“At Permian, I’ll be successful. It’s the best path for the life I want.”
A life of work, work, and more work.
Cade sighs. “If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
Happiness and success are the same thing to me. I guess in my own way, I am happy. Happy enough, at least.
“Plus,” he continues, “if you weren’t at Permian, who knows if we would be speaking right now. I’m glad I requested you as my agent.”
“Why is that?”
“Because now you can officially say you’ve met your favorite client.” He leans against the couch with a sly smile. “Me.”
I toss a blanket at his head. “You’re at the very bottom of the list.”
“Yeah yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Agent Shay.”
I’ve missed these moments. I lost a lot the day we ended things, but maybe it doesn’t have to be gone for good. Even if it’s not in the way I once wanted.
Who knows where we would be if things hadn’t ended. Maybe I’d be his girlfriendanda successful sports agent, but now we’re here. And I’m surrounded by constant reminders that there is no other future for us.
Not if I want to be the agent I’ve fought so hard to be.
Chapter Twenty
“Come on guys. Startshuttin’ up.”
The clubhouse goes silent at Rio’s command, but our excitement doesn’t wane. The Pilots are on a hot streak, racking up seven wins in a row. A slight curl is visible on even Rio’s perpetually downturned lips. His pleased expression is a good omen.
“You’re glowing, RiRi!” Morrison Davis, our second baseman, yells from behind me.
“Shut up, Davis.” Rio throws him a glare but still isn’t scowling. “I’m not big on speeches but tonight’s win against the Raiders deserves one. I’m sorely proud of the baseball you all played today. You guys might be big pains in my ass, but if you keep playing like that, we’ll bring home some hardware in October.” Tapping his temple twice, he surprises us with a full smile, lips split wide and showing off bright white teeth. “Clear skies. Fly high.”
The clubhouse explodes.
Hysterical howls fill the air.
There’s a nonstop vroom, mimicking airplanes as we hold our arms out like airplane wings.
Rio’s laugh bellows as he tries to act like he doesn’t love us.
“Okay, okay. Simmer down.” It takes too long to regain control, but when he does, Rio has reverted back to his normal self. “We leave for Texas tomorrow, so eat a hearty dinner and get some sleep. Be here at ten, and not a minute late.” His attention shifts away. “Before you head home, Huber is gonna say a few words.”
Everybody claps as Dawson makes his way to the front of the room. We don’t have a formal captain position, but if we did, it would be him. The man who embodies the spirit of the Pilots.
Dawson rubs a hand over his smooth head, cheeks still red from celebrating. “The last seven seasons here in Charlotte have been nothing short of a dream. Everyone keeps asking when I’m retiring, and I want to set the record straight. You guys know how hard it is being on the road constantly. The season is long, and those with kids know it isn’t easy to leave them behind.”
A blast of warm air tickles my ear. “He better not be doing what I think he’s doing,” Marcus whispers, and I hold my breath. Giving Dawson crap about retiring is fun, but he wouldn’t actually do it. Right?
“Me and Rosie have had a lot of long conversations about what is best, and I wanted you guys to hear it from me first.” He pauses for a moment before sticking his tongue out like a petulant child. “You losers aren’t getting rid of me yet, so stop listening to the rumors!”
“Jesus,” Otis, an outfielder, shouts. “You can’t play like that!”
“Yeah, not cool, asshole!” Marcus blubbers into my shirt.
Rio claps Dawson’s shoulder. “That’s not what he was supposed to say, but I’m glad we all have an answer. Now give them the real news.”
“Sorry, I had to. I’m tired of being called Grandpa.” The flush on Dawson’s cheeks rushes to the top of his head. “As we all know, the All-Star Game is in one week, and the full roster will be announced tonight. We’ve already got one Pilot heading to Atlanta.” Marcus shimmies beside me as our teammates cheer. He won the fan ballot for startingcatcher. “And I’m happy to say we have another Pilot headed to the game.”
