Tag Forever Mine

by Catherine Charles

  “I don’t have a choice, Trey. She’s my best friend and he’s yours. Nobody else has stepped up to the plate to fix this, and yes I did just make a baseball joke, get used to it. We own a baseball team now. Besides what kind of friend would I be if I watched my best friend lie to herself and live a life void of true happiness? We’re together because of them Trey. We are the way we are because of them. Because of the way they loved so unselfishly. I wanted that, and I wanted that with you. She took a leap with him and I took a leap with you and when she called me that night, I promised myself one day I would make sure she was happy again. And here we are five years later and she’s still alone. She never went out on dates, she never went crazy, she never looked for the rebound, because he never existed for her. Robert was it for her and I know she still loves him, and he loves her. They’re just lost, and scared, and stupid.”

  A lump swells in my throat as I try to choke back the sob threatening to make itself known. I don’t know when I started to cry during my little speech, but Trey wraps me in a comforting embrace, and I nestle into him.

  “They just need a little help Trey. They’re our friends. They deserve to be happy again.”

  The distinct hollow click clack of stilettos slowly making their way down the hall filters in through the open office door as I give Trey one final pleading glance.

  “I’ll help you love.”

  “Thank you. Daddy?” I whisper and look in his direction. He gives me an affirmative nod just as I hear Presley’s voice.

  “Liv. Yoo-hoo? Where are you?”

  I pop my head out into the hallway and give her a small wave. “In here.”

  “Is this your house?” She looks back down the hallway to the grand staircase she just climbed up.

  “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

  Home is an understatement for my parents three storied mansion set on seventy-five acres of Montana wilderness. There are two wings, one for daddy and one for mommy. The house boasts fifteen bedrooms and seventeen bathrooms. A private pool, bowling alley, theater, and tennis court make up the bottom floor with the kitchen, living room and owners’ bedrooms making up the second center level, guest rooms and staff accommodations on the third. It overlooks a private lake with a forty-foot boat docked by the pier. It’s an obnoxious monstrosity one I was embarrassed about when I was younger.

  “Remind me again why you always wanted to hang out at the ranch? And how did I not know you were so rich?” She says as she embraces me; it’s so good to see her again.

  “Because I could breathe on the ranch. Growing up here, everything just felt so stuffy. I didn’t like to talk about it back then. It was embarrassing. Besides this place belonged to my Granddaddy. He made his money with the big oil boom and then just invested wisely. This place belonged to him and he passed it down to Daddy in his will. This place isn’t mine.”

  I watch as Presley makes her way around the office, admiring the different paintings hanging against the four walls. Daddy and Trey also studying her every move.

  “There was a reason I asked you to come over today Presley. I hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t know who else to ask. Daddy wants to buy some sports team, I think it’s stupid, but he wants to get an opinion on the players before he invests.”

  She gives me a suspicious look and then looks to Trey briefly. “Liv is this why you wanted me to come home?”

  “That and I missed you.”

  “You know you could have just emailed me everything. You didn’t need to buy me a plane ticket.”

  “Pres, look around. A plane ticket is nothing to us.”

  She gives the room a quick pass over and makes her way over to the conference table. “Let me see what you’d be working with.” She sits down and I quickly glance at Trey and Daddy as he hands her the file I’ve prepared.”

  “Here you go young lady.” I see Presley roll her eyes as if she’s taken offense to Daddy’s politeness.

  “Are these this year’s numbers or last year’s?”

  Daddy clears his throat, “Last year’s I believe.”

  She takes several minutes to look over everything as my heart races behind my ribcage, each beat sounding louder than the last and I begin to wonder if she can hear it. Trey tightly grips my hand in his and gives it a light squeeze.

  “Everything looks good, but I would watch this guy right here.” She points to Robert’s line. I might have fudged some of the numbers a little bit as well as added him to last year’s roster.

  “If I’m gonna invest in this I want guaranteed wins.”

  “I can't guarantee that sir. But numbers don’t lie. This is a great team, for sure.”

  “What if I paid you to work with only him. Give you six months to get him up to the same level as everyone else. He’s your only client and the day he signs with us—”

  Her head jerks up and away from the stat sheet, glaring at Daddy. “I’m sorry. Is he not a current player? He was on the team roster.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. How am I going to explain this. I don’t know baseball.

  “They only gave him a one-year contract. Said he was too new, and the team didn’t want to fully commit until they were sure he could handle the pressure.”

  Way to go Daddy! That sounds plausible, doesn’t it? I look wide-eyed at Trey who squeezes my hand and gives me a slight nod as she goes back to studying the file in front of her.

  “Like I was saying, the day he signs with us, you get your full payout, five million dollars.”

  Presley’s once again jerks her head up to Daddy, her mouth wide open. “Sir! That’s ridiculous.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll still get your daily per diem, paid out the week prior of course.”

  “Sir. My fee is twenty thousand per month per player. You just offered to pay me five million dollars to work with one player for six months. What’s the catch?”

  “I feel like this guy could be a good investment and I’m willing to put good money into him if he’s going to give me good ticket sales.”

