She’s helping me reposition my arm into a glittery pink sling that goes with the new dress she insisted one of her costume designers make for me when the truth came out about how I injured my arm four days ago.
I didn’t think a dress could be made that quickly.
Apparently anything is possible when you have enough money.
“Does this hurt?” she asks as she finishes tying the sling.
“Not at all.”
“Good. No one’s even going to notice you’re in it.”
“If they don’t look at me.”
She smiles. “They’ll all be looking at you.”
“Hooray.”
My sarcasm earns me a laugh from the shorter woman. “You just wait. You’re going to bring in more money than anyone else tonight.”
Baseball’s All-Star break started today, so those of us from the Fireballs who aren’t playing or coaching in the big game are still home here in Copper Valley for the city’s annual athlete charity auction to support local youth sports teams.
All of the local professional teams have players and coaches offering experiences. I’ve managed to avoid this for the past five seasons, but not this year. This year, I was selected as the Fireballs’ coaching staff representative.
“Yes, I’m sure an afternoon of playingCroaking Creaturesat a teahouse will bring in the big bucks,” I mutter.
I was supposed to offer an afternoon of axe throwing.
Guess what’s not happening now?
“You’ll be shocked at how much you go for,” Waverly says.
“Donotbid on me.”
“I won’t have to. The minute you walk onto the stage, half the men in the room won’t be able to keep their paddles on the table.”
“Is that a euphemism?” Cooper yells from the next room.
“It wasn’t, but it could be, couldn’t it?” she calls back. “We’re dressed. You can come in now.”
Cooper sticks his head through the doorway, dressed up in a black tux. He looks at Waverly and smiles that dopey smile that he’s had ever since she gave him a second chance during my second season with the team. The season that Duncan happened. The first season the Fireballs went all the way and won the whole damn World Series.
“You’re wearing my favorite dress.”
She smiles back at him. “This is new. It can’t be your favorite.”
“It’s my new favorite. And you should definitely not leave this room without double the security agents. Actually, you shouldn’t leave at all. You should stay right here, with?—”
“Please don’t finish that,” I interrupt.
Cooper swings his gaze to me like he forgot I was here.
Which he probably did.
And then the asshole whistles. “Coach Addie, looking good tonight.”
Since he’s not one of my players anymore, I flip him off. Even my bad arm is still good for that.
Then I cringe. “Sorry, boss.” It’s not so much that I keep forgetting that Waverly talked the team’s owners into selling her a ten-percent stake in the club for Cooper as it is that it’s weird for him to have gone from player to part-owner in a matter of months.
