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I grab my water bottle and decide to put on a little show for her, squirting water across my face and sticking out my tongue to quench my thirst.
I wait for her middle finger to greet me.
Tenley’s phone lowers, and her body stills, but she doesn’t retreat. She just watches me and waits. Waits to see what I do next. There’s something in me that warns me to be careful, but I’ve never really been good at taking a solid warning with caution. I’ve also never been able to shake this woman.
Why doesn’t she want people to see the soft side of her? The side that shows how thoughtful she is.
Her pretty blues tell a story I want to know like it’s my own. One I can read and predict what’s next because it’s muscle memory. Let her become muscle memory.
But there’s something Tenley fortunately still has yet to learn about me: I don’t take what isn’t freely given to me. And as much as I want to charge toward her and beg her to see me past my rough exterior, I won’t because she’s not there yet.
Not ready formejust yet.
So, I send her a cheesy wave and saunter my happy ass to the dugout, ready to celebrate.
I’ll admit, it feels good to have her eyes on me, though.
13
TENLEY
10 WEEKS
Hale and Graves…what am I going to do with you?
Per Coach Leggins’ orders, I’m the lucky woman put in charge of making sure these two slackers up their social media game. Being that I’m the social media coordinator, I guess that’s to be expected.
I tried to act surprised when Leggins approached me, but I saw it coming from a mile away. He’s been working diligently to tighten the ship—Makers Park, and I know that means keeping the player endorsements happy.
August and Jethro have been on the shit list for years, their time long overdue.
I take a sip of my ginger ale, hoping and praying it settles my stomach. I’m only around ten weeks and starting to feel what I assume to be just the start of morning sickness.
Yuck.
Ginger ale and fruit are the only things I can manage to stomach, so I make sure to have plenty with me at all times.
Mapping out my projects for Jethro and August has become somewhat of a struggle, given that both of these guys are entirely different and will provide vastly different content.
They also have widely contrasting followings. August has been a Striker since the start of his career, giving him dedicated fans who would appreciate a photo of his morning shit if I allowed it. Whereas Jethro is still somewhat of a rookie, joining the Strikers last season. He also has a mixed rep and not one that’s currently in his favor. A lot of the groundwork for Jethro is going to be from himself, focusing on being a decent human being.
August just needs to look good. Which, what do you know? He’s got that in the bag.
But I know the legalities of these endorsements are important for their careers, therefore making my job extra stressful in times like this. I’d never want to let either one of them down, so I’m working on putting together a plan that is not only feasible for their everyday life but also one that gives them more than a scrap of privacy.
I know how savored privacy is when you can’t escape the public eye.
I’m fortunate enough to have some pretty great parents who have been nothing but supportive of my life choices. Something I’ve never taken for granted. But I’ve also been around the game for a long time, given my dad is a die-hard baseball fan. I grew up watching the Strikers play from my living room television.
I know the game well and could recite fielding drillsand plays in my sleep. Hell, I’d be confident enough to coach the game myself.
However, no one knows that about me. It’s a nugget of truth I save for a rainy day. Not for any particular reason, but more so because no one has really asked. It helps that my parents live in Savannah, and I’m not exactly a player on the Strikers.
Yes, Kodi and Navy know basically everything there is to know about me, but I can’t remember a time when we’ve gone into depth about our parents. They just know mine are both retired, and that’s enough for me.
Also, given the fact that Kodi lost both of hers in a car accident a few years back, discussing parents is more of a sensitive topic, and I want to respect that for her.
With that being said, I intend to do my part in making sure August and Jethro’s endorsements value their partnership with them. I need to have a meeting with both Jethro and August to give them at least some simple instructions before I start planning things.
