Double Play

by Jennifer Bernard

  Nina stared at her, suddenly losing her appetite. “You didn’t recommend Dwight, did you?”

  “I can’t talk about it.”

  “Why not? He already got called up, with or without your computer.”

  Maggie nodded and took a dainty swallow of her root beer. “He did. And I’m sure he’ll do great.”

  “But you’re not sure sure. You’re not computer sure. It’s more of a wishful thinking kind of sure.”

  Nina looked back at the TV screen, filled with a sudden sense of foreboding. Knowing Maggie, how smart she was and how hard she worked, Nina figured she knew what she was doing. And if she didn’t think Dwight was ready for the Friars lineup, maybe he wasn’t.

  Or maybe he was.

  Clenching her hands into fists, she focused all her attention on the screen.

  “What are you doing?” Maggie asked her.

  “I used to do this whenever I knew Trevor was playing. I never got to see his games, but if I knew the times they were happening, I’d focus all my positive energy in his direction. I’m going to do that with Dwight now.”

  “Nina—”

  “No. He’s my friend, and he’s a great person and an incredible player and I want him to do great.”

  Maggie murmured, “as do I,” but Nina tuned her out. This was for Dwight. He needed all her best intentions and prayers for his Major League debut, and he was going to get them.

  They didn’t work. Not even a little bit. Dwight went 0 for 4, and struck out with the bases loaded. At center field, he made the crucial mistake of forgetting how many outs there were. He threw the ball into the stands instead of to the infield. The Giants scored two runs on that error for the win.

  It was hard enough for Nina to witness, but when she peeked over at Maggie, she noticed that her roommate had covered her eyes with her hands and was watching through her fingers.

  “Poor Dwight,” Nina sighed after they turned off the game. The commentators were discussing his disastrous efforts, and neither wanted to listen to that. “Anyone can have a rough first game. Tomorrow will be better.”

  “Definitely,” Maggie agreed. “Chinese food tomorrow?”

  The next night’s game went even worse. A long fly ball soared to center field. Dwight ran all the way to the wall to field it and stuck his glove in the air. But somehow it wound up hitting him on the head and bouncing into the stands for a home run.

  Nina couldn’t believe her eyes. Never had she imagined a nightmare like this for Dwight’s debut.

  Maggie crawled to the TV screen on her knees and peered at the shot they were showing of Dwight getting booed. “Do you think he’s hurt?”

  “I don’t know. Turn up the volume.”

  “I can’t bear to. They’re probably laughing at him. The announcers are horrible.”

  Nina folded her lips to keep from smiling. No matter what Maggie said, something had happened between her and Dwight. No doubt about it.

  “Maybe he’ll make up for it with a homer in the next inning,” she said gently.

  But the next inning didn’t go quite like that. Dwight did get a hit—finally, his first hit in the majors! Maggie and Nina jumped up and down on the couch, shrieking with glee. But then he got picked off first, and he hadn’t even been trying to steal second. He’d just gotten distracted. Or something.

  Nina sank back down on the couch cushions and glared at Maggie. “Did you know this was going to happen?”

  Maggie piled leftover packets of soy sauce onto her plate and avoided Nina’s gaze. “The model doesn’t predict exactly what’s going to happen. It just gives a general idea.” She picked up the paper plates and took them into the kitchen.

  “Why didn’t you warn him? Or tell the Friars they should wait?”

  “Don’t blame me! The Friars didn’t ask me. They’re having me focus on the lower levels to see if my program works.” She dropped back onto the couch, looking so woebegone that Nina’s heart went out to her.

  “I’m sorry, Maggie. You’re learning rule number one of baseball right now, aren’t you?”

  “Rule number one?”

  “Baseball will break your heart.”

  They both contemplated that statement for a moment, then Maggie looked over at Nina. “You’re wise beyond your years, aren’t you, Nina?”

  “I keep telling people that. A certain shortstop, for instance. He still thinks I’m too young.”

  “Well, you are only twenty-two. That’s pretty young.”

