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Peyton wrinkled her nose at the mention of his teammate.
“I thought you were the pitcher,” Rayne cut in.
Clearly, the woman was not a baseball fan. “I’m just one of many pitchers on the team.”
Rayne’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Hang on, you don’t play all the time?”
“Nah, he’s soft, has to rest his delicate little arms so he only plays part-time,” Gonzo teased.
“Really? You only play like half the time?” Rayne’s forehead wrinkled as she looked at him.
“Yeah, about that, give or take.”
Smitty snorted beside him. “What?” Ryan sat up straighter in the booth as he looked at the other man.
“I don’t know. Hearing it like that, I feel like I’m underpaid, or maybe you’re overpaid. I’m not sure which,” Smitty said.
Rayne’s brow knit with confusion. “I thought you were like this big shot pitcher. Wouldn’t your team want you to pitch more often if you’re that good?”
“I’m no good to anybody if I’m hurt.” Ryan picked up his beer and took a sip. Shit, he knew it was a safety thing, but hearing her question it like that with his friends teasing him, he almost felt like he needed to defend himself.
Peyton shifted as she turned to face her best friend. “Ryan’s fastball is ridiculous. It’s over 100 miles an hour. You can’t do that all the time, or you’ll wreck your arm. The league has done all kinds of research on how many pitches they think are safe to throw in a game and nobody pitches full-time.”
Gonzo’s bottom lip jutted out slightly as he pursed his lips, his head bobbing up and down in approval. “Wow, your girl has done her research.”
Peyton wrinkled her nose at him. “I knew this before I met Ryan. Thank you very much.”
Rayne gaped at him with wide eyes. Her mouth hanging partway open. “You can seriously throw the ball faster than 100 miles an hour? How is that possible?”
Ryan shrugged.
“How do you know how fast you throw?” Rayne continued.
“They clock each pitch.” He still remembered how nervous he’d been the first time someone told him they wanted to clock his fastball. Ryan had seen the gun and completely choked. Now it wasn’t something he even gave any thought to. It was as much a part of the game as reporting a batting average.
“Wow, that’s impressive. I didn’t know that was possible.” Rayne shifted in her seat to face the rest of the table. “So, what positions do you all play?”
“I play shortstop.” Pete flicked his thumb, pointing beside him. “Gonzo is third and Smitty is center field.”
“But you guys play every game, right?” Rayne asked.
Gonzo nodded. “For the most part, we get to rest the odd game.”
“That’s so cool. I’ve never met anyone who played a professional sport before,” Rayne told them.
Picking up her drink, Kendall held the glass in her hand, speaking before she even brought it to her mouth. “What is it you do, Rayne?”
“I run a wellness center.”
Kendall sipped her drink and set it back down on the table. “Like a medical center.”
Rayne snickered. “No, no. I teach yoga and do energy healing.”
“Energy healing? What’s that?” Before Rayne had said it, Ryan hadn’t even known that was a real thing.
“Reiki, breathwork, chakras, that kind of thing.” Rayne paused and looked around the table. “It’s a bit woo woo for most people.”
“I don’t know what any of that means.” Ryan stared at Rayne. She may as well of been talking a different language because he didn’t have the faintest idea what she was talking about. What the fuck were chakras?
