Curve Ball (Eastgate BBW Romance Series Book 4) by Elle Gordon Page B

him call me that. I hadn’t been called by that nickname in years.
                  “It will be,” I agreed. Ten years ago, I would have been ready to meet him full-force. However, after two kids and a messy divorce, I felt anything but prepared.

The Craftsman
     
                  After telling my mother about my talk with Alec, she volunteered to babysit the boys. It took me about three hours to get ready. Every dress I tried on from my closet didn’t seem to fit me the way that I wanted to. I looked for something that would bring us back to our days in high school.
    Digging deeper into my tiny closet, I pulled out a purple dress. I bought it a couple of years earlier but never wore it. In fact, the tags were still attached. I always knew that I bought it because it reminded me of my high school prom dress in color. However, it was much more casual and could be worn any day of the week. I knew that the real reason I didn’t wear it was because it reminded me of Alec.
    Putting on the dress, I examined myself in the mirror. It fit perfectly. The swerves of my hips jutted out, and my breasts looked full, but not massive. It really was the perfect choice. Still, my stomach was in knots.
    Before heading out the door, I ripped off the tags of the dress, and I applied some natural tone makeup. A light amount of lipstick and a balanced amount of eyeliner finished the ensemble. Finally, I stepped out the door and drove to Alec’s.
     
    ~
                  Alec’s home was a craftsman style two-story house. It was in a new neighborhood along the forested hills of the city. The house was large enough to feel impressive but small enough that no one would assume a baseball player lived there.
                  “Hey, stranger,” Alec was beaming as he answered the door. His boyish features were still there inside of his scruffy, masculine face. He was wearing jeans and a three-quarter-length soft cotton shirt. Standing next to him, I remembered his height. I also recalled how much I loved being inside of his large embrace. “Come in!”
                  I stepped inside of the house that smelled fresh and new. We looked at each other for a moment, as if both of us didn’t know what to say or do.
                  “You look great,” I said to him.
                  “Thanks,” he replied. “You look amazing yourself.”
                  “I look like the big creature that ate the girl you once knew,” I scoffed. I knew that is was not very flattering to point out my insecurities, but I also felt that I couldn’t take compliments at that moment.
                  “You’ve always been good at the self-deprecating thing,” Alec smiled. “To me, you look all grown up.”
                  I couldn’t tell if what he said was a good thing. I guessed that it was a naïve notion to believe that a major league baseball player would still have feelings for the girl he met back in high school.
                  “It’s been so long,” I said in disbelief.
                  “I know,” he added. “I hope you don’t mind but your mother gave me your number when I called.”
                  “Oh, she’s such a loud mouth,” I joked. “No, this is perfectly fine.”
                  “Okay, good,” Alec feigned the sound of being relieved by my answer. I could smell the warm scent of a freshly prepared meal.
                  “What’s that amazing smell?” I asked.
                  “Oh!” he began to sound excited. “It’s the dinner I made us.”
                  “Alec cooks?” I joked.
                  “Can you believe it?” he laughed. His smile was contagious. My guard dropped the moment I saw it.
                  I followed him into the kitchen where he showed me a three-course meal he had