Page 55 of Make My Heart Malt

Georgia squeezes his hand to get his attention, and she scowls at him.

“What? It’s just a question.” He pulls his hand away from hers and drops it in his lap.

“We’re friends,” I say.

“Are you going to stay in contact now?” His voice grows heavy. “You know he has a busy schedule, especially once spring training starts.”

Am I being interrogated? Where’s the steel table andtwo-way mirror? Tony seems more invested in my relationship with Garrett than I am. “I’m well aware of what his schedule will be like,” I grit out through my teeth, my irritation growing exponentially with every question he asks.

“Remember, he’s the Home Run Playboy. He has women falling over him left and right.” He picks a piece of salmon from Georgia’s plate and tosses it into his mouth.

“Tony,” Georgia scolds. He shrugs a shoulder as he continues chewing.

“I’m well aware of who he is.” I lean against the chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Good.” Tony nods before peering over at me. “I’m sorry if I’m coming off a little assertive. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Again. And Garrett’s exactly the type of person to do that.”

Tony and I were dating when Garrett left after high school. He was by my side to brush away the tears. At every opportunity, he made sure to distract me from Garrett. He did it with no questions asked. I’ll always appreciate that he could be the person I needed when I needed it most.

His phone chimes. After glancing down, he turns to Georgia. “We better get going. We have that appointment with the realtor.”

Tony flags down the server for the bill. When he arrives at our table, Tony passes him his credit card. “You can put the entire meal on that.”

I reach for my wallet. “Let me pay for mine.”

Tony waves me off. “I got it. That’s what friends do.”

“Thank you,” I say softly. I turn to Georgia. “It was great having lunch with you.”

“It really was. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime.”

A bright smile takes over her face, and I can’t help but give her one in return. “Definitely.”

Once Tony gets his card back, they both rise to their feet and exit the restaurant.

What the hell was that?

TWENTY-FIVE

MY NUMBER LOOKS GOOD ON HER

Garrett

My phone buzzes on the coffee table, and I immediately glance at the screen, hoping it’s Dessa. When I see the name, my chest goes hollow. It’s not her. I debate on answering, but if I don’t, there’s a good chance Sam Henderson, the third baseman for the Warblers, will only keep calling or worse, stop over. I pick up the phone and press talk.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Are you back in town now?” Muffled electric dance music plays in the background.

“Yeah, I flew in earlier this week.” I lean against the couch and kick my feet onto the coffee table.

“And I’m just finding out now? I’ll forgive you since this is perfect timing. Come outwith me and Stallman tonight.” Marcus Stallman is the left fielder and on most nights is Henderson’s wingman and vice versa. In fact, they try to convince every single guy on the team to go out with them.

I scrub my hand over the scruff on my chin. “I don’t know. It’s been a busy day. I want to relax at home.” And drown myself in misery since I’m not with Dessa.

“Are you still moping about the championship game? Look man, it happens. We’ll kick all their asses next year. In the meantime, I have a couple of ladies who are excellent at making you forget all your woes.” Faint chatter sounds through the phone speaker.

“Nah, man. Thanks, but I’m not feeling it tonight. I’m just going to stay home.”

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