Page 63 of The Strike Zone

“Because it’s funny. It’s a ‘who wore it best,’” I explained,again.It was definitely more than a dozen.

“Oh.”

“Guys, you can sleep on the plane, so let’s keep it together for a little longer. Then you get on the bus with the comms team, and I’ll edit this in the morning.”

“Okay, sure.” Joey nodded, turning to Cyrus. “C’mon, let’s get these done. I’ll go by the ramp.”

The whole time we’d been talking, the doors had slammed back and forth, as everyone readied themselves for the trip. It might be eleven p.m. but it was possibly the busiest time of the day so far.

A little under an hour ago the boys finished playing their home series against the White Sox, which hadn’t gone as well as everyone wished it had.

The Lions narrowly lost the final game, and everyone was a little bit quieter because of it, and likely a whole lot pissed. But leaving for another series meant there was no time to dwell on it. At least until they got on the plane and Coach laid into them.

While the boys had come straight off the field and headed to the showers, everyone else jumped into gear. Front office staff, assistant coaches, and PTs were running around making sure everything and everyone was where they were supposed to be.

The travel staff, who had meticulously planned arrangements down to the second, had already left for the plane waiting at Teterboro, overseeing the transportation of equipment, staff and players’ luggage, and transport manifest.

That was to say, nothing of the advance teams who prepped the hotels the boys would be staying in, including the swapping out of custom mattresses for each of the starting nine to be set up in the hotels for when the guys arrived. Penn Shepherd went to every length and more to make sure his team was well rested before each game, and if that meant they slept on what was as close to their own bed as possible, instead of lumpy hotel bedding, then he would happily foot the bill.

It was all part of his strategy for the Lions to be crowned World Series champions as soon as possible.

“Scout?”

My head flicked back to the doors to find Dave, one of the locker room attendants, standing there.

“You wanted a five-minute warning. This is it.”

“Cool, thanks.” I waved back at him, then turned to the guys. “Okay, I’m going up there. You all good?”

“We got this,” Joey replied, lining up the camera so it was in the exact spot he wanted it, and opened his mouth with another wide yawn.

A couple of the rookies walked out just as I got to the doors, giving me a nod of acknowledgment. Thankfully we hadn’t planned anything more elaborate after the loss, because it was always so much harder to get any content. At least tonight all they needed to do was walk onto the buses, which was what they’d be doing anyway.

I smiled back, the mood too somber to attempt any form of conversation. Plus, there was only one guy I really wanted to talk to. I kind of wish he’d hurry up, too, or at least not arrive at the same time as any of the coaches, including Coach Chase. I wasn’t certain, but I swear the last few times I’d seen him he’d scowled at me.

Boomer Jones, Stone Fields, Saint Velasquez all passed by, unsmiling, followed by a couple of the base coaches.

“Hey, Scout. Fancy seeing you here. How’re you doing?”

I was glad to be leaning against the wall for how suddenly my core clenched at the sound of Parker’s deep voice, only for it to double down as the heady, earthy scent of him floated under my nostrils.

“Hey, Parker. I’m good, how are you?” I grinned, while doing my best to ignore the fluttering in my belly.

No, not belly. Lower. Right between my thighs.

“Great now I’ve laid eyes on you. Did you watch the game?”

“Of course. Sorry you guys lost tonight.”

He jerked a shoulder up. “Yeah, sucks because we played well. But what I really want to know is why my home run isn’t on social yet.”

“You know,” I started, crossing my arms over my chest and adding a little foot tap. I had the feeling Parker kind of liked it when I sassed him, and after tonight, I wanted to make him smile. “Other people get home runs as well. It’s not all about you.”

“Yeah, but when you feature mine, it means I know you’ve seen it. Makes me feel important.”

“Hmm. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Hey, that’s all I’m asking.” He rubbed his hands together. “So what have you got us doing tonight?”

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