Page 12 of Embers in the Outfield

I make my way over to the table River has sat at, the water pitcher in his hands. I pull a chair out and sit next to him. The moment my ass hits the chair, it’s automatic that I feel the pain in my feet from standing all day.

“I’m sorry your date ditched you. I wasn’t really giving Darius any attention during the entire wedding. I thought he was going to put me to sleep when he started talking about the latest Excel update. I mean, who cares about that kind of stuff?” I huff. I nearly plopped my face on my dinner plate as Darius droned on about his work and his excitement to see the latest installment on Excel.

I looked over at Sam during the meal, and she kept suppressing a laugh, covering her mouth with her cloth napkin. I kept squinting at her, completely aware she knew his personalitywas probably as bland as the professor inFerris Bueller’s Day Off.

“Don’t apologize to me. I’ll be just fine,” he says. “I won’t be crying over that not working out. I promise. I just brought a date because I thought it was best.”

I’ve seen River date quite a few women throughout the years, but they never last longer than a few weeks. As much as Clay was starting his life as a husband early on compared to the rest of us, River was adamant about keeping his options open. I overheard him say he enjoyed his single life far too much and would let his brother take on the responsible sibling role.

“You haven’t lost your moves, Riv.” I wink at him and reach over to grab my glass of water. River must know what I am trying to get, and he moves at the exact same time. It causes his face to rest right at the crook of my neck, and I can’t help my body’s excitement at his proximity.

I take a breath and finally reach the glass. It takes everything in me not to turn my head and pull his lips to mine. He’s so close, and I’m apparently really needing a release.

Fuck, it’s been too long.

I sit back in my seat and take a big swig of water, closing my eyes and trying to calm down whatever my body is doing in response to River tonight. I’m the president of a fucking baseball team, and this right here—this attraction with a man I’ve detested for so long—is nearly causing me to lose my cool and mount him right here in the ballroom in front of everyone. I need to find some release when I get back to my room. I’m wound way too tight.

My job doesn’t give me much time to focus on me right now. Looking at my life at the moment, baseball would have been the last career path I would have envisioned for myself when I was a little girl. I was all about princesses and glitter and finding Prince Charming.

Too bad life has a way of slapping some things out of our grasp. The moment I lost my parents, that part of my life also dimmed. I said goodbye to the moments when I saw life as a fairy tale and had to find a new normal to adapt to. Luckily, I had it better than those who may not have people who love them to take them in.

I was sent to live with my grandparents, who also lived in New York City at the time. I was there with them until I graduated high school. However, in the summers, my dad’s brother, my uncle Thomas, along with his wife Gennie, took me in. They never could have children, and they spoiled me with each visit.

My uncle is the owner of the Boston Gaels, and the older I got, the more my visits became about business and how I could one day take over the company. My uncle still owns the team, but he recently appointed me as the new president.

I am the first female to take on such a position of power in the league, and that comes with more lows than highs at the moment. The media has not been kind with having a female in this position, so I’m going to do everything I can to prove that I am more than capable. It’s a bigger hill to climb than a man would have, the double standard not lost upon me in my newfound role. But I know what a huge responsibility this is for me, and I do not take it for granted.

I stand up, grab my purse and shoes under the table, and put the glass down after finishing off the rest of it. Now that I’ve taken a few moments to rest, I realize I need to get to bed. My body is wiped now that I’ve given it a chance to relax after today’s festivities.

“I appreciate the dance, Riv. I think I’m going to head to bed. It’s been a long day,” I say, turning around and making my way to the exit. I can feel him following behind me, so I turn my head to give him a confused look.

“I thought I’d walk you up,” River says as he reaches for the items in my hands and pulls them into his grasp. What is going on right now? This isn’t our usual interaction. Chivalry is dead when it comes to River and his actions toward me.

Of all our friends, I haven’t put much thought into us getting along. However, my mind has wandered to the fact that if there were one person who could handle my strong personality, it would be him.

It’s not something I’ve spent too much time thinking about because each interaction with us is always teetering the line of a nuclear bomb going off. But a part of my brain has always acknowledged that River would probably be the most compatible person for someone as uptight as me, even with our rocky introduction.

I stare as he moves ahead of me, my eyes on his back as I follow him toward the exit of the ballroom. My mind doesn’t know what to think right now. From the way we moved on that dance floor to the way he’s showing me this kind side of him, I’m unsure how to navigate anything past hate for one another. This is unknown territory for me and my brain when it comes to River Nichols.

As each year has passed since my parents died, I’ve allowed a thick wall to build around my heart. At first, it was a coping mechanism. But the older I get and watch my friends marry off and live lives with love and companionship, I see that I’ve really grown accustomed to an independent life.

It may have started as a way to keep me from breaking down when I was a child, but now it’s all I know. I don’t let people in. Much like River, I date, but I pretty much start everything knowing there’s an end date attached to it. Plus, I barely have time to wash my hair, let alone commit to another person and give them my time.

Losing my parents and a sibling I never got to meet taught me how to maneuver through life with a huge berth around me. That space has given me the room I’ve needed to feel the control I’ve always longed for since that horrible day when I was young. I’ve felt like if I hold on to people around me with a weaker grip, maybe life wouldn’t find a way to break my heart. So I keep people at a distance, and so far, it’s served me well.

We’re about to go through the double doors when someone is calling River’s attention. She catches up, her smile nearly splitting her face it’s so big. I recognize her as one of the many women he danced with tonight.

“Hey, River, hold up.” The girl is out of breath once she reaches us. She’s holding something out. I don’t see what it is until I peer over and position my nosy self a little closer and realize it’s her room key. I feel my eyes bulge, partly in awe this girl has balls and the other at the audacity. What if River and I were leaving together?

I have to internally roll my eyes at myself because what the hell is going on with this train of thought creeping in? I never think anything of River and his extracurriculars, and tonight, I have thought about how he could relieve the ache between my legs.

River’s discomfort is evident on his face as he looks at the white and blue key card she shoved in his hand. If I didn’t know him so well, I would miss it, but I can see he’s embarrassed he has me as an audience right now.

He masks it well when he pockets the card and winks at the girl. I doubt it’s the first time this has happened to him, but I still can’t help the dumbfounded look that must be showing on my face.

He gives a slight cough and says to the woman, “Thanks, Cheryl. It was great meeting you.” Her cheeks pink, and now I feel like I’m interrupting a moment here.

She smiles wider at him and then registers I’m still standing there. She gives a little wave and then runs off, her friends waiting at the table, clapping at her bold move.

---