11. Do Be Chill
11
DO BE CHILL
Tanner
Facts are facts, like this one. The Comets’ ballpark is the unequivocal best. The Bronx diamond is the home of baseball legends. When I was younger and my dad took me to games here, I’d dream of hitting a homer just once at this park.
I’ve hit a few hundred now for this team.
I take one more swing in batting practice late in the afternoon, and I lob another ball, savoring the sight of it sailing over the fence, as well as the crack of the bat, the smell of the grass, and the sun on my shoulders.
Fine, a BP homer doesn’t matter, but they’re still fun to watch soar. Especially since my family is here today.
Which is good. Maybe extra good since my sister’s been on a matchmaking tear lately. Her efforts might help keep my mind off Naked Luke and on Buddy Luke when I see him tonight for that obligatory beer.
Since we agreed yesterday was an over-and-out, tonight at the brew pub will be a chance for us to return to the friend zone. Don’t want to put the moves on him again. I do want to show him I respect the rules of one-time friend hookups.
I head to the first base stands, drop the bat by the dugout, then trot over to say hi to my sister, Amelia, who’s alone for now. She’s always early. She leans over the stands, offering me a fist for bumping. “Do that in the game too, will ya?”
“I’ll try my best,” I say, bumping back, then I look around at the empty seats next to her, curious. “Where’s the hubs?”
“Left him home with the kiddos. Lucky me,” she says, brightly, clearly enjoying her kid-free time. “Mom and Dad should be here any second. Zach too. With his fiancée.”
“Can’t even tell you how happy I am that his bride-to-be likes the right sport,” I say, proud of my little bro for finding happiness with a baseball–loving gal.
“I know! And speaking of weddings,” she begins, her blue eyes twinkling with a familiar spark. “So, I have this lawyer friend who’s friends with Zach too. His name is Soren, and he’s coming to the wedding. He’s smart and handsome and went to a good law school.”
“Because that’s so important to me. Where someone went to law school,” I say dryly.
Leaning over the stands, she smacks my shoulder. “Seriously, Tanner. He’s sarcastic like you.”
“But how did he score on the LSAT?”
She stares sternly at me. “You’ll like him. Trust me. He wants to find a boyfriend,” she says softly, aiming for my squishy heart. Maybe hitting it. “I can introduce you to him at Zach’s wedding.”
I want to meet this guy. Honestly, I do. “Sure,” I say, but it comes out with less enthusiasm than it should.
Amelia doesn’t seem to notice though, or maybe she doesn’t care. “Great! Hey. Idea,” she says, like the diabolical creature she is. “What if I set you up on a date with him before the wedding? We’re both flying to California to meet with a client there. I can use those All-Star tickets you offered me.”
“Pretty sure the All-Star game is not a great place for me to go on a date. Since, you know, I’m playing in the game,” I point out.
Translation: I’m fucking working, Amelia.
She waves a hand airily. “I know that, of course.” Then she softens, giving me those big puppy-dog eyes. How she can go from bear to dog in one moment is her special skill. “I just meant, you know, maybe after. Back in New York. A drink. A coffee. Something easy, breezy.”
“Whatever you want,” I say. Hmm. Did that come out less than enthused too? Well, I’m not a fucking dating cheerleader.
“I want to find Mister Right for you,” she says, the picture of sisterly determination.
A week ago, I’d have liked the sound of it. Hell, I mostly like the sound of it now. But my brain is still lodged on images of strong muscles, golden skin, and tousled hair. When I should focus on guys who aren’t close to me. Luke is part of the inner circle. I want him to stay there.
I should focus on guys who want the same things I do. Like this Soren dude.
I force some cheer into my attitude. “Sounds good. Coffee after the All-Star break will be fine,” I say.
“Yay!”
“I should go join my team.” I nod toward the dugout, lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek, then spot my parents heading down the stairs to join her.
“Hey, kiddo,” my dad calls out.
“Hi, Twenty-One!” Mom chimes in.
I hold my arms out wide, like I’m relieved to catch a break from my sister. “Finally. Saved from the setup.”
“Is she going on again about the cute lawyer?” my mom asks with a laugh.
“I am. And Tanner will like him when they have coffee,” Amelia says with a defiant raise of her chin.
Maybe I will.
But for the next few hours, I’ll have to turn off thoughts of romance and sex. Especially the latter.
And especially the things I want to do to my friend after that drink.
Once my dad shares some hitting tips, since he always shares hitting tips, I head into the clubhouse and get ready to play ball.
On the field I don’t think. All I do is react. To a scorching line drive in the third, fielding it flawlessly then throwing to first.
To a fastball down the middle in the fifth, clubbing it to the left-field corner, and pulling up on second for a double.
Then, to an outside pitch in the seventh, laying off it and jogging to first to load the bases.
As the Miami Aces call for a pitching change, my attention strays to the first-base stands so I can give a quick wave to my family.
