Rounding the Bases by Jaqueline Snowe

Chapter Fourteen

Brigham

Try harder.

On the field, it was easy. Practice fundamentals, watch tapes and figure out how to play better. Trying harder was what I did every day. But my image? Showing Los Soles that I wasn’t a piece of shit who used drugs and bribed cops? There wasn’t really a playbook for how to do that. Gideon and Bummy sat at my island, their wives Fiona and Michelle next to them, and we tried to brainstorm different solutions. So far, we had shit.

“You could donate a ton of money to a charity?” Michelle said, frowning and giving me a worried look. “Fiona’s charity could use the money.”

“Right, but anything like that would look staged,” Gideon said, shaking his head. “When they made me coach that baseball team…that could work.”

“Dude, it’s the season. He can’t coach. Plus, it’s hot as shit outside,” Bummy said, moving to stand behind Michelle and place an arm around her. “But I like the idea of kids. Could you volunteer at a baseball complex for a day? A weekend?”

“Oh, great idea.” Fiona clapped her hands and hopped up onto the counter so her feet dangled. “I like where this is going. What else has the aw factor?”

“Aw factor?” I asked, tapping my pen against my Post-It note with two ideas.

“Yeah, like kissing babies, volunteering with kids.”

“Puppies,” Gideon said, shrugging. “Puppies are always a good move.”

Blue.My heartrate sped up thinking about her and my body flushed. It made no sense how someone as innocent and small as her could work herself into my mind at all hours of the day. But I didn’t question it. Spending time with her was becoming my favorite thing. Michelle gave me a weird look. “What?”

“Why are you smiling like that?” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re hiding something.”

“Uh, no I’m not.” I covered my mouth with my hand, fighting the urge to laugh. “I just like the idea of puppies.”

“Isn’t that blue-haired chick working with dogs or something?” Bummy asked, and the women’s eyes swirled with a million questions.

“Thanks for that, Bummy.” I held up my hands when Fiona pointed at me. “My blue-haired chick is my temporary neighbor. She pet-sits and is hoping to open up her own boarding business.”

“He brought her as a date,” Gideon said, the traitorous bastard. “We questioned her and were assholes and she held up.”

“A date? Brigham! You can’t just keep this secret. This is news. Big news!” Fiona practically shouted. “Is this the girl you’ve been photographed with?”

“Yes. And your screaming is why I didn’t tell you. You and Michelle are gossiping maniacs.” I crumpled up the note and tossed it at her. “We’re hanging out.”

Liar. It’s more.

“Ohhhh,” Michelle mocked, wiggling her brows. “Can we meet her?”

“Absolutely not.”

They frowned just as someone knocked on my door. It was noon on a Wednesday and my stomach dropped. Sarah. We had plans to hang out later, since there wasn’t a game today, but having her walk in with all of my friends would be a lot. Almost too much. “You gonna get that?” Michelle asked, eyeing the door.

“Uh, probably delivery.”

Gideon shook his head and checked the hole, looking back at us with a shit-eating grin. “Speaking of,” he said.

My gut tightened when he opened it and Sarah stood there with a tray of cookies. She wore a tiny bright red dress with skinny straps and had her hair in one long braid on the side. My chest got a light fluttery feeling seeing her here, with my friends, looking so damn cute. Her blue eyes took in the room before she saw me.

“Oh, hello. I did not bring enough cookies for everyone, so you monster men will have to share.” She walked in, set the plate on the counter and walked out. “Sorry to bother you, Brigham. I wanted to drop those off before I brought more for Fernie. I’ll see you later?” she asked, a slight blush to her cheeks.

“You’re leaving?” Gideon asked, still holding the door open. “Come join us. We’re brainstorming ways to help Brigham get his life together.”

“Oh, that’s… I don’t want to be a bother.” She bit her lip and twisted her hands around her middle, and I felt like an asshole.

“Blue,” I said, finally getting the nerve to speak. “You are never a bother.”

She smiled for a second before shrugging and coming in. “If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” I moved from my spot behind the island and walked over to her. She blinked a lot, but when I slid an arm around her waist, she leaned into me. “You’ve met those two, but these two ladies are Fiona and Michelle.”

“Hi! I’m Sarah Blue.” She held out her hand like a dork and the girls shook it, both smiling and giving me warm looks. “What do you have so far?”

