Page 125 of Hiding in the Outfield

Then in walked Frankie. A single look across the bar. Even in that murky water, I could see him. He pulled me out, allowed me a breath of fresh, toxin-free air. And once I was above the surface, I could finally open my eyes and see the possibilities. The more I chased that, the more I cleansed the poison from my system until I got to where I am right now. No more pollution.

The Jackson Olander I was always meant to be.

Chuck tucks his things into his briefcase and stands. “This was very productive. Thanks for meeting me.” He holds out his hand.

I stand and shake it with a smile.

“It was a pleasure finally meeting you, Jackson.”

Yeah, it really was.

FORTY-SIX

FRANKIE

My phone dings, and my gaze slides over to where it’s sitting on my desk. My face instantly breaks into a smile.

Jackson

Thursday night I’m taking you out.

I snatch up my phone and lean back slightly in my chair.

Me

Kinda sounds like a date. Though you didn’t use your manners.

Jackson

It’s very much a date.

My smile widens, and I bite my lip as I twist my chair back and forth. A date. Out in the wild. You’d think after having spent so much time with Jackson—after I took him away for a weekend—I wouldn’t be so giddy over a date night. But something about it feels different.

Me

I still didn’t hear any manners.

Jackson

I’m saving those for later.

My stomach flips over. Ooooh. Naughty boy.

I’ve noticed him coming out of his shell more and more since we started this…but something big changed after he met with Jed for lunch and was solidified after he met with his agent. He was comfortable with me before, I think comfortable with himself. But now? There’s a confidence that wasn’t there before, and it’s sexy as all hell.

Me

I don’t put out on the first date, loverboy. No matter how prettily you beg.

He doesn’t respond right away, so I get back to work. Tonight’s going to be a late night since I have something due to one of my clients by the end of day. I’m grateful for the distraction, though, because the boys have a double-header today to make up for the rain-out and then an afternoon game tomorrow. He’s going to crash at his place since it’s closer to the clubhouse, and he gets up at an ungodly hour before afternoon games.

I don’t understand how I miss the guy more now than I did when he wasn’t at my place basically every night. Which is a dangerous thing. I have a lot of days like this ahead of me. His next road trip is next week. And at some point…he’ll be in Connecticut.

I pop open our intranet and start browsing until I find the employee handbook. It’s not so far from Providence that I couldn’t drive up for client meetings. I scroll down until I land on our remote working policy. Maybe I could swing being in Providence while he’s away and then…

I open a new tab and type in a real estate site. I’m halfway through typing Fairfield, CT Apartments when I freeze.

I close the browser and shake my head with a small laugh. What has gotten into me? This is all very new. We’ve been officially boyfriends for two days, and here I am looking at whether I can completely uproot my life when I don’t even know when that’s coming. For all I know, it’s years away. Probably should start with a first official date before I start apartment hunting.