Page 27 of Scoring in Cedarwood

“No.” Tanner turned the water off and covered his lower half in the towel. “He thought I was lying to myself.”

“He, like Zep, was wrong. Theyarewrong.” Paul dried off and followed Tanner out of the showers. “You’re in a safe place. It doesn’t seem like it when the coalition and Zep decide to be dicks, but we’ve got your back. Your boyfriend has it, too.” He clapped Tanner on the shoulder. “I need to get something to eat. Find me and we’ll warm up together.”

“Sure thing.” Tanner waited for Paul to leave the area before he dressed and shoved his feet into his boat shoes. His heart lightened. The feeling of belonging at Dane’s home and now at the stadium quashed his fears concerning the coalition and hate speech. He left the locker room in favor of the meeting space. A buffet of sandwiches, fruit, a veggie tray and other goodies had been set out for the team. He selected a roast beef sandwich and bowl of grapes, then wandered into one of the empty loges. He closed the door. If he’d figured his time correctly, he had forty-five minutes to eat before he had to report to warm-ups.

Tanner pulled his phone from his pocket and snacked on the grapes as he called Dane. He wasn’t sure if the doctor would answer, but he’d never know if he didn’t try.

After two rings, the call connected. “Hello?” a female voice asked.

He froze then checked the phone display. He’d called Dane, right? Tanner fumbled for words. “Hi. May I speak to Dane?”

“Sure. He’s finishing up with a patient. Just a moment,” she said. “Who may I ask is calling?”

“Tanner Fox.” He couldn’t say Dane was his boyfriend. They hadn’t established such terms between them. “I live with him.”

“Foxy lives with our doctor? Wow,” she said. “He never mentioned you. I wish he had. I’m a big fan. I went to Gary to see the games a few times. Tickets for the last game, probably right before you were traded last month, were a present from my husband.”

“Nice. I’m glad you were there. I’ll be in Cedarwood for the remainder of the season, so if you can, come to one of the games.” Always talk up the team. The more people in the seats, the more exposure and revenue for the team and everyone else. “I hope to see you there.”

“I’ll check the schedule, but I have to admit, I forgot we have the team.” She laughed. “And I work for one of the major sponsors.”

“Then you should know.” He chuckled and continued to snack on the grapes. “Do you think Dane will be much longer? I don’t want to be a bother.” He tried to chew without being noisy. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not normally his weekend to work and until this flu came along, we weren’t quite so busy.” She paused. “Here he comes. It’ll be just another moment,” she said. “I’m glad I got to talk to you.”

“Same goes for me.” He swallowed the grapes. “Silly question, but I’ve been chatting with you all this time and I have no idea who you are.”

“That’s not a question, but a fair note. I’m Sandra, one of the receptionists at the practice. Dane gives me his phone while he’s in with patients in case there’s an emergency and so I can take messages for him.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Sandra.” He nibbled on more of the grapes. He appreciated Dane’s resourcefulness. But he should’ve guessed the doctor would have a plan—he was a born scheduler.

The connection crackled then filled with static before clearing. “Hello?”

He knew this voice. “Hi, Dane.” Tanner hurried through the bite of grapes. “How’s your day been? Rough?”

“No, I’d say busy. We’ve had so many patients in and out today.” Dane sighed. “What about you? Any news on the graffiti incident? Any new ones? You’re okay, right? I’ve been worried about you since I called this morning.”

“I’m fine and between baseball games.” He settled back on the seat. The tension within him faded. “I thought I’d touch base with you. The worry, by the way, is mutual. I was afraid you’d be targeted because of me.” Admitting the truth helped, but he wished he could be in the same space with Dane.

“You’re in one piece, then?”

“I am, but I know a doctor who can fix me if I’m broken.” He dismantled the sandwich and rolled the roast beef into a cylinder. “I hear he makes house calls.”

Dane snorted. “I do.”

“And his house calls are pretty darn exciting,” Tanner murmured. He wanted to say more but didn’t dare in case the wrong ears were listening to his conversation. He wasn’t ashamed of his relationship with Dane, but if Dane wasn’t ready to take things public, then he respected Dane’s choice. “How much longer do you have to be at the office?”

“I’m here for another hour. The official hours are up in ten minutes, but I’ve got two patients on the way up for appointments Sandra made because they’ve purportedly got the flu. I’d rather see them and get them meds than wait and the virus worsens.” Dane sighed. “I know why we extended the summer hours on Saturdays, but I wish we hadn’t. I’m tired.”

“I’ll bet you are. You woke up early this morning.” Tanner picked at the cheese on his roast beef sandwich. He loved Cheddar but wasn’t in the mood for that flavor. “Think you might make the game?” He wanted to be sure there was a ticket for Dane.

“I’m trying.”

Tanner stared out at the field. Words filled his mind, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. “I’d like to introduce you to my friends—my teammates.”

“I’d love to meet them.”

Was Dane happy about the possibility? Scared? Tanner couldn’t gauge his tone. “A couple of the players invited us to a barbecue.” How would Dane take the invitation?

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