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“Funny thing about that,” Shepherd muses, with absolutely no amusement at all as he continues to hold my stare while he talks to Birdie. “I didn’t think your sister knew a damn thing about baseball. Knew for certain she’d never done something as boring as watch me play on TV. So color me surprised when I was here a few weeks ago, and you told me what a big fan she was and just how many of my jerseys and T-shirts she owned. I think you said over twenty, right? Or was it twenty-five?”
Now Shepherd does smile as he looks at me, and my head slowly swivels to glare at Birdie over my shoulder.
“Oops!” she squeaks, making a grimace face with her teeth. “I might have forgotten to mention I let that part slip.”
Knowing my brain can only handle one thing at a time right now, I look away from her and decide to deal with her betrayal later. Who gives a crap if he knows I lied? We’re not even friends anymore. If he thinks he can stand here being all high and mighty with me when he was the bigger jerk, he can kiss my butt.
“Whatever. So I’ve never missed one of your games,” I tell him with a roll of my eyes. “Your ego was big enough. You didn’t need someone else fawning all over you, giving you a bigger head with compliments. And I never told you I didn’t know anything about baseball. When I told you I never watched you play, you assumed I didn’t know anything. I just didn’t bother correcting you. If you don’t mind, I’ve got a practice to run and don’t need any distractions right now.”
“So I’m a distraction, am I?” Shepherd asks, with a stupid twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips.
A flash of Alana Caldwell kissing those lips while they stood together on home plate goes through my head, making my chest get tight and my throat clog with emotion, which just pisses me off even more that he’s trying to be all cute with me.
What is wrong with you, Wren? Get a grip! Take a deep breath, remember who you are, and stop being mean! This is not you! Start over, apologize, and then agree to avoid each other at all costs for the rest of his “extended stay” here.
Right when I take a deep breath of courage so I can take the high road and kill him with kindness, another incoming text chimes from my back pocket.
“You might wanna get that,” Shepherd tells me when I ignore it. “Unless you’re afraid it’s another shirtless picture of me and you won’t be able to handle it.”
Growling a little under my breath, I pull my phone back out of my pocket, no need to open the text when I can clearly see what it says on my lock screen.
There’s no way.
“Is that a joke?” Birdie asks, once again looking over my shoulder.
The group text to all the parents on Owen’s baseball team from the athletic director is definitely not a joke, and I read it three times before it sinks in.
Dear freshman baseball parents, I’m happy to announce I’ve finally hired a new coach. It is with great pleasure I let you know Summersweet’s own Shepherd Oliver has decided to retire from professional baseball and take the position permanently! Let’s all give him a great big welcome back home!
“Well, this is awkward,” Shepherd says, nothing but humor ringing loud and clear in his voice. “Looks like you’re fired, Coach. Don’t worry; I’ll be gentle with the middle fielders while they’re scoring touchdowns and hitting goals.”
All right, I didn’t act that stupid about baseball.
“You… You…” I stutter, unable to believe what is happening right now.
“You, you amazing, wonderful, handsome man who looks Photoshopped with his shirt off?” Shepherd suggests when I can’t find my words.
I had every intention of apologizing to this man for being rude to him the last time I saw him. Because I’m not a mean person and I don’t say mean things to people just to make myself feel better. My mouth just opens and closes like a fish out of water, trying to form the words to apologize to him and start over, but I can’t make them come no matter how hard I try. He’s still standing here smirking at me, I’m still mortified he caught me drooling over his naked torso, and now he’s going to be Owen’s freaking baseball coach, and I’ll never be able to avoid him!
So many words are flying around in my brain, all of them wanting to be heard, the insults wrestling with the apologies until everything bubbles up all at one time, and I’m only able to sputter out the first ones to cross the finish line.
