Page 1 of Wild Pitch
CHAPTER 1
KYLIE
Iarrived at the airport with barely enough time to catch the red-eye flight back to Boston. The last-minute stop at Goodwill to donate almost everything I owned took longer than planned. I chose to move back to Boston for a fresh start, and keeping mementos from college didn’t fit the new life I had mapped out.
I briefly considered staying in Washington, but I accepted when the Massachusetts Department of Public Health offered me an entry-level position as an epidemiologist in Boston. Washington was beautiful and had a lot to offer, but it didn’t have my family.
My mom was a nurse, so I had plenty of exposure to healthcare systems, and this was most likely why I’d always had a side obsession with diseases. She also provided a foundation for disease prevention and infection control. But I loved numbers and data more than interacting with and treating sick people. I was hooked when I discovered I could play an active role in controlling the spread of disease without becoming a doctor or nurse.
So, I had my dream job. I was closer to my family, and I lived within fifteen minutes of my brand-new nephew, Crew. I would have sacrificed almost anything for this opportunity.
I checked my phone before boarding and confirmed that Kelsey would still be available to pick me up at Logan Airport when I landed first thing in the morning. Although I dreaded the first few days back while adjusting to the time change, I couldn’t wait to finally hold Crew. I hadn’t been able to make it back in March when he was born, and so up until now, I had only ever seen him on FaceTime.
Thank God for FaceTime. When I chose the University of Washington, the decision was driven by the full-ride scholarship I received to play soccer.
During the last game of my senior year, right as I was about to score, I heard a pop when my ACL tore. My soccer career was over, but during my recovery, I was accepted to the master’s program. I loved living on the West Coast, but when my sister got pregnant with my nephew, I yearned to help her.
I boarded the flight and cringed. I found myself stuck in the middle seat. Ugh, I hated the middle seat, but after getting distracted packing up my apartment, I had forgotten to check in for the flight home. This was the last seat left where I didn’t have to pay up, and I hated paying extra for comfort.
When I found my row, both neighbors had already taken their seats, and I had to say “excuse me” twice before the woman in the aisle looked up at me and moved. Her huff when I pointed out that she was sitting on my seatbelt got the attention of the man seated by the window.
Oh my. Can a man be beautiful? I wanted to drown in his warm brown eyes, and the crinkle at the corner, followed by a quick wink and nod at the woman. I was relieved that he’d charmed her, but slightly jealous he’d given her that smile. And she smiled back at him just before giving me a dirty look.
“Here, let me help,” he said, sliding over as far as he could towards the window as he lifted the armrest so I could store my personal items under the seat.
It was then that I realized I had already lost the armrest negotiation with the witch at the end of the row. Didn’t everyone know that the middle row got both armrests? It was the only benefit to sitting in the middle seat, and she had stolen it from me.
I had finally settled and fastened my seatbelt when I remembered my book was still in my backpack. Of course, the hot guy next to me also bent down to search his bag at the same time, and yep, our heads collided.
“Sorry,” he said, immediately taking responsibility.
We negotiated access to our backpacks by taking turns, and my eyes wandered to the book in his hand.Huh.
I held up my copy ofMistborn, the first book in Branden Sanderson’s series, and he sheepishly showed his copy of the same book.
“Looks like you’re further along than I am,” I said. “I’ve been holding off starting this series. I heard the Cosmere can get intense, and every book gets longer and longer.”
He chuckled, the sound coming out more like a deep rumble. “I travel a lot for work and can’t sleep on planes, no matter how late we’re flying. My goal is to go right through the series this summer.”
“That’s ambitious. I love a good fantasy series, but I usually end up reading a palate cleanser between each book,” I said, grateful that I hadn’t been reading one of those palate cleansers today. I felt no shame in some of my smuttier reads, but I wasn’t comfortable talking about those choices with good-looking men on planes.
I checked his left hand, and while I didn’t see a telltale gold band, I thought I saw an indentation from where one had beennot too long ago. Sigh. Did he slip his ring into his pocket when I sat down? Was he one of those businessmen who traveled and picked up women while his wife and family waited for him at home?
I never understood why men would bother getting married only to cheat.
I shook my head, feeling disappointed. At what? Did I really think that the universe would put me next to a handsome andeligibleman? No, I tended only to attract unavailable men or women. They were either physically or emotionally unavailable, though the tease of a man next to me was definitely par for the course.
The universe again dangled candy in front of my face, and I couldn’t have it.
I attempted to immerse myself in my book, but my eyes kept wandering to the stranger to my left. When he rolled back the cover of his paperback after cracking the spine, I gasped.
His eyes shot to mine.
“Everything okay?” He asked.
“It was. Until you ruined your book. Why’d you have to go and crack the spine like that? Please don’t tell me you keep your place by folding the corner.”
“How else would I mark my place?” His brows arched, and the corner of his mouth ticked up in amusement.