“Kids, donations or puppies,” Bummy said. “We need him to not look like a shitshow.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, hesitant on letting her see that part of my life. My reasons for keeping her separate were fading, because I wanted her to know everything—but that meant more of a chance for her to rightfully walk away. I was a mess.

Blue frowned and studied the list on the counter. “We could host an adoptathon.”

“Uh, what?”

“Yeah. We both could benefit from it. See, I need to get word out about the business, and you could sponsor the adoptathon. We work with a local animal shelter to get radios and news and big sports ballers there to help adopt rescues.” She pointed at Bummy and Gideon. “You guys are big and famous, right?”

Fiona snorted. “Oh my god, I love you.”

Blue blushed but kept focused. “You are. I know it. So you guys can be there, too. You know I hate to use your famous-ness to help, but if you are needing something to show you aren’t a drug-using monster—which you’re not—what do you think?”

“Fuck. That’s a great ass idea,” Bummy said, sharing a look with Michelle that I knew meant they would have a million questions about Sarah. “I’m in.”

“Me too,” everyone else said before turning to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked, waiting until Sarah looked at me, so I could see her eyes. They were expressive and I would know if there were any reservations. There weren’t. I reached down and intertwined our fingers. My friends couldn’t see the gesture and it comforted me when she squeezed my hand back.

“Uh, for sure. This is a huge win for me just starting out.” She smiled and took a deep breath. “Wow, we have work to do. When would be a good date?”

“Our homestand ends in a week before we go on another road trip.” Gideon leaned on the counter and scrolled through his phone. “Then we have another long homestand. That could work.”

“What does homestand mean?”

Michelle’s face somehow got an even more gooey expression, and I avoided her stare. I squeezed Sarah’s hand again. “It’s when we have games here in Phoenix for a week or two. Road trip is when we play other teams out of state.”

“How many, uh, games do you play?”

“Three to four per team.”

“Huh.” She shrugged and went back into business mode. Fiona caught my eye and mouthed oh my god oh my god, and I had to agree. Sarah was special. There was no doubt about it.

“Third week in August,” Gideon said, clarifying when our next homestand was.

“So, six weeks away? Hopefully I can find a shelter that would be up for it,” she said, pulling out her phone and typing away. “I’m taking notes.”

“Wait, can I ask a question?” Fiona said, causing Sarah to look up at her. “Do you really not watch baseball? I’m just… I don’t think you’re lying, but this is fascinating.”

Sarah’s ears turned red. “I don’t. Sports are not my thing. I think I’ve seen some Olympics? Maybe golf twice? I prefer reality TV or crime shows.”

“You’ve never been to a baseball game?”

Sarah furrowed her forehead, tilting her head to the side. “Nope. Maybe t-ball when I was younger, because my cousins played. But in the last fifteen years? No.”

“You have to come to a game!” Fiona screamed, making Gideon wince.

“Fi, calm down there. Don’t scare her,” he said.

“Shit, sorry.”

Sarah looked up at me with questions in her eyes. “I mean, it could be cool, but I’m in no hurry. If you want me to go to a game, I will, but if you prefer I don’t, I won’t lose sleep over it.”

She was asking me if I wanted her there. God, this girl…

“We can talk about it later.”

“Okay.” She shrugged and the weirdness in the air disappeared. “So this event—could you all help promote it and be there?”

“What would we do?” Bummy asked.

“That’s a great question. Let me call some places and I’ll let Brigham know.” She picked up her phone and moved to the door. “I’m going to make some calls. It was lovely meeting you ladies.”

“Uh, you too. For sure,” Fiona said.

And just as quickly as she came, Sarah left the apartment and I prepared myself for the onslaught of questions. But none came. She was gone for a full five minutes and not one of them brought her up. They talked about the adoptathon and how they could donate money to a shelter when I lost it. “You aren’t even gonna ask about her?”

“What’s there to ask? You like her and she’s literally perfect,” Michelle said, looking real smug. “I adore her and want to keep her in my pocket.”

“Oh my god, me too!” Fiona said. “I couldn’t think of a more wonderful human for you, Brigs, than someone who doesn’t give a fuck that you play baseball.”

“And she believes him about the drug charges,” Gideon added. “It’s incredible.”

“And living across the hall?” Michelle wiggled her eyebrows, and they all burst out laughing.

