

“I don’t think we’ll have time to sit out in the sun. We’re there for a day, two at the most. I have a feeling we’ll be sitting in the consulate, or wherever we go for the exit visa, for the most part.”

“If you have the time to act the tourist, my mother can show you the local sights.”

She’d pulled into the Double A team’s parking lot and got out of the car with a curt “We’ll see how it goes.”

If he was a gambling man, he’d take odds that she wasn’t willing to spend any more time with his mother than was needed. It worried him and he began to wonder if he should just tell his mother the truth. It might save them all from looking like fools.

He put those thoughts away when he was invited into the office and was offered a seat. He wouldn’t have to twiddle his thumbs in an outer room waiting. It gave him the opportunity to see Alicia in her element, get an understanding of how the farm system worked. This was where all future Greenliners began their careers in earnest. He was able to observe the interaction, rapport and overall demeanor between Alicia and the newly promoted Mickey Padalecki. She had an easy and open way about her when talking to the new manager and the rest of the coaching staff, and he could tell there was respect for her input. The players who’d be arriving for the new season had been scouted and drafted with her approval, and over an hour was spent reviewing the bios and hopes for each individual rookie. It sounded as if she’d already finished the development plans and was looking for Mickey’s feedback.

He began thinking about Allie in Cuba, and it blocked all else out. Although she’d been against it at first, she now seemed to be looking forward to it. One of the few personal things she’d shared with him in Cancun was that she loved traveling and considered it one of the perks of her job. It came out purely in response to his question as to what she was doing there. She admitted that weeks spent in the warmer climate of the Dominican Republic or on the island of Puerto Rico were always welcome in the cold winter months of New England. She might get a mini island vacation out of this, but he’d get something far more valuable. News about his mother. Mariposa avoided the truth if she thought it would worry him.

Like you’re doing?

He began to doubt the wisdom of this charade. Should he tell her what he’d done? Why Alicia was sponsoring her? That it wasn’t out of love or a sense of family but because she’d needed a third baseman for her team? He could hear her reprimanding him for doing something so impulsive, something that was so permanent. I taught you better, Mateo. This was bad judgement. You should do only those things that make you proud.

How could he explain it to her so she’d understand? His grandfather would have seen it clearly. He’d known there were things that happened in life that had no rhyme or reason, that defied logic. There was something about Alicia that had him doing things he’d never thought himself capable of. Like being married by a priest in a ceremony to a complete stranger. His thoughts echoed Rumi’s written words. He was filled with her. She was part of his skin, his bone, his blood, his soul, and there was room for nothing or no one else. He had yet to regret his decision.

He hoped he could still say that after the two women in his life had met.

They were so different. His mother smoked cheap Criollo cigarettes on occasion, danced salsa with abandon, wore jeans, and rode in gypsy cabs. She’d gone to university, like all in her generation, but an education in Cuba meant nothing in terms of the workforce or providing a living. She was hot-blooded when riled, a disciplinarian when need be, yet loving and kind.

It was the traits they had in common he hoped would create a connection. They were both highly sensitive to the world around them, both worked hard for what they had, and they were both calm in a crisis. And there was the fact they’d both been born in a fishing village. The water called to them in the same way as it did him.

How would Alicia see his homeland? As the stagnant nation it had become or the colorful nation seen through the eyes of tourists, with the old cars and the historic buildings? He’d have to remind her that it was a third-world country. She would need to know that Wi-Fi was limited and there were certain brands that couldn’t hook to it, that old phones worked better than newer ones, that ATM’s were not compatible with American cards, and that she had to take enough cash with her to last her entire stay, that mosquitoes were everywhere and she had to make sure she had repellent.

He smiled, wondering if she’d attempt to take in a baseball game. He was sure it would spark her curiosity. Should he ask if she was considering it? Give her the names of some of his friends there so she could seek them out, say hello? No, it was better if she had no contact with them. It might prove dangerous.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Alicia asked, “Do you want to see the Shire?”

She was standing, apparently finished with the meeting. Her expression was warm, which meant it went well, but he had no idea what she was talking about.

“What is that?”

“The stadium. Pittsfield is in Berkshire County. They dropped the Berks when they named it. It