I caught Kent behind the dugout as my eyes flicked to the field, giving me a boisterous thumbs-up. I was tempted to ask if he even noticed the tension on the mound right now. I still wasn’t sure whether he cared about winning or the show.
Ignoring him, I nodded at the umpire and called a time-out before jogging to the mound.
“I know, I know,” Adrian said, closing his eyes as he nodded at me.
“Hey, you pitched a great game.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I stepped closer. “No sense in tiring out your arm when relief is ready to come in. A win is more important than a complete game.”
It was funny how, in all my years in baseball, not that much had changed from when I’d played as a kid. Adrian was only in his mid-twenties, but even the most seasoned players needed a little guidance and a push once in a while.
Some of them needed a kick in the ass too, but I’d deal with one issue at a time.
He let out a frustrated breath as he lifted his hat and raked a hand through his sweaty hair.
“You’re right. Shawn can close this up.”
“He can.” I smiled and stepped closer. “And you can enjoy the win and a great start to the season.”
He nodded, shooting me a tired smile.
“All right, Coach.”
Yeah, I could do this fucking job.
Shawn shut down the next two batters, and the Bats had their first win of the season. I knew better than to get cocky, but I’d take it as a possible good sign.
Kent was waiting for me inside, along with Gayle, beaming as I stepped closer.
“Awesome first game,” Kent said, extending his hand. “I knew you’d be great.”
“They worked hard, and it’s the first game. I’m glad we won, but we still have a season to play.”
“And so humble,” Gayle said, sneaking me a smile from where she stood next to Kent. “Rachel’s article posted this morning, and it already has a ton of views.”
“That was a great article,” Kent agreed as something caught his attention over Gayle’s shoulder.
I followed his gaze to Rachel, smiling when her eyes met mine.
“It’s easy to write something great when you have so much material. Congrats on your first win, Coach.”
I held back a laugh when I noticed Rachel wearing an open Bats jersey over her shirt.
“Nice shirt,” I said, fighting the urge to rake my gaze up and down her body.
“I wanted to support a team that plays in my home borough, and my sister will get a thrill when I bring it home. I told the girl at one of the vendor stands to grab me one before I came back down here to meet up with Gayle.” I spotted Nate’s name and number on her back as she turned around.
My smile shrank as I held in a growl, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t the issues he’d been giving me. Rachel wearing any man’s name and number triggered a lousy, sour feeling that felt a lot like jealousy.
I could add that to the list of things Rachel brought out in me that made no sense.
“Kent and I have to talk a little strategy,” Gayle said to Rachel. “I’ll let you know where we want to go from here, and it’s good that you were here today to soak up all the good opening-day vibes for what’s coming next.”
I looked away, afraid I’d laugh at Kent’s and Gayle’s identical widened eyes.
“Yes, I got all the vibes,” Rachel said, tapping her temple. “I’ll head back home and start on my other work until you let me know.”
“Great, and congratulations again, Silas.” Gayle squeezed my arm and shifted to leave with Kent.
“So, how does it feel?” Rachel asked me when Kent and Gayle were out of earshot. “Your first win as a manager.”
