Page 73 of The Strike Zone

I rolled the chair out of her grip and pursed my lips. “You’ve not been on any away trips, so you don’t know but there’s actually very little free time.”

“I don’t think that’ll stop lover boy.”

I opened my mouth to respond, only to close it again. I had no response.

It wasn’t because I thought something was going to happen with Parker, I didn’t. Not yet. But it would be a lie if I said I hadn’t volunteered because it meant I could spend a little more time with him, do a little more flirting.

Even though we’d both be super busy working, I kind of wanted to stay in the same state and time zone as him for a while longer.

“I’ll take that silence as confirmation.” She chuckled. “Come on, let’s go and get lunch, I’m hungry.”

“I need to pee first.” I jumped up, suddenly desperate.

I rushed into the first stall open. I hadn’t noticed the other stalls, or whether anyone was standing at the sinks, but by the time I’d finished peeing, there was a conversation happening. Once the faucets and hand dryers stopped running, I realized the conversation was about me. Not just me, me and Parker.

“Do you think they’re hooking up?”

“Who?”

“Parker King and Scout Davison. I saw them again yesterday, they’re always together.”

If there’s a less dignified place to freeze, sitting on the toilet with your butt hanging out, I’d like to hear it, because that’s exactly what I did. I barely took a breath as these two girls discussed my dating life like it was daily news. I didn’t even dare shift to peer through the gap so I could see who it was, because I didn’t recognize their voices.

I should’ve known something like this would happen, it had only been a matter of time.

I hadn’t noticed it at first, but the more Parker and I were together, the faster we became friends. Little things I’d previously brushed off—the odd look here, the whispered conversation there—were becoming more obvious, and more frequent.

This place ran on gossip, the more scandalous, the better. And clearly, the moreelaborate,the better, because Parker and I werenotalways together, I knew that. We met for morning coffee then went our separate ways until the following day when we’d meet again. And that was it.

Not to mention, our morning coffees were a new development.

“I dunno, I heard he asked her on a date and she said no.”

“There’s no way that’s true. Who’d say no to Parker King, that boy is H-O-T.”

“True. Do you think she signed that form? Maybe it’s legit.”

“God, she’s so lucky. First Leanne, now Scout. Who else is single on the team this year?”

“Stone Fields, Tanner Simpson…”

“Nope, playboy. Not interested.”

“They’re all playboys.”

“Hmm. What about Sawyer James? He’s hot.”

“Hate to break it to you, ladies, but Sawyer James has a girlfriend,” shouted Alice right before she flushed the toilet.

The next thing I heard was a muffled giggle, followed by a shuffle of heels on the tiled floor and the sound of the door opening and closing.

“You can come out now,” called Alice, turning on the faucet. “Rookie mistake not checking the stalls for feet. Ten bucks it was the interns in PR.”

I pulled up my jeans, flushed, and opened the door to find her standing there, leaning against the sink with her arms crossed and a grin spreading from ear to ear.

I held my hand up before she started talking. “Don’t.”

“Hey, you know you’ve made it here if people are gossiping about you. And you wanna know what I think…”

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