Page 13 of Pitcher Perfect
“It wassomething.”
“I was going to ask you about hockey, so you could start talking about it and I could just zone out.”
“Oh, come on. Have you ever been to a game?”
“No,” she said robotically. “Tell me everything. I’m riveted—”
A chime coming from Skylar’s phone interrupted her.
She assumed that was her brother checking in, but when she dug her phone out of the front pocket of her backpack, there was a text from Eve, instead.
Bad news, babe. Two of my bartenders quit to follow their Bitcoin dreams and I’m going to be covering their shifts all next week. Big crowds for spring break. As much as it pains me to break tradition, I don’t think I can be your teammate this year for the Page Stakes. I’m so sorry. I miss you madly. X
“Crap,” Skylar breathed. Having so many of her plans obliterated in the space of a few hours had rendered her off-balance. Ignoring the observant way Robbie watched her, she drained her orange juice, wishing for once that it contained some tequila.
“What happened?”
She plunked down her mug. “How much time is left on this date?”
“Sixteen minutes.”
“Oh Jesus. Fine.” She hastily tightened her ponytail. “My mother, Vivica, married Elton’s dad when I was twelve and they met at an elite baseball club tournament, where they were each the loudest parent in the stands—a title that is not easily won. Imagine the two most competitive, high-functioning people you know getting married. That’s them. They had their wedding reception at a rock climbing facility.” She took a bracing breath.“To commemorate the blending of our families, they hold this competition at our home in Rhode Island called the Page Stakes. It’s a series of races—swimming, climbing, and more. The winner takes home a trophy I made in seventh grade out of Popsicle sticks and a Pepsi can. It’s called the Page Cup.” She took a breath, surprised Robbie didn’t appear to be bewildered like most people were when she told them about the psychotic family event. “My parents are one team. I pair up with my best friend, Eve. Elton and Madden round out the teams.”
“Madden is...”
Her voice softened against her will. “The catcher. From earlier.”
Robbie’s face didn’t change, but disappointment lowered the wattage of his moss-green eyes. “I thought I noticed a little something there.”
Skylar’s pulse started to accelerate, just having her secret this close to the surface. “A little something where?”
“All right. Let’s see.” He scooted his chair closer, as if hunkering down for the nitty-gritty. “He’s not your man or he wouldn’t have let you come on this date, so...”
“‘My man’? Could you, like, try and evolve a little, Redbeard?”
“Sorry, but if you were my girlfriend, I’d be very not okay with some other guy buying you orange juice. I’d boycott oranges for the rest of my life.”
“Believe me, this is a problem you’ll never have to worry about.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” He hung his head for a moment, before meeting her gaze again, a little more of the spark gone. “Are you into him, or what?”
On reflex, she glanced toward the street where Elton and Madden were idling at the curb with their hazard lights on. Thanksto the afternoon sun, she couldn’t discern their faces through the window, nor did she know if they could see this far into the restaurant, but Skylar couldn’t deny that the possibility of Madden watching her go on a date made her feel... visible and coveted. And she didn’t feel like that very often outside of sports.
Never, actually.
“You are into him.” Robbie’s throat bobbed, his laugh lacking some of its earlier boom. “But you’re notwithhim.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly, before she could stop herself. “Fine. You cracked the case.”
Chapter Five
Robbie tried like hell not to show the defeat currently lancing him in the gut.
She loved this fucking catcher named Madden. He could tell. When she’d said his name earlier, it was the first time her brown eyes lost their spite. Speaking about him now was causing her to shift in her seat, fidget with the mug of orange juice. Robbie was a side character who’d walked into a love story already in progress.
One girl wasn’t going to work out for him.One.So what?
So she was gorgeous and funny and athletically talented and took no shit. So she made jokes about cannibalism without blinking and the weight of her had felt really goddamn good thrown over his shoulder. So she was competitive and seemed to value her family, even while poking fun at them.
