# Chapter 3: Moon Pies, Home Runs, and Hidden Promises
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 3 of "Just for the Plot" — and let me tell you, this chapter is an absolute treasure. It's cozy, it's funny, it's full of delicious tension, and by the end, you'll be clutching your heart and smiling like a fool. So grab a snack — preferably a Moon Pie — and let's dive right in!
---
It all begins with a phone call and a whole lot of complaining.
Bower is sprawled somewhere in Bennett's pristine, ridiculously healthy apartment, munching on popcorn like her life depends on it, while her best friend Gabby whines on the other end of the line. The source of Gabby's frustration? Bower's boss, Adalade, has decided to move to the city, completely derailing the plan where Bower would relocate to Almond Bay and live near her favorite people.
"I know, but I can't control where Adalade moves," Bower defends herself, tossing another piece of popcorn into her mouth.
You see, Bennett — Gabby's brother and the professional baseball player whose apartment Bower is currently crashing in — had just left for the stadium. Bower, ever resourceful, quickly moved her bags to the side (she only plans to stay a night or two, after all) and made a beeline for the corner store. Because here's the thing: she scoured Bennett's kitchen, and what she found was, frankly, horrifying.
Seaweed wraps.
Seaweed. Wraps.
"Blech, what is wrong with him?" she thinks to herself.
Apparently, when you grow up eating buttered noodles your whole life, you branch out to things you never could have afforded. But Bennett, honey — go for a wagyu steak, not dried seaweed. Just something she'll have to teach him now that she's here.
Meanwhile, the game is on in the background. This is something Bower has started doing ever since she read a sports romance series revolving around a baseball team. Eight books in, she was completely hooked, needing more baseball in her life. So now she watches the Bombers' games.
And if there's one thing she's learned from all this watching, it's that Bennett is by far the best player on the team. Asher Peppers is downright nasty, never smiling, approaching every situation with a scowl. And Nolan Hart? He's an absolute menace, but he intrigues her. She knows he's friends with Bennett, so maybe she'll ask for an introduction if she's brave enough.
Back on the phone, Gabby sighs, still disappointed about the move. She thought Adalade really liked Almond Bay when Bower brought her there to visit. But Bower explains — Adalade is a city girl through and through. She tried the country thing, and it just didn't work. Bower did everything in her power to convince her otherwise, but the shops weren't there, and Adalade wanted variety. At least it's not New York City, which Adalade briefly considered.
"Oh my God, that would have been my nightmare," Gabby groans.
"Same. I don't think I could have handled New York."
"I love you, but I don't think you could have either."
Bower drops the next bombshell almost casually: "It's nice here, though, and gives you more of a reason to come visit Bennett, since I have an apartment in the same building as him."
"Wait, really?"
"Yup. I'll be one floor above him."
Oh, the irony! Bower reaches the city, just a floor away from the man she's supposed to be keeping an eye on — and the tension is already simmering.
And right on cue, Bennett gets up to bat.
The camera scans up his body — thick thighs, sturdy torso, biceps Bower never expected to see on him. He fills out that jersey better than she expected. It's nothing she should be noticing, that's for damn sure. But it's the way his blue eyes shine under the shadow of his helmet that really catches her attention, combined with his five o'clock shadow and the intensity in his expression. She honestly doesn't understand how he's single.
Bennett takes a strike, and in the background, she can hear Ryland — Gabby's husband — yelling about how that was not a strike at all.
Bennett steps out of the box, stares at his bat, lets out a deep breath, tugs on his helmet, and steps back in. Same routine, every single time. He's so composed, so calm.
"Now I'm even more jealous," Gabby complains.
And then — boom. Bennett unleashes his hands and swings at the ball, making contact and immediately shooting it over the left field fence, like a bullet straight from a gun.
He's so impressive.
Ryland is clapping in the background, Gabby cheers, and then comes back on the phone. "Sorry, Bennett just hit a home run."
"I know. I'm watching."
"You're watching?" she asks, surprised.
