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“Sure, you get this round, I’ll grab the next,” Sherman says, holding up his half-empty beer. I grab us a round of beers and return to the table.
“So what are all your plans for the tour?”
Rob nods over to Ian. “This boy has one of the best plans I’ve seen in years. I can see that whole duck thing taking off, especially if you can build on tonight’s momentum.”
“What duck thing is this now?” I ask.
Ian shakes his head as if he can disperse the compliment Rob just threw his way, but Sherman is already shoving his phone toward me, and the second I see the picture, I know exactly what kind of duck they’re talking about. There on the screen is a picture of the baseball rubber duck I left on the side of the field today.
“You plan to post photos of a rubber duck with your articles?” I question, my hand moving instinctively to my pocket where two ducks dig into my leg, waiting to be hidden tonight somewhere at this very bar. I can’t believe he was the one to find that one,and I can’t believe even more that he took a photo and posted it with a link to his article. That hit count can’t be right.
My gaze lands on Ian and he glances up slowly through his impossibly thick lashes. My gut swirls. What does he know?
I take a sip of my beer, hoping the cool brew will settle my stomach.
Ian picks up his glass and lifts it toward his mouth but doesn’t take a sip. His gaze is still on me as he says, “I found that duck just sitting there beside the fence. I figured as cute as it is, it might make for a fun story if it comes with me on the tour. You know, like my own little mascot.”
Craig pipes up, “Oh, oh, oh, you can call it Ian and Duckie on tour.”
I almost choke on my beer.
“How does a duck relate to Banana Ball? Better off having some kind of monkey or banana mascot, wouldn’t you?” I argue.
Ian shrugs. “It was just a thought.”
Craig wraps one arm around Ian’s shoulders and pulls him close. “It was an awesome idea that has your post pushing you into the lead for article views. Keep this up and we’ll be chasing your stats for the season.”
I pull out my phone and check my numbers. I’ve had a boost, and it’s a decent one, but when I check Ian’s, I see exactly how far ahead he is, and it’s a lot.
“You want to tell the rest of us how you scored your extra time this morning?” Craig asks, his arm still around Ian.
Ian offers a tight smile and glances my way.
I laugh. “If you lot weren’t so concerned with filling your stomachs, maybe you would have gotten in early, too,” I tell them, and Craig moves his hand from Ian’s shoulder to the beer in front of him.
They don’t look like they buy it, but I don’t give a fuck. Ian mouths me a thank you while the others are talking aboutEddie’s pregnant wife, who’s texting him for the tenth time since I sat down. I shake my head like what I did was nothing. Because it was nothing. I don’t know why he cares about telling them that Benny hooked him up. They know that they know each other. Maybe he didn’t want to look like he was getting special treatment, even though he kind of was. Whatever, I would have done the same for anyone. Turns out, even for Ian.
We order a few burgers and another round of beers, and I head for a piss. The last person I expect to find waiting for me in the hallway outside the bathroom is Ian fucking Levram. He’s fidgeting with his hands in front of him, face slightly flushed.
“Hey, so umm, thanks again for that,” he says, with a nervous jitter in his voice.
“Sure, but I don’t know why you care. Everyone already knows that you and Benny have a thing.”
His face pales, and he closes the gap between us, his nose an inch away, fire now in his eyes.
“There’s no thing. There’s nothing between Benny and me, never was. Don’t even say that shit out loud.”
I try to back away, but I’m against the wall already.
“You were the gossip writer, remember, not me.”
“Fuck, are you ever going to let that shit go? Give me your friend’s number. I’ll call him and apologize. Anything for you to stop with this shit.”
“My friend?”
“The guy in the pic, you said you know him, right? That’s why you’re so pissed about the story?”
He has no clue it’s me.
