Page 36 of Fastball Fever
One of the guys pushes a ball cap forward and hesitates."Would you mind…?"
"Signing?"I finish for him."Yeah.Sure."
The table is quickly flooded with caps and Sharpies.Amy glances at me, wide-eyed and bemused.I make quick work of the first ball, nodding toward her."You gotta meet the real star behind my comeback."There's a rush of embarrassment in the group.I can almost hear the collectiveoh."This is my coach, Amy Keller."
I watch her, waiting for the reaction.It doesn't disappoint.
"Wow."One of the women elbows the others, then beams at Amy."You're amazing.Could we have a photo with you, Coach Keller?"
She clearly doesn't know what to say at first.There's something different about being seen like this."Don't let him fool you.Charlie's the one who does all the work.I just keep him from making an ass of himself."
The ladies giggle and grin.
We both sign the merch piled in front of us.There's a shift in the air, the awkwardness lifting as everyone begins to talk at once.Amy joins in with them, answering questions, quick and confident, a new ease in her movements.She handles herself like she's been doing it all her life.
"Did you really bring Braddock back from the dead?"one of the male fans teases.
"Wasn't easy," Amy throws back."He's stubborn."
She casts a glance my way, and I wink.
"You're lucky to have her," the youngest one says to me, wide-eyed.
"Don't I know it," I answer, maybe more sincerely than I meant to.
The women are all looking at me with "awwww" eyes.That's what I like to call it.Ladies always love me.
The conversation grows more boisterous as fans talk over each other in a buzz of questions and laughter.I catch Amy's eye across the table.There's a shared feeling between us, an unspoken acknowledgment of what just happened.It feels good.
The group trickles away with waves and promises to cheer us on, leaving us alone again with our drinks.The space they leave behind is warm, less like absence, more like anticipation.
"I think I'm starting to like it when people pester me," Amy says, leaning back and stretching her arms."As long as they don't ask about RBIs."
"Think you'll be ready for family gatherings pretty soon?"
"I don't know."She lifts her glass, rolling it between her palms."Will I have to sign autographs at your parents' house too?"
I chuckle."You never know.My sisters are big fans of the Admirals."
"And they hate the Altitude, right?"
"Got it in one, coach."
The bar grows louder as the night stretches on, glasses clinking and laughter spreading out into the darkness beyond the river.Amy and I agree that we'd rather go home and entertain each other instead of heading to a nightclub.Bedroom play feels like the kind of game I can win.And our last game before the World Series might change the Admirals' fortunes for good—if we can beat Jared Morris and the rest of the Altitude team.
Chapter Nineteen
Season's End
Cheers erupt all around us in a deafening display of team spirit, from the players and the fans.Their sheer joy has infected the stadium.Why?Because for the first time in my career, I'm on the winning team.The Admirals have made it to the summit of baseball.We'll go head-to-head with the Altitude, and by extension, Jared Morris.
This time, I'll be ready for the jackass.
Amy throws her arms around my neck, her feet hovering above the grass.Her exuberant grin spills over into my expression too."We did it, Charlie!We're going to the World Series!"
My coach kisses me so passionately that I'm wondering when a cop will show up to arrest us for public indecency.
The team swarms around us, laughing and slapping each other on the back.Amy moves out of the way, clearly realizing my teammates want to express their happiness.That means they're now practically tackling me in their fervor.
