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Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault. But this trade is crap.
He’s right. It is crap. But not for Luca. He can come into this Mustangs team and be a leader, a solid presence in their clubhouse. I just don’t know if he sees that yet.
It is my fault. I should have negotiated a no trade clause in my last contract.
Three little dots bounce up and down and then disappear. Again and again until finally my phone buzzes in my hand. I accept the call and lift the phone to my ear as Sam launches in without so much as a hello.
“You shouldn’t have needed a no-trade clause,” he says. “It doesn’t make sense to trade you at your age and with only a year left in your contract. If Detroit is serious about a playoff run I don’t understand why they’d want you and Phillips.”
“Wow,” I huff out a laugh, “thanks for that.”
“You know what I mean, Max.”
“I do,” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was thinking the same things for the entire flight. No part of our trade makes sense for Detroit, which makes me think that the Olympians were just looking to free up payroll by dumping the two of us. “I know what you mean, and I’ve been thinking about it since I got here.”
By all accounts this trade makes no sense. I don’t know what I’m walking into tomorrow when I walk into that front office and meet with the team. I don’t know what’s expected of me. I don’t know if I’m going to be a starter or relegated to the bullpen.
“On a brighter note, Benji and Kaline annoy each other and it's the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. So once you take Benji home at the end of the season, our boys have to have regular playdates.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I yawn around the words and Sam laughs at me.
“I’ll let you go, Max.”
“Night, Sam. Take care of my girls, okay?”
“Of course.”
When I’m off the phone with Sam, I shoot a quick text to Sutton.
Goodnight, Duckling. I love you.
I watch as the message changes fromdeliveredtoread.And after what seems like an eternity.
I love you, Max. Only 55 games until we’re together again. Head held high.
Fearless.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
New Normal
SUTTON
When the lightsgo out at Olympians Park, I finally remove myself from the bench and walk to my office in a daze. My fingers fumble with the buttons on my jersey and the buckle on my belt and I finally strip off my uniform. Running my fingers over the familiar logo of my cap and the letters emblazoned across my jersey. This team changed my life when they took a chance on hiring me and today they broke my heart in a way I never could have imagined possible six years ago.
After I change clothes and toss my uniform in the nearby laundry cart, I leave the stadium and find Dr. Sam Henderson on the sidewalk, phone in hand. His eyes meet mine with a small smile and a nod. As I step beside him, he extends his hand and I hand over my duffle bag, just like I would have if I were walking with Max. The only difference is that Sam doesn’t wrap himself around me on the ferry the way that Max usually does. We cross in silence and finally, as we near the driveway of the house, Sam hands over my bag and shoves his hands in his pockets before speaking to me.
“I didn’t want you walking home alone,” Sam’s eyes flit to the house behind me, dark and silent – the house, and the manin front of me. “I know you usually do this together. He’s told me.”
“Thank you, Sam.” My voice is choked with emotion.
“You know, I’ve always wondered what happens to a baseball player’s friends when they get traded…never thought I’d find out like this.”
Dropping my bag at my feet I open my arms and Sam steps into them, wrapping his own arms around me in a tight hug. It’s hard, loving a baseball player. Knowing that the future is so uncertain. Not knowing from one game to the next if they’ll be healthy or wind up injured. Not knowing from one season to the next if they’ll be with the same team or still in the game at all. My dad used to say there are three things in life of which we can be certain: death, taxes, and the heartbreak of loving a baseball team.
“Nothing really prepares you for the heartbreak of the trade deadline,” I offer with a humorless laugh. “But, the bright side is, this means the season is almost over and he’ll be home before we know it.”
“Do you think Detroit makes a run at the playoffs?”
