The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball #1) - J. Sterling Page 0,25

felt their fear, their apprehension. They were struggling artists who knew that nothing was free or cheap in this industry. It was one thing to hope for a break, a helping hand, or someone to throw them a bone, but that rarely happened. And the majority of people who offered it usually had a hidden agenda.

“I didn’t come here, hoping to get the big bucks.”

“That’s good. ’Cause we got no bucks,” Aaron said.

“What did you come here hoping for then?” the lead singer asked with a wink.

Is he flirting?

He leaned his body closer to mine.

Yeah, he was definitely flirting, but I shook him off and focused on the business at hand.

“I came here, hoping you guys would hire me. And I’ll work for free for the next three months until I graduate. I’ll take pictures and video tonight to add to your pages, I’ll update all your sites, and I’ll build you guys a solid foundation that you can use, going forward. We also need to have one big meeting where we sit down and talk about each individual social media channel and your goals. I have a lot of things I want to ask you, but I need way more than twenty minutes.”

I could tell that I was starting to lose them, overwhelm them. Social media was like a giant Oak tree that had a few large branches but what felt like a million smaller ones sprouting off in all directions. It was easy to get lost on a tiny branch and never get back to anything else.

“Okay, let’s start small,” I started, and I swear they all breathed out in relief in unison. “Which one of you has your login for Instagram? I want to log in to your account and go live when you guys start playing again.”

Frazier raised his hand and then scooted next to me, giving me the password and login information, and I entered it into my phone. The Long Ones was added to my list of Instagram handles and logins. I planned on updating their site with some clips from tonight, and then I’d schedule a meeting with them ASAP to discuss the rest.

“Are you guys all good with this?” I asked before I started taking over because I knew that I could move a million miles a minute.

They all said, “Yes,” and, “Thank you,” as they downed their water before finishing off their beers as well.

“All right! I’ll start tonight. We’ll schedule that meeting for as soon as you guys can do it.”

I was overloaded with excitement and possibility as the guys made their way to say hello to other people that they knew. Jason walked off but not before giving Lauren a sweat-covered hug, which she pretended to not like but secretly loved, I could tell.

“This is going to be so much fun.” I beamed at her, surprised to see that her vodka and cranberry drink was already empty.

“You’re really good at this, you know.” She smiled.

“Thank you.” I felt like I was glowing from the inside out.

Nothing had ever made me feel more personally fulfilled or confident. I never questioned if I was good enough to do this job or if someone might be better at it than I was. That never mattered to me. There was more than enough business to go around, and I planned on being one of the best.

“Who was the guy at the bar?” Lauren asked.

I’d already forgotten all about him.

“Oh. Some guy named Logan,” I said without looking at him.

“Baseball player, right?”

“How’d you know that?”

Lauren remembered everyone. His face was probably stored in a file in her mind labeled Potential Kidnapper. I stopped myself from laughing.

“I recognize him. He was at the baseball party the other night.”

“He seemed nice. Offered to buy me a beer,” I said and waited for her reaction.

“Don’t let him hand you one that’s already opened!” she started, and I shook my head.

“I know the rules, Mom,” I teased because, apparently, roofies helped you get kidnapped easier. Made you compliant, pliable, and forgetful.

“Do you think he knows who you are?” She rattled the ice in her glass around before sliding it away.

“I’m not sure,” I said because I wasn’t. “He did say we hadn’t formally met before, but I don’t know what he meant by that. So, maybe he’s seen me around?”

A waitress arrived, carrying two drinks—another beer for me even though mine was still full and another vodka and cranberry for Lauren. “From the guy in the hat,” she