Page 10 of Scoring in Cedarwood

“No.” He didn’t understand. “What’s so great about Tanner Fox? Is he a decent player? I thought the fans called him Foxy because he’s handsome.”

“Decent? Until he hit this last skid, Foxy had one of the best batting averages in the league. Rumor has it he was going to be called up, until his averages tanked.” Hammell placed his phone on Dane’s desk and folded his arms. “Besides being a star player, he’s a hit with the ladies—like you said. I bet you’ll have an influx of mail or visitors trying to meet him.”

Dane froze and his blood chilled.Meet him? As in coming to my house?“Hammell.”

“He’s popular, but not around here. He hit a skid. The batting average sucks so he may not be able to coast on his appearance.” Hammell shrugged. “Or he could find his mojo again.”

“Dear God,” Dane muttered. He frowned and the dull ache behind his eyes increased. “Do you realize how shallow that sounds? The ballplayer is handsome and popular, but because he can’t hit at the moment, he’s worthless? That’s a terrible thing to say.”

“He’s not worthless, but most of his fans follow him because he’s great at the plate. It’s the fickle cost of fame. They want you when you’re on top, but the moment you slide, they hide,” Hammell said.

“You sound like a bad poet or a horrible motivational poster,” Dane said. “It’s all awful.”

“I know and I’m not saying I abandoned him. Zeke thinks he’s fabulous and Jenna watches him because he’s cute,” Hammell said. “They’re seven and thirteen. She’s discovering boys aren’t gross and I’m not happy about it, but it’s life. As for you, you’ve got a great ballplayer in your home.”

“I guess.” Dane couldn’t back out now.Tanner needs a place to stay so he can chase his dream. Tanner needs to focus on his game, right?

“That’s why they get sponsorship—so they can worry about the game, not their living arrangements,” Hammell said. “Didn’t Devlin explain everything to you?”

“He did.” He’d just ignored half of what he’d been told and read.

“Then you’ll be fine.” Hammell stood and retrieved his phone from the desk. “Enjoy the ride. Don’t spend all your time here at the office. The patients need you, but you need to take care of you, too.”

“I know.”

“I wonder if you do. You’re not invincible.”

He hadn’t thought Hammell worried about him this much. “I am.”

“By living at work?”

Damn it.Hammell had him there. “Hammell.”

“You’re always here. Go home. See if the baseball boy is there. Flirt with him. That’s my prescription for your future.” Hammell nodded once. “You need to work what you’ve got.”

Dane considered the suggestion. He wanted to move on but wasn’t sure how. His past kept coming to the forefront and his heart still ached from being dumped. “Did you know Devlin split Phillip and me up?”

“No. Why?” Hammell asked. “Although I can’t say I’m not thrilled. You and Phillip were a horrible match.”

“Devlin said something close to that.”

“He wasn’t any better for you than Phillip, but if I had to pick one of them, Devlin was the lesser of the two evils.”

“Devlin forbade me from dating the baseball player,” Dane said. “He was quite blunt about it.”

“Ah.”

He’s got nothing for that comment? Good.Dane wasn’t done. He had to clarify the situation. “Besides, we’re all assuming an awful lot.”

“How so?”

“We think this guy will like me. Tanner might not even be gay,” Dane said. “No one seems to have thought of that.”

“True.”

“And we all seem to think he’ll want to be with me. I’m available, but I’m not a catch to everyone.” Dane sighed again. “What if he’s not wanting a relationship with me? I’d be investing time and energy in something that’ll never happen.”

“You aren’t sure about him, either?”

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