  “What’s his name?” Presley and Daddy are locked in a battle of business.

  “I don’t know and honestly I don’t care. These guys are nothing more than numbers and dollar signs. I don’t care to know anyone’s name, let alone what they like or if they have families. I keep my distance, so when cuts need to be done I can make them unbiased.”

  Daddy’s doing great. Presley looks to me and then Trey. I know she’s looking for a sign of weakness.

  “Six months?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “With a five-million-dollar payout?”

  “Yes ma’am. And then an additional million for each year you stay with the team. I want to be the new Yankees, and with you as my secret weapon, I know I can.” Daddy’s going rouge.

  * * *

  I wake up to the sounds of the surf crashing against nearby volcanic rocks. I was supposed to be here to assist with a small clinic but apparently no one registered for it. Hawaii is nice, but the adults’ only resort is a constant reminder of just how alone I am.

  Back home I had the gym to help keep my issues buried. Here, there’s nothing. Excursions are booked in pairs, and the hotel’s gym consists of a treadmill and a row machine, not exactly the kind of equipment I can spend hours on.

  My phone goes off and I answer it. Making my way out onto the balcony to people watch on their way to and from.

  “West!” Martinez’s voice is gruff and formal, but with a hint of pleasantry behind it. “Get ready. You’re going to the Rangers.”

  My chair falls backwards as I spring from it in excitement. “What! Are you serious?”

  “The gods must like you today. You’ve got six months with Donovan, and then if he gives the okay, you will officially belong to the Texas Rangers.”

  “Wait. What? Six months?”

  “That’s what the new owner said. Just got off the phone with him.”

  “New owner?”

  “Be on the field one week from
today, 9:00 a.m. This may very well be your last shot at this, West. Don’t piss this opportunity away. By the way, how’s Hawaii?”

  I’m stunned. After multiple attempts to work with Donovan West I finally get my chance and I’m in Hawaii of all places. I should be on the field and in the weight room getting ready, not on a beach sipping mai tais and working on my tan. “Okay. Yes sir. Hawaii, umm, it’s good.”

  “Nine o’clock, West. He’s in charge of you for the next six months.”

  * * *

  I’ve just been offered the career of a lifetime. Five million dollars for six months’ worth of work. How bad could this one player be. His numbers aren’t terrible, but they could be better. I study the file in front of me. All I have is one season’s stats, but surely I’ll get the others. Liv’s dad did say he was a rookie. I’ll need to find out where he played before this past season. There were no high school turned pro players last year which means he probably came from a minor league team.

  Liv clears her throat and I look around the room. Three sets of eyes watching me intensely. Usually I take a day or two to decide whether I think the player is a good fit for my company, but this is Liv and her father seems incredibly serious about the whole thing. “Well, it looks like I’m working for you now sir.”

  Liv bounces up and down while clapping her hands as I stretch out my hand.

  “Please. Call me Walter. And welcome to the family, Donovan.” We shake on our deal and I sign my contract tying myself to his new investment for the next six months.

  “Well Walter. You can call your player and let him know he is expected on the field at nine a.m. a week from today. If I can get his file I’ll get started putting a plan together for him right away.”

  “My secretary will get that for you on the way out and she’s already called his coach. Liv here can set up your travel arrangements, and Donovan, if you need anything don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Thank you sir, but my per diem will cover everything I need.”

  “About that—and please, it’s Walter—five thousand per month doesn’t seem right.”

  “Sir, I assure you I’ve calculated my expenses and have gotten it down the lowest amount possible.”

  “I’m sure you have. But five thousand? I’m doubling your per diem. You work much too hard. Take time for yourself, Presley, and if you’ve forgotten how, I’m sure my Olivia can refresh your memory.”

  “It’s Donovan, sir.” I say with a hint of irritation. Liv is positively beaming and seems extra giddy to have me working with her father. I nod, say my goodbyes, and stop at Walter’s secretary’s desk on my way out of his office where I’m given Mr. 17’s file and quickly thumb it open to make sure everything I need is in it.

  My eyes immediately land on the title of page one, The Texas Rangers Arizona League Player Record. I slam the file close. No. No. No. My best friend wouldn’t trick me, would she?

  I storm back into the office and look at the excel sheet I was first shown versus what’s in the file. I know these numbers like the back of my hand. I don’t need to look at the player information box on the bottom of the page to know these are Robert’s numbers. I slam the file down on the table, my eyes raise to find Liv slightly cowering behind Trey, “You. Lying. Little. Bitch!”

  “Presley. I know you’re upset, and in all honesty I wasn’t expecting you to still be here when you figured things out.” Everything comes blurting out in a single breath like word vomit.

  “You fucking tricked me, Liv! I trusted you!”

  “Come on Presley. You know better than anyone, you two belong together.”

  “Liv, let me make this very clear to you. My personal life is my goddamn business! I don’t know what you were expecting to happen, but I do not mix business and pleasure. So if you were hoping we’d fall back in love and live happily ever after, well you’re fucking wrong!”

  “Pres, I just don’t want to see you die alone. I want you to find happiness again and I know he makes you happy.”

