Page 1 of Scoring in Cedarwood

Chapter One

Dr. Dane Bloom strode into the baseball complex. If he’d been told a year ago there’d be a professional-style baseball program in Cedarwood, he’d have laughed. Now, standing in the building, he believed the hype. He’d always wanted to play baseball, but his aptitude in sports had lagged far behind his abilities in the classroom. Excitement shot through his veins. He refused to keep his pride hidden. His town had come into its own.

“Well?” Devlin Chase made his way up to Dane. “What do you think? You like it?”

“I do.” He nodded. He’d only visited the medical and rehabilitation portions of the complex, but the state-of-the-art facility pleased him. “This is worthy of the hospital.”

“Good. That’s what we were going for.” Devlin gestured to the doorway. “I want you to meet someone. Dr. Raji Chopra is going to serve as our team doctor. Dr. Raji, this is Dr. Dane.”

The tall dark-haired man joined Devlin. Both men grinned. “Dr. Dane Bloom. I’ve heard good things about you.”

“I hope so.” Dane shook hands with Raji. He swept his gaze over his fellow doctor. Ever since he’d split from his last boyfriend, Dane had believed he wasn’t going to find another man to make him happy. Raji ticked a lot of his boxes. He liked tall men—someone to look him in the eye. But if this was Devlin’s attempt to fix him up, Dane wasn’t having it.

“We’ve got a good bunch of players and can’t wait to start the season.” Raji winked then turned to Devlin. “I need to finish my paperwork, babe. Stop by my office before you leave.”

Babe. Ah.Dane suppressed a groan. So much for thinking he’d been fixed up. He gritted his teeth. Why had he gone right to worrying about relationships? Devlin had only introduced Raji, not pushed them together.

Raji left the corridor and disappeared into one of the offices. Devlin cleared his throat. “Sorry,” Devlin said. “He wanted to meet you.”

“And he has.” Dane folded his hands behind his back. “Since you need to get to your boyfriend, I’m going to leave.”

“I wanted to talk to you first,” Devlin said. He directed Dane across the hallway to another office. “I should’ve told you I was seeing Raji. We didn’t think it would happen, but it did. I apologize for pushing our relationship under your nose.”

“Don’t be sorry for being happy.” Dane stayed by the doorway. He drank in the view of the room. “Is this your office?”

“It is.” Devlin blushed. “I wanted to keep things simple.”

“Being across the hall from Raji doesn’t hurt.” Dane nodded once. “Sorry. I’m being catty.”

“You have the right.” Devlin tensed. “What you and I had wasn’t going to last. We’re too different.”

“I know.” He’d enjoyed dating Devlin, but his former boyfriend was right—they weren’t meant to go the distance. But he was thirty-eight and wanted to settle down. Too bad his ex hadn’t wanted that, too. “What did you want to speak to me about? I’ve seen the rest of the complex and I’m happy my medical group is a sponsor. You’ve done well.”

“Thank you.” Devlin paused. His cheeks reddened. “I never thought we’d be at this point—friendly.”

“What’s to argue? We split and we’re still talking. I see no reason to be angry.” He’d packed the hurt away ages ago. Dane had no issues looking back, but he preferred to move forward.

“Just… Never mind.” Devlin sank behind his desk and his chair creaked. “I wanted to discuss the possibility of you sponsoring a player.”

“I don’t know.” Dane shook his head. “Devlin, I’m best when I’m at my practice or when I’m on my own.”

“You say that, but I don’t believe it.” Devlin rested his elbows on the table. “We have three players that need a sponsor family. I’ve got something in the works for two of the players, but the third one… He’s a custom fit for you.”

“Custom fit?”Jesus.“You’re buttering me up.”

“Of course.”

“Why? I’m not looking for a roommate.” He didn’t spend enough time at home to have house plants, let alone someone living with him.

“You’d both live at your house, but you wouldn’t have to see him.” Devlin groaned. “Why do you have to make this hard? Don’t fight me. This player needs a place to live while he plays ball and you’ve got the room.”

“I’m never home and I’m not a good fit for anyone.” He massaged his temples. “Remember what Phillip said? Your brother hates me and you and I are friends at best. You’ve both claimed I’m horrible to live with, so why would you push me to having someone I don’t know exist in my house?”

“My brother hates you because he’s a prick.”

Ever since Dane and Phillip had split, Dane had wondered if he was meant to be part of a twosome. Thank God he’d never mentioned to Phillip he’d dated Devlin. The brothers would never speak again. “I’m at work all the time and I’m happy on my own. You said I’m grouchy. Why would someone want to share my house if they have to deal with a snarly man?”

“You’re a liar.”

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