“No way,” Jase echoed.
“Good. Enjoy the rest of your time off, but be ready to work next month. I’ll email over all the details.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up.
For a moment, we just stared at each other in stunned silence, but then I couldn’t hold back. I grabbed Jase and yanked him into a hug, slapping his back hard. “We’re going to spring training with the big-league squad, baby!”
He laughed and crushed me in a hug right back. “Fuck yes, we are.”
We hopped around for a second like a couple of kids.
“This is wild,” I mused, pulling back slightly but still holding his shoulders. “Non-roster invites. Both of us?”
“It doesn’t even feel real. Like Marcos is going to call back and say they invited the wrong guys.”
“Don’t even joke like that,” I shot back.
As the adrenaline rush ebbed a little, another thought slid in.
“Do you think it’s weird that both organizations called on the same day?”
He cocked his head. “Now that you mention it. Wait, you don’t think?—”
“That your dad talked to someone?” I finished for him.
Jase’s lips curved. “Yeah. That.”
“You calling him or am I?” I asked.
“I got it.” He grabbed his phone off the counter and put it on speakerphone.
Chase picked up after two rings. “Hi, Son. How’s the Caribbean?”
“Hey. It’s been good. The weather is definitely better than Portland’s.” He paused for a second. “Dylan’s here with me, and we just got a call from Marcos.”
“Oh really?” It sounded like a question, but it was impossible to miss the chuckle in his voice.
Jase gave me a look as though he didn’t believe his dad’s innocent act either. “Did you have something to do with me and Dylan getting non-roster invites?”
Chase let out a sigh. “I may have mentioned to a couple of people that they’d be silly not to take a closer look at you two.”
Jase snorted. “Unbelievable.”
“But to be clear, I didn’t get you anything more than a second look. The teams invited you because you’ve impressed them, so congratulations,” Chase added.
“We appreciate you having our backs,” I interjected. “I can promise we won’t take this opportunity for granted.”
“I’m happy for both of you,” I heard my dad call out from the background.
“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”
“We can celebrate in a couple days when you guys are back in Portland,” Chase suggested.
“Sounds good,” Jase replied.
We said our goodbyes and ended the call.
I let out a breath. Chase talking to his connections wasn’t a handout. It was a door cracked open, and we were still going to have to prove ourselves.
