Page 58 of Fake Love

Jen just rolls her eyes and goes back to doing something on my phone.

“Okay, so I think we have everything set for next month. One days you pitch, we will post a game or action picture and in between will be personal,” she says, giving me a smile. “Oh and I saw on the Miners event calendar that the team is hosting an event to raise money for the school district for summer lunches for the kids. It’s after this long stretch of away games you have. I think it would be perfect.”

I nod. “Yeah, I already signed up for that. Its for a good cause so I figured why not give a few hours.”

“Am I your plus one?” she asks, giving me a smirk.

“For the rest of the season you will be,” I don’t know how I meant for the words to come out, but they sounded harsh and Jen definitely caught it.

If my life wasn’t where it currently is, three months out of rehab for drug use, trying to get back my baseball career to what it once was and worrying that tomorrow might be my mom’s day, I would make her my plus one for longer.

But it isn’t.

And it sucks so fucking much that time like right now, I hate it.

It’s just what it is, so I change the subject.

“Are you sure you don’t want to travel with me and the team for two weeks?”

Every time I have a series of away games, I ask her to come along. You know since it’s one of the rules that we have.. She’s been good about going to home games, going to almost every single one. Away games on the other hand have yet to happen.

Girlfriends and wives travel with the teams all the time, so having her travel with me might help convince a few more people that our relationship is legit.

“Where are you going again?” She asks, just like she does every single time.

It’s not like she doesn’t have the schedule memorized.

“Seattle for an interleague series, Denver, Houston and Arizona.”

She makes a face at the last two. “The last two are going to be hot as hell.”

She’s right about that. “No doubt. I think I looked and it was going to be over one hundred in Arizona when we’re there.”

Her distaste for the Arizona heat is prominent on her face. “How about I join you for Seattle and skip the other ones? No way would I be able to handle that type of heat.”

“Too much of a San Francisco girl?” I tease.

A small snort comes out of her nose and I can’t help but smile at it. “Hardly. I grew up on the central coast and a few miles from the beach. The hottest it has ever gotten is the high eighties. Rest of the time was cold breezes.”

“That sounds a whole lot better than one hundred degree weather.” I say, giving her a smile.

“Oh it is. Maybe I should take you there sometime.”

“I mean, I have a few days off in July for the All-Star break. I'm down to drive down if you are.”

A smile takes over her face, telling me that my idea is a good one.

“I never turn down a chance to go home.”

“Then you go to Seattle with me this week and I go home with you. Do we have a deal?” I hold out my hand for her to shake.

Jen sits up and gives me a look of contemplation, before she gives me a smirk and shakes my hand.

“You got yourself a deal skippy.” Her hand slides into mine and it takes everything in me not to tighten my grip on me and pull her toward me.

I’m already having difficulty not leaning in right now and placing my mouth on hers.

Our eyes are locked on each other, and there’s this electric current running through us that we both must be feeling.