"Yeah, I've been watching since reading that baseball series I was telling you about. And have you read it yet?"
"Not so much."
Bower groans. "You know, it would really help me out if my best friend liked to read like I do."
"Sorry, it's just not my thing."
"Clearly."
And then the conversation shifts — because Gabby, being the ever-supportive best friend, brings up the elephant in the room. "Speaking of books, whatever happened to you quitting your job and opening that book truck thing you were talking about? That's a job you could have in Almond Bay."
And there it is. The dream.
Bower twirls a piece of hair with her finger, her voice going soft. "Yeah, I still want to do that, but I don't feel like I can leave Adalade right now, with the move and everything. She still needs my help."
"She could find another assistant. You've saved up more than enough. You've built a small following on social media. You could do this."
"I know," Bower says, nerves blooming in her stomach at the mere thought of taking a leap into a dream she's had for a little bit. "Just not ready yet."
"Will you ever be ready?"
"Someday," she answers, even though she doesn't believe it herself.
Here's the truth, dear readers: Bower has dreams, thoughts, ideas — but she's never been brave enough to take the leap. She went to school to learn how to start her own small business. She took an internship with Adalade, who runs her own interior design company — though she doesn't do much designing herself anymore, rather employing others to do the job for her. That internship turned into an assistant job, and that assistant job turned into an executive assistant. Now she spends her days running mindless errands for a sixty-six-year-old with a hefty credit card limit and a lot of time on her hands.
Sure, the job doesn't give her a sense of accomplishment. There are days she goes from store to store looking for camel loafers or fetching a brownie with the perfect gooey consistency. But it allows her a lot of reading time. And it's allowed her to dream — dream of something more.
But here's the catch: when you dream, you must have courage to step out of your comfort zone.
And Bower will be honest with herself... she's confident, but she's not courageous.
Because she's seen what dreaming can do. Her dad was a dreamer, and when she was young, he took a chance on a dream and ended up losing all of the family's money. It's why her mom had to work part-time at her school. It's why her dad found a job at Olive Garden. He had to start from scratch and work his way back up. She's seen the stress and anxiety of it all. And even though her current job isn't fulfilling in the slightest — it's safe.
Adalade loves her.
She'd never fire Bower.
Bower has security, a great paycheck, and time to do what she loves... and that's read books.
Oh, isn't that just the deepest heartache? Safety is a prison with golden bars. And Bower is standing at the edge of her cage, wanting to fly but terrified of the fall.
"Happily someday soon," Gabby says, always pushing her. "But until then, when do you move into the new place?"
"They're finishing up some painting, so probably in the next day or so. Hope Bennett doesn't mind."
"He's pretty chill and he's usually at the stadium most of the time, so he probably won't even notice you there."
"Probably won't. My things are tucked away in a corner, and I haven't touched his food because your brother has some weird stuff in here. Seaweed wraps and protein shakes. Gross, Gabby."
Gabby chuckles. "Yeah, unclear where the seaweed wraps came in, but he doesn't keep a lot of food in the apartment because he's always traveling. When he's here, though, he makes sure to eat as many cherry almond cookies from The Almond Store as he can."
"So he does have a sweet tooth. Okay. Maybe I'll force him to indulge with me."
"If it's in the apartment, he will eat it."
"I might just have to test out this theory."
"Once again, I'm jealous, but maybe... maybe this will be a good thing."
"Yeah, I told you, now you can visit us both at the same time."
"No, I mean... you can watch over him a little closer. After what happened when he was in the minor leagues, when his apartment was broken into and he didn't tell me, I just... I worry he hides things from me to protect me so I don't get worried."
The air shifts.
"Are you asking me to be a spy?" Bower jokes.
"No, but... you know the promise you made me..."
Bower's voice grows serious — and this moment, right here, is the beating heart of the chapter. "Gabby, I promised you I would help take care of him, and that is a promise I will never break. Ever. I told you, you are not in this alone. I am here for you, helping you any way you need."
