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“You’rea beautiful, breathtaking woman,” he said. “Idon’t want to do anything you’re not ready for.Yourfriendship means too much to me.Let’sclose the door onHendricksbefore we explore where this is heading.”
“Nomore pretend boyfriend?”Kimforced a smile. “Nofriends with benefits?”
“I’myour ‘boyfriend’ as long as you need me,Kim.ButIdon’t expect ‘benefits’ or anything beyond friendship.”Hekissed her forehead. “I’llwait as long as it takes before we explore the next step.”
23
Openingday for theFCUbaseball season felt like a holiday on campus.Themid-Februarysunshine beamed down onTampa, and the campus proudly displayed team banners.Cheerleadersdecorated exterior doorways in the school’s colors and hung posters featuring players, coaches, trainers, and other team staff.Aninfectious buzz flooded the campus like a rallying call for a return to theNationalChampionshipTournament—and this time, bringing home the victory.
Spenceand most teammates sought refuge in the locker room away from the pre-game buzz.Theytook advantage of the empty stadium to play catch, shag fly balls, and run off some pre-game jitters.Heitched for his turn at bat, determined to erase the image of the final strikeout that had haunted him for nine long months.Hisonly way to forget it—overwrite the memory with an excellent game today.
Whenthe team took the field for warmups,Spenceglanced at the stands to see ifKimhad arrived.He’dsweet-talked the intern in the sports information office into issuing a season pass in exchange for a promise to devote extra hours to activities sponsored by theAthleticDepartment.Hopeshe gets here early enough to claim her “lucky seat.”
“Lookingfor your number one fan?”Ericchuckled as he sprinted toward the bullpen to stretch before warmups.
Spencewaved him off. “Goodluck today,Mars.”Hejogged to shortstop and began fielding ground balls hit by the third base coach.Hisarm loosened after a few minutes, and the infielders practiced double plays, throws to the plate, and pop flies in whatever sequenceCoachDavisshouted.
“Youdoing okay,Castie?”Spencespoke to freshman second basemanPedroCastille. “You’relooking comfortable.”
“Nervousas shit, man,” he replied with a half-smile before throwing a strike toward the plate on the next ground ball.Aftercatching it,ToddAndersonstood and pretended to shake his hand in pain before he tossed the ball to the coach.
“Takeit easy on my glove hand!”
Spencechuckled as his eyes swept across the rapidly filling stands.Hecaught a glimpse ofKimsettling into her usual place behind home plate before refocusing on the bouncing grounder quickly heading his way.Hegloved it cleanly, flipped the ball to second, andCastillecompleted the double play with a throw to first basemanTimCarlson.
“That’sit, men, run sprints,”Daviscalled.
“Seriously?”Carlsongroused.Davisdidn’t answer, but the look he sent to first base spoke volumes.
Spencejogged toward left field. “Comeon, guys, let’s go.”
Kimtook her seat and opened the notebook that an intern from the athletic office had presented to her when she used the season pass at the gate.Asmile spread across her face when she saw the officialFCUscorebook.Thelast time she’d seen one was when she substituted at one ofJake’ssemi-pro games.
Rostersfor both teams were clipped to the binder, along with a pack of sharpened pencils and a note thatKimcould pick up rosters before each game.Wow, makes me feel almost professional.Can’tbelieveSpencewent to this trouble… well, actually, this is so likeSpence.Shetried to catch his attention when the team returned to the dugout after warmups, but no surprise,Spencefocused on his teammates as they streamed passed him.Heslapped shoulders, shouted encouragement, and shared his infectious enthusiasm.
Kimlooked away when she heard her name spoken.Afemale student she didn’t recognize dropped into the seat beside her.
“You’reKim, right?I’velooked forward to meeting you.”Shestashed a bag on the seat beside her before extending her hand. “I’mJeanine.Mysorority’s volunteering for the volleyball tournament.”
“Oh, great!Hi, glad to meet you,Jeanine.Thanksfor your support.”
“It’sgoing to be a blast, though many people are disappointed it’s not a beach volleyball event.”Jeanineshrugged, a devious smile illuminating her expression. “Bikinisand board shorts, you know?”
Kimlaughed. “Ican’t imagine dealing with the logistics of planning it at the beach.”
“Oh, but think of the aesthetics—bare chests and board shorts.”Jeaninemock fanned her face. “Agirl can dream, right?”
“Whynot?”Kimsmiled while she retrieved a pencil and opened the scorebook to its first game.
“What’sthat?”Jeaninechirped.
Kimbit back a hint of annoyance. “Ienjoy keeping score at games.I’mgetting ready to…”
“You’redatingSpence.”Statement.Noquestion.
Kimlooked at her in surprise. “Excuseme?”
“ChathamSpencer.Wedated fall semester.Hesaid he had a packed schedule this term and wouldn’t have time to hang out.”Jeanineshrugged. “Ididn’t realize he wanted to stop seeing me afterI’dreturned from the holidays.”
