The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,20
when we have evening games. You know how it is. This isn’t a normal schedule type of job.”
“It sure isn’t,” he muses. “I’m sure she’ll do a good job taking care of Evie for you. Just stay away from her,” he says, giving me the evil older brother stare.
“She’s Evie’s nanny. I don’t plan on fucking that arrangement up,” I tell my best friend, hoping that the words will sink into my own brain. If I keep telling myself that she’s off-limits, then maybe I’ll stop lusting after her.
“Ready to hit the field?” he asks, standing and grabbing his glove from the top shelf of his locker.
“I was born ready,” I cockily reply, standing and grabbing my glove and following him out of the locker room and into the dugout. I pull on my catchers’ equipment, and we get to work warming up.
Ninety minutes later, I’m drenched in sweat and am ready to hit the weight room for an hour of lifting. “How’s the arm feeling?” I ask Derek as we enter the dugout.
“Great. Like I’ll be on fire for my next start.” He smirks—such a cocky bastard.
“You’d better be,” I tell him as we enter the weight room along with a few of the other guys on the team. The room is filled with grunts mixed with the music pumping through the speakers.
I make it through the workout and am more than ready to hit the showers after today’s practice and workout session. We’ve got a team meeting before I can leave for the day, and I’m hoping that by the time that happens, I’ll have results from the lab.
“You want to bring Evie over for dinner tonight?” Derek asks as we push out the doors and into the players' parking lot an hour later.
“Sure, let me just make sure Riley hasn’t already made something,” I tell him, pulling my phone out of my pocket.
“She’s cooking for you?” he asks, an edge to his voice.
“I didn’t ask her to, she offered. No need to go all papa bear on my ass again,” I say, chuckling at his instant alerted awareness when it comes to anything I say about his sister. I’m almost surprised he brought her over and suggested she be Evie’s nanny if he’s so worried about the two of us being alone together so much.
“Don’t get used to it. Riley can’t live with you forever, and she isn’t your fucking maid.”
“I’m well aware of that,” I deadpan. “But I’m also not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and turn down a home-cooked meal when she does cook.”
“All right, I’ll let Jillian know that the three of you might be joining us for dinner,” he calls out as he slides into the driver’s seat of his truck. I’m parked right next to him, and I sink into the driver’s seat of my sports car. Riley texts me back, letting me know she hadn’t started anything and that she can just put the chicken she has defrosting in the fridge and make it tomorrow. I roll down my window to call out to Derek.
“We’ll be there. What time do you want us to come by?” I ask.
“Five, maybe five thirty,” he says.
“Sounds good, see you then. Want me to bring anything?”
“Just my niece and sister.” He smirks. His words hit me straight in the chest. How easy he’s accepted Evie into my life and considers her his niece.
I head home, still not having heard anything from my attorney or the lab on the results of the test. I pull into the driveway about ten minutes later and find myself excited to get inside and see how the day went for Evie and Riley. I grab my bag from the passenger seat and head into the house. It’s quiet, so I do my best to keep it that way. I find Riley in the living room watching TV and folding a basket of laundry. Looking around, I don’t see Evie anywhere, so she must be sleeping in the bedroom.
“Hey,” I greet, pulling Riley’s attention to me.
“How was practice?” she asks.
“Pretty normal. Did my best to kick your brother’s ass out on the field.” I snicker.
“He can use an ass-kicking every once in a while,” she muses.
“Nah, he’s one of the best pitchers I’ve ever played with, and I’m not just saying that because he’s your brother and my best friend.”
“I know, just don’t tell him that too often, or it will just make his ego grow. He’s