It was the team he’d dreamed of joining since he was six years old with his bedroom decorated in Yankees memorabilia. He’d gotten everything he’d ever wanted, and he should be supremely happy. Over the moon. But he wasn’t. All he could think about was Kasha, and how miserable he was without her. He’d been seeing her whenever he could, but it was tough enough during baseball season when he was in Dallas. New York might as well be on another planet. He couldn’t break the news over the phone. He had to see her in person. Hold her. Kiss her. Make love to her. Axel drove to Stardust, having no idea when he’d be back again, or how this would go. He hadn’t called to tell her he was coming for fear his voice would give him away, and she would guess why he was in town. Kasha lived on the outskirts of town on a small plot of land, the neighbors few and far between. Her cottage looked like something from a fairy tale, small, gray stone, with ivy growing up the walls. Around the sides, like stalwart sentinels, stood protective pine trees.
