Page 28 of Scoring in Cedarwood

“Us?”

Again, Dane didn’t sound happy or upset. Tanner suppressed a groan. “Yeah. They invited me and a plus one.” He wasn’t about to say boyfriend—not yet. He needed to know Dane would join him.

“I—” Dane grumbled something Tanner couldn’t understand. “I need to go. I’ll be at the game at some point. You can introduce me all you want.”

Not the overwhelming and resounding approval he’d expected, but Tanner could deal. “Okay.” He paused. “I can’t wait to see you. I’m dying for some of your special doctoring.”

“Are you?” Dane asked.

“Yes.” Without a doubt.

“If I didn’t have patients here, I’d ask for details,” Dane said. “I’ll see you at the end of the game, if not before.”

“See you soon.” He hung up. He wished he could spend more time on the phone with Dane. He liked the game of tag and the initial delight in Dane’s voice. The giddiness filled Tanner and spurred him forward for the game. He’d slept with Dane and things were still tenuous but going in the right direction. He’d see his man soon and could rest beside him. His teammates wanted him around and he’d found a home. Life was good.

* * * *

Dane groaned as he drove to the stadium. He’d wanted to be there an hour ago, but as per usual, he’d taken on one more patient and stayed past closing time. He hadn’t wanted to let anyone down, yet he’d forgotten to consider Tanner’s feelings.

Sandra’s words rang in his ears. ‘The world won’t end if you leave. The patients can go to the ER or another doctor can come in to help.’

But he was the one on call. He needed to be available. He also deserved a personal life. He’d come in plenty of times during his off-hours. He’d helped and stuck around when he could’ve left.

Now he had someone to come home to and a life.

He pulled into the parking lot. A dull ache started behind his eyes. The lot had already cleared out, save for a handful of cars. The stands, from his vantage point, seemed empty, too.Damn it.He’d missed the game completely.

Dane parked in the staff lot in the sponsor section then locked his bag in the trunk. Despite feeling safe at the stadium, he kept an eye out for the coalition. He hadn’t heard anything new concerning the group, but still. He had to be vigilant.

Guilt washed over him. He should’ve found a way to get to the game before now. Christ, this was why he sucked as a boyfriend and friend—he put his work in front of his personal life.

He left his car and locked the vehicle before he headed into the facility. The woman at the gate stopped him.

“Do you have your credentials?” she asked. She pointed to the badge she wore. “I know you’re one of the sponsoring doctors, but we have to see your credential card.”

Shit.Did he have it? He looked through his wallet and finally found the identification. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bloom.” She smiled. “The game is over. We lost by five.”

He walked through the turnstile.Well, shit.“It happens. We’re still a young team.” He paused. “I had to be at the office all day. I wish I hadn’t missed the game, but maybe it’s not so bad.”

“We won game one by two runs. Foxy scored the winning homer and got the base runner in.” She handed him a program. “If you run into Foxy, get his autograph. He’ll love the attention. I made sure to have him sign mine earlier.”

“I will.” He could have much more at home, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Thank you.”

He headed to the upper deck and located Devlin’s loge. He peeked through the privacy window and spotted Devlin with his arm around Raji. A pang of jealousy hit Dane. He would love to be cuddled up right now—not with Devlin or Raji.With Tanner.Christ, he had it bad for Tanner. He jiggled the handle then opened the door.

“Hi,” Dane said. “Sorry I missed the game.”

Devlin sighed. “We need to lock that door before we get close.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Hi, Dane.”

Raji blushed. “Nice of you to join us.”

“Did you watch the game?” Dane asked. “You’re the owner and one of the sponsoring doctors. Don’t you have a vested interest in winning? How about an interest in the health of the team? Shouldn’t one of you be in the dugout?”

“We got one win today,” Devlin said. “It’s better than none and why are you so testy?” He shifted in his seat. “Too many tough cases today?”

“I missed the game. That’s why I’m testy.” Dane stood tall. He snagged a bottle of water from the table. “I made a promise and I blew it.”

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