The Boy of Summer Ch. 01

"Goodnight," Jeremy said, clearing his throat. He watched her close the car door and walk up to her apartment. The natural swing of hips had him wishing he was the dress wrapped around her curves. Once she was inside he turned on the air-conditioning, hoping it would cool his boiling blood.

***

It had been a slow morning at the coffee shop. Kat sat on a stool behind the counter picking at her paint splattered nails and studying Sarah's hair. Sarah's flavor of the month was purple with a pixie cut, making her look like something out of Peter Pan.

She was wondering how Sarah could stand to have such bright hair; didn't it clash with her clothes? Just as she decided that Sarah probably didn't care if her look was mix-matched, she heard a man call from the door.

"I have a package for Kathryn Reynolds." Kat watched a man in a delivery uniform come through the door and up to the counter.

"That's me." Kat jumped off her seat and took the package from the delivery guy, slightly confused. She'd never gotten mail at the coffee shop before. She figured it must be something from the gallery.

Kat signed the guy's clipboard, proving that she received the package, and then handed it back. She tore into the package and pulled out a piece of paper wrapped around a ticket. She studied the ticket, confused, then looked to the paper and noticed there was something written on it.

"I've seen your work, now come see mine. --Jeremy"

Kat blushed as she held the ticket in her hand and read Jeremy's note again. She checked the ticket, it was for tonight's game.

Just as she was smiling at the thought of watching Jeremy pitch tonight, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and examined it. Not recognizing the number, she answered with a tentative hello.

"So are you coming tonight?"

"Jeremy?"

"Yes, who else would it be?"

Kat giggled into the phone, the way he had said it made it sound like he was the only person in the world who mattered; there couldn't possibly be anyone else calling her.

"How did you know I got the ticket? Wait, how did you get my number?"

"Oh, how easily you forget," Jeremy chuckled into the phone.

Kat was puzzled, she would remember if she had given him her number. "Forget what?"

"I'm Jeremy Fucking Halman, remember?"

Kat's deep laugh on the end of the line sent electricity right through Jeremy. He could just picture her standing behind the counter of the coffee shop, her head thrown back with her laughter, her brown waves falling away from her face, revealing her sparkling blue eyes. He stifled the urge to groan.

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"A guy can't reveal all his secrets."

Kat smiled, "I guess not, where would all the mystery be?"

"Exactly. You didn't answer. Are you coming?"

"Hmm," Kat said, keeping Jeremy in suspense. "Well since you're playing the Dodgers I don't think I can say no.

"The Dodgers? That's the reason you want to come?"

"What can I say, I'm a big Manny fan."

It was Jeremy's turn to laugh. Kat smiled, enjoying the fact that she had shattered his polished exterior. "Well as long as you're coming," he said, after recovering. "I'll see you after the game, okay?"

"Okay, be sure and go easy on Manny." Kat listened to Jeremy's deep laughter as he hung up the phone. She smiled to herself. She probably wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was excited to watch Jeremy pitch.

***

Standing on the first level of AT&T Park behind home plate, Kat filled her senses with the atmosphere that was uniquely baseball. The smell of warm peanuts, hot dogs and beer wafted around her. The crowd was filled with fans in orange and black, sprinkled among them were the few loyal Dodgers in blue. Kids and men alike carried their gloves in hopes of catching a fly ball or the prized homerun.

Kat looked at her ticket, then headed over to the third base side. She walked down the steps for along time, thinking her seat couldn't possible be this close. Matching her ticket to the seat in front of her, Kat gave into reality; she was sitting right above the home dugout, it didn't get much better than this. She'd have the perfect view of the players entering and exiting the dugout. She was so close she could have talked to them.

Settling into her seat, she got ready to devour her baseball feast of a hot dog and beer; she'd save the sunflower seeds in case there was a tense inning and she needed a distraction.

"Who are you here with?"

Kat turned in her seat to the woman on her left. She was a cute, petit blond, probably in her late 20s. "Excuse me?" Kat asked, totally confused by the woman's question.

She smiled at Kat, "This is part of the player's friends and family section. I'm Claire, Ben Wright's wife; he's a closing pitcher. I haven't seen you before so I was curious."

