Page 54 of The Strike Zone

No, sir.

Pure coincidence. Just like it was a coincidence I happened to have an extra coffee in my hand, made exactly how I knew Parker took it.

I’d like to think this was a well-thought-through plan, but it wasn’t.

Obviously. I wasn’t even entirely sure what I was doing, except to say I’d already attempted it twice, but both times he’d arrived with his roommates—one or all of them—and this wasn’t something I wanted witnesses for.

Not that I knew what thissomethingwas.

He was twenty yards out when I finally decided to open my mouth. “Hey, Parker, wait up.”

I’d barely finished shouting his name before he spun around, and even from this distance I could see his eyes light as he lifted his sunglasses up, followed by a smile that split his face. Perhaps this wasn’t such a stupid idea.

Thick stubble coated his cheeks, though it did nothing to disguise the sharpness of his cheekbones or the ruler-straight line of his jaw. He seemed to get more handsome every time I saw him.

The stadium was always quieter when the boys were gone, but this past week had felt like a ghost town. I wouldn’t fly out with them every time they left, just like I didn’t attend every away series last year, but I don’t recall noticing the team’s absence quite so much.

Though I was beginning to realize it was simply the absence of the one striding toward me.

On the flip side, I’d been very productive and had actually gotten ahead with work. I’d edited theweek in a lifefeature for the website, and the guys who’d flown out on the trip had sent all their content back to me, which I’d compiled into enough TikToks to last until next week.

Without Parker around to distract me, or watch from the window by my desk, I’d also started the presentation I needed to give for my job interview.

“Heeyy.” He grinned, stopping just short of where his sneakers would hit the tips of my Chucks.

Close enough that he needed to peer down at me with an expression that was ego boosting to say the very least.

I had an overwhelming urge to hug him, but instead, curled my fingers tighter around the coffee cup.

“Are you my welcoming party?”

“Maybe.” I laughed. “I got you a coffee.”

I may as well have been handing over the Commissioner’s Trophy for how his eyes flared wide. “You got me a coffee?”

I nodded, willing my cheeks to stay their normal peachy shade. “Yeah. You got me one. Thought I’d return the favor. That’s what friends do, right?”

Even as I said it, and even as I watched him nod, it felt weird to hear. I might not be ready to admit it, but I wasn’t sure we were in friends territory anymore. I wasn’t sure where we were. Some kind of weird no-man’s-land before we reached the space thatmore than friendsbelonged to.

His eyes flicked between the two cups I was holding. “Which one’s which?”

“You wanna guess?”

“Nope. No, I do not.” He laughed, taking the boring black coffee I held out and sniffing it. “This smells safe. Thank you.”

“Sure you don’t want to try mine?”

“Bleugh. No thanks,” he said, sticking his tongue out, and lifted the cup to his lips, then paused. “Actually, yeah, I kind of do.”

“Of course you do.” I passed mine over and watched as he eased the lid off to peer inside like he was expecting something to pop out. By the time he’d sniffed this one, too, before gingerly taking a sip, I was ready to hand him an award for the overacting.

“Huh.” Was all he said as he placed the lid back on it.

“Huh? Does that mean you like it?”

He shook his head. “No. Definitely not. But I don’t hate it. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. We can still be friends,” he added solemnly, making me laugh.

“Oh, thank god for that. Aren’t I a lucky girl?”

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