Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 167

Maybe I Was Wrong

Victoria’s POV

At the mention of Caleb’s name, my eyes instinctively drifted across the table, landing on Nova.

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She had been unusually quiet all morning. While the rest of us were laughing, throwing bread, and talking about the upcoming events of the vacation, Nova had barely touched the food on her plate.

She sat with her shoulders slightly hunched, staring down at her eggs as if her mind were a million miles

away.

There was a faint, shadowed sadness resting around her eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday.

But what caught my attention even more was Leo. From a couple seats down, Leo was staring at Nova, his brows slightly drawn, watching her with a silent intensity that made my eyes narrow.

“Yeah, where is Caleb?” someone else repeated.

Gradually, all eyes fell on Nova, assuming she would know where he was.

Nova didn’t answer. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t even seem to realize the entire room had gone quiet, waiting for her to speak.

Adele, sitting right next to her, reached out and gently nudged Nova’s shoulder. “Nova?”

Nova startled violently, her fork clattering loudly against the ceramic plate.

“Oh–I’m sorry!” Nova stammered quickly, her face turning pale as she looked around at the curious faces staring back at her. “I… I was just deep in thoughts. Sorry.”

Coach Miller, sitting at the head of the table near Natasha, lowered his coffee mug and looked at her with a gentle, fatherly frown.

“You okay, kiddo? You look a bit pale.”

“I’m fine, Coach,” Nova assured him, forcing a quick, tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes at all. “Just didn’t sleep very well last night, that’s all.”

She was deliberately avoiding eye contact, her fingers tightly clutching her paper napkin beneath the edge of the table. A knot of unease tightened in my chest.

Something was definitely wrong. Nova was usually so bright, so quick to laugh, but right now she looked like she was holding herself together by a thread.

I made a mental note right then and there to pull her aside after breakfast and find out what was bothering

her.

Natasha leaned forward slightly, her observant gaze scanning Nova’s face.

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Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

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“Are you sure you’re okay, Nova? You don’t have to force yourself to join the games today if you’re feeling under the weather.”

“I’m really fine, Nat, I promise,” Nova insisted, her voice small, though the forced smile remained firmly plastered on her lips.

Natasha nodded slowly, clearly not buying the answer for a single second, but she had the grace not to press the issue in front of a room full of loud people.

Nobody else pushed either, though the easy, carefree atmosphere at the table had dimmed slightly.

Pivoting to give Nova some space, Natasha turned her attention back to the missing team member.

“Do you have any idea where Caleb is, though? Did he mention sleeping in?”

I watched Nova carefully. The moment Caleb’s name was spoken again, her entire posture locked up.

Her throat worked as she opened her mouth to answer, but the words seemed to catch in her throat.

She stuttered, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

“He… he said he was…”

Before she could get the words out, the wooden front door of the cabin swung open.

Caleb walked in, shaking the morning dew off his jacket. But he wasn’t alone.

Stepping through the doorway right behind him, carrying a small designer duffel bag over her shoulder, was the absolute last person anyone in this cabin ever expected to see.

Lexi.

The room went still.

Forks paused halfway to mouths. Conversations died mid–sentence.

One by one, heads turned toward the doorway until every pair of eyes settled on the two figures standing in doorway.

Lexi offered the room a small, tentative smile as she tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She looked effortlessly put together despite what had to have been a long drive.

Caleb stood beside her, shoulders squared, his face giving nothing away at first glance. But the longer I looked, the easier it was to spot the cracks. The tired eyes. The tight jaw. The guilt he couldn’t quite hide beneath his stubborn expression.

A chill crept down my spine as I heard a quiet, shaky breath beside me.

I turned to Nova.

She wasn’t looking at the doorway anymore.

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14:45 Tue, Aug 18

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

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