  “No, it’s not! Not when you had to grow up really fast and watch your whole family fall apart around you. I know who I am and what I want, and some people don’t know that sort of thing until they’re…practically dead!”

  Maggie’s eyes had gone wide. “You’re right, Nina. Sorry, I didn’t intend to offend you.”

  “I’m not offended.” Nina crossed her legs under her. “You know, you and me are opposites in some ways. I never had ambition like you, I never liked school or studying. I’ve had so many different jobs, like dog-grooming and cotton candy-vending. I just want a family of my own. A husband I love, children. Maybe that’s a boring goal in life, but I don’t care.”

  “Of course it’s not boring. But are you saying Bieberman is the one you want to marry and have a family with?”

  Nina let out a shriek; that name was like fingernails on a chalkboard to her. “Why does everyone have to call him that? He’s so much better than Justin Bieber in every possible way except maybe singing. He’s cuter, he’s nicer, he’s smarter, he’s—”

  “Okay, okay.” Maggie tossed a little pillow at her. “I get the point. I think you answered my question.”

  Nina burst out laughing. “Maybe. I just…I really like him. The first time I saw him with the Catfish in Albuquerque, my eyes went right to him. He really throws himself into the game. He’s so energetic and fun when he plays.”

  “He’s on fire lately. Have you seen his stats from the road trip?”

  Nina smiled to herself. The fact that Jim had dedicated the road trip to her, and he’d gotten two hits in the first two games, turned her into a mushy puddle of happiness. Soon, the team would be back, and she was going to take the day off work so she could sit behind home plate and watch Jim Lieberman play—for her.

  She sighed. What could be more romantic? Sure, baseball could break your heart. But it could also put it back together in a way you never saw coming.

  8

  Something dazzling. Ever since Jim had made that promise to Nina, he’d been racking his brains for a unique way to fulfill it. On the road, he’d hit .500. That was pretty damn spectacular. But somehow it didn’t seem like enough. Nina’s brother was the legendary slugger Trevor Stark. Jim could never live up to his incredible hitting.

  No, it would have to be something he did on the field. But how could he plan ahead for an amazing fielding play? Some games he barely got a chance at the ball. Others, he was busy from the first inning to the last. And how many opportunities came along for a truly eye-popping move? It was in the hands of fate, or the baseball gods, or maybe the ghost of Ernie Banks.

  Someone must have been smiling down on him, because on a muggy day in August, the first game back from the Catfish’s swing through the southwest, something happened that no one had ever seen before.

  The entire game, Jim felt the magic build. It started when he saw Nina settle into the seat he’d reserved for her and blow him a kiss. It felt like a blessing winging through the air toward him. He pretended to catch it and press it to his heart. Then he stashed his glove under his upper arm and put his hands together in a heart sign.

  When Dan Farrio gave him a look, he quickly put on his game face and his glove.

  But the knowledge that Nina was there at his invitation, watching him, awaiting something special—it fired him up. He felt power running through him, coming out his fingertips like sparklers. Something was going to happen, he just knew it. But he didn’t worry about it. Nope. Nina’s smiling presence made him too
happy for worry.

  The game against the RiverCats went smoothly for four innings. Then in the top of the fifth, the RiverCats loaded up the bases with no outs. The Catfish fans catcalled Dan Farrio, the right-hander who’d suddenly lost his stuff. Duke came out to give him a pep talk—which in Duke’s case consisted of a gruff “get it together or you’re out.”

  Then the RiverCats’ best slugger came up to bat. A fearsome two-hundred and forty-pound bear of a player, he hit hard but ran slow. Jim positioned himself inside the baselines. After a few mighty warm-up swings, the batter stepped into the box. Damn, the guy was intimidating, staring down Farrio like an assassin.

  But his arrogance got the best of him. Surprising everyone, he actually swung at the first pitch. It ripped right back toward Farrio, who flung up his glove. The ball bounced off the tip of the glove and came sailing toward Jim.

