Flirting With First

by Sophia Summers

  “We’re gonna need to talk about some of this stuff.”

  “That sounds great. Like I said, I’m here to help you with your dreams. Just let me take care of what I know. And you do what you know.”

  He wasn’t listening to her. They were talking in circles. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

  She brought her laptop, all her paperwork, her new script, and a water bottle over to her couch. Time to get to work. She had been avoiding all the press and trending nonsense; she hadn’t read any articles from influencers, nothing. It was time to understand what was going on with her career.

  Why was her career even related to public perception? She sighed. That was a ridiculous question. The better her public perception, the more press attention she received, the better her career.

  The more she read all the social media hype with her name in it, the more baffled she felt. Why did people even care about this? Twitter was crazy right now with #TeamTrevor and #TeamRyker going head to head. Trevor probably loved the publicity. She wondered if it would do anything at all for Ryker’s career.

  As she scrolled through tweet after tweet, she was shocked to see that Ryker’s team twitter account had joined in as well as the baseball association. She supposed press attention might be of benefit to them all.

  But she had to be careful here too, because she didn’t want this to look like she was cheating on anyone, or that anyone had a claim for a relationship with her. And that would be complicated because she would give anything to have a relationship with Ryker. And she couldn’t care less if she ever saw Trevor in a romantic setting again, except professionally.

  Professionally. She did want a continued professional relationship with Trevor, though. He was right—they acted well together. This movie they were trying for was a contender for an Oscar already, and it hadn’t even gone to film yet. Working with Trevor would do great things for her career.

  Her career.

  She leaned her head back against the couch. Where was she going with this career? Was this her life? Moving from one movie to the next, forever hoping for the next big gig, always positioning for the public eye? Up until meeting Ryker, she had thought so. But now… She sighed.

  One thing she knew for sure. She wanted an Oscar. And a classic type of movie, the kind families would sit together and watch over and over. She wanted beautiful cinematography. She had never starred in anything like that. So if that came up, she’d find it hard to resist. And why resist? Her time with Ryker’s family had her head in a crazy place. She was living the dream—a crazy, amazing, hardly-ever-happens-to-people kind of dream—and she was going to chase it until it ended. Wherever this rainbow led. She sat up. And if that meant catering to her agent’s plans, she could find a way to do that and keep Ryker too.

  Satisfied, she started typing out a plan, just to make herself feel better. She wanted to have her thoughts clear by tomorrow. Chasing the dream.

  There was only thing she tried not to ask herself, the question that sat just on the edge of her rapidly moving thoughts as her fingers sped across her keyboard. Her life would be anybody’s dream. But was it still her dream?

  Chapter 14

  Ryker woke up to the guys texting #TeamRyker memes at him.

  He ignored them until after his shower. Then he joined in.

  Ryker: Trevor’s cool. I was thinking maybe I’d post a #TeamTrevor tweet somewhere.

  Levi: He’s got a point. Did you see Trevor as Plant Man? That guy’s like James Bond.

  Sawyer: James Bond? No way.

  Grizz: Our Rabbit’s way cooler.

  Axel: Besides, we all know she already chose Ryker, ‘cause she’s smart.

  Ryker was ready for a change in topic.

  Ryker: Hey, good luck in your game today, Cole.

  Cole: I can’t wait to get to Texas.

  Ryker: How are talks?

  Cole: I think I’m almost there. All the Belltown good luck needed this month.

  Grizz: Tell Rabbit to kiss his rock.

  Ryker smirked.

  Ryker: The Ryker Stone will be put to use today.

  Sawyer: What? Why have we been calling it a rock this whole time? The Ryker Stone. Nice.

  Ryker laughed. He loved these guys.

  Ryker: Off to practice.

  Levi: Sergeant’s calling an early one again

  Ryker: Always.

  His notifications were going crazy. People had started tagging him and the Blue Jays with their #TeamRyker comments, and some #TeamTrevor idiots thought they were being clever too. A stream of tweets lit his screen.

  You’re not even in her world. How long do you think this is gonna last, Rabbit? #TeamTrevor

  You know Ryker’ll be pounding his pillow during all the kissing scenes with Trevor. #TeamTrevor

  Get out while you can, Rabbit, she’s been with more guys in Hollywood than you have mitts. #TeamTrevor

  He pocketed his phone, grabbed his gym bag, and headed to the field. He told Trista he wasn’t worried about all the social media craze. Scrolling through them was a mistake.

  Her goodnight text played back in his mind. Counting the days until dinner.

  She was in. The guys thought so, too. Bree was even convinced Trista would be her new sister. Maybe he could relax and see where things went. He just knew odds were against Trista having a long-term relationship with anyone.

  He had to stop comparing her to the typical Hollywood star. But he also had to be smart, protect his heart. His mind warred with itself all the way to the stadium, and by the time he got there, he needed a solid workout, or a punching bag.

  He was early, but most of the guys were also there. As soon as he walked in the doors, the guys stood together in a group with a #TeamRyker poster. Fritz held out a fist. “Team Ryker is here for you, dude.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Nickel called out. “Yeah, ‘cause we are your team. Your real team.”

