Spotlight: Chapter 9

“Nice pitching today,” JT says as he slumps down on the bench next to me.

“Thanks.” I rub at my upper arm. “It felt good.”

Freddie drops to the other side of me. “That makes one of us. I feel like hell.”

“Late night?” JT asks as he starts pulling off his gear. “I swear I don’t know how you guys do it. I was out by ten o’clock and it was still painful to get out of bed this morning.”

“I’m too amped up this week to sleep even if I’d gone home early.” Freddie’s right leg bounces as if to emphasize that even now after a full day of workouts he’s got this underlying energy coursing through him.

“Wait until you have a couple of kids. You’ll be stealing a few minutes of sleep any chance you get too.”

“That why you were sleeping in your car this morning?” I ask him. When I pulled up to the stadium, JT was sitting in his parked truck. The engine was off, driver’s side window down, and one arm resting on the sill. At first, I thought he was on the phone or pumping himself up for the day, but upon closer investigation, his eyes were closed and his mouth gaping wide. The fucker was asleep.

“Bella woke me up at four to have a tea party.” He grimaces as he says it but then a soft smile lifts the corners of his mouth. “I couldn’t say no to that adorable little face. Then her brother woke up screaming an hour later. He’s teething.”

The mention of his kids makes me think of Olivia. She hasn’t said much about her daughter, but when I was fixing her car this morning, the evidence of her was everywhere. Car seat in the back, an abandoned stuffed animal on the floorboard, and a sparkly beaded necklace looped around the gear shifter.

I bet Olivia was pissed when she realized I fixed her vehicle. I wish I could have been there. She would have insisted it wasn’t necessary and that I didn’t need to do it, maybe even told me all about how she can take care of things on her own. But honestly, it wasn’t that much work. The alternator was good. It just needed a new cable. Easy fix. I liked doing it for her. And fine, I still want to impress her.

Once JT is gone, Freddie steps closer to me with a shy smile. “I’m going out with Sadie again this weekend.”

“Yeah?” A smile stretches across my face. “That’s awesome. Congrats, man.”

“Thanks, and, uh, thanks for last night. That was really decent of you.”

“It was nothing.”

The excitement radiating off him is thanks enough.

After Freddie leaves, I sit for another twenty minutes, icing my arm and watching the locker room clear out. Some of the guys are making plans to hang out at Gunnar’s place but no one has invited me. It’s fine. I should really rest tonight. We have our first spring training game tomorrow against Chicago, and it’ll be my first chance to show everyone that I deserve to be here, playing with the best of the best.

Despite my misgivings about the team, I’ve had a decent week here. And JT’s wife’s coffee cake muffins were as good as he promised. My stomach growls, finally pushing me to action. I shower and put on fresh clothes.

As I’m leaving, I run into Earl. He holds up a rectangular name placard like the other guys have above their lockers. This one has my name on it.

“Finally came in,” he says with a smile. “I’ll have it up for you this evening. It’s official. You’re a Mustang.”

“Thanks.”

We pass each other, but he calls after me.

“Nice pitching today. Your delivery has improved, and you did a great job controlling the inside fastball. You’re finding your place out there, and the whole team looks better for it.”

I pause, looking back at him. “How long have you been with the Mustangs?”

“Longer than you’ve been alive probably.” He grins.

“It’s the baby face. I’m not that young.”

“Uh-huh.”

Who am I kidding? He probably knows exactly what day and year I was born.

“Did you ever play or coach?” I ask him.

He nods. “I played as a kid. Nothing serious. I spent a couple of years on the pitching staff here a long, long time ago. Another lifetime.”

“I knew it.”

His brows lift as an amused expression plays over his face.

“It’s the way you talk about it. Most people don’t really understand pitching mechanics, not that they need to.”

“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’re bound to pick up a few things,” he says.

Nah, it’s more than that. I’ve had actual coaches that seem less insightful than him. Or maybe it’s just that sweet grandpa look about him that makes me want to listen.

“What happened?” I shift my bag and wait for his reply.

“Had a daughter. The apple of my eye.”

Okay. Not what I expected.

“And?”

His smile widens. “That’s it. I didn’t want to spend as much time away from home anymore. The travel life can be hard. Gone two or three nights a week for nine months out of the year. It wasn’t for me.”

He’s not wrong, but I can’t believe he’d give it up just like that. People would kill for a coaching job with a major league team, even this one.

“Of course, things were different then,” Earl says. “We didn’t have cell phones and video calls. It’s easier to stay connected now.”

“She must be grown up. Why not get back to it?”