"So you'll tell me if you notice something off with him, now that you're living there? Especially with all this PR stuff they're making him do. He worked so hard on his image that I would hate... I would hate for him to take the fall for something his team did prior to him being on it."
"I get it. And you know I would tell you, I promised. You're my number one, always. And he's your brother, therefore he's my number two. Both of you fall under my protection. That's of the utmost importance to me."
"Thank you," Gabby says softly. "I'm so grateful for you, Bower. I don't know what I would have done without you over the years. The reason I was able to raise Bennett is because of you."
"Nah, you did that yourself. I was just there cheering you on."
---
And then... the lights are off.
The moon is shining through Bennett's floor-to-ceiling living room windows. And the sheets and blankets Bennett gave Bower smell so ridiculously good that she's tempted to raid his laundry room to figure out what detergent he's using.
She knows it takes him a second to wind down after a game — she's seen it firsthand when she's visited him with Gabby. But this is quite long.
She had some Moon Pies delivered to the apartment, hoping to share one with him when he got home. But it's getting pretty late now, and she's wondering if he's not back yet because he decided to hook up with someone.
Which — if he did, great for him. She'll hound him for details in the morning, because if anything, she's invasive and has no filter.
Sighing back into her pillow — one of the softest pillows she's ever felt — she closes her eyes.
Just as the front door unlocks.
She hears him walk into the apartment, quietly shutting the door, shuffling a paper bag, then locking up. He heads into the kitchen, and she sits up on the couch.
He's trying to be quiet. And it's super cute.
So Bower slips out from under her blankets and tiptoes over to the kitchen, where he's setting a bag on the counter. Going completely undetected, she finds the light switch.
And turns it on — just as she announces, "Welcome back."
"JESUS CHRIST!" he yells, plastering himself against the cabinets and counter, hand to chest, a look of pure, unadulterated fright in his eyes.
A roar of laughter falls past her lips as she rests her hand on his arm. "Oh my God. The look on your face."
"Uh, yeah, because you nearly made me shit myself."
She laughs some more, the fright on his face ingrained in her memory. "I want to say I'm sorry, but I'm not."
"Clearly." He chuckles. "What are you doing awake? It's almost midnight."
Calming herself, she explains — she stayed up because she ordered some Moon Pies and—
"Moon Pies?" He looks toward the living room. "Where?"
Yup. Such a sweet tooth.
"Over here." She pulls him toward the living room, but he stops her.
"Hold on, let me put the cold stuff in the fridge really quick."
From his bags, he pulls milk, yogurt, cheese, chicken — and places them all in the fridge. When he shuts the door and turns back toward her, she takes his hand again and drags him to the small circular dining room table, where she's set up the box of Moon Pies along with some napkins.
"Ta-da! I know how much you like sweet things, and as a thank-you for letting me stay the night, I bought you — but also me — some treats."
"You didn't have to get me anything," he says as he sits down, opens the box, and snags one right away. Takes a bite.
Chuckling, she grabs one as well. "I can see you really mean that."
He smiles while chewing. "Seriously, I do. This was really nice. Thank you."
"You're welcome. And thanks for letting me stay here for a few nights — that's if a few nights is okay with you."
"Stay as long as you want," he says, his eyes looking directly into hers.
And a weird chill shoots up her spine. It's the ice blue of his irises. They're, well... chilling.
"Thank you." She sets her Moon Pie down and wipes her mouth with her napkin. "Uh... good job on the home run."
His brow lifts, his expression almost comical — because they never talk baseball. Ever. At least not recently. Whenever they text, it's always been about Gabby or stupid things like, "did you know cronuts existed?" But never baseball. Because Bower knows nothing about it, really. And he, well, he doesn't seem to want to talk about it at all.
So it's very smart of her to mention it now.
"You watched the game?"
She casually shrugs. "Couldn't find anything else on."
That makes him smirk. "Uh-huh, why don't I believe that?"
"Because it's not true." She breaks off a piece of her Moon Pie and plops it in her mouth. "I felt obligated to watch you play because I was talking to Gabby, and she was watching you play as well."
