Page 7 of The Sweet Spot

Fastball?

He shakes his head.

Curveball?

Another shake.

I roll my eyes, knowing exactly what he wants to throw to the three-time National League MVP and one time World Series winner.

Change-up?

He nods.

Always. Grayson always has to make a show of getting that final out, and when it's against a legend like Holden Fox, well, there ain't no holdin' back.

See what I did there?

When Grayson throws the next pitch, it starts fast and straight down the middle.

Holden bites, already swinging just as the ball breaks and sinks low, kicking up dirt right before landing in my glove.

“Strike three,” the umpire calls.

Holden hangs his head as Grayson punches the air, before stalking around the mound.

Kind of looks like a dog peeing to mark his territory.

I toss the ball to the ump and push my helmet cage up so I can finally wipe the sweat off my forehead.

“Hey, Callahan,” Holden calls just as I turn to head to the dugout.

“Yeah?”

“Grayson is on fire. You didn't need to play any mind games with me to make it impossible to get a hit today.”

“Mind games?”

My thoughts immediately go back to everything that happened today, but they keep getting stuck on that first fucking pitch.

I don't stare at the cover all the time.

Who on earth says shit like that to anyone, let alone the hottest girl to grace the planet?

“Yeah. I couldn't concentrate,” Holden says.

“Welcome to my world.” I pull my helmet off and give him a little bow. “My mom always told me I had the concentration of a goldfish, which is funny because they actually have a really good memory.”

“See, this is it.” He points at me, nodding knowingly. “You've got all these random facts, and after you mentioned penguin knees to me on base in the fourth, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Had to look it up.”

I grin, glad it's not just me that can get so easily distracted. I only mentioned them because I was trying to distract myself from looking over at the section where the golfers are sitting.

“I told you it's weird, right?”

He shivers. “I feel like I've seen impossible things. It can't be comfortable to be in a squat like that all the time.”

“Eh.” I shrug. “They're like me, and I've gotten used to it.”

“Yeah, but catchers are a freak of nature.” He winks, clapping my shoulder as he walks past. “See you later, dude.”