6 - An Invitation
Sloane had an uneventful week. She and Dom spent four days analysing a Fortune 500 company's security and making recommendations. If the decision makers agreed to their proposal, it would require traveling back and forth to the west coast for a few weeks. She hated long trips and often stayed over instead of making the long flight twice in one weekend. After a trip west, she deserved a treat, so she contacted Jett's assistant. The man on the phone expected her call.
She really didn't have anyone to go to the game with. Her father had invited a supplier to join him. Teddy was too wrapped up with his new girlfriend and his son, and Tori hated sports. Her younger sister still remembered their father had left her out. Traveling so often, Sloane had lost touch with her MIT friends, and her social life involved a circle of people who were more interested in champagne brunches than baseball.
Sloane rode to the park with her father, but they separated when she went to retrieve her ticket. His seats were premium behind home plate, but she discovered her seat was by the home dugout on the first base side.
Pregame ceremonies were underway, and she arrived at her seat in time for the national anthem. The team lined up in front of her in clean white uniforms with their caps over their hearts. Ben's backside made his white pants look amazing. Jett had his catcher's gear on and held his face mask in his hand. When the 'Star-Spangled Banner' ended, he turned back towards the seats and winked.
Sloane realized he was looking beside her when he pivoted slightly toward her and waved. She waved back, hoping he meant it for her. It was then she saw the beautiful dark hair woman wearing Jett 20.
The two women turned to each other at the same time. The other extended her hand. "Kenzie Jett. I've heard all about you."
"Me?"
"Well, you're almost as big of a fan of the game as me." She put her arm around the young girl next to her, also decked out in a Jett jersey. "This is our daughter, Maisy."
The young girl was fair unlike her parents, but Sloane already knew they had adopted her. She greeted the girl with a smile but had little experience talking to children. It was Tori's thing. Her sister would probably know everything about the girl in three minutes, from her favorite color to what stuffed animal she slept with. Sloane knew if she tried, it would sound forced. She held her nephew, Edward, as a baby and hugged him hello and goodbye, but didn't have much else to do with him. She didn't hate children, but she was more comfortable talking to a corporate CEO than a kid.
Thankfully, the game started, and she didn't need to talk. The team got three quick outs, including one when Ben had to make an amazing catch at first to keep the hard-hit ball from going down the line. Sloane turned to Kenzie with a bounce. "He's good!"
The other woman nodded with a proud smile for her brother. "He always was even as a kid."
It suddenly hit Sloane. As amazing as it was to be sitting with and meeting Jett's wife, she was also Ben's sister. She may not have questions for the little girl, but she had a million for Kenzie about her brother. Smiling, she wondered what the other woman would say if Sloane asked about his favorite color.
Sloane didn't need to ask, because Kenzie began talking about growing up with baseball as the center of their lives. Sloane knew about the private school where their father coached. She learned they lived close enough to walk to the ball field, although they played in their own backyard.
"We're pretty close. Baseball was all I ever knew."
"My love started at thirteen. My father took me to my first game. He's a busy man, so it was special to spend the day with him, especially since I'm the middle child." She had been telling her story a lot recently.
"Do you have a sister? I always wanted a sister!"
Sloane nodded. "She's younger, and she teaches first grade just like..."
"Me. But you do very different work. Computers is it?"
She smiled, imagining Jett talking to his wife about her. It was almost too much. Discreetly, she pinched her arm. It hurt. "I do, traveling more than those guys." She pointed to the field.
Kenzie frowned. "That's the hardest part, but I knew what I signed up for. It's harder on Jetty, he misses the kids. Even at home, they're at the ballpark most of the time. As much as I love baseball, I live for the off-season."
"Do you miss your job?"
She shook her head. "I volunteer at Maisy's school. Even if we weren't instant parents, I'm not sure I would have kept working. I would have been off when he was traveling and working when he was off. Maisy and I used to travel with the team occasionally, but it's too hard with our son."
"I can be gone ten days although my family is my parents, siblings, and my nephew, but I don't see him often. My brother's divorced and deals with custody issues."
"How old is he?"
"Um, four. I think. Yup, definitely four." She felt embarrassed she couldn't confidently answer her question.
Kenzie laughed. "You sound like my brother. He is clueless about how a toddler should act. He may settle down some day, but I'd be shocked if he ever had kids." Sloane gave a nervous smile. Talking about your heart throb so personally was intimidating and exciting at the same time. Kenzie leaned in to her. "I don't like the one he's seeing."
Sloane didn't respond. Her intel didn't indicate he was in a relationship. Sloane recognized the sick feeling in her belly. Her mind told her she had no right to be jealous. Ignoring her internal unrest, she returned her focus to the game and cheered when they scored a run.
Between innings, Kenzie turned to Sloane. "Would you like to join us for dinner? It's casual."
"At your house?" Sloane stammered. She never imagined an invitation. Kenzie nodded with a warm smile. "You know I'm just a fan, right?"
Kenzie's laugh relaxed Sloane. "Jett knew you were different and I see it too. Maybe it's your career, but we trust you. You're wearing L'Agence jeans which I wouldn't even know about if I hadn't listened to the other wives brag about them the other day. Seriously, I never spent more than thirty bucks on a pair of jeans until after I married Jett."
Sloane had never owned a pair of jeans that cost less than thirty dollars. She could easily have revealed her last name and her connection to the company that bore her family's name. She may cherish her privacy more than Kenzie and Jett, although maybe not Benjamin Lynch. She laughed at her companion's revelation and agreed to her invitation.
"Great! Do you have a car here?" Sloane shook her head. "You can come with me. Do you live in the city?"
She shook her head. "I can grab an Uber home. That's what I do when I'm traveling."
"Perfect!" Her smile was genuine.
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