Page 55 of Wild Pitch
“You’ve been taking care of me all morning…” I observed as we both settled into his car.
“Yeah, partly because it’s part of aftercare, but also because that’s the type of dominant I am. It’s a means for me to control the situation if I do it myself.”
“Um, are you sure that’s not just a form of OCD?”
Luc laughed. “I don’t know, Ky. But did you hate it when I ironed your clothes? Or would you prefer I had you iron mine?”
“I hate ironing. I rarely buy clothes that require ironing. This business casual thing at work has been forcing me out of my comfort zone.”
“See? We’re perfect for each other.”
Perfect for each other. Damn you, Luc! Why do you keep reminding me that this will end one day?
As we sipped our lattes and I picked at my muffin, one of my co-workers, Gabby, had come into the cafe. She waved and approached our table while she waited for her order to be made.
“Kylie, hey. I’m glad I caught you.” She eyed Luc and waited patiently for me to introduce them.
“Hi Gabby, this is Luc, my boyfriend.”
My voice wavered a bit when I said the word boyfriend, but Luc’s smile was worth it. He stood and shook Gabby’s hand.
“Would you like to join us?” Luc asked.
“No, I’m headed in a little early. I don’t have time to sit. We’re planning post-work drinks tonight. Are you in?”
“Oh, I can stop in for one.” I peeked at Luc to see how he reacted to me having drinks with my co-workers, and he seemed completely unbothered. From what I could tell, my co-workers were tight-knit and had bonded over late nights and disease outbreaks. What can I say? These were my people.
Gabby smiled at Luc. “I’ll have to let Jayson know you’re off the market. It will save you both the awkwardness of you turning him down.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking again at Luc to gauge his reaction. He seemed more amused than jealous.
“Gabby?” The barista called her name from the pick-up counter.
“Ooh, that’s me. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“See ya soon.”
Luc waited until Gabby left before speaking. “God, Kylie. I owe you an apology.”
“What for?”
“I haven’t asked you about your new job. I don’t understand what an epidemiologist does and haven’t asked. Baseball filled most of our conversation. I didn’t mean to be so self-absorbed.”
“Well, I like baseball. I’ll gladly talk about it. Bonus points if you throw in some juicy player gossip. Unfortunately, there’s not enough time for me to explain what I do if I’m going to make it to work on time. But if you call me from the hotel tonight, I’ll be happy to tell you all about how many cases of Lyme disease there are in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Luc smiled, and I immediately got sucked into him again. I lost focus on everything else but him when he was in the room.
“Sure, I’ll look forward to it. Call me after you get back from drinks with your new friends.”
“Are you okay with Jayson being there?”
“Are you interested in Jayson?”
“No.”
“Then why would I mind?”
“I don’t know.”
