Maggie’s legs turned to jelly when their eyes met and Lynn tilted her head, smiled, and made a beeline for her. By the time Lynn reached her, Maggie was struggling to hold herself steady. She’d convinced herself that what she’d felt for Lynn had faded. After all, she’d seen other women, had great sex, lived her life as though she had no ghosts in her past. Yet it was perfectly clear now that her heart was still holding out for Lynn after all these years.

  Lynn hauled her into her arms. “I thought that was you.”

  Maggie closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations circling through her. “I’m sorry about knocking you down, but—”

  “I shouldn’t have been blocking the plate.” Lynn reached for Maggie’s shoulder and squeezed it. “A game-saving double. That’s awesome.”

  “I guess it was my day,” she said with a soft smile. “I had no idea you were playing softball again.”

  “It’s new. I started a few weeks ago. This is actually my first season.”

  “Your team seems pretty competitive.” She looked over at the dugout, where the rest of the team was gathering their belongings.

  “They are, me included. It’s a problem, I know. The best part is they want me to play.” Lynn clenched her hands together in front of her chest and giggled.

  Maggie smiled broadly. No. Seeing you right here in front of me is the best part. “What are you doing now?” She looked down at her hands. “I mean, do you have time for a drink or maybe a cup of coffee?”

  “Well, I…” Lynn said, and then her attention focused over Maggie’s shoulder. When Maggie turned she saw a woman hurrying toward Lynn. The same woman who’d paid for Maggie’s lunch her first day.

  “Awesome game!” She picked Lynn up and twirled her around.

  “And I’m still in one piece.” Lynn smiled widely at the woman, and Maggie suddenly felt like an intruder. When Lynn looked back to her, something was in her eyes, apprehension maybe, but it quickly vanished when she reached over and put her hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “This is Maggie, a good friend of Carrie. She spent almost every waking moment at our house when they were in college.”

  “I think we’ve met.” The woman offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Pam. It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.”

  Maggie shook her hand as she tried to disperse the swirl of thoughts in her head. Who is this woman, and how is she connected to Lynn? “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

  “Having better days at work than your first one, I hope.”

  Lynn’s brows came together. “What happened your first day?”

  Maggie chuckled and rolled her eyes. “What didn’t happen would be a shorter list.”

  “I think she started in the middle of the stomach-bug week,” Pam said.

  “Oh, right. That was you. Carrie told me about that.” Lynn said with a chuckle. “Well, at least you’re getting seasoned.”

  “Are you ready to go? I bet you’re hungry,” Pam asked.

  “That’s what we were just discussing.” Lynn looked over at Maggie. “The teams usually go for pizza at the place down the street after the game. Want to go with us?”

  “Sure.” Before she knew it, the words were out of her mouth. She wasn’t hungry and definitely didn’t want to have pizza with the two of them, plus she’d already committed to Andi. She would have to ask Andi for a rain check because she needed to know who this woman was to Lynn.

  * * *

  Lynn’s heart had thundered when the flash of blond hair rounded third base. As she stood in front of the plate frozen, she’d barely glimpsed Maggie’s face. It was only Lynn’s third game in the recreational hospital softball league, and she never in a million years had expected to see Maggie on the opposing team. Maggie hadn’t seen her behind the catcher’s mask, and Lynn had almost taken her out when she tried to cross home plate. How Maggie could still have such an impact on her mystified Lynn. It had been years since she’d seen her.

  She remembered how it had started all too well. The first time she felt their connection was during a purely innocent hug. Carrie had brought Maggie home for dinner again. She’d been doing that a lot lately, and sometimes Maggie even showed up alone. At that point, Lynn had no idea whether Carrie was interested in boys or girls and thought she and Maggie might have actually had a thing going, until that one afternoon when Maggie let Lynn know exactly how she felt about her and everything changed between them.

  At that time, she’d chosen to make her marriage with Beth work, probably the biggest mistake of her life, and when Maggie had left for Boston she’d thought the only other person in the world she’d ever loved was long gone. Now Maggie had been dropped right back into her life again.

  Reconciling with Beth had been the right decision at the time. She’d still loved her wife back then, and she also had Carrie to consider, but something always seemed to be missing in her life. Many days she regretted pushing Maggie away, but she couldn’t carry on two relationships and not feel guilty. Just the sight of Maggie made it clear that what was missing in her life had just come back.

  Chapter Five

  Maggie sat in her car for a few minutes, trying to get up her nerve to go inside. Seeing Lynn again was going to be more difficult than she thought, especially if she was involved with someone else. Someone like Pam, who was smart, beautiful, and seemingly the nicest person on the planet. She was well into a ridiculous panic attack when she heard a tap on the window and looked up to see Andi, staring down at her. She motioned for her to roll down the window.

  She hit the button and the window whirred into the door. “Hi.”

  “You coming in?” Andi asked.

  “Yep. Just cooling down a little.” She hit the button to roll up the window, then killed the engine, and before she could open the door, Andi had pulled it open for her.

  “That’s what the beer’s for,” Andi said as she waited for her to get out of the car and then closed the door. “Looks like you know Lynn and Pam, huh?”