  “Yeah, look, we tweeted something.”

  Oh boy.

  They showed him a group selfie from inside the locker room, with the hashtags #TeamRyker #RykersTrueTeam #BlueJays

  He laughed.

  “How’d you get hooked up with Trista McKinney?” Fritz asked.

  “If you look as pretty as Ryker, you get hooked up with movie stars.”

  Ryker frowned.

  “I think it’s his rock.”

  Stone. Ryker smirked.

  “So are you really dating her?”

  “Yeah, she gonna start coming to all our games?”

  “Can you set me up with her friends?”

  “Is Candy Allison free? I could use a date with Candy Allison.”

  Their shotgun questions tightened his tension, but Ryker shrugged and reached for his mitt. He needed to get out on the field before he went crazy. “Hey guys. You know what Yogi says?”

  Some of them groaned, but most of them got a kick out of his random quotes.

  He cleared his throat. “I never make predictions, especially about the future.”

  They razzed him a bit more, and then the coach called a meeting.

  Ryker hesitated. How bad would it be to run laps around the field instead of attending this meeting?

  The coach frowned in his general direction, tapping his clipboard against his palm.

  Ryker sat down and tried doing a math problem in his head. And then another more challenging one. And another. He found himself relaxing. Maybe Trista had something there.

  “There’s been a lot of media attention on certain members of our team lately.” He eyed Ryker, and there was no way to know if coach was pleased about the turn of events or not.

  Ryker cleared his throat. “To be clear, the media has always targeted The SixPack—”

  “Well, your exposure has just tripled, and our sales are up. So the owner wants to make sure we don’t blow it and lose this game.”

  “Glad he suddenly cares,” Fritz called out.

  Everyone laughed. They had the most off-site owner Ryker h
ad ever heard of. He was glad the guy had finally bothered to have an opinion about the team.

  Coach laid into them; no position was exempt from critique. “And Rabbit!”

  Ryker stopped working on the division problem in his head. “Sir?”

  “That was a great homerun.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  Coach dismissed everyone, and Ryker bounced on his toes, ready for a solid run.

  “Ryker, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  He resisted a large sigh and waited. As soon as the other guys had cleared out, the old man winced and then said, “We’d like to know ahead of time if Trista comes to another game.”

  Ryker bristled. “Why?”

  “The owner thinks it would be a good opportunity to make the most of the exposure.”

  And now he understood Trista’s reluctance to let her agent use him or their relationship to build up public attention. “Her schedule is so unpredictable. I’m not sure I’ll even know.” He stared his coach down. “Sir.”

  The coach nodded slowly and then relaxed. “Understood. Hey, and son?”

  “Yes sir?”

  “You’re the best we’ve got. You played an outstanding game the other night. If that’s what this girl does for you, then that’s my bottom line. She’s worth all the hassle.”

  “Thank you.”

  At last the man dismissed him. Ryker had to pound something or hit the track and run until he threw up. Anything to get all the built-up junk out of his system. He knew dating Trista, really caring about her, would be complicated. But he hadn’t expected his feelings to be notched up the way they were. A run would help. And then baseball. The game always set his head straight.

  But when he dumped his stuff in the dugout, the guys were huddled around a phone. And Ryker had a gut-sinking feeling about it.

  Beckett, their third baseman, not half the man Levi was, snickered, and the sound made Ryker’s skin crawl. “Whatcha got there?” Ryker asked.

  They turned, and a couple of them had the decency to look ashamed. Ryker’s heart hammered stronger and he clenched his fists. This better not be what he thought.

  Their catcher, Gunther, a man Ryker had never respected, especially after playing with Grizz, who was such a powerhouse of integrity, held up a phone. “Dude, your woman is smoking.”

  They’d found the bikini shots from Iceland. The images must have gone up somewhere. Ryker’s fists clenched tighter. “That’s not for public consumption.”

  “What? Dude, it’s all over the internet. She’s a model. It’s being consumed by everyone.”

  “Well, okay, it’s not for team consumption.” He stepped closer. He wasn’t the tallest guy on the team. And he wasn’t the largest. But in this moment, he was the most furious. And it must have shown in his eyes.

  Gunther nodded and pocketed the phone, and the other guys stepped away.

  “Sorry, man,” the others mumbled.

  Ryker didn’t respond. He pushed past and kicked up his feet, starting on his first lap of many around the field. They weren’t working infield plays for another couple hours. He’d deal with them then.

  Chapter 15

  Trista smiled her most engaging smile at Trevor, Bryan, and Quinn. “And so, if we can just use ‘Trista’s private life is not available for public discussion.’ as our go-to press statement, I would appreciate it.”

  Trevor shifted in his seat. The agents exchanged glances. Then Trevor said, “Have you seen our ratings on the major sites, our rank, how many times we’ve been trending? We’re the most talked about actors right now.”

  When she didn’t respond, he held up his hands. “I’m not saying you have to date me.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. “I can’t believe I just said that. But it’s true. No actual dating necessary, just the impression sometimes that perhaps we might be a thing. You know, in our private lives which are not available for public consumption.”

