Page 51 of The Yips

Kylie thought for a minute, “Only you can answer that. You’ve been spending time with him, not me. But at the end of the day, there are thousands of bars in Boston, and if youneed to, you can get another job in a heartbeat. So, say you can’t return to that job; you can find another one.”

“Okay, so what happens when I get used to this lifestyle? Crew and I get attached, and then it ends?”

“No risk, no reward. Shit, did you forget everything Mom and Dad taught you?”

“I doubt either intended me to run around the country chasing a professional baseball player.”

“Yeah, but damn. He’s not bad to look at.”

“Hey,” Sam called up the stairs. “I’m back with dinner.”

We left the laundry half-folded and headed back downstairs. Sam kissed Crew and me and hugged Kylie in greeting.

“Hey Sam, Kelsey refused to give me the tour, so I fully expect you to show me your place after we eat.”

I pulled out plates, utensils, and a couple of wine glasses for Sam and Kylie. Sam pulled the To Go containers out of the bag and set them on the counter so we could serve ourselves while he opened the wine bottle. I took a sip of the wine to taste but limited myself to sparkling water. Earlier that day, I had picked up a bouncing seat for Crew; we set him there while we ate dinner.

“Did Kelsey bring you up to the roof?” Sam asked.

“No, I got to help with laundry while she teased me with a selfie of the Boston skyline. She also bragged about being able to park her car in a parking garage. Do you have teammates with extra garage spaces who might need someone to share their lives? I’ve been told I’m lucky, too,” Kylie joked.

“Ky, stop,” I insisted. “Too much.”

“Ah, I hope she warned you I’m a lot?”

“She did,” Sam answered. “I’ve been bracing myself.”

Right then, Crew started to fuss, and Sam was up beforeme to collect him from the seat. Kylie caught my eyes, hers widened, mouthing, “Are you kidding me?”

I shrugged and smiled. “Sam is working on making himself indispensable.”

“I am. But this kid is pretty amazing.”

We finished our meals, and Sam gave Kylie her walkthrough, ending on the roof. It was a perfect July summer night, and after I fed Crew, Sam brought him downstairs to put him to bed so Kylie and I could have some more time.

“Are you kidding? Is he really putting the baby to bed? Even Kendra would be impressed with him. So now is when you go and ruin it by telling me he has a small dick…”

“Sheesh, Ky. He doesn’t have a small dick!”

“Ahhh! I knew I’d get it out of you!”

“Shssh. Stop! What if he comes back up and hears us talking about his package?”

“I would hope that you at least did it justice,” Sam answered from the entrance.

“See? I told you she’d bring up something inappropriate.” I watched as Sam laughed it off and changed the subject. He and Kylie spent the rest of the night discussing living in the Northwest versus the Northeast. Kylie had polished off the bottle of wine and ordered an Uber to bring her back home.

CHAPTER 46

Sam

Kelsey and I returned to the roof after Kylie left, both of us enjoying the quiet of the warm summer night.

“Do you come up here in the winter?” Kelsey asked, walking to the railing overlooking the street below.

“I haven’t been here through the winter, but I’m not a huge fan of the cold. If possible, I travel to warmer weather when it gets brutal. The first few games every spring are the worst for me. But I planned to set up some heaters to extend the season.”

“I would be up here every single day.”

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