Page 24

In the locker room, music was blasting and the younger players were spraying bottles of water at everyone.

“Cook, you were fire out there.” Witt was grinning at me, and without warning, cold water was dumped over my head from behind.

“Payback’s a bitch, guys,” I warned with a laugh. I grabbed a towel and mopped up the worst of the water, then stripped off my uniform. A hot shower was my current priority, but then what? I was buzzing with energy, and it was only four in the afternoon.

“If I hit a homer like you did, I’ll take all the payback you want to give me,” one of the kids shouted.

“You had a good game,” Raine said as I sat on the bench beside him to peel off my socks.

“So did you. There were a lot of balls hit your way, and you handled them all. That outfield assist in the sixth? I couldn’t have done that. My shoulder isn’t as good as it once was.” I wasn’t lying. Raine had made an incredible throw to cut down a runner at the plate and save a run.

“It was a good way to kick off the season. Let’s come back and do it again tomorrow,” Raine said. He gave me a fist bump as I started for the showers.

Ethan was waiting for me outside the locker room, lounging against the wall and scrolling on his phone. He was a nice surprise; it had been a long time since anyone had been waiting to see me after a game, and I hadn’t expected it. He greeted me with a bear hug, pounding me on the back. “You had a great game. That homer in the first? Epic.”

He handed me a ball, and I looked at it curiously. “What’s this?”

“Your first home run ball of the season. I went out and found it right after you hit it.” He beamed with pride.

I looked down at the ball again, and suddenly it was more than a minor league baseball. It represented everything I’d accomplished to get this far. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, humbled that Ethan had gone to the trouble to find it for me. “Thanks. I would have never looked for it, but it means a lot.”

Ethan nodded and ducked his head to hide the blush creeping up his face.

“I’ve got to help Mom finish packing. I’ll see you at the house.” He turned and loped down the hallway to the concession area.

His mention of Jane had me wondering how her opening day had gone. Our game had been exciting, and the ballpark had been packed. Her booth must have been a zoo. I couldn’t wait to hear how her day had gone. I wanted to celebrate our mutual successes.

Instead of heading to the parking lot, I climbed to the concourse and made my way up to Jane’s booth. The walkway was still sticky with spilled drinks, and kernels of popcorn were everywhere, but the cleaning crew were starting to work on getting the park ready for the next game.

The closer I got to Jane’s booth, the more I wanted to see how the day had gone. Her passion for her bakery was contagious, and I wanted to see her eyes sparkle as she talked about it. I was sticking to the friend zone, but I found myself wanting to spend all my spare time with her.

Ethan was working next to a woman who looked about thirty, helping her wipe down trays and restock napkins. All the displays were empty, but Jane had told me she would store any leftovers to have ready for the next day. I looked around for Jane, disappointed I didn’t see her. Maybe she was in the back.

“What does a guy have to do to get a cookie around here?”

The woman working with Ethan spun around, smiling when she recognized me. “Mr. Cook. You had a great game today. Thanks to the sold-out crowd, our custom cookies sold out completely, but I think Jane stashed one or two before they were all gone. Let me check.”

She ducked into the back. If they had sold out of cookies, Jane was going to be very happy.

“Who was that?” I asked Ethan.

“That’s Emily. She works with Mom. Her sister, Sarah, is in my grade at school.” Ethan finished wiping down the last tray and placed it back into the display case.

Emily returned and handed me a cookie. The cookie was decorated to look like my face, with a Fliers cap with my number on the side. If that hadn’t been enough, “Carter” was spelled out in an arc across the bottom of the cookie. I laughed. The cookies were cute. “You sold cookies of me?”

Emily pointed at a sign on the wall. Player of the Week was inscribed over a photo frame that had one of my publicity shots in it. “Every week we’ll feature a different player. Someone who is having a fantastic week, or who got promoted to the Vanquish. This week we chose you because you’re the most recognizable name.”

I had to admit, it sounded like a great marketing gimmick. “Did it work?”

“Did it ever. We’re heading right back to the bakery to get started on product for tomorrow. If we wait until morning, we’ll never keep up. Another few games like this and I’ll have to hire more staff,” Jane said as she came out of the back.

I resisted the urge to pull her into a hug. She looked amazing. Her hair was piled on her head in a messy bun, with a few damp tendrils stuck to her neck. Her cheeks were glowing, and her eyes were filled with excitement when they met mine. She looked like she’d been working hard, but she looked so alive.

I was thrilled for her. I wanted her to succeed, and I knew how talented she was.

“Anything I can do to help?” I didn’t have anything pressing for the rest of the day, and helping Jane at her bakery sounded a lot better than going home alone.

“If you mean it . . .” she said slowly, as if waiting for me to withdraw my offer. I nodded encouragingly. “Meet us back at the bakery in half an hour.”