  She studied him. He was way more caught up in his career than she was. It’s importance practically oozed out of him. Is this how she used to be? She didn’t think so. But she understood where he was coming from. She understood how important this was to him, and she did hate to lose the momentum they had with the press. “I’m sure we will be together a lot during the shoot. People can take our pictures, but nothing that looks intimate. And no comments that appear as though we are dating. In my private life, feelings are involved.” She hoped.

  Trevor looked a little too victorious. “Fair enough. No innuendo. Food for speculation only.” He looked at each agent in turn. “Are we on the same page with this?”

  They nodded. “Absolutely.” Trevor’s agent was typing notes into his phone.

  Trevor cleared his throat. “And let’s say my private life is totally open for anyone to hear about. Would you be okay if I were to develop hopeful feelings toward you?”

  Confused, she searched his face. He wasn’t declaring his love for her, or interest. “You want to know if I’m okay with you telling the world you have feelings for me?”

  He nodded slowly, carefully.

  “As long as it’s clear my reciprocation is my own business, then you can tell everyone whatever you want about yourself.”

  Trevor stood as if they’d just achieved exactly what they’d come for. “Great meeting. Thank you all.” He shook everyone’s hands. And then he pressed his lips to Trista’s. “And you, I will see on set. Call me if you want to run lines or work though scenes before the first read-through.”

  “Okay. I will.” She cleared her throat, completely suspicious. “Count on it.”

  Left alone to find her way out, she couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling about what Trevor and both of their agents had hoped to accomplish. She shouldn’t be left out of these plans. Irritation brewed. Especially if her own agent was involved. She’d talk to Quinn later.

  Trista exited out onto the street and made her way up towards the park. She was ready for some fresh air. Ryker was coming to take her to dinner tonight. He had a game this morning, against a New York team, she guessed. But tonight was hers.

  A group of young girls approached her. The one in the lead, just the kind of girl who’d hated Trista all through high school, held out her notepad. “Trista McKinney, oh my gosh! I can’t wait for your next movie to come out. Would you mind signing this?” She held out a notepad.

  “Sure thing.” She scribbled her name. “And the rest of you?”

  They blushed and handed her their papers next.

  “Is it true you’re gonna co-star with Trevor Dayton?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “He is so hot! I like, love him.”

  Trista smiled. “Yeah, he’s pretty awesome.”

  “You guys are gonna work magic together.” She stood closer, like she was going to share a secret, and whispered, “Are you guys dating?”

  Trista laughed. “My private life is private. But I’m happy to be working with him.”

  The other girl, standing slightly behind the first, smirked. “I prefer Ryker.”

  Trista stiffened for a moment but then relaxed her stance. “You’ve been following social media too much. That’s all just talk. I haven’t told anybody anything because I like to keep my private life out of the media.” Their faces fell. “But I will tell you this. They’re both great guys! You’re right to be into either one.”

  They seemed a little happier, and Trista was starting to wish she could move on and enjoy her walk in the park. “How about a picture?”

  “Sure! Thanks!” They gathered around her, and one of them held up her phone for a selfie. They each crowded in and clicked a few.

  “Well, it was great to meet you.” Trista waved and moved to walk away from them.

  “Where are you shooting next?”

  She waved some more. “I just finished up some scenes in Iceland. Goodbye.”

  She walked faster and hoped they would leave her alone. She had a lot to think about. At least she had the a
gent meeting out of the way. And she felt like she’d passed her first test of the public asking for private information with flying colors. She skipped a little bit. Things might be looking up.

  Then Ryker called. Even better.

  “Hello?”

  “Trista, beautiful. How are you?”

  She warmed to her toes. When he called her beautiful it meant something completely different than when others used the word. From Ryker’s lips, the word had value, meant something inside impressed him as well as outside. “I’m great now that you called. Just walking through the park after my meeting this morning.”

  “Oh? How’d that go?”

  “Awesome. I think.” She frowned. “Honestly, I think they’re up to something, but they all agreed to keep my private life out of the public eye.”

  “Sounds good, right?”

  “I think so. What are you doing?”

  “I’m in the locker room. Game starts in a minute, and I’m counting down the rest of the minutes until I can see you.”

  She could hardly swallow for the grin that filled her face and the emotion in her throat. He was just so different than anyone else in her life, so real, so sincere. “Hey, can I come to your game? For some reason I thought it was this morning.”

  “Why would it be this morning?” She could almost see him shaking his head. “No. It’s okay. I know baseball hasn’t been your thing.”

  “I’ll become an expert on a certain first baseman. I can guarantee that.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too. So…can I come?” She felt a hint of insecurity. He hadn’t said yes, and she had invited herself.

  “Sure! Of course. I’ll call up there and tell them to leave a ticket. I don’t think anyone else is coming. Want two? Bring a friend?”

  Her stomach twisted. She didn’t have any friends. “One is fine.”

  “Okay, one it is. I’ll shower up in the locker room and take you to dinner right after, how’s that?”

  “Sounds perfect. I can’t believe I’m seeing you twice in three days.”

  “I know. Maybe this is our new normal.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Hey, I gotta run. Coach is calling another meeting. You know where to find me.”