Straddling The Line: Play-By-Play Book 8 Read online

  He was simply too good at this. Which, she supposed, accounted for his popularity, and the reason the teams made allowances for him playing two sports.

  Seats were filling in all around her, but she barely paid attention because the teams were taking the field. She focused on Trevor in the outfield as the Rivers were on defense first and Chicago came up to bat.

  Garrett Scott was pitching today. Her mom said Garrett had come by a few weeks ago to visit, along with his fiancée, Alicia, who also worked for the Rivers as a physical therapist.

  Mom had loved that visit. It had brightened her spirits.

  Haven saw Alicia out on the field working with one of the players. Very pretty woman, and, as it turned out, she was Gavin Riley’s cousin. Alicia and Garrett were getting married at the conclusion of the baseball season. She couldn’t wait to go to the wedding.

  Closing her laptop, she focused on Garrett. His shoulder looked completely healed because he was throwing a combination of pitches out there, all of them hitting the mark. The first batter grounded out to second base. Garrett struck out the second batter, and the third batter hit a pop fly that Trevor ran down and caught.

  Easy top of the first. Now the Rivers were up. Trevor batted fifth in the lineup, so she wasn’t sure she’d get to see him in action this inning.

  The first batter grounded out. But when the second batter singled and reached first base, and the next doubled, unless Gavin Riley hit into a double play, she’d get to see Trevor hit.

  Gavin took two pitches low and away for balls, the next right in the strike zone. He hit the next one into left field, which scored the two runners and sent Gavin to first base.

  The stadium erupted into wild cheers. The Rivers were up by two runs, Trevor was up to bat, and there was only one out.

  She could see how serious he was as he stepped into the batter’s box. Her stomach twisted in knots as she waited for Chicago’s pitcher to throw the ball.

  Trevor took a strike on the first pitch, then two balls. He fouled off the next pitch.

  Two balls, two strikes. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward.

  The pitcher’s next throw resulted in ball three.

  Full count now; she waited for the next pitch. It was right on the money, and Trevor slammed the ball. Unfortunately, it went foul.

  So did the next ball, and the one after that. He was hanging in there, though, and she hoped he’d get a piece of one of these pitches.

  He did, on the next pitch, sending it sailing into the left-field corner. She launched out of her seat, screaming along with the rest of the stadium as Gavin rounded the bases and headed for home. Trevor stopped at second base.

  Excellent.

  The next batter was out on a high pop fly, and the batter after that struck out, stranding Trevor, but he’d gotten an RBI and the Rivers were up three to nothing after the first inning.

  The rest of the game was just as chock-full of excitement, with Chicago scoring two runs in the fifth, and the Rivers coming back to score four more before it was all over.

  What an exciting game, and one the Rivers needed to stay in contention. Every player had given it his all. Haven had been tense the entire time.

  She headed to the locker room after the game.

  “Hi, Haven.”

  She turned and saw Alicia standing there. They hadn’t had a lot of interaction, but they’d spent some time together at the hospital and getting to know each other after the funeral.

  “Hello, Alicia. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How are you doing?”

  “Great. It was a good game today. Garrett pitched so well.”

  “He did. Those three runs kind of sucked, though. He’ll be pissed about that.” Alicia paused. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Are you covering today’s game for your news station?”

  “No. I’m actually doing a feature interview on Trevor Shay.”

  “That’s interesting. And should be fun. We love Trevor around here. He’s great and has been an incredible asset to the team. All the guys love working with him.”

  Haven wasn’t sure if that was the truth or just the company line. “I’m glad to hear that. And you work for the team as well. That must have been so complicated for your relationship.”

  “Are we on the record here?”

  Haven laughed. “Not at all. I’m not writing about you and Garrett.”

  “Then, yes. It was complicated as hell for a while. But we worked it all out. And the team has been great about it. I just don’t work with Garrett in any official capacity.”

  “You do sports medicine, right?”

