Chapter 13
Alex
As expected, Tenny charms Mags throughout dinner.
He makes her laugh with random Waves anecdotes—like how his manager hums “Good Vibrations” while waxing his mustache before every game.
Tenny gossips about his newest teammate, Shane, and how the rest of the team has bets on when he’ll finally stop being such a grouch.
Then he tells us stories of Randy, his middle school coach whom we met earlier, and falling in love with baseball as a teen.
While Tenny has his guard down, I should use this opportunity to dig for information. My producer has generally been happy with my reporting so far, but he’s still hounding me to get something real.
“I want something other shows don’t have. I want grit.”
The thing is, I’d been on board with revealing Tenny’s seedy underbelly when I thought he’d been a careless womanizer, but I’m beginning to think maybe the media had it wrong.
Either that or I’m being thoroughly duped.
He mentioned Georgia doing theater; maybe he picked up a thing or two about deception from his sister’s various roles.
“You said Georgia is an actress?” I ask as casually as I can.
The way Tenny’s face lights up makes my heart pinch. This man is so utterly wholesome.
Or…at least, he appears to be.
“Yes. She performs at The Foundry Stage in Charleston.”
Mags’s brow crinkles. “I thought she was a banker.”
Tenny laughs, and it’s like slipping into a warm bubble bath.
“She’s both. Community theater doesn’t really pay the bills and…
” He pauses, meeting my gaze. “We didn’t have a lot growing up.
Georgia and I both worked as kids to help my mom out with the finances.
Because of that, we tend to hold on to practical jobs.
During college, I worked as a custodian in the off-season.
I’d clean all the labs in the science building before class and lecture halls on weekends. ”
My ribs feel folded inside out, hearing about his past. I have the sudden urge to hold Tenny’s hand.
Instead, my snarky mouth quips, “It’s odd that you used to clean professionally, yet your house is such a mess.”
The look Tenny gives me is like pure sunshine. He’s almost relieved—overjoyed, even—that I’m not pitying him after what he shared. Though, I’m not sure why anyone would. There’s no shame in an honest job done well.
“I never did figure out how to take work home with me,” he says through a chuckle. “Georgia started as a bank teller right after high school. She’s worked her way up to personal banker, but her real passion is the stage.”
“And your younger sister?” Mags asks.
“You mean the sheltered stinker who lounges around my oceanfront home, taking videos all day?” The affection in his eyes when he talks about Arizona is the sweetest thing. “She’s working on a marketing degree. She says that, by the time she graduates, she’ll finally get me some real notoriety.”
Mags laughs, mouth so wide her fillings glint in the comforting lamplight. “Your parents must be so proud of all of you.”
The innocent comment breaks the spell. I’ve seen Tenny comment about his mother in passing in other interviews, but he’s never once mentioned his father.
Tenny glances at his empty plate a beat before standing. “Let me get you ladies some more water. It’s so dry here. I’m always thirsty.”
I rub at my arms, suddenly chilly. I’ve never noticed how much Tenny’s natural joy makes me feel cozy and safe. When he shuts down like that, it’s like getting caught in a hailstorm.
“Did I say the wrong thing?” Mags whispers, leaning close.
My eyes trace the hunch of Tenny’s shoulders as he braces his hands against the edge of the sink, waiting for the water pitcher to refill.
I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the impulse to run my palm over the defeated curve of his spine and pull him into a hug.
The man with endless energy suddenly looks seconds from collapsing.
“No. I’m sure he’s just tired after a long day.” I stand, stacking all the plates. “Why don’t we get going?”
My grandmother nods, accepting my help up before collecting used silverware. The metal tinks softly against the rings crowding her knobby fingers.
Just like earlier, Tenny jumps into action. “You don’t have to do that.”
He steals the plates from my arms before snatching the silverware. After quickly setting both beside the still-flowing sink, he spins. “You two should relax and—”
Tenny’s words halt in his throat when I slip my arms around his neck. The shocked look on his face should make me laugh, but I’m too focused on quelling the anxious energy vibrating off him. It feels too reactionary, like he’s trying to cover up something far more important.
“You cooked. Let me clean. It’s only fair.”
When I slide my fingers into his hair, Tenny bows forward helplessly, his hands bracing my lower back. His forehead hovers a millimeter above mine, his thick lashes fluttering closed, as something enigmatic weaves through my chest.
“Okay.” He takes a deep breath before lifting his face. “I need to check on your car anyway.”
Shoot. I’d forgotten about that.
“It can wait until tomorrow, and we’ll take an Uber back to the hotel.” Unconsciously, my thumb shifts forward to gently brush the corner of his jaw. “You look exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
He doesn’t look fine. He looks like those puppies I must have kicked in a past life. For the first time, I want to know why—not so I can use it in a story, but just…because.
“You two are so cute together.”
In unison, we glance at Mags. She beams back at us, one hand turning off the overflowing water.
I’m not sure about Tenny, but this is the second time tonight that I’d forgotten her presence. I keep getting sucked into Tenny’s magnetic vortex and losing my ever-loving mind.
