From the first time she picked up a softball bat, Kayla has loved team games of any stripe. Now in her mid-forties, though, she is starting to come to the bitter realization that like all good things, her involvement in team sports must come to an end one day, whether she’s ready or not. When her broomball teammates start making noises about this being their final season together, Kayla sets her sights on capturing the league championship. What better way to remind them of how much fun it can be to win? The prospect of snagging the league title seems brighter with the addition of a new player, Val, who Kayla would like to get to know better. That is, if her meddlesome ex Abby will stay out of the picture long enough. Will winning the championship be enough to bring Kayla’s teammates back for one more season? If not, what can she do about it?

Curtain Call

What did surprise me was what she was doing. The opening to the back hatch of her SUV was up, and she had a box in her hands.


She stopped to buy something. That was quick.


Then I observed that she was putting the box into the back of the vehicle, not taking it out.


Stunned, I sat behind the wheel of my own vehicle for a few moments, watching her shuttle boxes and bags from the front porch to her SUV. My eyes narrowed as I watched.


Now I understood what she’d been up to when she retired early the previous night. She’d been packing, squirreling everything neatly away in the closet I’d given over to her for her stuff, once she moved in with me.


“Was it something I said?” I asked, trying to affect a casual tone as I sauntered over.


Chapter 10