Mama's Boy

Take Me to the Ball Game

Josie sat in the stands, watching Nathan on the field. She wasn't paying any attention to the game, just admiring Nathan. Her eyes followed him wherever he went mindlessly.

Josie wasn't a baseball fan, by any means, but she could appreciate the game if she was there. However, Nathan was looking so good on that field and all she wanted to do was get near him. She could not wait for the game to end.

It hadn't escaped Josie that his mother was nowhere to be found. Not that it bothered her. She had just assumed his invitation was for the sake of setting up a proper meeting.

Josie sat there fixated on Nathan until the game ended and she went to wait for him near the players' entrance, taking out her phone to find text messages from Valerie and her parents.

Valerie, like her parents, was simply checking on her. She also inquired about Nathan's mother. Josie was more than happy to report that she had watched the game alone.

Josie continued texting Valerie until she heard the men coming out of the locker room and she stayed on the wall until she spotted Nathan. She took a moment to admire him in his tailored suit before going and sliding herself under his arm.

Instead of the alarm the teammate he was speaking to showed, Nathan just looked down and smiled. "You look nice," she told him with a grin.

"Thank you. After the press conference, we have reservations."

Nathan reached in his pocket and passed Josie a little envelope and car keys. "You can go ahead and start getting ready."

Josie giggled lightly, shaking her head. "How long do you think I take to get ready?"

"Long enough that you're never quite ready when I show up," he reminded her, leaning down to kiss her.

Josie giggled again, accepting the keys and walking away to find the car Nathan had driven.

Josie looked at the envelope containing a key card and the address of the hotel, which she put into the GPS and started for.

She didn't mind going to the hotel instead of the press conference. She wasn't Nathan's girlfriend and felt no need in making her presence known. She preferred to stay as lowkey with things as was possible.

She called Valerie while she drove. "I expected you to be somewhere under Nathan by now," Valerie answered with tease.

Josie rolled her eyes but couldn't resist her laughter. "Believe me, if I could be, I would be," she assured her best friend. Valerie laughed and Josie could picture her shaking her head. "I'm on my way to the hotel. He made reservations and he wants me to start getting ready."

"Reservations where?" Valerie asked.

"I don't know," Josie told her, turning on the radio.

Valerie was silent for a moment, but that didn't bother Josie as she followed the GPS's directions.

"You know this is becoming a thing now, right?" Valerie finally asked. "You never know where Nathan is taking you. Like, are you not asking, or... What is going on here?"

Josie bit her lip. She had never thought about it. "I just don't ask," she admitted. "I just kind of let him lead and I follow."

"Well, if you trust him, then I trust him, too," Valerie decided. "If you come up missing, then I know you were Nathan."

Josie just laughed. She hadn't thought of it as a trust thing. She hadn't really thought of it at all until Valerie pointed it out.

When Josie got to the room, she hung up with Valerie and walked into the suite. Looking up from disconnecting the call, she found the knee-length dress laid neatly across the desk with a note and a shoe box.