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I took his words as a challenge. Without saying anything I turned and began warming up my throwing arm with Raine.

Hours later, I stood under the shower, the hot water beating down on my aching muscles. Mick was a beast, working us all to the point of exhaustion. I loved it. I’d missed this more than I could describe, and being back on a team, surrounded by guys all playing for the same goal, made every torturous minute of rehab worth it.

When I returned to my locker, I found Raine sitting on a bench, waiting for me. “A bunch of us are heading out for dinner. Join us?”

Part of me wanted nothing more than to head back to Jane’s place and eat whatever delicious meal she was sure to have cooked. But this was a chance to bond, and that mattered. Then I remembered Jane had said she was going to be late getting back from Calgary because she was going to meet Brooke. I had no excuse. “Where are you going?”

“The Dugout. Best sports bar in town, I hear. The owner has some connection to the team, so players get a discount.”

The name didn’t mean anything to me, but the mention of a connection to the club made me think it might be the pub Ethan’s grandfather owned. Neither Ethan nor Jane had mentioned the name of it, but Jane had told me last night that the business was still in the family, and her brother had taken over the day-to-day operations. I’d ask Jane about it later; tonight I was going to get to know my new team.

“Count me in.”

Chapter 9

Carter

The parking lot of the restaurant was packed as I pulled in, following the taillights of Raine’s beat-up truck. There was more room behind the building, and I pulled my Jeep into the spot beside him. Scanning the lot, I saw more of the same makes and models that lined the street Jane lived on. I was suddenly thankful I’d had the foresight to buy a Jeep after my accident, rather than replacing the high-end sports car that had been totalled when the truck hit me. Now I blended in and was one of the guys, like all the other players.

With luck I would be called up before the season was too far along, but until I was, bonding with my teammates was a priority. Especially if Wally and the Vancouver club expected me to provide some mentorship. The team needed to trust me if I expected them to listen to me.

Other players were arriving now, and by the time we walked into the bar, we were a group of almost twenty. Bennie had joined Raine and me, along with a couple of other older players I knew a little from my time in the majors. Harry Boyd had played for one of the teams in Florida, while Sutton Davis had spent his career playing in Southern California. We had never played together, but we had played against each other more than once.

This was what I wanted: team meals together, the joking, the camaraderie. I’d been playing on teams since I was old enough to walk, and I didn’t know how to socialize outside of organized sports. The Fliers were a stepping stone, but I was going to make the most out of my time here.

The bartender took one look at us when we walked in and began directing the serving staff to put tables together for us. Within minutes we were all seated in a long rectangle with menus in front of us and two servers taking drink orders. This was clearly something they had done dozens of times before.

The older guys had gathered at the same end of the table with Raine and me, and most of them stayed away from any alcohol. Raine ordered a soda, and when the server got to me, I ordered sparkling water with cranberry juice. I hadn’t been kidding when I told Jane I didn’t drink during the season, and it had officially started today. I tried not to laugh when some of the younger players realized that the drinking age in Alberta was eighteen, and they could legally order alcohol. Several of them ordered a beer, but I was happy to see no one had anything stronger. The last thing I wanted to do was be the guy ruining their fun on the first day, but partying during the season was a no-no.

When the server left to get our drinks, Bennie leaned closer to me. “Do you hurt as much as I do? I mean, I had six weeks of spring training, and every muscle I have hurts. I can’t imagine how bad it must be for you starting cold today.”

I appreciated that he’d kept his voice low. It was crowded and noisy, but I didn’t want the rest of the team to worry about my ability to perform. I had enough hills to climb. Being seen as past my prime and out of shape might affect my ability to get called up. It might even get me released from my contract. I had to make the team believe I was almost as good as I used to be.

“Mick didn’t hold back out there,” I agreed. “I’m doing fine. Even without the usual prep time, I did a bunch of workouts with a buddy down in Florida who coaches college ball. He whipped me back into shape. Some of those college kids will be up here kicking our asses in no time.”

Taking batting practice with Ethan yesterday had reminded me of those college players. Young, eager, building strength while being so flexible it was almost comical. They were all dying to be drafted, and they would be chasing our jobs in no time.

Bennie nodded. “Don’t I know it. New York released me to make room on their roster for a kid straight out of North Lake University.”

North Lake had a top-tier baseball program, so whoever New York drafted was probably a fantastic player, but things like that didn’t make it any easier when you were the player being designated for assignment. I’d never been DFA’d, but after my accident Seattle bought out my contract and kicked me to the curb too. I was about to reply when someone tapped my shoulder.

The girl standing in front of me with two of her friends couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty, and her cheeks were bright pink as she handed me a napkin and a pen. “You’re Carter Cook, right? I can’t believe you’re actually playing for the Fliers. Can I get an autograph for my dad?”

I smiled as I accepted the supplies. “Sure. What’s his name?”

Once she told me, I scribbled a note on the napkin and handed it back to her. “I hope he’ll come out to some of the games this year. We’ve got a pretty good team. Have you met any of the other players?”

I introduced Bennie, Harry, Sutton, and Raine, and they signed autographs for her as well before she and her friends moved back to the booth where they had been sitting. It had been a while since anyone had asked me for an autograph, but it was always nice to be recognized, as long as the fans weren’t aggressive. Seattle fans had been very chill, often waving or saying hello without invading my privacy. Interactions like this were the best.

I glanced down the long table and noticed a couple of the rookies watching us. Good. They should learn early that treating fans well was the right thing to do.

Raine was shaking his head. “I’ve never been asked for an autograph before. I was never well known enough at any of my other teams. Thanks for doing that.”

I shrugged. “I still get asked for autographs, and this way if any of us make it to the majors, she can say she met us when. It’s a cool story for her.”

If everything went to plan, I’d get back to the bigs, I’d win my World Championship ring, and she’d have a story to tell. I scanned the menu and gave our server my order.

“Tell us what it was like playing in the World Championship.”