Page 35 of Sweet Spot

Kate cringed. Gordo hid his laugh behind his hand. I stared at the “social media managers” like they were aliens from Mars. “No.”

“Anson,” Stirling warned.

I shot him a look, then softened it with a smile. “Oh I know social media is important. I’ve just never seen how it’s important to me.”

Kate moved across the group to stand closer to me. This part I liked. She was close enough now that I caught a whiff of her perfume. Now I could really see into her eyes when she spoke. Her hair was pulled back from her face so I could see all of her neck and whether she tensed her right arm—a sign I had quickly picked up on when she was holding something back.

“I propose that Charlotte and Scott run your accounts. You won’t have to do anything. We’ll consider them official accounts of Isaac Anson, not personal in any way.”

Gordo suddenly found his cuticles fascinating. He knew how much I hated social media. It was a suck zone. A place I could get lost in and never return from. I made a very deliberate decision to stay far, far away from it. The only time that got complicated was when Rosie’s school insisted on posting most of their updates there instead of in an email. I had to make an appointment on my calendar to remind me to go look at the public pages online once a week to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

“So I won’t have to do anything? I’m not putting those apps on my phone.”

Charlotte spoke with lots of hand movements. “It would be better if you did. Organic interaction would be so helpful.” When I scowled, she gasped a little. “Or not. I suppose we could get quotes from you from time to time.”

I didn’t realize I was about to tell these people off until Kate placed her hand on my forearm. The sudden contact instantly calmed me. “A few quotes after a game isn’t any different from postgame interviews.” She took her hand back, but the feeling, and its effects, lingered.

“They could just take quotes from my postgame interviews, but fine. I’ll do it.”

That made Kate smile, so it was worth a little annoyance from Charlotte and Scott. “Are you all here for the game?”

“Absolutely,” Stirling replied. “We’ll be observing batting practice and warm-ups as well. I’m excited to get my first up close look at the team.”

An entire afternoon with Kate nearby. Watching me work. I swear my entire nervous system was on fire.

I felt Kate’s eyes on me as I barked at Seth Butler during batting practice. I wasn’t normally short with the guys, but Seth was being a real pain in my ass. He was, in many ways, the star of the team. He had golden eyes and hands, always leading the team, and often the league, in home runs. More importantly, he pulled out big hits at the most important times. He was a clutch player.

And right now he was showing his prima donna ass. “Stirling thought you were more important than half the team. Yet you show up late, hungover, and unprepared. Can you even see the ball? Get the fuck out of there before you get hurt.” Or hurt someone else. “Go see June and drink some damned electrolytes.”

Seth glared at me with red eyes. “I can see the ball just fine. Pitch!” He pointed the bat at Nate, who had the unfortunate job of throwing BP today.

Nate looked to me.

I stepped back and waved him on. If Seth wanted to prove a point, I’d let him. Nate threw a terrible pitch that made Seth swear. Then one right down the middle that he should hit out of the spring training park.

But instead he whiffed. He whiffed so hard he spun onto the back of his heels and fell over flat on his back.

“That’s enough,” Gordo said as he jogged over, waving to the training staff. “You’re done here, Butler. Don’t come back until you’re sober.”

“You all were way more fun in college,” Seth muttered as he walked past me.

We definitely used to be more fun. But we weren’t in college anymore. Baseball was a job and showing up drunk could get you hurt real bad if you took a line drive to the head.

“What’s gotten into him?” Nate asked suddenly at my side. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

I hadn’t either. Seth was always a little bit of a prick, but he never showed up drunk. “Any rumors I should know about?”

“What? No. Not that I know of,” Nate answered, frowning.

The back of my neck tingled and I turned to find Kate watching me carefully. Luckily it was just Kate. I had no idea where Stirling was or if he’d seen his prize ballplayer putting on a shit show. Would anyone notice if I shot her a smile? Maybe. But would anyone know the difference between a worried glance and one full of desire?

I cocked my head just a little and let the flirty bastard out. The one who always came alive for Kate. She went stiff as a board and her cheeks flushed just a little. But the real telltale was the very small smile that touched the corners of her eyes and lips.

I grabbed a bat. “My turn.”

“Aw, cap! Come on man!” Wes groaned.

“What? Seth stressed me out. Would you rather I yell at you instead.”

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