  “Yes. So if he’s injured or needs any kind of physical therapy, one of the other therapists works with him. The only interaction we have together now is at home.”

  “I guess that makes sense. No conflict of interest that way.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Have you worked with Trevor before in therapy?”

  “I have, though mostly for general conditioning. He’s like . . . bionic or something. The guy has never been hurt. He knows his body well and knows how to take care of it. And considering that he plays two sports, I’m surprised he hasn’t had any issues. Doing as much as he does is hard on a body. But not on his.”

  Yeah, he had a hell of a body, for sure. “I guess that’s a good thing, though, right? For both of his teams.”

  “That’s what the coach says, though Manny—that’s the Rivers’ coach—grumbles a lot about Trevor playing football for Tampa. He wants him dedicated to baseball.”

  Haven’s lips curved. “I would imagine Trevor hears much the same thing from the Tampa coach.”

  Alicia laughed. “You’re probably right.”

  The doors opened and the players started appearing. Garrett walked over and put his arms around Alicia, giving her a kiss that made Haven’s cheeks heat up.

  “Good game, babe,” Alicia said.

  “Eh. Gave up three earned runs. But I recovered and shut them down after that.”

  “You did.”

  Garrett turned and smiled when he saw Haven, then came over and folded her into a hug. “Haven. I didn’t know you were here today.”

  She wrapped her arms around Garrett and hugged him back. “I’m here on assignment. It’s so great to see you. You pitched an amazing game.”

  “Gave up a few runs, but at least we won. So it’s all good. And what kind of assignment?”

  “With Trevor. I’m doing a feature story on him for the network.”

  Garrett’s brows shot up. “No shit. Are you sure the rest of us will be able to handle the ego burst from him getting all that media attention?”

  “Oh, suck it up, Scott. It’s about time someone besides you pretty-boy pitchers got some focus around here.”

  Trevor came up to stand next to Haven.

  “Please. I’m not the one with all those endorsement deals like you, Shay,” Garrett said. “Every time I turn on one of the sports channels, I see your ugly face.”

  “If I was ugly, you wouldn’t see my face so often, now would you?”

  “Aww, he thinks he’s pretty. Are you sure you can handle spending so much time with this guy?”

  Haven nearly swallowed her tongue as Gavin Riley joined the crowd. He kissed his cousin on the cheek and nudged Garrett in the ribs.

  “Haven, this is Gavin Riley. Who’s just jealous because he thinks he’s prettier than anyone else on the team. This is Haven Briscoe. She works for the network and will be doing a feature story on me.”

  She laughed. “Nice to meet you, Gavin.”

  “You, too, Haven. Sorry you have to spend so much time with Trevor.”

  “The network’s paying me to do it. Otherwise, no way.”

  Gavin laughed and looked at Trevor. “I like her.”

  “Haven and I have known each other since college. That’s why I chose her to do this whole The-Life-and-Career-of-Trevor-Shay thing. She’ll do justice to it and portray me in a
fair light.”

  “So you think,” Haven said with a wink to the others. “How do you know I won’t spill all your deep, dark secrets?”

  “Mainly because you don’t know any of them.”

  Gavin laughed. “Okay, I gotta go. Liz and my little princess are waiting at home for me.”

  “I read about the birth of your baby girl, Genevieve, Gavin. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I’m pretty stoked to be a dad. And surprisingly, even my work-obsessed wife is super excited about being a mom. Her maternity leave is about to end and she’s dreading having to go back to work.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Hey, before you go, we’re doing a couples wedding shower thing after the game on Sunday,” Alicia said. “Will you and Liz be there?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Gavin said. “I’ll have Liz call to confirm.”

  “Okay. See you then.”

  After Gavin left, Alicia turned to Trevor and Haven. “Several people from the team are coming. It’s very informal. Just a get-together celebrating our impending wedding. Trevor’s invited. Will you come, Haven?”

  Haven looked at Trevor.

