“I’m being polite here, Callie. Maybe you should go shopping with Leighton after all.”
I prop my head in my palm. “You don’t want to pick them out for me?”
His eyebrows raise. “You’re breaking one of your rules already.”
“Ugh. Sorry.” This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
I get up off the bed and pack a few of my things. I hope this isn’t the colossal mistake that my gut is telling me it is. I have to keep thinking about the five guests and that I get to try to figure out exactly who Foster Davis is.
“So, do you want to play rock, paper, scissors for it?”
He sits on the edge of the bed. “For what?”
“Who tells my brother I’m your new roomie.”
I laugh as his shoulders fall. I guess he forgot about that part.
Chapter
Seventeen
Foster
* * *
My palms are sweaty as I walk onto our bus.
We’re on the road for the next ten days, and Callie will be completely moved in by the time I get back. We hired a moving company, and she told me numerous times that she has it handled, and I’m to stay out of it. That I have more important things to worry about.
Callie’s not wrong, but still, I don’t love the idea of her having to be in proximity to that Jerry guy without me there.
Now that I’m in the front of the bus and see Hayes laughing with Decker and Easton at the back, my throat closes up. I have to tell him that his sister is moving in with me.
Callie and I did play rock, paper, scissors, and I lost, but I would’ve done it anyway. I initiated this little bribery to get her to move in with me. Another thing I do not fully understand. Why do I need her to live with me? If it was only about safety, I could have found her a better space with a doorman and a security guard, but I’ve chosen to share my space with her. And it’s true that I want to get to know her better for the sake of us being co-parents, but we don’t have to live together to do that.
“Reap, you’re never gonna believe this story.” Hayes waves me to the back of the bus, sliding over to the window seat.
I nod to a few of the other players as I make my way down the aisle. The DICs who think they’re hot shit and make me wish I still batted just to play their little game with Hayes, Decker, and Easton on who can tag the most bases every month. It’s the infield versus the outfield, and it just so happens that their names are Drew, Ian, and Camden—hence the DICs. But it fits. At least it fits Drew.
Last month, Hayes made them go over to his house when the infield lost, and he cooked instead of paying the tab at the fancy restaurant they usually go to.
I slide into the seat next to Hayes and see Decker’s smile fall as if I’m a killjoy to his little party.
Good, you’re my killjoy too, brother.
As usual, whenever Decker and I are together, we’re like the elephant in the room. I hate it, but not much can change now. We’re way too far gone.
The bus pulls away from the curb, headed to the airport, and Hayes tells me the story. “Easton and Decker went to the Trojans game last night and someone embarrassed themselves in front of the new general manager.” Hayes laughs again, and Decker smacks Easton on the back.
Easton shrugs him off. “It was nothing.”
“He hit on her like she was a diamond girl.” Hayes laughs harder and leans forward, his feet coming off the floor. There must be more I’m missing.
“You didn’t recognize her?” I ask, unsure if I would have had she not entertained adding me to their roster last year before the Colts made a better offer while she was still debating because of my reputation. “She’s the enemy.”
“Yeah, it’s bad enough we have to share a city with the Trojans,” Hayes says.
“They’re just baseball players like us,” Decker chimes in with his “let’s all be friends” bullshit.
