“Poor Minnesota,” Liz commiserates with a pout.
“No, not poor Minnesota. We root for the home team, Liz! Come on, get it together!” Jordan scolds her.
I roll my eyes at the tangent this conversation has taken. “Guys.”
“Right, sorry. Please continue,” Jordan says, straightening up and looking incredibly serious. “We need the full recap.”
I chuckle before continuing with a recap that will most likely go over their heads. “Minnesota played like shit. Well, at least that’s what I gathered from the crew. The Suns never let them make any real progress when it was their turn. Meanwhile, when it was the Suns’ turn, it looked like a bunch of grown-ups playing against a little league team.”
“Noooo,” Liz gasps.
I give a solemn nod. “It’s true.”
“Did you learn anything?” Jordan asks.
“A bit actually. Jamie, the floor manager, was gracious enough to let me pester him with questions throughout the game which helped. It was the only bright spot in a game that felt never-ending.”
“Did you make any new friends with the crew?” Liz asks like she’s my mom and I’m home from my first day of school.
I give them a small shrug. “Besides Jamie, not really. But it’s still early.” As the words leave my mouth, I’m reminded of the way Ryan Fletcher hit on me, which was surprising to say the least. And what was that static shock when we shook hands? Those baseball uniforms must be great conductors if he somehow built up enough of a shock from the turf alone.
“Hold on a minute.” Jordan slides closer to me on the couch and narrows her eyes as she inspects me. “What’s that face? Why are you making a face? Is there something you’re not telling us?”
And this is the downside to having a friend who knows everything about you.
Liz jumps out of her armchair comically fast before squishing in next to Jordan and analyzing my features as well. “You’re not allowed to hold out on us. It’s in the best friend code.”
“My face isn’t doing anything.” I try to brush them off.
“Nope, it’sdefinitelydoing something. Your nose is all scrunched like you’re thinking. But I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.” Jordan tilts her head as she assesses my face.
I roll my eyes before slumping back against the couch while they crowd around me. “Fine, fine! I got hit on.”
Liz gasps. “By someone on the crew?”
“No,” I groan.
“A fan?”
“Worse. A player.” They hover their faces inches from mine. The way they blink at me has me questioning whether or not they heard what I said. “Hellooooo?” I wave my hand in front of their faces.
Jordan finally backs off and sits back on her heels. “Oh, you poor baby, a hot athletic man hit on you,” she deadpans. “What an absolute tragedy.”
“It is a tragedy! Also, I didn’t say he was hot,” I argue.
Liz already has her phone in her hand and is typing away, no doubt pulling up the roster. “Name, please,” she asks—more like commands, but she’s so polite about it—without even lifting her eyes from the screen.
I sigh, knowing if I don’t tell them, they’ll dig around and bug me with their guesses until I confirm or deny. “Ryan Fletcher.”
Her wide eyes fly up from the screen to meet mine. “Fletcher? The first baseman?He’sthe one who hit on you?”
I’m sure I look like the perfect depiction of panic staring back at her. “Yes, why? Is that bad? Oh, god, is he married?” I groan as I drop my face into my hands. “Why are they always married?” Not that I care, I turned him down. It’s disgusting that he would hit on someone so blatantly if he were married.
“Uh, no, Isa. He’s not married.” She chuckles at my distress. “He’s one of the most eligible bachelors on the team. He’s Jackson’s favorite player actually. And don’t tell him I said this, but Fletcher ishot. Like in a ruggedly handsome kind of way. And those eyes! What were they like up close? Were they as blue as they look in pictures?”
Bluer, is the first thought to jump into my head before I shake it away.
I cannot handle the way Liz has gone full-blown fangirl about this. I can’t date Fletcher. Full stop. No exceptions. And she’s supposed to be the chill one when it comes to celebrities, considering the big names she’s worked with in her career.