"Oh, I didn't realize this was a special section. I'm a friend of Jeremy Halman's." Kat decided friend was the best term, conceding that there wasn't a single word to properly describe what she'd experienced with Jeremy in the last week.

Claire's eyes got wide at the mention of Jeremy's name. "Really? You must be something special if he gave you a ticket. He almost never uses his allotted seats."

Kat blushed, her stomach sinking at the compliment. "I wouldn't say I'm special. I barely know Jeremy."

A smile spread wide across Claire's face. "Even more of a reason I think you're special. Other single players are constantly giving their tickets to random women or their latest girlfriend. But not Jeremy, he never brings women to the games. And the people he does give the tickets to are always extremely close friends or family, never anything less. So I repeat, you must be something really special."

Kat felt that her face had never been so red. She had the distinct feeling that either she was going to throw up or she would need quite a few more beers to calm her.

"Don't worry about it," Claire said at the sight of her embarrassment. "It's a good thing, you should be flattered. Plus, I can already tell you'll be good for him, just by looking at you. You're down to earth, not like the model types he's usually getting in trouble with."

Kat pondered, when had this turned into a romantic relationship? There had been bits of flirting and he was undeniably attractive, but mostly they're relationship had revolved around heated yelling. She wondered where Jeremy stood on all this and if there was any intention besides friendship, with the ticket.

Kat turned back to Claire determined to change the subject. "Do you know Jeremy well?"

"Yeah, I've known him since he joined the team. Ben came up a few years before Jeremy, and their friendship started with him giving Jeremy advice. Not that he's followed it," Claire added laughing. "They couldn't be more different. Ben's fairly modest and polite, a good country boy. And well you know how Jeremy is. He could charm his way in or out of any situation."

"You're telling me," Kat responded, without even thinking.

Claire just laughed, "So you've experienced that have you?"

Kat smiled at Claire, she was liking her more and more. "Oh I've already experienced my fair share, I can assure you."

All around them fans began to cheer as the line up was announced and the players began to run out of the dugout onto the field. Kat and Claire joined in, clapping for each player.

Kat watched Jeremy; he was all business, standing with a stern look on his face and his hat over his chest, ready for the national anthem. The last strains of the anthem hung in the air and the players ran to their positions. Jeremy strode casually out to the mound; he grabbed the flour, tossed it a few times and settled into finishing his warm up.

The first two innings were fairly uneventful, both pitchers doing a good job of owning the plate. The Giants had an eventful at bat in the third inning scoring three runs, including a two-run homerun. Jeremy struck out the side in the fourth inning, earning him quite the ovation.

Over and over Kat watched the artful form of Jeremy's body contorting as he threw each pitch. The grace and strength it took to throw the ball with such control continued to amaze her. It was as if, with each pitch he was telling the batter that it was his house, he ran the show. Kat had the urge to paint him, his body whirling, the air churning with his movements.

It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Dodgers finally scored, off a single homerun, the price a pitcher pays for throwing the perfect pitch. Jeremy kept the runners and walks to a minimum until the seventh inning. He had two men on base, one a walk, one a line drive double. The coach walked out to the mound, spoke to him for a moment and then took the ball out of Jeremy's glove. He slapped Jeremy on the ass signaling he was pleased with his performance. As Jeremy made the walk to the dugout the crowd went wild, congratulating him on a great outing. Jeremy removed his hat and gave it a slight wave, showing his thanks.

Claire and Kat were chatting between the eighth and ninth inning when an usher came up to Kat. "Are you Miss Reynolds?" he asked.

Kat nodded her head. He handed her a note and then stood against the railing, waiting.

Tentatively Kat opened the note. "I want to see you after. Either you can be shown back to wait or I can meet you out in your seat. -Jeremy"

Kat turned to Claire, "Does he have to do everything with such dramatics? I feel like I'm in that scene from Bull Durham where they're passing notes."

Claire just laughed. Kat signaled to the usher and told him to tell Jeremy she'd just wait in her seat.

The two watched as Ben came out and finished off the game. It was impressive how he could come in and instantly shut things down, he couldn't afford anytime to get in a groove the way a starter did.

The game ended with the Giants winning 5-1. Claire hugged Kat goodbye, assuring her that she'd see her again.