I let go of him. “Go relax. We’ll clean up, and then I’m ordering a car to take us home.”
“But—”
“No buts. You clearly need to rest.”
Tenny grumbles as Mags pushes him toward the couch. “I’m going to rest all day tomorrow. I’m not even playing for the next two days.”
“Good,” I tell him, placing plates in the compact dishwasher. “I won’t have to deal with your smug face during interviews.”
“Interviewing me is the highlight of your day. Don’t pretend it isn’t.”
I smile to myself. There he is.
“Whatever delusion makes you feel better, pookiebear.”
“All my best delusions have you in them, lovebug.” Tenny grins at me from over the couch, dimple prominent.
I growl, but it’s all for show.
And I think even Tenny knows it.
The next morning, after getting Mags settled in the small office Daphne and I routinely use, I head to the parking lot to find my car. Tenny texted me, letting me know it was ready and that Brianna, the clubhouse manager, had my keys.
The laugh bursting from my mouth as I look through my car’s windshield has its own life force. It takes me several rounds of cackling guffaws to finally calm down. My abs ache as I try to subside the errant giggles that keep spilling free.
One thought spikes through my brain like a lightning bolt. When was the last time I laughed like this? It feels like bright beaming energy is coursing through my veins.
Without thinking, I call Tenny.
“Hey,” he answers, sounding winded.
In the background, I hear the clank of barbells and the whir of treadmill belts.
“Why is there a giant stuffed capybara in my passenger seat?”
“Because”—he pauses with a puff of breath, like he’s moving something heavy—“it’s your favorite animal.”
It’s impossible not to smile like a lunatic. I should be annoyed that there’s a ginormous stuffed animal that I’ll have to wrangle into the backseat to make space for my grandmother, but the reason it’s here tugs at my heartstrings.
Last night, I’d overheard Mags telling Tenny the story of seven-year-old me spending every free moment I had outside the capybara enclosure at the San Diego Zoo.
That is, until a friend of mine said I stank like a rat.
Mags whispered to Tenny that after being shunned for my overt enthusiasm toward my favorite furry creature, I scaled back on zoo visits but never stopped loving them.
“Why is it wearing a Waves jersey?”
Tenny chuckles, and my grin widens. “That’s a silly question. She’s clearly a fan.”
“And the necklace?” The adorable capybara is also sporting an oversized glitter necklace that almost looks like something Wilma Flintstone would wear.
“She likes a little sparkle, just like you.”
I stifle a laugh, glancing at my glittery Vans. “Tenny, this is too much.”
The sound of metal hitting metal is so loud it makes me wince.
“Oh, I— I’ll take care of it. I just need a minute to get out of workouts.” Tenny’s low, rushed words make my heart contort.
“No. I didn’t mean—” I stammer, my pulse jumping into my throat. “You can’t have her back. I love her.”
“You do?”
I bite my smiling lip. “I really do.”
Tenny’s shaky exhale sails across the line.
My head tilts, considering. “I don’t know how I’m going to get her across the country…”
“I’ll shepherd her home,” Tenny tells me, his natural exuberance resurfacing. “She can ride on the team jet. I’ll video call once we’ve boarded so you’ll know she’s safe. I’ll even buckle her up and everything.”
The thing is, I can imagine it. I can imagine Tenny, with his mega-watt smile, carrying the ginormous stuffed animal up the airstairs. He’ll probably tell the flight attendants the whole origin story before taking great care in securing a luxury seatbelt around my newfound stuffed animal.
The laugh I’d been restraining finally tumbles free, and this time, I don’t fight it.
After all the days of uncertainty, followed by grizzled determination to make a full recovery, I deserve a little levity. After doggedly completing my degree and working my tail off for this position, I’ve earned a quick break staring into the beady plastic eyes of my favorite animal.
Tenny mutters something, but I don’t quite catch it.
“What?” I ask after an indelicate snort.
“Nothing.”
I’m too giddy to press him on it.
After hanging up, I don’t do the mature thing and return to the office to start my daily meeting with Daphne.
Instead, I fling open the passenger door and give my new friend the squeeze of a lifetime.
Who cares if I’m a grown, twenty-six-year-old woman hugging a huge stuffed rodent? This sweet gal deserves a little love.
With the car door open, I snap a picture and text it to my sister. She immediately replies with a half dozen heart-eyed emojis before video calling me. Amelia looks like she’s sandwiched between two overflowing bookcases.
“Where are you?”
“In the archive abyss, pulling records from the nineties. The upside is, because I’m buried in here, I’ve got a second to chat.”
I launch into the backstory of my snuggly friend while strolling toward the ballpark. It’s only after I’ve hung up and I’m smiling at the picture I sent Amelia that Tenny’s murmured words click into my consciousness.
My head shakes, dismissing the thought, before I show security my press badge.
But as I climb the concrete stairs, Tenny’s husky, “I love your laugh,” is the only thing filling my mind.