The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball #1) - J. Sterling Page 0,23

me so happy to eat it!” she singsonged as she spun around in circles.

“If you say so.” I went to work on the sandwiches, making them exactly the way my grandmother had taught me when I was young. It wasn’t like you could really go wrong when making a grilled cheese, but you could improve it and make a good thing even better. And that was what I did. I made a really great grilled cheese, thanks to Grandma Travers.

After the sandwiches were made and eaten and the dishes placed in the sink for later, we headed into our separate bathrooms to shower and start getting ready. It took me no time at all since I wasn’t looking for anything other than some new clients. Heading into Lauren’s room, I looked around at the mayhem. There were a ton of clothes all over her floor, and her room was usually impeccable. It was only then that I realized how nervous she must be.

“Do you want some help?” I asked as she clearly struggled over what to wear.

“Yes! And fair warning: I have no idea what kind of music they play. They might totally suck. I have no clue.” She offered me a short shrug before pulling on her third skirt since I’d walked in. Tight. Black. With a slit in the thigh.

“That’s hot as hell. Do not change. Wear that,” I said, knowing that she would fight me on it a little.

“It’s pretty attention-grabbing,” she mulled, looking in the mirror from all angles.

“Look, you’re allowed to dress sexy because you like a guy in a band and not worry about getting kidnapped and sold into sex slavery, okay? Girls go out, looking hot, every night! I won’t let anyone steal you,” I said, telling her exactly what she needed to hear.

“Okay, but if I get taken, it’s on you.” She pointed a finger in my direction.

“Deal.”

“And you’ll have to tell Jason what happened,” she added, and I squinted at her.

“Jason who?”

“The drummer!”

“Okay. I’ll claim responsibility, and I’ll tell Drummer Boy it was all my fault. Happy now?”

“Yes.” She smiled before offering to call a ride, but I jingled my car keys and promised that I wouldn’t drink more than one beer all night.

This wasn’t a social call for me. I was in work mode and didn’t want to forget anything, so drinking too much was not on the agenda. After I grabbed my notebook and pen, we headed out the door and into the night.

I pulled into The Bar’s parking lot, and the first thing I noticed was how crowded it was. There were some parking spots available, but it definitely wasn’t as dead as I’d assumed it would be on a Wednesday night. When we stepped out of the car, we could hear the music pouring out. They’d already started, and I hated the fact that we were late. It screamed unprofessional.

When we showed the bouncer our IDs, he said we had a table reserved, and both Lauren and I shot each other surprised yet thankful looks. He directed us to the lone empty table in the entire place with a handwritten Reserved sign on top. The Bar was packed and not just with college-aged kids. It was a younger crowd, but some people had clearly come here straight from work, dressed in business attire and loosened ties. I watched as they rocked out, their heads nodding along with the beat.

We sat at our high-top table, both of us enjoying the music and the way in which the band commanded the stage. The lead singer reminded me of a male Gwen Stefani from back in the day, if such a thing existed. They were really good. A mix of old school punk and ska with catchy melodies and lyrics. It was easy to see why the place was so packed.

While Lauren was laser-locked on to Drummer Boy, my eyes wandered, and I mentally took notes on the amount of people here on a Wednesday night. I questioned if they had come to see the band or if they just liked to drink during the middle of the week. The majority of people who not only knew the lyrics, but were also actually singing along gave me my answer.

They were fans.

And they had come here to watch the band.

I felt proud and excited, and I hadn’t even met the guys yet. The realization that they already had a fan base made me smile. And it could be so much bigger