  I laugh at her reasoning for tricking me, “You don’t know shit, Olivia. I am happy. Don’t I look fucking happy right now?” It’s a rhetorical question.

  “No.”

  “Fuck you.” I get ready to storm out of the office but stop just shy of the door and look back at my ex best friend. “Well you got one thing you wished for.”

  “I did?”

  “You won't have to see me die alone. We’re done here.”

  Slamming the door behind me I wipe away the tears that have started to fall. My life was falling apart around me and I was helpless to keep it together. Liv was right. I wasn’t happy. Not really. I was existing and sure business was great, and now with this payout I would be set for life. I could invest it all and slowly watch it grow, eventually living of the interest alone once I retired. But I would be alone. No one ever came close to filling the gaping hole in my heart. Work just masked it, and each client I took was a temporary fix. Try as I might, I still dealt with Robert’s lingering words. The ones that told me I wasn’t good enough. And though they fueled my drive for business, they pushed me to be the best, they were my driving force to prove him wrong, on nights where I hadn’t worked myself to the brink of exhaustion, they were still the last things I heard as I cried myself to sleep.

  * * *

  The sky was painted with calming shades of purples, ambers and pinks. The old porch swing creaked with each gentle glide I took in it, looking out at the massive oak tree that stood all alone just on the other side of the cattle fence, the sun sinking low in the Montana sky. Raise of light seeped through the branches and the shadow cast on the field below slowly crept its way up the steps of the back porch.

  “He misses you too.” Trey sits down on the swing next to me and pops the top on a white canned beer before handing it to me.

  “I’m not talking to you,” I say just before the sweet taste hits my lips. I was usually a wine drinker, but tonight there was just something comforting about the way the hops danced on my tongue.

  “That’s fine. Just listen then.”

  I look at him from out of the corner of my eye and look back out to the horizon.

  “When you first came to school, I immediately had the biggest crush on you because you wouldn’t give Robert the time of day. You forced him to work for your attention. He’d never had to do that before P. Then, as you two became closer, I could tell a change in both of you. You brought out the best in each other. You challenged each other. You forced each other to grow.”

  “Trey I’m not really in the mood for a walk down memory lane.”

  “Well tough shit P.” I feel like a child being scolded and I attempt to hind behind my beer. “You two grew stronger with each adversity you faced, and that’s still true to this day. I know he’s your driving force behind this company you’ve built. You’re a woman in a pretty much male dominated field and you eat them for breakfast. You’re fucking Donovan West and that name means something in this industry, but it’s not just that is it? You chose West because of him.” I’m silent as I contemplate his words. He’s not wrong, but I was afraid that if people knew the truth behind the name then I would be seen as a pathetic, hopeful, little girl, still pining after her first love. “I’m not stupid Pres. You can fool everyone around you, but those of us that know you, I mean really know you, to your core, know you can’t let him go. So quit trying to fool yourself.

  “You two were kids and already knew more about relationships than most adults. You knew when to step back and when to push. No more standing on the sidelines Presley. No more waiting.

  “Watching you two helped me see that not everyone gives up. You two taught me there are people out there worth fighting for. Your relationship is worth fighting for, and that’s exactly what Liv is doing right now. She’s fighting for both of you. We both owe our relationship to you and Robert. Without you two setting an example, I wouldn’t have had the courage to ask Olivia out, and now the courage to ask her to marry me.”

/>   I look over at him in disbelief and sudden heart break. I had no idea the role we played in their relationship and I wanted to wrap my arms around my best friend and apologize to her.

  “You two will be expected at the wedding. Robert will be my best man and you will be Liv’s maid of honor and neither one of you will do anything to ruin this day for her.”

  He sets Robert’s file on the empty seat between us. “It’s time, Presley. I’m not going to make any excuses for him and the way he acted, but you should know he still asks about you and I know you see the signal he still sends out to you. Despite what you both may think, he still loves you. Give him one more shot. Six months to win you back, and after that, well only you can make that decision.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and wipe my eyes as he wraps his arm around me. The first form of male comfort I’ve had in five long years and I rest my head on his shoulder. “She’s a lucky girl.” I offer shyly.

  He picks up my left hand, his thumb sweeping over the delicate rose gold ring Robert gave me all those years ago. “And he’s a lucky guy.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Seven-thirty in the morning. There was a maintenance employee working on the grounds just inside of the stadium gates. I showed him my pass and he hesitantly let me in. With each step I took, my heart pounded erratically against my rib cage, hands sweaty and my stomach in knots. I should have double and tripled up the amount of deodorant I put on this morning while I was getting ready, but it was too late now. It looked like my jacket would be staying on today or at least until I was safely within the confines of my rented sky-blue mini cooper.

  I timidly strolled the haunted course corridor of my young adulthood and stood for a moment at the top of the stairs that would take me down to my reserved seat our first season here. Memories flood through me of nights watching Robert on the pitcher’s mound. Every night seeming as if he had done better than his last. He was a powerhouse athlete, the world waiting for him to claim his place amongst some of the greatest pitchers known in this sport throughout history; he had the makings of a hall of famer and I was so proud of him. I never attended a second season’s game.