Free Hot Corner (Baseball Romance) by PJ Chase

back from the kiss, Audrey wasn't shy about her feelings. 
    "I'll take more where that came from," Audrey said, with a smile. 
     
    Chapter Two
     
    "Thanks again for coming on such short notice," Audrey said, as her hand me down sedan took its last legs out onto the interstate. 
    "Of course.  Who doesn't drive to gator country on a whim?" Peter joked. 
    "No seriously.  I owe you big time for this.  So when we get back, name the favor and it is all yours," Audrey insisted. 
    "In that case, let's swing by the lingerie store on the way home," Peter flirted.
    Normally Audrey didn't mind a little playful dirty talk.  But her mind was too wrapped up.  She was a crazy ball of nerves. 
    Peter knew something was up.  And he was desperate to find out what it was.  When he got no response, he tried to get Audrey's attention.
    "Audrey," Peter said. 
    "Yeah?" Audrey replied, pulling her head from the clouds. 
    "Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Peter asked. 
    "I'm just nervous.  I don't travel well as it is, but you add this reunion on and I'm two stiff drinks away from getting my bearings back," Audrey said. 
    "I mean, do you want to tell me what you're hiding?  If you're as close to these friends as you say you are, there's no reason to be this nervous," Peter replied. 
    Audrey took a deep breath.  "All right.  There's going to be someone else there.  A guy."
    "Let me guess.  Is his name 'the one that got away'?" Peter asked. 
    "His name is Trevor.  And he did happen to get away," Audrey said, still not revealing too much information. 
    "Are you trying to tell me ol' Frenchie isn't the one that got away?" Peter chided.
    "You kidding?  Jean Pierre is the one who just went away.  Trevor...he was different.  Special," Audrey said. 
    "He can't be all that special if he let you go," Peter replied. 
    Audrey started getting misty-eyed as memories started racing through her head.  "Tell him that.  He thought I didn't have a future.  Meanwhile he's off married and totally successful," Audrey said. 
    "You know, you said he was special, but from what you just told me, he sounds like an asshole," Peter replied. 
    "Look, I just hope he doesn't show up.  I don't want him to think he was right--even for a second," Audrey said. 
    "And I think it's important for you to know that he wasn't right.  Trust me, you're the one that's different.  You're the one that's special.  And even though he was a fool to let you get away, I'll never be that foolish," Peter explained. 
    With that, Audrey's nerves calmed down. 
    ***
    Gator University was a sun-baked sweatbox that left you sticky in all the wrong ways.  But it was also Audrey's alma mater.  So driving into town made Audrey feel an inescapable sense of nostalgia.  But before Audrey could soak up all the old memories, she had to pick up one of her friends at the airport. 
    "I can't believe this is happening," Audrey said. 
    The state of Florida would give a drivers license to a blind monkey if he could pay his DMV dues.  But navigating the aisles of the airport parking lot, all Audrey cared about was the Geezer with a perpetual left turn signal blinking and an apparent allergy to driving faster than five miles an hour.
    Audrey was already running ten minutes late to pick up her old friends and had been shooed away from the arrivals terminal by menacing meter maids. 
    But living in Florida, Audrey knew she had a better chance of getting hicks to stop wrestling alligators than she did of making a senior citizen to stop putt putting along. 
    Ten minutes and every ounce of patience later, Audrey and Peter darted like Olympic Sprinters to baggage claim.
    But neither Audrey's friend nor her luggage had arrived on time.  Audrey was never happier to see a delayed flight in her life.  But with waylaid plans came excuses only Florida could provide. 
    "I'm sorry I'm late," Alice Walters eventually said, bursting through the terminal.  "My connecting flight