Chapter three
Triple Play
Derby
I adjusted my batting glove as I headed toward the field.I needed the practice, having hardly picked up a bat in the past year in the American League.I wasn’t there anymore, and I was determined not to make a fool of myself in the batter’s box.
“Derby.Derb.Did you hear what I said?You have to meet with Godwin Ellis tomorrow.”
Well,thatgot my attention.“Godwin?”
“Yes.He wants you to review and finalize the plans for your mother’s house.”Amy shoved her phone under my nose.She’d been remarkable.I’d hired her back when I was in the minors because I couldn’t focus on baseball and still deal with life.She’d rapidly become my rightandleft hands off the field.“He says a Zoom call would be fine.”
“We can’t do it on a Zoom call.I have to be there in person.Can you make that happen?”I wanted to use the excuse to see him again.
“He says it’s better if you’re not there.You can’t really walk the lot.It’s not safe, Derb.”She shrugged, her brown hair bouncing around her shoulders.She was shorter than me, a simple girl with cute freckles, and she’d become a lot like a sister to me.
“I don’t know about that.”My need to see him again was irrational.“Can you get me there?Will I have time?”
Amy huffed, clicking around on her phone.“Yes, but you have to leave by four and go straight to the airport.You fly into Mobile.Only flight I can get right now.I’ll have a car ready for you, but not your SUV.I don’t have time to arrange that, but your drive from there is only an hour.So, yeah.You can do it.”
“Sweet.”I stepped out to the field and adjusted my visor against the Florida sun.I’d hoped we could practice at home in Mobile, but more often than not, we were in Florida.This was the last practice before we hit the road, and I needed to make it count.But now I was thinking about hot builders, or ratheronehot builder.“As long as I get where I need to go.What about clothes?”
“You know I have you covered.”She winked at me and gave me a crooked little smile.
“Okay.”I leaned over and gave her tiny frame a half hug.She was about five-four to my six-foot frame.“We’ll see you later then.”
She waved, and I headed to the batting cage.I needed to get my game on.
I was pathetic.After a dozen balls, I hadn’t hit one.
My batting coach, Milton, finally raised his hand.“Wait.Let’s reposition.”
I knew better than to complain.I needed all the help I could get.He pushed and pulled me around, changed my stance and how I held the bat.“You’re standing in here swinging low to high like you’re going to knock it out of the park.You’re not.Only powerhouses like Bresnick can get away with that.Certainly not you.”
“Right.”
“You want a nice even swing.Show me, slowly.”
I rotated my shoulders until Milton grabbed my stick.“Here.”He moved it.“And watch the ball.All you need to do is make contact.”
“Okay.”I flashed him a smile, but he ignored it.Instead, he left the cage, and the steady whir of the pitching machine started up.I had pitched to batters for practice a gazillion times, but I wasn’t ready to take this to the field and let another pitcher show me up.I took a slow practice swing.“Let’s go.”
The assistant fed the machine.I missed.Again.And again.Then I caught the edge of the ball, sending it popping up behind me.
Milton whistled and motioned a flat, even swing.I nodded, and the machine spit out another ball.This time, I made contact.It was a grounder.
“Yeah.Let’s go.I’ve got this.”I yelled, hyping myself up.
Thirty minutes later, I was making good contact and hitting almost everything.Milton called the practice.“Good job.Tomorrow you can join the big boys.”He nodded to the main field where the team was taking their own batting practice.Franklin was pitching to them.He was pretty good but not as good as I was.
Practicing tomorrow wouldn’t work for me.“Oh.I thought we were off tomorrow.I need to pop back home.”
Milton gave me a side-eye, then looked at his tablet.“Yup.You’re off.Not my best advice.”
I snuck a glance at my watch.“I can get a little more in now.”
“Nope.You’re already getting tired, and your arm is more important than your stick.Get out of here.”
