Page 48 of The Sweet Spot

Seemingly aware of the tension, JB’s demeanor changes.

“Hey, Max. You ready for tomorrow?” he asks, diverting attention away from Sienna.

Max takes a sip of his beer and nods. “I am, but I'm not playing until Wednesday.”

“Good point.”

Without warning, I feel JB's hand slide over mine, and I let him take it, holding back a smile. His fingers interlock with mine just as his thumb starts to move in a slow, small circle on the back of my hand, and my heart flutters.

“Do you still have to travel with them even though you aren't in the rotation for that series?” Jess asks.

“Yup. You never know if the starting lineup might change,” Max answers.

“Wait, so you have to sit in the dugout for four hours and do nothing?” She falls back onto her chair and blows out a breath. “That's brutal.”

Max shrugs, and for a split second his eyes go back to Sienna. “The dugout’s not that bad. I study the players, their stances, their reactions to pitches, and I think about what I would be doing if I were on the mound. It’s my job.”

“Where are you guys off to this week?”

“Mhm. We’re heading to Cincy tomorrow. After that, we’ve got New York, then Seattle. Later in the month it’s Houston, Denver, and Phoenix.”

“Sounds familiar,” I say.

Because of the tour, I’m only here for another two weeks. Wyndham is our next stop. Then I’m in Tennessee the week after. Missouri after that, then Oregon... Our schedules don’t intersect at all, and before this morning, I would’ve been okay with that.

Now, as JB’s thumb strokes my palm, I’m not so sure.

Whatever is going on between us has no chance of lasting past this weekend, and that thought... well, it's not something I want to think about because for the first time in my life, I want something I don’t think I can control.

I pull my hand away gently, folding my napkin as an excuse as I try to gain some composure.

“You okay?” JB asks quietly.

I give him a small smile because that’s all I can muster at the moment.

As the music starts, players, managers, and guests start to fill the dance floor, but I don’t move.

Max holds his hand out to Jess. “Wanna dance, partner?” he asks.

Jess looks between him and Sienna, who’s currently pretending she’s busy looking at something on her phone.

“Nah,” Jess says before holding her hand out to Austin. “I’d rather dance with the rookie instead.”

Austin nearly falls out of his chair in surprise. “Me?” His eyes dart around the room as he points a thumb at himself.

“Yeah, you.” Jess gets up and makes her way around the table. As Austin stands, she threads her hand through his arm and leads him to the dance floor. “Now, if I wanted to get a shelf like yours, what kind of squat routine am I looking at?”

Once they are out of earshot, Max elbows Sienna and offers her a sly smile. “Wanna dance, Specs?”

Specs?

When did he give her that nickname?

It takes her a second to respond, but she accepts his hand nonetheless, and they head off onto the dance floor too.

That just leaves JB and me.

“Dance with me,” he says, pushing his chair back and holding his hand out with an exaggerated, almost comical bow.