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

“Yeah? Then I’d like to hear it.”


“I’m not sure that it’s my story to tell.”


I glared at Judith. “You opened that can of worms, not me.”


“Who cares? I’d like to know. Really.”


“I’m not saying I approve,” Judith said. “But I kind of understand where she’s coming from, sometimes.” She sighed. “It’s not that she isn’t capable of holding down a steady job, or anything like that. And it’s not even that she likes the romance of it, moving around all the time. I think she found it fun, at first, but it’s not that easy, starting over in a new place.”


“Five years ago, her long-time partner, Sheryl, broke up with her. They had a house and everything. No warning for Val that things weren’t going well. No little signals she could have reacted to. Sheryl just—decided she wanted something different. Said she wanted to end the relationship.”


“So?” My brow furrowed. “Relationships end. It’s painful, yeah, but you move on.”


Chapter 14