Page 99 of The Strike Zone

I turned to him. “That’sthe guy you’ve hung out with?”

“Yup. He’s cool.” His shoulder jerked up. “But…you know…it’s weird.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Like you’re hanging out with your dad.”

“Nah, I don’t always feel like I have to be on my best behavior with my dad. I just don’t want to be spending my free time with my boss.”

Nudging into his side, I chuckled. “That’s what happens when you date an older woman.”

“Maybe, but the benefits outweigh who we hang with.” He quirked an eyebrow, which needed no interpretation, and I dropped my head with a shake.

The three of them were twenty yards out when the Labrador spotted Ace and came bounding up to the boards, his tail wagging so hard and fast it was barely visible. You could only hear thethud thud thudevery time it hit the post.

Ace knelt down to stroke him. “Hi, Barclay, buddy.”

I turned around to Tanner, who was still on the step. “You want help getting up.”

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m not moving until absolutely necessary.”

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Penn greeted as he reached the dugout, his hand outstretched to shake each of us in turn, pinning us with his steely blue eyes.

“Morning, sir.” Lux nodded with one of those smiles where you’re trying to be polite but not too cheery.

“So you’re the poor, unwitting candidates who got roped into today’s task.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Ace, while Tanner grunted quietly behind me.

“How’d that happen, I thought it would be the rookies today?” He laughed, peering around me to Tanner still on the step. “You okay down there, Simpson?”

“Yes, sir. Just conserving my energy for the big race.” Tanner nodded, making Penn chuckle.

Ace being Ace, and the least unsubtle person ever, turned to me with the biggest shit-stirring grin he could muster, or that’s how I was taking it.

“Parker, do you want to tell Mr. Shepherd how we got roped into this?”

It took all my energy not to grit my jaw and punch him in the nose. Instead, I plastered on my best fake smile and said, “Wrong time, wrong place. The social team caught us at a weak moment yesterday.”

There. Not one part of my sentence was a lie.

Ihadbeen caught at a weak moment by the social team. It didn’t stop the bead of sweat appearing on my brow, however. Penn simply nodded, his mouth held together.

Thankfully the awkwardness was saved by Barclay trotting into the dugout as he spotted a lone baseball on the floor. A second later it was dropped at Murray’s feet, who immediately threw it across the grass for Barclay to sprint after.

“Murray, try not to carve up my field before the game today,” Penn drawled.

“Hey, you want to tell my dog he can’t play with a ball when he sees one? Be my guest.”

Penn’s response was to roll his eyes while the tattooed guy, whose name I already forgot and was yet to speak, turned to watch Barclay with a wry smile.

“What time does this thing start?”

“We were told eleven.” My eyes drifted up to the large clock in the corner of the scoreboard. Man, there were still seven minutes to go.

Before I did something stupid like talk about Scout, I turned and sat down next to Tanner. “You okay, dude?”

“No, I’m fucking hot.” He grumbled. “Please can you message Scout and tell her to hurry up. Pleeease.”

“She’ll be here soon.” Just as I spoke the words, her two interns jogged along the wide path behind the boards edging the field, along with a couple of other guys holding tripods.

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