AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know. I suggested it,” Corey says, hiking the mystery bag higher. “I’ve got to get out there before a kid tries to take my spot as the pitcher.” He shoots me a wink and then leaves me alone on the bus, speechless.
I’ve realized Corey is good with kids, but hearing he put thought into today’s event does funny things to my stomach.
I try to squash the fluttering sensations as I leave the bus, determined to focus on my work. I need to get awesome content to share on the team’s social media profiles to kick off the new year. I can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a particularly thoughtful, kind, generous, and unbelievably gorgeous pitcher…
Yup,I groan.I’m screwed.
13
CARLEE
The event is a hit—evenmore so than the two previous park re-openings—and it’s in large part thanks to Corey and the other players going above and beyond for the kids.
Turns out, the lumpy bag Corey brought with him contained over fifty baseballs, signed by various Lonestars players, including several who aren’t here today. Kendrick, Corey’s old college teammate, let it slip that Corey has been asking guys to sign a ball or two when he runs into them in the weight room. Apparently, he’s been doing it for weeks.
If that wasn’t enough, Corey was roped into an unplanned signing session after the players and kids finished their friendly ball game. It started when a little girl with curly pigtails asked him to sign her shirt. After that, a wave of children crashed over him and the others, begging the players to sign their shirts, shoes, hats, or whatever else they had on them.
The guys didn’t need to, but they spent nearly an hour in the warm January sun autographing anything the kids brought to them. I captured some sweet moments between the players and their young fans, and I’m sure Tony did too. The photographer has barely lowered his lens all day. There’s too much going on. Neither of us wants to miss a thing.
I’m in the middle of wrangling some of the kids together for a photo near first base when I hear, “Carlee!”
I look over my shoulder and see Corey waving me over. He stands near second base with a reporter from Channel Five news.
I’m confused as to why he’s calling me over. I’ve made a point to keep my distance from him all afternoon. A girl can only watch a handsome guy make kids’ dreams come true without wanting to jump into his muscular arms.
Corey waves again, and I feel like I have no choice but to see what he wants.
I wait until I’m close enough where I don’t need to shout before I ask, “What’s up?”
Corey motions to the reporter. “Xavier, here, was just asking me about my latest social media posts.”
I blink. “Oh?” What is he doing? The posts are supposed to look authentic. We want his followers to believe he created them even if they suspect his public relations team might be involved.
Is he outing me as the mastermind behind his social media accounts right now? That will ruin all our progress!
“Yeah,” Corey continues, completely at ease. “And we started talking about barbeque, and I told him about the name of the spot in Rose Hill that we used to go to as kids. Jerry’s Smoke Pit.”
What the heck is Corey doing? He’s outing me as a lifelong friend to areporter.And from the way Xavier is looking at me, he’s more than a little intrigued.
I hide my inner turmoil and reply evenly, “Yeah? What about it?”
“Is it still open?”
“Oh.” I frown. “I think so? I’m not sure. I haven’t been there in a long time.”Not since I went to college and tried to avoid every reminder of you I could.
It was impossiblenotto return to visit my parents in Rose Hill, but there were many spots in the small town I didn’t frequent foryears. All because they were filled with too many memories of Corey.
“We should check.” Corey turns to Xavier. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Jerry’s ribs. They’re delicious. They fall right off the bone.”
“I should try the place out,” the reporter agrees as his inquisitive eyes dart between us. “So, you two grew up in the same town?”
“We did,” Corey answers.
“Are you dating?”
I stiffen. “What? No!”
Corey huffs a laugh, seemingly unbothered by my outburst. “What Carlee means to say is, no. We aren’t dating. We’re colleagues.”