Kat sat in her seat for a while and people watched as everyone left the stadium. When everything seemed pretty empty, ushers began to appear. She watched them pick up every bit of trash and sweep away all of the peanut shells and sticky sunflower seeds. Slowly the stadium returned to the pristine baseball cathedral it was meant to be.

The grounds crew went onto the field and worked their magic, transforming it back to the perfect garden it was before the players had destroyed it. They brushed the dirt until it was perfectly smooth and then wet it. They repaired every divot in the grass, adding new seed here and there. They swept over the grass with a lawnmower, clipping any stray blades and creating a beautiful crisscross pattern. When they were finished, they set the sprinklers free, letting them quench the thirst of the tired grass.

Jeremy finally emerged from the locker room freshly showered, iced and changed. Anxious to see Kat, he hurried through the questions from the press. Standing at the top of the first level of seats, he surveyed the stadium, searching for Kat. He spotted her standing on the roof of the home dugout; leaning against the guard rail meant to deter people from climbing onto the field.

He smiled at her casual calm; she looked perfectly at home on the field, the same way he felt. He strode down to her and swung over the railing, finally leaning against it next to her.

He took her in. Her loose, messy curls were so perfect they looked purposeful, but he knew they weren't. She wore tight fitting, low slung jeans and worn out flip-flops. Her t-shirt was old and faded, but fit her just right. It revealed just a hint of skin at her stomach and hugged her petite breasts perfectly. Across her chest was a worn giants logo, giving the shirt a well-loved look.

"I'm disappointed in you." Kat didn't give an explanation she just turned to him and watched his face fall. When the sting of her comment was apparent, Kat smiled boldly. "Come on, two strike outs and a pop fly. I thought you were going to go easy on Manny for me?"

The thought of Kat not having a good time at the game had just about killed Jeremy. But when it turned out to be a joke, he felt himself fall for her a little more. He loved that she wasn't afraid to play at his level.

There was a smile on Jeremy's face now that resembled Kat's. "Sorry to disappoint, but I had a job to do."

"That you did. And an amazing job you did too, it was a really great game. Though, I think we need to work on your hitting. I could give you a few pointers sometime, if you'd like?" Kat winked at him tauntingly, knowing very well that pitchers weren't usually strong at the plate.

"I just might take you up on that. But it will have to be after our road trip. If we weren't leaving tonight I'd take you out for a late dinner, but I have to be on the bus in a few minutes."

"That's okay, I'm not really hungry anyway." The smile she gave back to him was very reassuring and endearing.

Jeremy took Kat's hand and helped her over the railing, then pulled her up the stairs to exit the stadium. When they reached the top, Jeremy stopped and turned to her. He took a moment just looking into her eyes, running his fingers through hers. "I'd like to call you if that's alright?"

Jeremy watched her eyes sparkle at the request. "Sure, call me when you get back and we can hit the batting cages." She was trying to keep it light. Kat knew his reputation, she didn't want to feel too let down when he didn't call.

He shook his head at her misunderstanding. "No, I'd like to call you from the road."

Jeremy watched Kat hesitate, uncertainty in her face. "If you really want to." Kat bit at her bottom lip nervously. Seeing the white of her teeth pulling at her full pink lip sent Jeremy's blood rushing with adrenaline.

He untangled his fingers from hers and brought a hand up to her face, stroking along her jaw line. He watched a shiver go through Kat as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I really want to."

When her eyes were open again, he leaned into her and brushed her lips with his. Slowly, they began to move against hers; pulling, tasting, and sucking. She felt him brush his tongue along her lower lip and she opened her mouth, offering herself to him. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and consumed her. He explored every part of her; and not forgetting the basis of their relationship, he teased her. She leaned into him and he devoured her moans of pleasure.

Finally, Jeremy pulled away. He studied her face and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Jeremy inhaled her sweet honey and coffee scent, then released her. Smiling, he took a few steps backwards. Then he turned and walked down the corridor and slipped through a door, disappearing.

Kat felt like her knees were going to give out from under her when he let her go, his support no longer keeping her stable. Watching him walk away, she began to tremble; boy was she in trouble.

An attendant came up to Kat; she recognized his presence somewhere at the edge of her trance. "If you're ready, you can follow me miss. I'll walk you out."

Kat continued to stare at the door where she had last seen Jeremy. She let another moment pass and then turned to the attendant. "Yes, thank you."