"You talked to Gabby?" He finishes off his dessert, stands, and asks, "Drink?"
"Please." She answers, then goes back to his previous question. "Yeah, I broke the news to her. She was not happy. Tried to convince me to move to Almond Bay instead and leave my job."
"Sounds about right," he says, bringing them both a glass of water. "Did you tell her you were staying here?"
"Yeah."
"Was she okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't she be?" Bower asks.
He shrugs. "She can be territorial over you. When she found out that we text, she kept asking if you like me better than you like her."
Bower laughs. "Right, well, I think I've tamped down that paranoia. But she seemed cool with it, no questions about where my loyalty stands."
"With me, right?" he asks, adding a little wink under the brim of his hat.
"Keep dreaming." She rolls her eyes. "I'll always fall in line with Gabby. Sorry."
"A guy can try." He stretches his legs out under the table and leans back in his chair. "So, what did you think about the game?"
"I thought it was impressive that you could hit a baseball that far. It kind of boggles my mind knowing that you're not the same boy I first met so many years ago."
He tugs on the back of his neck, his bicep flexing against his shirt. "Yeah, not so much."
Her cheeks oddly heat from the sight of it.
Which reminds her...
"So, that guy on your team..."
"What guy? There are quite a few of us."
"I want to say his name is Nolan," she hedges.
"Nolan Hart?" Bennett asks, with a bit of a pull in his brow. "What about him?"
Bower traces her finger over the glass of his tabletop. "Is he single?"
Bennett's brow grows even tighter. "Nolan? You're interested in Nolan?"
She casually shrugs. "I don't know, maybe. Is that weird for you? Me asking about one of your teammates? Even if it's just for one night, I think we could have a good time, and Lord knows I need a good time. Plus, he's hot."
Bennett moves his hand over his jaw. "Yeah, he's dating someone."
"Ugh." She crumples up her napkin and tosses it to the center of the table. "Figures. Might have been weird anyway, dating one of your teammates."
"Yeah... probably..."
"Well, if he ever does become available, let me know." She stands and takes a sip of her drink. "I'd love to get to know him. This girl is starting a new chapter in her life, and I'm bound and determined to get out there and meet people. Who knows, maybe the right guy is somewhere in the city looking for a slightly bookish type who doesn't have the best filter. Could be a perfect match."
She offers him a wink, then takes off toward the bathroom to get ready for bed.
---
## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
Oh my heart. This chapter is the perfect blend of cozy banter, hidden depths, and slow-burning tension. Bower's voice is absolutely irresistible — she's funny, self-deprecating in the most relatable way, and hiding a mountain of fear beneath her confident exterior. Her backstory about her father and the dream that destroyed their family adds such poignant weight to her character. She's not just a quirky bookworm; she's someone who learned early that dreams are dangerous. And watching her interact with Bennett — the tenderness, the teasing, the way she tries so hard to keep things casual — is just delicious. Also, can we talk about the Moon Pie scene? Bennett being terrified of her is comedy gold. And the subtle clues that Bennett might feel more than he lets on — the way he looks at her, the little wink, the way his brow tightens at the mention of Nolan — chef's kiss. There's so much simmering beneath the surface, and I am absolutely here for it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
Mark my words — the sparks between Bower and Bennett are about to catch fire. Bower moved to the city determined to start a new chapter and meet new people, but she has no idea that the right guy might be sleeping one floor below her... or sharing Moon Pies with her at midnight. I predict that Bennett's protective instincts will kick into high gear, especially now that Bower is living in his building and under his watch. Perhaps a possessive comment about Nolan, an unexpected encounter when she least expects it, or a moment where the walls between friendship and something more start to crumble. Also, with Gabby's request hanging over her head, Bower might soon discover that Bennett has secrets even she doesn't know about — secrets that could change everything between them.
To listen free the next reviews chatpers, please access website novelsaudio.com and search keyword: Just for the Plot or click the link in the description of this video or if you want to listen or read full the Just for the Plot please access website audible.com