  Jim had already launched himself into the air to back up Farrio. In mid-air, he twisted around and stuck his right hand—the one without the glove—into the path of the ball. Shockingly, it slammed into his palm. He wrapped his hand around the ball and landed on the ground, flat out on his side. In the same movement, he twisted upright and whipped the ball to T.J. Gates at third base. The runner was frantically trying to get back on base, but Jim’s throw just beat him, by a whisker. T.J. in turn ripped the ball to second, where that runner was also caught off guard.

  Three outs. A goddamn 6-5-4 triple play.

  The roar of the Catfish fans shook the stadium. Jim lay on the field for a moment, soaking it in and catching his breath. Then he came to his knees and stood up. The entire crowd was on its feet, stomping and yelling and shouting his name. Lie-Ber-Man. Lie-Ber-Man. Lie-Ber-Man.

  In the chaos, it took a moment for him to locate Nina. When he spotted her bright splash of sunflower hair, moving up and down with her excited leaps, his heart nearly exploded with joy. Thank you, baseball gods.

  The rest of the game—which the Catfish won—passed in a blur. All he wanted was to finish the game and find his way to Nina. Not even the “nice play” compliments and pats on the butt from his teammates distracted him. Finally, the game ended, he rushed through his shower, bolted out of the clubhouse and out the players’ exit. For once, a small knot of fans waited for him instead of Trevor or Dwight. He quickly signed their baseballs and programs, scanning the lot for Nina.

  Then finally he caught sight of her, waiting off to the side, her face radiant, her hands clasped under her chin. The fact that she was glowing with joy for him, that he’d impressed her, that she was rooting for him…for a moment, amazement overcame him. He pushed his way through the crowd of players and family members and autograph seekers. He reached her and she opened her arms in a wide embrace and then they were pressed together, Nina’s sweet body nestled against his, her lips parting in a smile as she tilted her head up.

  Without thought, without worry, he touched his lips to hers.

  And that was the most dazzling moment of all.

  Her fresh taste instantly erased his entire slate of past history. No one else existed, or had ever existed, once he’d immersed himself in her kiss. The whole world felt new and wondrous, as if rain had washed everything else away and sunshine sparkled in every corner of the old Catfish parking lot. He drank her in, ran his hands down her back to the dainty curve of her hips, inhaled the heady fragrance of her lemon-mint shampoo.

  Her heart raced against his. He felt its pitter-pat all the way through his body, even through all the layers of clothes between them. He wanted her naked, wanted her fresh skin against his.

  And that thought finally made him pull away. The Catfish parking lot was no place for naked fantasies about Nina Stark. He stared down at her, speechless with want.

  “Wow,” she whispered, running her tongue across the seam of her lips. “That was—wow.”

  He could have kissed her feet in that moment. “Did you see the play?”

  “Of course I saw it! It’s on all the news channels too. Everyone’s talking about it!” She gave a little hop of excitement. “You sure know how to make a grand gesture, Jim Lieberman.”

  “It was all for you.” He touched her cheek, because he just couldn’t keep his hands off her anymore. “Everything I did over the past week, it was all for you.”

  “I knew you could do it.” She was practically beaming. “I’m so proud of you. Did you see that big old RiverCat player? He was so mad, he slammed his bat into the dirt and broke it.”

  “Did he?” Jim grinned. He’d missed that moment in all the chaos following The Play. “It’s got to suck hitting into a triple play.”

  She took his hand, setting every one of the nerve endings in his hand on fire. “Let’s celebrate! Are you hungry?”

  “Starving. I skipped the food in the clubhouse because I was so anxious to see you. How about barbecue, with ice cream cones for dessert?”

  Here came another of her adorable little hops of happiness. She stood on tiptoe and tilted her face for another kiss. He was just bending down to oblige when his phone beeped. She stepped back so he could answer it, though she kept hold of his hand.

  With the other hand, he dug his phone from his pocket. “Lieberman,” he answered.

  It was Duke, speaking so loudly Jim had to pull the phone away from his ear. “Damn it, boy, where’d you get off to? Looked in the clubhouse and you were gone. Get your ass back in here, I have something to tell you.”