  “We’ll be there. It’ll give Haven a chance to meet everyone.” Trevor turned to Haven. “Don’t you think?”

  Haven just nodded. “Sure. I’d love to. Thank you for the invite, Alicia.”

  “You’re welcome. Do you have the address, Trevor?”

  “Of course I . . . probably don’t.”

  Alicia rolled her eyes. “This is what happens when I leave it to Garrett to invite people.” Alicia pulled out her phone. “Are you ready?”

  “Why don’t you put all that in your phone?” Trevor said to Haven. “I think mine’s in the bottom of my gym bag somewhere.”

  “Oh, sure.” She dug her phone out of her bag and typed in the date, time, and information. “Got it.”

  “Great. See you all later.”

  Trevor led her outside to his car. There were several people hanging outside near the fences.

  “Do you mind waiting?” he asked.

  “Not at all.”

  He went over and spent fifteen minutes signing autographs and taking pictures. She liked that he took the time. Many athletes didn’t. A lot of the rookies did, because they wanted to establish themselves. But once fame hit, many felt they didn’t need their fans any longer.

  Garrett and Gavin had lingered, too.

  She liked this about these athletes. It showed class that they cared about their fans.

  When Trevor was done, he picked up his bag and led her back to his car.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Actually, yes. I thought I’d grab a hot dog and beer at the ballpark, but the game was so intense I never took the time.”

  He smiled as he pulled out of the parking lot. “It was a pretty intense game, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. A good game, too. You played very well.”

  “I did, didn’t I?”

  She stared at him, and then he winked at her. She laughed.

  “I never know when you’re giving me a hard time.”

  “Good to know.”

  He took a turn and headed onto the highway. It was dark. A lot of the restaurants had to be closed by now since it was almost eleven.

  “Where will we eat? At home?”

  “Probably. I don’t feel like crowds tonight. But I thought we’d pick up a pizza.”

  “Oh, pizza sounds good.”

  “What kind of pizza do you like?” he asked.

  “Any kind. My favorite is sausage, though.”

  “Sausage it is.”

  He pressed a button on his car. The center display called a place named Imo’s. He ordered the pizza and hung up.

  “It’ll be ready when we get there.”

  “Convenient.”

  In twenty minutes, they’d swung by and picked up the pizza and headed back to Trevor’s house. Haven was starving by the time they got inside, especially after smelling the pizza.

  “You’re going to love this,” he said as he laid the box on the counter and grabbed plates.

  “What would you like to drink?” she asked.

  “Water’s good for me.”

  “For me, too.” She fixed two glasses of ice water, then they grabbed seats at the breakfast bar. He had opened the box and the pizza looked glorious. He helped her scoop hers onto the plate.

  “Best pizza around. Trust me on this,” he said.

  “Right now I’m so hungry I’d eat the cardboard box. But the pizza smells great.” She took her first bite, and had to admit Trevor was right. It was excellent pizza. She ate a lot of it, too, until she couldn’t stuff another bite in her mouth. She pushed back from the counter with a grunt.

  “I ate too much.”

  He laughed. “I ate way more than you.”

  “You’re bigger than me. You burn a lot more calories than I do, too. I’m so going to regret this.”

  “You were hungry.”

  “I was, but that’s no excuse to eat that much this late. Now I’ll be awake all night.”

  “Come on,” he said, grabbing the now-empty pizza box to take to the trash. “Let’s go walk it off.”

  “Great idea.”

  She put on her tennis shoes and they headed outside. The night was clear, a little cool, but she didn’t mind that at all. The brisk weather would help clear her head—and maybe help her digest. They strolled down the long driveway and outside the gate.

  She understood the privacy, the allure of this neighborhood. There were only six houses on his side of the street, all as big and as sheltered as Trevor’s. No one was out and about this late at night, so it was like the two of them were entirely alone as they walked. She wasn’t sure she’d go out on her own, but then again the neighborhood was secured by a guard and a gate.

