Maid For Beckett Catching The Baseball Legend’s Heart novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

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I moved on autopilot all day, debating whether Beckett was just playing with me or if we were really going on our date tonight. It was bound to happen; I know that, but I never thought it would be this quick. I don’t even have something nice

wear.

Siobhan was kind enough to travel all the way up to the estate and help me get ready. She had a secret smile while she was doing my makeup, but she insisted it was nothing. She’s starting to sound like Nana Lucy, I swear.

All day, my mind had been swarming with thoughts of what this date would be, and my stomach was a riot of mixed emotions. Fear, worry, anxiety, and a bit of excitement.

I don’t know what to expect, how to ac,t or what to do. I had seen dates like this in movies, but I hadn’t been on one. Carter and I were in a secret relationship, so going out wasn’t really part of our arrangement.

In hindsight, Beckett didn’t know that, and I didn’t want him to suspect I had jitters since this morning. Having Siobhan ov helped me not to lose my sanity.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment before I finally had the courage to step out of the pool house. I kept talking to myself in the mirror like a deranged woman. “Goodness! My first formal date was with my boss. How crazy is this?!”

It helped that Beckett had been casually himself throughout the drive. He was still annoying, but it kept me sane, honestly. At least this didn’t have to be so awkward.

When we arrived at our destination, I was confused and speechless at the same time. I expected a restaurant. White tablecloths, sparkling crystal glasses, and a waiter hovering nearby reminded me every second that I didn’t belong in places

like this.

Instead, Beckett parked near the bay. The sound of waves crashing on the shore was a pretty nice distraction.

There was saltiness in the air from the waters, and a pinch of something sweet from the nearby restaurants. Its the kind of scent that reminded me of vacation, a time to relax. The sun was sinking low, bleeding orange and pink into the water, the horizon glowing like it had been painted just for this moment.

I stepped out of the car slowly, teetering over the edge. This was it. We are really on a date.

I could’t help the gasp that rumbled from my chest.

A blanket was already spread out on the sand, thick and dark, weighed down at the corners. Low lanterns flickered softly around it, their light warm and golden. A wicker picnic basket sat between two pillows, and beside it–wine, neatly packed containers, cutlery wrapped in cloth napkins. Standing beside the blanket was a guy in a white polo shirt and shorts. His grin was so huge I feared it would tear his face in two.

“Good evening, Mr. Hale and Miss Wilson,” he greeted as we reached the picnic set up,

“Good evening,” Beckett replied, his gaze sweeping over the arrangement before him. He seemed pleased as he nodded.

“We’re glad to accommodate you on this romantic night,” he said curtly. “I’m Anton, and if there’s anything you need, I’ll just be by the bar.”

Beckett nodded again. “Thank you.”

They exchanged a few more words, but I was too busy absorbing everything before me. It was… intimate, too intimate for

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Chapter 44

my poor heart.

M

“Shall we?” Beckett asked, his open palms inviting me to sit on the blanket.

“Oh,” I breathed before I could stop myself. “You… you did all this?”

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Beckett rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking far less like the intimidating man who barked orders at me every morning and far more like someone nervously waiting for approval.

“It’s quieter here,” he said. “I figured you’d like that.”

Like it? My chest tightened. I freaking love this! If the situation were different, I’d say he’d already won my heart on our first date.

“I–yeah,” I managed, controlling myself from giggling excitedly. “I like it.”

He motioned for me to sit, and I hesitated only for a second before lowering myself onto the blanket. The sand was soft, and the blanket was warm beneath my skin. The bay stretched endlessly in front of us, waves lapping softly as if they were whispering secrets.

Beckett settled beside me and opened the basket.

And then–God help me–he served me.

He plated the food carefully, as if it mattered. Grilled seafood, fresh bread, salad with citrus dressing, and little containers of sauces, he explained in that low voice of his. He placed the plate in front of me before fixing his own.

I stared at it, my throat suddenly tight.

No one had ever done this for me. Maybe Mom did this when I was little, but I was so used to serving than being served meals.

“Are you okay?” he asked, misreading my silence.

“Yes,” I said quickly. “I’m okay. This is… perfect.”

Something eased in his expression, a tension I hadn’t even noticed loosening. Like he’d been bracing himself.

We ate as the sun dipped lower, and our conversation was light at first. He asked about my favorite food. I teased him about how much effort he’d put into something he claimed was “just a technicality.” He scoffed, but there was no bite in it. And then, somewhere between the second bite and the third sip of wine, the questions shifted.

“So,” Beckett said casually, like he wasn’t asking something that mattered. “You grew up here in Hawthorne Bay?”

I nodded, chewing slowly. “Yeah. Just outside town.”

“Then you moved into the trailer park?” He was merely asking, just wanting to know.

I nodded. “When my father left Mom, Mom had to move us closer to her job in the city, and the trailer park was the cheapest place she could find.”

He hummed. “What was it like?”

“Living in a trailer?” I hesitated, then shrugged. “Small and tight. Especially now that Caleb is a grown man.” I smiled faintly.

“But it was home.”

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Chapter 14

“And Carter?” he asked gently.

The sound of his name didn’t sting as I expected.

“He was…” “I said. “A mistake. A mistake I regret.”

Beckett listened. Really listened. He was a different man. Even the way he acket rate u orga

1. me.

When I finished, he leaned back on his hands, eyes on the water.

“My Nana hated baseball,” he said suddenly.

I blinked. “What?”

“She wanted me in a suit,” he continued. Managing the family business like Cole & fanramile get a in lips ar business was not for me. I miss the dirt under my nails and bruises on my shoulders?

“That must’ve been hard,” I said softly.

“It was war,” he admitted. “I played anyway. Hid it at first. Got caught Gor yelled at Then I got defed and auditiny everyone was proud like it was their idea all along”

There was no bitterness in his voice. Just honesty. The soft music coming from the restaurant behind us was auting intimacy to this conversation. He was opening up to me, something I didn’t think would happen

“I love baseball,” he said. “I don’t think anything, or anyone can change that”

I watched him as he spoke, the way the lantern light traced the lines of his face, how his voice dipped when he miked abou something that mattered. This wasn’t my boss. This was a man who had fought for his dream.

Then I felt something dangerous unfurl in my chest.

It’s warm, and intoxication, like a virus slowly spreading.

I’m starting to like this… really, really like this.. and him, my boss. I realized with a jolt of panic that if I wasn’t careful. I would fall. And once I did, I wasn’t sure there would be any saving myself from him.

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Chapter 45

Chapter 45