  Jim ran his thumb across Nina’s wrist. The tenderness of her skin made him wonder how the rest of her would feel. Now that he had Nina to himself, no way was he going back into that stadium, no matter who was calling. “Sorry, I’m already gone. I have a date.”

  He smiled at Nina, who grinned back. The headlights of a departing car swept across her, illuminating every one of her slim curves. She wore flowered jeans so tight they could have been leggings and a loose cotton bohemian-type top. Tendrils of white-blond hair clung to her skin, damp from the mugginess of the night.

  “What is wrong with everyone?” Duke thundered. “No respect for fucking tradition anymore. The Friars want you, idiot. You’re being called up.”

  It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. “What?”

  “You heard me. I think. Who are you with, anyway? Can you tell them to give you your brains back?”

  Jim ignored the abuse. “Did you say I’m getting called up?”

  “No, I said you’re getting dolled up. Get that Disney dress back on, boy. Of course I said called up. Goddamn it, why do you kids do this to me? Maybe it’s time to retire.”

  “Called up?” He still could barely believe it. He had to look to Nina for confirmation. She snatched the phone from him.

  “Duke, this is Nina Stark. Is Jim really getting called up?”

  “Now this is definitely a first,” Duke grumbled. “Telling a player’s girlfriend ain’t proper protocol. Yes, Nina. He needs to get his ass to the airport. He’s in the lineup for tomorrow’s game. Dwight Conner’s coming back, Lieberman’s going up. Fucking revolving door around here. No wonder I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in thirty years. Can you help him get the news through his thick skull, Nina?”

  “Yes, I can do that. Good night, Duke. Get some sleep. Have you tried putting some lavender oil drops on your pillow? It’s very soothing.”

  The call ended rather abruptly after that, and Nina handed his phone back to him. He took it numbly. She reached up and cupped her hands around his face. “This is real, Jim. You’re really going to San Diego,” she said in a hushed voice. “I can’t believe I was here to witness this moment. We’re going to go back to your place now, pack your bag, and I’ll drive you to the airport.”

  He nodded. So many emotions flooded through him that he didn’t quite know what to do with them all. Amazement, terror, excitement, awe, shock, and above all—regret that he was leaving Nina, just when things were finally moving in the direction he’d dreamed about for so long.

  But The Call…The Call. The
Call had come—for him! A huge grin broke across his face. He swooped Nina into his arms again and spun her around until she was laughing and clutching his shoulders.

  When he finally paused and crushed her against him, she whispered into his chest, “Jim?”

  “What?”

  “I’m definitely dazzled. That was, hands down, the most romantically amazing date I could ever imagine.”

  Yes, he absolutely agreed—with only one complaint. By tomorrow, he’d be fifteen hundred miles away.

  Nina helped him pack, because he was so overcome with amazement he could barely focus. He called his family while she put his t-shirts into a suitcase. It was such an intimate act, letting someone handle your things, but it felt so natural. Nina could handle any of his things she wanted, forevermore. He would never object.

  After he delivered his incredible news to his parents and little sister, they sat down with leftover pizza in the apartment he shared with two other guys on the team. They were at the Roadhouse celebrating the victory, so he and Nina had his place to themselves. But they didn’t have much time, no more than an hour before he had to hit the road.

  Should he kiss her? What about more? What about…sex? He ached whenever he looked at Nina. But to take their relationship to the next level right before he left, that didn’t seem right. When would he see her again?

  “Do you have any plans to visit Trevor anytime soon?”

  “Maybe.” She smiled at him as she chewed her slice. “He’s always inviting me. By the way, he says you should stay with them until you find your own place. He’s going to text you the address. He says it’s a big penthouse condo with two extra bedrooms.”

  Jim swallowed hard. Staying with Trevor didn’t sound very relaxing. But he couldn’t very well turn down Nina’s brother. “That’s nice of him.”

  “Probably wants to keep an eye on you.” She winked over a mouthful of cheese.