Gemma added her rubbish to his.
As he stood, Brett called out, “Timmy! Look!”
He spun around, saw Brett holding up a plastic bag from a hardware store, and winced. “No.”
Brett’s face fell. “You don’t even know what’s in here.”
“I don’t, but I have a good guess.” Tim deposited the trash into the closest bin and wiped his hands on his trousers. “My answer is no.”
“Come on, Timmy?.?.?. it would be an amazing way to engage the crowd and hype them up for the last part of the day.”
Gemma looked on in confusion.
“I’m not going to change my mind.” He crossed his arms.
“Not even for your girlfriend?” Brett nodded toward her. “I bet she’d love to see the Flaming Bat in the flesh.”
He rubbed his temples. “Look, Brett, even if I wanted to, I don’t have the gloves or the—”
The words died on his lips as his friend pulled a fire extinguisher and gloves from the bag.
“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”
Joe joined the group, coming to stand beside them with a goofy grin on his face. “Mike’s excited and so is the crowd. He just announced it to—”
“He said no,” Brett interrupted.
“Uh?.?.?.” Joe’s cheeks reddened as he looked from Tim to Brett.
“Please don’t tell me Mike announced it to the stadium,” Tim said.
“Okay, I won’t,” Joe said slowly.
Tim threw his head back and groaned.
Gemma could sense his frustration. “Tim, I think you should just do it. Itwouldbe brilliant for the fans to see,andif I’m being honest?.?.?.” She walked her fingers up his arm. “I would like to see the master at work.”
Tim took a deep breath. “There’s no way I can get out of this, is there?”
“No,” everyone said at the same time.
“Fine. I’ll do it, but if this goes sideways, it’s on you two.”
Joe and Brett high-fived one another.
Gemma rose up onto her toes and pecked him on the cheek. “I believe in you.”
* * *
“Hey, Sloth fans! Do we have a real treat for you! He’s best known for being the Sloths’ record holder for hitting the most home runs with his fiery bat, and today, he’s agreed to give a demonstration of how it’s done just for you all. Let’s welcome the man, the myth, the legend?.?.?. the one and only Flaming Bat himself?.?.?. Tiiiiiiiiiiiim Lyyyyyyyyyyyyyyons!”
The crowd roared so loudly that Gemma was tempted to poke her fingers inside of her eardrums. Standing near the visitors’ dugout, she looked on as Tim appeared at the lip of the home dugout. Giving a quick wave and tip of his cap to the crowd, he adjusted his gloves, then took a deep breath.
“Light her up,” he mouthed to Joe, who gleefully held a lighter to the bat.
Flames engulfed the wooden bat almost immediately as Tim approached home plate. Stepping into the batter’s box, he adjusted his stance and nodded to the player on the pitcher’s mound. The orange flame danced at the top of the bat.
As if it were occurring in slow motion, Gemma watched as Tim dug his feet into the ground and bent his knees. He lifted the flaming bat just above his head. Small drops of perspiration dripped down the side of his face. The larger muscles in his hands tensed, but his grip stayed soft.