It was a surreal moment to have my friends, my baseball-world friends, meet the one person outside that part of my life and like her. I knew they would because she was so uniquely weird in the best way, but hearing them say all the things I had been thinking made me stupid happy. “I’m glad you got to meet her.”

They nodded and just like that, we went back to business mode. My two worlds had collided and it was totally fine. Weird.

* * * *

“If you could have any dog, what would you get?” Sarah asked me hours later on a walk with Pico and Cassie. She opted for them to both be in the stroller since the pavement was so damn hot. She was wearing a huge hat again, but had gone sans fanny pack since she could store the stuff on the base of the stroller. It was strange how normal the walk felt. Just me and Blue Bell, and two dogs in a stroller.

“Black Lab. Or a chocolate Lab.”

“Oh yes, I can see that.” She nodded at a couple who cooed at the dogs when they walked by. “You have Lab energy.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

“You’re a sports guy, which means you have lots of energy. Labs are like that. They need to be played with and walked and get lots of action. You are the same way, my friend.”

“Huh. You’re right.” I slowed my pace down to match hers and the evening light burned the back of my neck. In all the time living across from Alexandre, I couldn’t recall seeing him walk his dogs ever. Maybe I’d just ignored him? Maybe Sarah just appeared on my radar more? Either way, the reminder that this was temporary clouded my mood. “Hey, where do you live?”

“Nice transition.” She bumped her hip into mine and looked up at me with a huge smile. She wore the sunglasses I’d given her at the event those weeks ago, and they were just too large for her face. She looked adorable though. “I had a studio apartment in Tempe. Alexandre paid for the lease to be broken, so it is on my list to start searching for a new one next week. I keep thinking, though…if I bought a place for the business, could I have one room that was mine? I could live there. It would make me feel better knowing there was a human there with the animals at all times. Like, what if a fire broke out or something?”

“Could you find a place and buy it that fast?”

“We’ll find out, huh?” She hummed to herself for a few minutes, pushing the stroller and not having an idea of the crazy thoughts in my mind.

Did I want her to live with me? Was it too soon? Would that freak her out?

Why am I thinking like this?I hadn’t had a relationship in…years? I hadn’t hooked up with the same person more than a handful of times in forever. Yet here I was, with Sarah, thinking about her baking in my apartment and wearing her tiny dresses. God, I needed to get a grip.

“You okay, Brigham? You’ve been quiet and have a face like you have to fart.”

“God,” I said, laughing. “I don’t have to fart.”

“It’s okay if you did. Just make sure I’m not behind you.”

“Sarah,” I said, laughing harder. “I don’t.”

“Okay. I’m just saying, it’s okay. It’s natural.”

My lord, I liked this woman. A lot. A whole damn lot. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me. “Sarah, I fucking like you.”

“Brigham, I like you too.” She giggled into my chest and I kissed her temple. “Weird response after you farted, but whatever. I’m not judging.”

“You little shit. I did not.” I sighed and tickled just below her ribs, and she let out a loud holler, drawing attention our way. She swatted my hand and pushed me back, pointing at me with her pursed lips.

“No tickling. Not in public.”

“But inside?”

“Maybe.” Her tough façade faded and the teasing tone changed to a more serious one. “Can I ask a question about…us?”

My heart stopped, worried she wanted to end it because of my shitshow. I wouldn’t blame her, but I really didn’t want to end it. “Sure,” I said, hating how my muscles tensed and I prepared myself for the worst. “Shoot.”

“Uh, this is awkward.”

“Sarah, ask it.”

“You know this whole thing is new for me. So, I don’t know the rules and Megan said I shouldn’t even ask it, but I’m hoping you’ll take pity on me. But are we…together? Like, obviously not boyfriend-girlfriend, because that’s childish and dumb. But you just said you like me, and I’m obviously into you…” She trailed off, looking at the ground. She couldn’t see my huge-ass smile.

“Blue, we are definitely together.”

She looked up and her lips curved up. I hated that I couldn’t see her eyes but I continued talking. “I have no plans on seeing anyone else. I know this is new for both of us, but it’s just you.”

“It’s just you, too, for me,” she mumbled and I reached over, took her chin and kissed her. Right there, in the middle of the street, because I wanted to taste her. She let out a little squeal and I loved it.

“Glad we got that covered. Does it ease your mind a bit?”

“Yes.”

“How about we finish this walk and go explore third base again?”

“Big fan of that plan, Monaghan. Big, big fan.”