Love Bats Last

  After the game, Alex was just settling down to a salad and a slice of broiled salmon when the phone rang and flashed Sabrina’s number on caller ID.

  “I can’t drive down with you to the seal release next week,” she said. “I have a board meeting at the donkey rescue center. I’ll try to meet you at the surf contest, though, since my meeting’s only a couple of miles from Santa Cruz. But, Alex, I’m calling in my credit for covering for when you skipped out on Mother’s party.”

  He knew from her tone he was in for it.

  “Take Trish Bentley.”

  Yeah, she’d gone for the jugular right off.

  “C’mon, Alex,” she said emphatically when he didn’t respond. “You sat next to her at Alana’s birthday party and danced with her after. Remember?”

  He didn’t.

  “I think she’d be good company,” Sabrina insisted.

  “I don’t need help finding dates.”

  “Appropriate dates, Alex. And I say you do.”

  What she meant was a prospect for a sister-in-law.

  “Sounds like Mother’s been working you over.” He didn’t try to cover the bite in his voice.

  Since his father died, it seemed his mother’s only purpose in life was to see him married. It was as if she had some driving instinct for continuing the family. He’d pointed out that Sabrina could do that just fine, but she persisted nonetheless. Evidently she’d roped Sabrina into her net.

  Besides, he’d yet to meet a woman who didn’t see the vineyard or the ballplayer first. Maybe he needed to get out more, go places where he wasn’t known. Try one of those science expeditions that doubled as a vacation. He’d always wanted to visit the Galapagos, see the animals, hang with the scientists.

  “You have no idea,” Sabrina said with a laugh. “You owe me, bro. Take Trish. Give her a chance. She likes a good party.”

  “Sabrina... ”

  “Wait—you’re not seeing Claire again, are you?”

  Claire was a longtime family friend. He wished people would stop pairing them, even in their imaginations. Sure, he and Claire still got together sometimes and fooled around, but anything serious between them had been over years ago.

  “I’m not seeing Claire,” he told Sabrina.

  “Great. Then Trish it is.”

  He relented but knew he’d regret it. He couldn’t picture Trish in the Galapagos. In fact, he couldn’t picture her at all.