He shakes his head as he wipes down the spot where the placard will go above my locker. “Too much time away from it. Things have changed. I don’t know the latest trends and advice. Plus, who’d keep this place up?”

I chuckle softly and watch him as he removes the back of the placard to stick it in place. I like Earl and he’s right, this old stadium would probably look a hell of a lot worse without his meticulous care. Still, it feels like a shame that he gave up that sort of position and now cleans up after everyone.

“Thanks for the placard,” I say to him.

He glances quickly at me, smiling still. “See you tomorrow, kid.”

I push out the back door into the parking lot. The sun is at that perfect level where it’s impossible to look up without squinting. I pull my cap down farther to cover my eyes and head in the general direction of my truck, staring at the pavement as my feet eat up the distance.

I glance up as I get closer, gaze landing on my truck and then the vehicle parked next to it. Pausing, I squint harder.

Either I’m seeing a mirage in the desert or Olivia is here to see me. If it’s the former, I hope I die of dehydration before she disappears.

She’s standing close to her SUV dressed in a soft pink dress. Her blonde hair is down and blowing around her shoulders. She has a potted plant in one hand, and she shifts from foot to foot as if she’s uncomfortable as I approach.

“Hi,” I say, trying and failing to keep the surprise out of my tone.

“Hey.” Her voice is low with a hint of uncertainty that makes me feel the same way. I don’t know if anyone has made me feel more… well, anything than Olivia does.

Excitement, nerves, a dash of fear. But more than anything, it’s curiosity. I want to know her: what she thinks, likes, wants, her hopes and dreams. I don’t think there’s any little detail about her that I would find boring.

“How’s it running?” I ask, stopping in front of her.

“Good.” She glances back at her SUV. When she meets my gaze again, that familiar sass is back in her eyes. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

“You’re welcome.” I unlock my truck and toss my bag inside.

As I turn back to her, she takes a step closer to me and holds out the plant. “Thank you.”

“What’s this?” I take it from her. I stare down at the prickly-looking cactus. “Is this another way of saying you think I’m a prick?”

She lets out a soft laugh that makes her mouth curve into a sexy, amused smile. “It’s an ange’s wings cactus. Indirect sunlight is best, and you should only need to water it once a week or so.”

I feel my brows rise as I stare down at the green paddle-like leaves with sharp needles. It’s in an orange pot with pink and purple splotches of paint.

“If you don’t want it,” she starts and moves another step closer.

“Nah.” I pull it toward me instinctively. “This is cool. No one has ever given me a plant before.”

Probably because they assumed I’d kill it, which is likely.

“I also want to pay you for the parts and your time. Archer told me you had to replace some cables for the alternator. I looked it up online and this was what it said. If it was more, let me know and I’ll get the rest to you.”

A little dumbfounded I take the envelope she’s holding out to me and look inside. I see at least four one-hundred-dollar bills before I close it and hand it back to her.

“This is way too much, and I don’t want your money anyway.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It must have cost you to get the part, plus the time you spent fixing it.” She tries to give it back and I sidestep her, putting distance between us.

“It didn’t take long at all, I had the tools, and the part was cheap.”

She gives me one of those no-nonsense scowls that makes me want to kiss it off her face. For some reason it doesn’t seem like she wants people doing nice things for her. Maybe she thinks I have a hidden agenda. I don’t. Well, not much of one. Sure, I want her to go out with me, but I’d have fixed her car either way.

“The cactus is payment enough. I love this planter. Did you make this?”

“My daughter painted it,” she says, then adds, “The cactus and pot were less than ten dollars.”

Knowing her kid had a part in it makes me smile more. “It’s a one of a kind, which makes it priceless.”

She lets out an exasperated but amused sigh. “You’re not going to take my money, are you?”

“Nope,” I say proudly.

We stare at each other for a beat, neither giving in. Adrenaline rushes through me and my gut swirls with a pleasant but uneasy feeling.

“Thank you,” she says finally.

“You’re welcome.”

Her gaze flicks to the quiet stadium. “How are things going with the new team?”

“Pretty good. We have our first game tomorrow if you want to come cheer me on.”

“My family has season tickets.”

An unexpected but exciting development. And here I thought I’d have to pull off a miracle to get her to a game.

“So, you’ll be in the crowd cheering for me?”

Without answering, she steps back toward her SUV. “Bye, Flynn. Good luck.”

“What section are you in?” I call after her.

She wiggles her fingers in a wave and ducks into her vehicle.

I smile as she starts the engine and pulls away.

A new resolve washes over me. I don’t need luck. I have a steely determination for tomorrow to: a) prove my worth to the entire league, and b) win over Olivia.