Page 17 of The Triple Play

But it’s so hard not to, especially with Olivia. I’m drawn to her, and my mouth has a mind of its own. She’s so easy to be around, easy to talk to. Even when I can’t understand half of what she says.

I bet Griff could.

“Alright, it’s your turn. How do you make it through the offseason without going stir-crazy? I seem to recall you were the one who hated downtime and didn’t understand the concept of relaxing.”

I lean back in my chair and stretch my legs out underneath. My feet brush hers and I pull them back quickly. Okay, time to get operation wingman back on track. What kind of an asshole friend am I, otherwise?

“I still don’t. That’s why Griff and I work for the Mid-Island Ground Search and Rescue team when the season is over. We contract with them each November through February to help out with winter and spring rescues. That keeps us busy enough.”

Olivia’s eyes widen slightly as she sips from her cup. “Search and Rescue? Wow. That’s impressive, Denver.”

My turn to shrug. “Nah. Just a job, really. It keeps us active, sure. But we don’t get that many super dramatic rescue situations here. And when we do go out, Griff’s the man in charge. He knows his shit, and he’s always calm and in control. He’s who you want leading a rescue. I’m just there for the grunt work.”

Grunt work that is not exactly kind to my body, I think as I flex my hand again.

She leans forward, and to my surprise, her hand lands softly on my arm. “Don’t downplay your role, Denver. It’s impressive that you and Griffin do that kind of work. I can only imagine it’s physically demanding, even just to keep up with the training. And while I’m glad you haven’t had any ‘super dramatic rescues’ as you call them, there’s always the potential for one. That takes mental strength as well.” She settles back in her seat, and I immediately miss the feel of her hand on my arm.

“Thanks,” I say hoarsely. I feel like I’m ten feet tall, hearing her speak about what Griff and I do. It’s not that I meant to sound self-deprecating, I know the work we do is important. But we’re just two dudes who needed something to fill the time between baseball seasons and bring in some money, and who happened to have the physical skills and capabilities to do the job.

By the time I make it back to the apartment an hour or so later, I’m feeling twisted inside. Spending that time with Olivia only makes me like her even more. Which is a real problem when I should be wing-manning for my boy Griff, not pursuing her for myself.

The man in question gets home just a short while after me, carrying a pizza from our favourite place in town.

“Hey.” He sets the box down on the coffee table before going and grabbing two beers from the fridge. When he sits down at the opposite end of the couch, I catch him staring at me,

“What?”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

Griff just raises his eyebrows. “Then why the hell haven’t you opened the pizza?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Bullshit,” he scoffs. “You never wait for me.”

I lean forward and lift a slice out, taking a huge bite and chewing aggressively before answering. “Happy?”

Griff raises his hands up. “Woah, dude. Chill.”

I swallow another bite of pizza. I need to get my shit together. “Sorry, bro. Just got shit on my mind, I guess.”

He nods but doesn’t push me to say more. Thank fuck.

“Did you ever hit Olivia up for a hike?” I ask, trying to adopt a casual tone. From the corner of my eye, I notice he stops chewing for a second before continuing. He doesn’t say anything until he’s swallowed that bite and taken a drink from his beer, and I fucking hate how antsy I am for his answer.

“Yeah, I got her number from Kyle and texted her. We might try to head up Mount Washington on the weekend.”

I manage a reply. “Cool.”

“You could join us.” There he goes, asking me to join again. Can’t the idiot see I’m trying to lay the groundwork for him?

“Nah, I won’t intrude. You go hug some trees.”

I can feel the weight of his stare on me.

“It’s…nice having her in town.” He takes another drink from his beer as I sit there, frozen. “She’s nice. Right?”