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“Sure. How was your trip back last night?”

I felt a flush crawling up my face. I didn’t like flaunting my money around guys who hadn’t had success yet. I’d wanted to get back to Jane so bad last night that I hadn’t cared. I’d offered to bring Raine, but I hadn’t told anyone else what I was doing.

“I chartered a flight to Calgary, got in by early evening. I wanted to get home, get a good night’s sleep in my own bed, get a PT appointment in,” I finished.

It was only a little lie. I absolutely had not had a good night’s sleep, but being with Jane had more than made up for that. It had been impossibly hard to leave her alone in her bed this morning. Until she was ready to tell her kids about us, I’d accept any part of her she was willing to give. Moving on without her was going to suck.

“I don’t blame you. Our flight was scheduled so early, we had to be up at three. Then there was a delay when we landed, but we’re here now. I’m still exhausted.” Raine yawned to make his point.

“Let’s go warm up. You’re playing left field tomorrow. How are you feeling about that?” I asked.

Raine had been playing a bit in right during the road trip, but our regular left fielder, Che Martinez, had strained a hamstring during our last game and would be out for at least a few games. Raine would be tested working the opposite side of the field today.

“I’ll make it work.” Raine always took things in stride, but today he was antsy, restless.

I got it. Raine was doing everything in his power to make himself a candidate to be called up. If he made a mistake playing a new position, that would lower his numbers and could impact his chances. It wasn’t fair, but it was the way the numbers worked. He would be solid in left, if only because he was so determined to do a good job. His work ethic was impressive.

“We have the whole day to practice. By game time you’ll be fine.” I picked up my glove and jogged out to the field.

Chapter 31

Carter

Mick had called ahead to the Dugout, and Kevin Morris and his team had the long tables set up and ready for us when we rolled in after practice. Buffet tables lined the wall, heaped with salads and chafing dishes. As I lined up to get a plate, I saw a carving station being brought out with a huge beef roast on it, juices running over the edges. The club had gone all out on dinner.

Witt had arrived at the Airfield as practice was winding up, completely deflated. I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t even say I’d been where he was. I’d never been sent back to the minors once I got called up. Not that it mattered: I was a decent human being who felt empathy, which was more than I could say for Blake. He was being a complete asshat to Witt.

“Witt, grab that chair by Raine.” I nudged him to the opposite end of the table that Blake had claimed for his entourage. I pulled out a chair for him before taking the one next to it. Raine took the one on his other side.

“You don’t have to baby me. I know I fucked up,” he said defensively.

I noticed that even upset, he was digging into his meal with the fervour of most young men.

“You’ll get called up again. You have what it takes, and you’re young. That didn’t help you this time. I was twenty-four when I got my call. I had a lot of years in the minors, to get better, to adjust to tough pitching. You’re only twenty. Coming back gives you more time to improve and do better next time.”

“I guess. It’s all a blur. First I was there, then it was over. I need to get back there,” he said with determination.

I could relate. Getting back there was all any of us wanted.

“We all want to get there,” Raine pointed out. “Now you’ve had a taste, you know what you’re missing out on.”

“Tell us about being with the Vanquish,” I said.

Talking about it might get Witt out of his funk, and, selfishly, I was also mining for information. Had Witt seen some of the root causes of the problems in Vancouver? What were the cracks in the team, and were there any I could exploit? An undisclosed injury in the outfield, or a need for a power hitter might mean a call-up for someone, and I wanted that person to be me.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I’ve been to major league games before, but being there as a spectator is different than as a player. I only saw the ballparks in San Diego and Vancouver, but they’re so advanced. I thought our minor league complex in Arizona was good, but the Vancouver ballpark was even better. State-of-the-art equipment, even for the visiting teams. Vancouver is brand-new, but even San Diego felt like it was new. The team has a private charter flight between cities. No more commercial flights. Everything was elevated compared to here.”

I knew what he was talking about. Big-league ball parks were in a class of their own. It didn’t help that the Airfield was old, and the new park wouldn’t be ready until next year. The new park would have a lot of the amenities that were missing from the Airfield, but it still wouldn’t compare to the facilities in even the oldest MLB park.

“Sounds familiar. I miss it too. It’s not always perfect, though. Aside from hitting, where did you struggle?” I asked.

Witt swallowed a mouthful of food and took a long drink of water. “Yeah, there’s stuff I didn’t know, things that could be different. I don’t know how much of that is me not knowing how things work.”

Raine leaned closer. “Spill it. I’ve never been to the majors. If I get called up, I want to know what to expect.”

“We were in San Diego for the first few nights, so I was in the team hotel. First-class accommodations, no roommates. That was awesome. When we got back to Vancouver, they told me they’d cover a place for a couple weeks until I found an apartment. I’m glad I didn’t find anything. Vancouver rents are higher than I thought.”

I’d experienced that in Seattle until I bought my condo. High rents and sterile, boring apartments. Nothing that compared to the homey feel of Jane’s Victorian. It was one part of getting called up I wasn’t looking forward to. There was no point in getting too comfortable without a long-term contract.