  “I’ve known Lynn for a long time.”

  “Well, I wish we’d gotten hold of you first. That was a helluva hit.” Andi grinned. “You’ve played softball before.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a little rusty.”

  Andi opened the restaurant door for her. “Not from what I saw.”

  The delicious aroma of pizza immediately hit her, and her stomach growled. Someone at the end of the table threw up a hand and waved. It looked like one of the other girls on Andi’s team.

  The door closed behind them, and Andi stopped before continuing to the far end of the long table filled with players. “We’re down there.” She seemed to notice Maggie’s hesitance. “I understand if you want a rain check.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Are you okay with that?” She glanced at the other end of the table and caught a glimpse of Lynn seated next to Pam. “It’s kind of complicated, and we need to catch up.”

  Andi tilted her head as though waiting for more information and then, after a minute, said, “Next time, then.” Andi smiled widely.

  “Count on it.” She glanced at the rest of the team, who were now watching them intently. Her palms were already sweaty, and the back of her neck began to tingle. At this point, she didn’t know which end of the table was more terrifying.

  Maggie found a spot across from where Lynn and Pam were sitting, and Pam popped up from her chair. “I’m going to get a pitcher and order the pizza—pepperoni and black olives okay?” She glanced from Lynn to Maggie.

  “That’s good with me,” she said, reaching for the twenty she’d stashed in her pocket and holding it out to Pam.

  Pam waved her off. “I got it.” She didn’t look back as she headed to the bar.

  “So you’re a doctor now.” Lynn kept eye contact. “At Johns Hopkins, no less.”

  “Yep. I thought for sure I’d stay in Boston, but it just wasn’t in the cards.”

  Lynn reached across the table and touched her hand. “It’s so good to see you.”

  Her cheeks warmed. She hadn’t expected those words or the way her body was responding to them.

  They sat in silence for a minute just staring into each other’s eyes, until Pam came back with a pitcher of beer and three icy mugs.

  “Twenty minutes,” Pam said as she filled each one. “How’s your first week been?”

  “Extremely busy.”

  Pam chuckled. “It’ll be better after you get used to the hospital.”

  “I sure hope so. It’s hard to believe that, after twelve years of school, four years of college, and four years of medical school, I still have so much to learn.”

  “That never changes for any of us.” Pam sipped her beer. “Especially in trauma.”

  “Pam is chief of trauma,” Lynn said, and Maggie couldn’t help but notice her reach over and clasp her hand. A clear sign they were involved. She took in a deep breath and tried to calm her stomach.

  “So, another doctor for you, huh?”

  “I guess it’s in my blood.”

  Pam tilted her head and looked at Lynn before she smiled. “Lynn takes good care of me.”

  “I’m sure she does.” She tipped her lips up slightly but couldn’t suppress the sadness in her voice. It wasn’t like she had time for a relationship, but the hope always lingered. Now that was gone too.

  “How about you, Maggie? Do you have anyone special in your life?” Pam asked.

  “No. Not right now. Life’s a little too hectic.” She didn’t want to mention Brenda because that would only prompt more questions she wasn’t ready to answer in front of Lynn. But then again, maybe she should. Lynn certainly didn’t have a problem flaunting her romance.

  The pizza arrived just in time. Maggie choked down as much as her stomach would handle right now and said she needed to get home to research a case. A total lie, but she couldn’t sit there with Lynn and her new love just acting like everything was all peachy, when it totally wasn’t. She gave Lynn her number and left it at that. She probably wouldn’t call, which was fine with Maggie.

  * * *

  Pam parked the car, popped the trunk, and got out. She handed Lynn her softball bag and waited as she slung it over her shoulder. She’d thought she might get away without having to explain, but no such luck. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?” Pam asked as she followed Lynn into the apartment building.

  “You want to come up for a minute?” Several people were sitting in the common area, and voices echoed throughout it like an underground cave. Lynn didn’t want to broadcast the personal details of her life.

  “Sure,” Pam said as they stepped into the elevator. “Not that I mind people thinking I’m your girlfriend, but Heather might have an issue with it.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Maggie and I have history I’m not sure I want to revisit.” Lynn sighed and fell back against the elevator wall as they rode to the third floor. Most days, Lynn took the stairs, but it had been a long day, and running into Maggie at the game had zapped what little energy she had left.

  After they entered Lynn’s apartment, she tugged open the refrigerator, took out two bottles of water, and handed one to Pam.

  “And you’re not ready to share it yet?” Pam pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, then raised her eyebrows as she took a swig of water. Lynn accepted Pam’s familiar gesture as a nudge for her to continue.

  For reasons unknown to Lynn, the words just weren’t flowing. Even though she’d thought she was prepared to see Maggie again, she clearly wasn’t. She’d thought Maggie was buried deep in her past, but that didn’t seem to be the case. She took a deep breath, trying to still the emotions swirling inside her. “Something happened long ago.” It seemed like another lifetime.

  “Did she have anything to do with your divorce?” Pam’s voice was soft and without judgment. They’d been friends since Lynn started at the hospital, and Pam had always been good to her.