But when I raise my hand, I blink. I expected to see my agent Maddox here tonight, but he didn’t mention he had a special guest.
A rush of heat spreads down my chest when I set eyes on Luke. Even from a distance, the guy looks good.
Too good, in his Leopards T-shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts. A ball cap shields his face from the early evening sun, and he’s laughing at something Maddox is saying.
My pulse spikes. My neck goes hot. I tear my gaze back to the field. I don’t need to get turned on during a game—turned on by a guy I can’t have again.
When the game ends with a victory, I high-five Tucker Reyes, our veteran first baseman, then Ramon Sandoval, who mans the hot corner. I make my way to the first-base stands again to say hi to my family.
I chat with my brother and his fiancée for a few minutes then say goodbye to them. As they head up the steps, my dad yawns. “Nice work on the double, kid,” he says.
“Thanks again for the tickets,” Mom says, yawning too.
“Guess you’re not up for a late-night burger, Mama Sloan,” Amelia says to her.
Mom shakes her head and when my parents take off, my sister turns to me with expectant eyes. “But I’m up for it. Want to get a bite, Tan?”
Shit. Didn’t see that coming. Feels weird to say I’m seeing Luke for our publicity auction date . If I do volunteer that piece of information, Amelia will needle me, since that’s her thing. As I’m weighing imitating my parents with a case of the yawns, I spot Luke a few rows over, along with Maddox, heading toward me.
Which raises another question—how will Luke and I act in front of others post BJ exchange?
“Can’t. I have plans tonight,” I say vaguely, hoping my sister doesn’t pry any more. Don’t want to lie, after all.
“You do? With who?” Amelia presses right as Luke arrives with Maddox next to him.
Don’t stare salaciously.
Do be chill.
And answer your sister’s question casually like it’s no big deal.
But before I can say a word, Luke jumps in with, “Me. Can you believe I have to take him out and pose for a pic? Auction rules and all.” He sounds aggrieved, but that’s a relief. Luke’s leaning into the way we were, sliding right back to trash talk and friendship.
“Hey, you!” Amelia says to Luke, then hugs him too. “That was so cute that you bid on Tanner.”
Luke scratches his jaw casually. “No big thing. I didn’t want him to go home dateless. Would be bad luck for me if my buds couldn’t pull,” he says, keeping up the routine.
We are snapping right into place. This is what I wanted. Mostly. “Thanks for the pity bid,” I say.
“Yes, that’s quite a pity bid,” Maddox says, taking a deliberate beat. “Of one hundred thousand dollars.”
“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Luke says, then makes a show of winking at me as he stage whispers, “And feel free to pay me back whenever, Sloan.”
“You wish I were paying you back,” I toss back, determined, absolutely fucking determined, to show him how damn good I am at returning to the friend zone.
“I love payback,” Luke says with a naughty grin, and I freeze.
Or maybe I go up in flames as I get lost in yesterday once again. To our dirty words in my bed about payback. Then his final ones after he made me come hard: By the way, like my payback ?
He freezes too. With his eyes locked on mine, I spot the exact moment when he realizes what he just said. His expression shifts, and the cocky facade disappears. Heat flickers in his irises. His lips part the slightest bit, and he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
It’s hot under my uniform too.
“Yeah. You really do,” I say, making sure to strip the desire from my tone. Don’t want my sister or my agent to hear it as I swing at Luke’s pitch.
He gulps, then says, “I do. I really do.”
The echo of desire thrums through me, frying my brain, toying with my reason. I’m dying to keep this up. To drive him so wild he yanks me into a corner of the stadium and destroys my restraint with a scorching kiss.
But now’s not the time to flirt more.
I say goodnight to my sister, then shift my attention to Maddox, chatting briefly with my agent before I head off to hit the showers.
As I reach the dugout, a whirling dervish of man bun and microphones catches up to me, phone and podcast equipment in hand.
It’s Silas Simon, a sports talk host.
“Hey, Tanner. Nice game against the Aces. How do you feel going into the All-Star break?”
“Pretty good,” I say, then answer his standard post-game questions till he says, “One more question.”
“Sure.”
“How did your date with Luke Remington from the Leopards go? Is there anything more going on?” His gaze drifts knowingly to the stands. Luke and Maddox are heading up the steps at last. He tips his forehead toward them, then smiles like a sixth-grader who discovered two kids kissing on the playground. “I see he came to your game tonight…”
I groan privately. But smile professionally. Silas will have to try harder to draw that conclusion. Luke’s come to plenty of games before. “Pretty sure he likes baseball. Lots of people do. Have a good night, Silas.”
I head into the dugout at a leisurely pace. But once I’m inside, I shower at the speed of light, thinking about payback the entire time.
Yes, I respect the rules of one-time hookups, but I also can spot an opportunity when I see one.