“Strike him out for me tonight, will you?” Brayden asked.
“No, but I’ll strike him out for me.”
“I really don’t like you,” Brayden blurted. Then he laughed, carefully. There was no reason to repeat the shooting pain.
Gunner joined him. “The feeling is mutual.”
Brayden slapped Gunner on the back. “Keep working on that zing. It’s money in the bank for you. I’m going to talk to Doc.”
Gunner nodded. That stupid crease was back on his forehead. If he offered to walk Brayden in like some invalid, Brayden was going to have to punch him in the face. Either Gunner was smarter than Brayden gave him credit for or he just didn’t care, because he and Newton headed back to their positions.
Brayden made his way into Doc’s office and settled in for an exam. Once he’d been looked over, X-rayed, and prodded, Doc assured him that what he had experienced was considered normal and he could expect it to happen again, though over time, the severity and frequency would decrease. His body was learning how to handle the rods in his neck. There were electrical pulses that ran through the spine, sending messages. He’d had a message go awry.
That was an understatement. He should have told Tilly not to go out with the guy known as a “sweetheart” because she was busy for the rest of their lives. He felt like throwing her over his shoulder and hauling off to a secluded rock somewhere so he could kiss her until her knees were jelly. But what he felt like doing and what he should do were two different things. In the end, his concern for her happiness won out and he backed down.
It truly sucked being the good guy.
As he was leaving Doc’s, Coach Andres waved for him to come talk to him at the other end of the hallway by the locker room. “I have a favor to ask.”
Something inside of Brayden blossomed with hope. “Anything.”
“My daughter is pregnant, and the pregnancy is … delicate. I want to be here in case something happens. Coach Warner will take my place in the bullpen, but I need someone with him. You know the guys as well as I do—maybe better, because you’ve been with them off the field too. Can you go to Atlanta with the team?”
Not only was this an excellent opportunity for his career; it would give him some space from Tilly. After their nearly friendly conversation this morning, he could use some space. “Yes.”
“You’d better get packed.”
“Yeah.” Brayden scowled. He usually liked road trips. It was time with just the guys. They hung out together, played video games in the hotel. Chilled. He could use some chill, because every time he thought about Tilly and Rowdy, he got hot under the collar.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tilly
The Redrocks won the game and spirits around the park were high. Tilly had enjoyed the night game under the lights as she cared for the crowd behind home plate. They didn’t need sunscreen tonight, but the air was warm enough for bare shoulders—from the women. Thankfully she didn’t have to see any guys with their shirts off and their shoulder hair on display. She shuddered, thinking of the guy who had asked her to rub lotion on him. Ew! At least she’d had a story to tell Clover and Elise when they’d met for lunch the next day. No matter how things ended up with her and Brayden, she would always be friends with those two.
After clocking out, Tilly made her way back into the stadium to meet Rowdy. There were a few fans in the seats, chatting. The atmosphere was fun, and she could see how people would linger.
The janitorial staff was out in force with large black garbage bags and grabbers. They wore gloves but rarely had to pick anything up with their hands. She smiled at an older gentleman hauling filled bags up to the trailer hooked to a sport-utility vehicle with the Redrocks logo on the side. Her stomach was empty and growled at her. She hadn’t been able to eat anything before the game thanks to her conversation with Brayden. Hopefully she’d be able to put on a passable show for Rowdy. If she could get a few bites down, she’d feel much better.
She was waiting for her date—which still felt weird to think about—when Gunner jogged out of the dugout and made a beeline for her. She smiled easily. At least if he asked her out tonight, she’d have an excuse to say no.
“Hey.” He sidled up to the cement divider. On the visitor side, there wasn’t a net, so they didn’t have anything between them. He had showered, his hair still dripping onto his shoulders.
“Hi.”
He glanced behind him. “I need to warn you about Rowdy.”
“Warn me?” She too glanced behind him. Having Rowdy show up in the middle of this conversation would be awkward at best. But it wasn’t Rowdy she was looking for; it was Brayden. “Did Brayden put you up to this?”
“What?” His attempt at innocence was pathetic.
She folded her arms. “Listen. If Brayden has an issue with me going out with another guy, then he should tell me himself.”
Gunner’s eyebrows swooped down. “I’m not his messenger boy.”
That rang true to her ears. “Sorry. I’m a little … I don’t know what I am.” She waved off her comments.
He considered her for a moment as if he knew exactly what she was. He could tell her. It would be nice if someone clarified things. “Here’s the deal. I knew this guy in the minors. He was a huge flirt, a girl-in-every-town kind of guy.”
