7. Mia #2
“You know, when I first got into the minors I did a similar thing. Helped clean the locker room and the weight room. I couldn’t exactly work the concessions or anything like that, but it felt good putting what extra I had back into the team.”
“So, you’ve always been serious about things you care about?”
The corners of his mouth tip back up. “Some say I’m a serious guy.”
Monday.
Adam
Am I still being charged for texts?
At a discounted rate.
Thank god.
That actually reminds me, Beck told me that Jensen’s doing mini tattoos for the engagement party… Do I clear that with you or?
That’s not surprising. Does Jensen at least know about it?
Well I already talked to Jensen about it then scheduled the clearance meeting with the health dept then thought… Maybe I should loop you in.
So you talked to Beck, then Jensen, then the health dept, and when I texted you, you finally remembered me.
Your point?
Upstairs or downstairs for the tattoos?
Jensen requested downstairs. Also signed you up first.
Not happening.
Are you scared of needles, All-star? Or just a baby on the pain tolerance scale?
I don’t have to answer you.
Bold statement.
I want to see you.
Nice recovery.
Tuesday.
If I send you a fifteen plus minute voice memo complaining about a food vender, will you listen and not provide any feedback or attempts at reasoning or being helpful.
Adam
Is this a request or a test?
Request.
Send away, sweetness.
That’s going to be point number one on this rant now.
Wednesday.
Sitting at my desk, I rifle through a few applications to fill Jensen’s spot.
There are some easy no’s to spot right off the bat.
No experience is one thing—sometimes it is better to train someone from scratch—but no experience paired with a list of demands for no weekend shifts, no working the bar alone, and a request for a pay raise… Yeah, that’s a no.
My phone vibrates on my desk and Adam’s name appears on my screen. My smile comes immediately as I accept the call and put it on speaker.
“Hey, All-star. I have a question.”
“You know I called you, right? What if I had a question first?”
“Well, you gotta be quicker than that,” I quip, then immediately go into my question because I don’t waste time. “What is with the lack of knowing how to properly fill out a resume or application? I’ve got some with no contact information, and others who put their social media handle.”
Adam chuckles, then either the line drops or he hung up on me. A knock comes to my office door before I can try him back, and what do you know, the man walks right into my office.
“Can I fill out an application? See if it holds up to your standards.”
I’m up out of my seat immediately gravitating toward him. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
His hands land on my waist the moment I’m within his reach. “There was a group text with the team that started at a request from Dex and Lucie for a night out of the house. When I threw out Winedown as the location, your favorite bartender so graciously backed me up.”
“So, everyone’s here?” I’ve waited on them countless times. I’ve talked to all of them plenty, but suddenly my heart rate kicks up a bit.
“Yeah, but if you need to stay in here, I’ll ditch them and watch you work.”
“You force everyone here just to abandon so quickly?”
“Without fucking question.” Adam brushes some of my hair behind my ear. “But if you want to come out there with me, I’d like that, too.”
Nibbling on my lip, I eye him cautiously. “Have you told them about us or is this going to be some big deal to everyone?”
Adam chuckles. “They know about us, but you’ve met them. You’ll get subtlety from maybe four of them. The rest I have zero control over.”
“Yeah, that tracks.” Taking the slightest step back I take in everything there is to look at. Hell, from his height to the way he fills out not only his shirt but pants—I’ve wanted to admire him for days but we’ve both been busy. “I think I can call it a night.”
“Good.” Adam leans in, giving me a tender kiss. “You look really beautiful.”
“Thank you.” It’s been a day, so my hair made its way up to a ponytail, and while I do love this outfit—simple gray sweater with a black skirt—it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him it looks better in my closet.
My cheeks feel hot and while I’m hoping Adam takes that as a response to his compliment, I halfway want to know if he has this same desire to rip each other’s clothes off that I do.
But instead of swiping everything off my desk and throwing me on it, he takes my hand and we head out to the table where everyone else is sitting.
Jensen has this annoyingly big smile on her face. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Jensen will not be the chill one about this whole thing.
“Hi, Mia,” she all but sings.
Taking the empty seat next to her, I refrain from giving her the finger. “Hi, Jensen.”
Adam takes the other seat next to me, then pulls my chair closer to him. “You all know Mia. And we talked about this days ago, you know we’re seeing each other.”
Sitting across from me, Callie’s face practically lights up. I brace myself a bit for questions, but they don’t come.
Beck leans on the table. “So, hear me out, next game night we all go to that parkade game place that Adam took Mia.”
“Okay, but no roller rink,” Emma adds. “My dad would kill us all if someone gets hurt.”
“Agreed.” Callie tips her drink to Lucie. “Plus some of us have precious cargo.”
Dex wraps his arm around Lucie, kissing her temple. “Count us in, but we’re bringing Miles if we’re talking arcade.”
“Well, obviously,” Adam says. “Who else is going to point out anyone being a sad loser?”
The rant starts with Will calling out Adam for not playing Monopoly. Dex makes one comment about Will not being the worst “sad loser” at game nights, which leads to Beck getting his feelings hurt.
Tripp doubles down with how unfair their game nights are anyway, considering Beck and Jensen or Callie and Will usually win.
Adam leans closer and whispers, “He never wins because his attention is usually split.”
I bite back a laugh the best I can, but it gets called out nonetheless.
“What’s so funny?” Tripp asks in a teasing tone.
The temptation to point out the obvious is eating at me, but Adam’s arm comes around my shoulder. “Mia kicked my ass in the arcade. So, who knows? Maybe we’ll win this time.”
Everyone chirps in on the outcomes of a game night they haven’t even scheduled yet, but I tune them all out when Adam’s eyes meet mine.
“Regretting this yet?” he whispers.
“Not at all.” I shake my head, fighting the admission that I’ve never had a friend group like this and now I fear I can never leave it.
He plays with my ponytail. “Good, there’s going to be a lot of this.”
Beck leans on the table. “Okay, different topic, you all know the new rookie, Sam? Apparently he went to school with Jensen and her sister.”
“What? What are the odds of that?” Emma asks with a bit of a laugh.
Jensen shrugs. “I don’t know, there’s probably a six degrees of separation reasoning somewhere, but yeah, we all went to high school together. Stella was closer to him than I was, but she’s pretty stoked to come watch him this season.” She spins to me. “You have to come with us, too.”
“Ooo, yes,” Lucie cheers. “That’d be so fun. Emma’s getting me a jersey for games. Do you want one, Mia?”
I see the opportunity and I’m not missing it.
“I’d love one. Any player’s jersey is fine.”
I feel Adam’s hand tense as he fiddles with my ponytail. “The fuck it is,” he grumbles. “Mine only, or I’ll pull a Dex and come out in the stands.”
Callie nearly chokes on her drink, but once she gains her composure, her smile is huge. “Em, I’m going to need you to give her someone else’s so I can get photos of that. The pics of Dex and Lucie were so cute!”
Lucie nods. “Do it, I had them framed and everything.”
“Hey, you don’t have to convince me.” Emma holds her hands up.
Adam shakes his head. “Yeah, well, remember, whatever player you give her is going to get his ass kicked.”
Emma waves him off. “Perfect, I’ll give her Tripp’s.”
“Hey!” Tripp starts bickering with her, so I lean over to Adam.
“Think she’ll comfort him after?”
He chuckles. “You’re going to force them together, aren’t you?”
“I don’t meddle, All-star, I simply love the entertainment.”