  “Do you get out and walk along here much?”

  “Not really. I have the gym inside the house for exercise. But the weather’s nicer now, so it’s good to get some fresh air.”

  They took a long walk, too, as there were more houses in the neighborhood than what she’d originally seen when they’d come in. The area wound around beyond just the circular block. She wished now that it wasn’t dark, that she could see beyond the thick trees that guarded the entrances to all the million-dollar estates nestled beyond the privacy fences and gates.

  “This area is amazing. So private, and each property has so much space.”

  “Yeah. It’s what drew me here, and it’s not stuffy or pretentious. During the day you can see people out with their kids. It’s a neighborhood to grow into.”

  “So you plan to stay here in St. Louis?”

  “I like it here. And it’s not too far from where I grew up in Springfield, Missouri, so it’s close enough I can still visit home. Plus, Zane will be going to school here. And he likes it here, too, so I could see him staying on after he finishes medical school.”

  She liked that he thought about his family—or at least, his brother—and wanted to stay in close proximity.

  “What if you got traded to another team?”

  He laughed. “That’s not likely to happen.”

  “You just signed with St. Louis a few years ago.”

  “Yeah. That was a move my agent and I made at my request. The Rivers are a good fit for me. I like their organization, their coaching staff, and their philosophy. Plus, like I said, Zane’s here. I’ll stay here until I decide to quit playing baseball.”

  She turned her head toward him as they walked. “And when will that be?”

  He offered up an enigmatic smile. “When I’m done playing baseball.”

  “A very vague answer, Shay.”

  “It’s the only one I have right now, Briscoe.”

  She laughed. “Spoken by someone used to dealing with media questions.”

  They had walked all the way to the main security gate. Trevor waved to the guard on duty, then they turned around.

  “Tired?”
he asked.

  “Not at all. Invigorated.”

  They started the walk back. She was thankful they’d picked up the pace by then, because the wind had picked up, making it colder, and she could smell rain in the air.

  And when she heard thunder and felt a few drops hit her skin, she looked up at Trevor; he looked at her and said, “We might get wet.”

  The words had no sooner left his lips than it started raining. Hard. He took her hand and they made a run for it. She knew he could run a lot faster than her. His legs were longer, but he held back, keeping a tight hold on her hand as they dashed back to the house. By the time they reached the side entry and he keyed in the security code to the raise the garage door, Haven was completely drenched.

  She toed off her soaked tennis shoes in the garage, happy to be out of the rain.

  Trevor kicked off his shoes, then used his fingers to comb back his hair. “Let me go grab some towels for us. I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure.”

  She really wanted to strip right now, but no way was she going to walk on his expensive wood flooring in sopping wet clothes. She’d wait for the towel.

  TREVOR DUCKED INSIDE AND GRABBED TWO TOWELS from the cabinet in the laundry room in the hall, then came back out to the garage, slowing his walk long enough to get a good, long look at Haven standing there all wet.

  Her hair was plastered against her face, ringlets of dark curls against her cheek. Her white T-shirt was pressed against her skin, outlining a pink bra that was nearly see-through. And since he’d flipped on the garage light, he could see plenty, including the fact that she was cold.

  He wasn’t a teenager anymore. He’d seen breasts and nipples—plenty of them. But he had to admit, he liked the peek at Haven’s, and would like to see even more.

  “I should strip out of these wet clothes before I head over to my wing. I don’t want to drip all over your floor.”

  Frankly, he couldn’t care less about the floor. But how could he pass up the opportunity to see an impromptu striptease? He wasn’t dumb. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”

  He figured she was going to do some kind of secret wrap-the-towel-around-herself thing while trying to be modest.

  Nope. She drew her top off, then undid her pants and let those drop, too, leaving her in just her underwear. She dried off as best she could, then wrapped the towel around her and picked up her wet clothes. He had only a brief view of her in her wet underwear, but it was enough to make him want to see a lot more of her skin.