Chapter Text
It was team tradition to spend a weekend at these cabins in the mountains after the Series. It was a nice way for the team to bond and unwind after the season. The first few hours were usually full of bitching about not making it, about how close they had been. But then it was like camp, everyone buzzing with the anticipation of cramming as much of a good time as possible into just two days. The view was amazing, the air was clear, and each of the 5 cabins had 5 bedrooms each with their own bathroom, a nicer kitchen than Ginny knew what to do with, and a huge fireplace. There was also a fire pit and outdoor seating in the center of the circle of cabins. Of course, the free flowing alcohol didn’t hurt either.
Ginny had never really vacationed (unless hotels after travel ball games counted) and she was amped to be a part of Padre tradition, to be one of the guys. What might help with that venture was if any of the other guys were actually around. Ginny stood in the cold living room of the cabin, her overnight bag at her feet. She heard the heat kick on and a voice yelled, “Found it!”
The owner of the voice reentered the room from where ever he had gone to find the thermostat.
“It’s in the kitchen,” Mike offered, “All of these cabins are just a little bit different. I don’t think I’ve actually stayed in this one before.”
Ginny smiled, but it was small, no dimples in sight. Despite the heat audibly working, the room kept its chill.
“Why don’t you go check out the rooms, Rook. I’ll let you have your pick. And maybe start a fire while I’m at it. This open concept floor plan is shit for heating.”
Ginny wanted to rib him for the jargon he had obviously picked up from binge watching a little too much HGTV, but she let it slide.
“Yeah, sure.” She scooped her oversized duffel off of the floor and set to exploring.
Neither of them had really anticipated being alone - the rest of the team had rented a party bus, but Mike wanted to drive himself and Ginny volunteered to keep him company.
"Can't have you getting drowsy behind the wheel, old man!" she'd chirped.
She'd figured she could have a few hours of uninterrupted time with her Captain, and after that, she would be so sick of him that romantic backdrop of the mountains and wood burning fireplaces wouldn't make her imagine the rest of the team was gone and the two of them were on a romantic getaway. They left a couple of hours earlier than the rest of the team was planning to. Mike’s plan was to get there early, snag the rooms with the best views, and do all the grocery shopping (which mostly meant hot dogs and beer) so that they could switch into full on party mode when the guys finally showed up. It was a good plan, but it hadn’t accounted for a text from Blip as Mike was making the final turn that read, “Engine trouble on the party bus, bus company says it’ll be a few hours before they can get us another.”
The ride hadn’t involved much conversation. Mike kept the radio so loud that Ginny had teased him about his hearing. Sometimes one or both of them would sing along to a really catchy chorus, but otherwise, they were silent. Ginny had felt butterflies while reading the text aloud, but Mike grimaced and gripped the wheel so tightly she thought his fingers might break. After they pulled into the otherwise empty circle of cabins and Mike killed the engine, Ginny found herself missing the roaring noise, wishing for anything to kill the awkward, heavy silence that had settled.
Now, as she meandered up the stairs to the second level of the cabin, she willed herself to get it together.
He is a ballplayer. He is your teammate. He is your captain. He is your friend.
Despite these truths, Ginny’s blood was rushing and her breath was shallow. She sort of felt like she might cry.
Pausing at the lofted area at the top of the stairs, Ginny allowed herself a peek over the railing. Below her, Mike had taken off his leather jacket and lain it on the arm of the couch. He was standing in front of the fireplace and frowning at his phone, and it struck Ginny that he was probably googling how to start a fire. At that, she smiled, a real smile, all teeth and dimples. As if he could sense it, he turned and looked right up at her. The smile quickly left her face and she felt the breath leave her body. He took a useless step forward, and she took a step back despite the fact that they were on separate floors. His eyes narrowed and Ginny readjusted the bag on her shoulder, turning to investigate the four bedrooms on the upper level.
The first was nice enough; mahogany furniture, navy bedspread, nature photographs very likely taken in the woods around them. She thought of just settling there, but decided she needed to kill more time, occupy her brain with something that wasn’t Lawson related. She moved on to the second room. Both rooms were roughly the same size, had the same types of furniture. The second room had a lighter color scheme though, everything white and wicker. Even the nature photos were softer, more flowers and fawn than fog and frogs. That wasn’t what sold Ginny on the room though. No, it was definitely the view. The first room had faced the front of cabin, giving her an eyeful of the main circle. She would have been privy to all of the comings and goings of the team, which certainly had its perks for gathering intel to blackmail the guys with next season. She had no doubt the view would include puking players and grown men who let their childlike obsession with fire get out of hand. The second room, though, had perks that outweighed even the potential to later embarrass her teammates. Since this room was on the back of the cabin, it had a balcony. And the view… It was breathtaking, the mountains looming up over the trees that surrounded and secluded the cabins. She briefly thought about how beautiful it would be at sunrise, and then less briefly indulged the fantasy of enjoying that sunrise with a certain crotchety old man. She shook her head as if she could dislodge the idea and slowly moved to begin unpacking her things.
Heading back downstairs, she felt a little more centered after giving all of her things a place. It was almost like she had tucked her feelings away with her travel sized shampoo. The fire was crackling when she returned to the main room, and Mike was nowhere to be seen. She popped her head into the bedroom on the first floor, unsurprised to find Mike’s bag on the bed. Of course he wouldn’t want to do the stairs. She was, however, surprised not to find Mike. She wandered back into the living room and plopped onto the overstuffed leather couch. A slip of paper on the end table caught her eye, and upon further inspection she found it to be a note letting her know that Mike had gone to turn the heat on in all the other cabins.
She had hardly finished the note when the front door opened. Mike stepped inside, unaware of Ginny’s presence. He brought both hands up and across his face and let out a sigh.
Ginny was going to stand up, but before she could he bellowed, “Hey, Rook!”
“No need to yell, old man. We don’t all have hearing troubles.”
At this distance, she couldn’t be sure, but she thought he may have smiled. It was gone in an instant though, and he was all business.
“Oh, good. You’re done.”
She looked at him, unsure of how she was supposed to respond. He seemed unfazed by her silence.
“I suppose we should do that grocery shopping now, huh?”
Ginny shrugged and nodded, still not speaking. She grabbed her jacket, and the little crossbody bag she had packed to hold her wallet and phone for any potential outings.
Mike held the door open, suddenly cavalier.
“After you!”
Ginny narrowed her eyes at his change of mood, now uncertain if she had been imagining his coldness earlier. Wordlessly, she made her way into the passenger seat and they made the 20 minute ride to the grocery store with only the too loud radio for background noise.