  “Not directly, but she was the catalyst that made me reassess my happiness in life.”

  “Okay, then. I like her.”

  “She’s so young, Pam. She has her whole life ahead of her, and I’m not part of that.”

  “Young, but mature. From what I saw tonight, she seems very interested in revisiting whatever happened, or didn’t happen, between you two in your past.” Pam chugged down the rest of her water.

  The details were messier than Lynn wanted to explain right now, so she didn’t give Pam all of them. She told her only about the connection she and Maggie had felt when she’d spent time with them during college and how she’d chosen to give her marriage another chance.

  Pam’s expression was unreadable. Pam had advised her many times before at work, but they didn’t touch on her love life often.

  Pam bit her bottom lip and then blew out a breath. “You should use that number she gave you.” With that, Pam got up, tossed her empty bottle into the trash, and strode to the door. “Second chances don’t happen often, and when they do, it’s for a reason,” she said as she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Lynn followed her out and watched her walk to the elevator and wait for the doors to open. Pam glanced back and gave her a thumbs-up as she stepped into it.

  After she showered and changed her clothes, Lynn flopped onto her bed. She couldn’t get Maggie’s sparkling blue eyes out of her head. Whether it was today or years ago, they’d never left her thoughts for long. Lynn felt guilty for letting Maggie believe she was involved with Pam, but she honestly didn’t know how to handle Maggie’s reappearance in her life. She hadn’t admitted it for a long time after the divorce, but Maggie had been the catalyst for the split with Beth. The memory of the first time Lynn felt the attraction came in strong, like it had just happened yesterday.

  Lynn stood at the window watching her niece, Carrie, scramble for the ball as her best friend, Maggie, fired pitches at her. They’d been at it for over an hour, and Maggie was nowhere close to finding the sweet spot. Something was interrupting Maggie’s concentration—school, her mother, or possibly the heat. It had been unbearably hot this summer and didn’t seem to be getting any cooler. Lynn didn’t know what was bothering Maggie, but she’d seen her pitch hundreds of times, and Maggie wasn’t usually this inconsistent.

  She’d been so glad when Carrie had finally brought a friend home with her during her freshman year of college. It was hard to believe she was twenty-two already and graduating from college in the spring. Then they’d both be off to medical school in Boston. That would leave her alone with Beth, and her life would be empty. She’d have to go back to work full-time to remedy that situation.

  “Hey, Lynn. Can I help with anything?” Maggie asked, following Carrie in from the backyard.

  “Looks like someone’s got a little control problem out there.”

  “I was just trying to help her with her fast pitch.” Carrie slapped the softball into the glove and tossed it onto the counter. “But someone doesn’t take advice very well.”

  “You’re not releasing soon enough.”

  Maggie’s brows pulled together.

  “I was watching from the window.” She stood behind Maggie, took her hand, and held it up in front of her waist. “This is where you’re releasing.” She let go of her hand and patted Maggie’s thigh. “As soon as the inside of your forearm brushes your thigh, you should let go.”

  Maggie looked at Lynn’s hand, which she’d moved to her hip.

  Lynn backed up and cleared her throat. “If you release too soon the pitch goes low. Release too late and the ball goes high.”

  “I don’t have enough speed.”

  “Then you’re not getting enough momentum on the downswing.” Lynn stood back and rotated her arm. “You have to snap it down quickly and then release.”

  “I told her you could show her.”

  Lynn picked up the catcher’s glove from the counter. “Come on. I’ll give you a few pointers. Then I have to finish up dinner. Beth will be here soon.”

  Within fifteen minutes, Lynn had Maggie shooting her pitches exactly where she wanted them to go, and they were back in the kitchen.

  “Wow, thanks, Lynn. That really helped a lot,” Maggie said as she slid onto a barstool.

  “Good. Now you can help me with dinner.” She grinned. “You’ll find some cucumbers in the fridge that need to be peeled and sliced.”

  Maggie opened the refrigerator and rummaged through the drawer until she found them. After dropping them onto the counter next to the sink, she pulled open a few other drawers, looking for the peeler.

  “It should be in the last one on the left,” she said.

  Maggie pulled it open. “Got it.” She peeled all four cucumbers, cut them up, and put them in a bowl, and then, with Lynn’s direction, she added a mixture of vinegar, water, and salt.

  “Now what?”

  “Honey, you really don’t have to do any of this.” She turned to Maggie and smiled. “You should just go on in there with Carrie.”

  “You think I come over here to hang out with her?”

  She smiled softly, wondering what was coming next. She had an idea but didn’t want to encourage Maggie. “That would be the natural assumption.”

  “Hell, no. I see enough of her at school. I come here to see you,” Maggie said as she popped a slice of cucumber into her mouth. “And for your softball coaching. Your cooking isn’t bad either.”

  She was taken by Maggie’s beautiful smile as Maggie held eye contact for a moment. Lynn didn’t want or need this development in her life right now. Especially with all the issues she’d been having with Beth. “How’s your mom doing?” Maggie’s mom was doing better, but she’d had a complete breakdown after Maggie’s dad died. From what Carrie had told Lynn, Maggie had spent her senior year of high school caring for her.