“I don’t know, but I’m not complaining.”
We climbed into my truck and headed toward Jase’s apartment. His roommate had already been sent down to the minors and moved to Virginia, so he had the place to himself. That made staying with him easier, and since our schedules aligned, we drove to our training facilities together.
“Okay, you’re not going to believe this.” Jase shifted to face me.
“What?”
“Boston’s playing the Crushers on Opening Day.”
I glanced at him. “Seriously?” I hadn’t checked the schedule; I had been too caught up in the moment.
He smiled. “Seriously. So, who are we calling first? Faye?”
“I don’t know. I’d rather not be driving as we tell her the good news, so I can see her face.”
He nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s call our dads first, then make our way through the family.”
Chase answered on the second ring. “Hey, Son. How’s it going?”
“Not bad.” Jase tried to keep his voice even, but he didn’t do a very good job of it.
“Why do you sound weird?”
“Because we’re both going to the big show!” he shouted into the phone.
After a beat of silence, Chase yelled, “Gage, get your ass in here!”
“What’s up?” Dad asked in the background, though it sounded as if Chase had put the call on speakerphone.
“It seems our boys have some news.”
“We made the Opening Day roster,” I explained, still finding it hard to believe.
“That’s amazing. Congratulations,” Dad said. “You two absolutely deserve this opportunity.”
“We’re so proud of both of you.” I was pretty sure I heard Chase’s voice crack, though he tried to cover it by switching into dad-mode. “Remember, the hard work doesn’t end here. You gotta keep your heads down and stay healthy.”
“Yes, coach.” Jase chuckled.
The conversation shifted to schedules, travel, and how my dad would try to come to as many games as possible since we’d be on opposite sides of the country. Chase would have to wait until we were playing the Seawolves.
After we finished talking with the rest of the family, we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces.
As soon as we walked into Jase’s place, he pulled out his phone and video-called Faye.
When she answered, she eyed us suspiciously. “Why do you both have those goofy-ass grins on your faces?”
“We got called up!” Jase announced. “We’re playing in the majors!”
Her mouth fell open. “Both of you?”
“Yep,” I confirmed.
She let out a squeal. “Oh my God. I’m so happy for you guys.”
“And the best part?—”
She cut Jase off. “There’s something even better?”
