by Alexa McLean
“Hey, is everything alright?” It was the first baseman for my team. “You seemed a little off today.”
“I’m fine.”
“You headed over to the fundraiser?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Me and my wife go every year.”
“Right,” I said. “Gracie, isn’t it.”
“That’s the one.” He smiled in an affectionate manner. “Speaking of which, when are you going to tie the knot? You aren’t getting any younger and this playboy image you got going for yourself isn’t going to last a lifetime.”
Kirk was one of our older players and definitely the wisest of the bunch. If ever you were in need of some advice, he was the one to turn to but this didn’t seem like a problem for locker room discussion. Plus, I didn’t know how the league would handle a fake engagement. I didn’t think it was against the law or anything but I didn’t think it would be well-endorsed either.
Again, I wondered whether agreeing to Lily’s plan was a good idea or not. But what was I supposed to do? Tell her no? When a woman like that asks something of you, you kind of fall into a spell and from that point forward, you’re doomed to do whatever it is that they want. Like it or not, beautiful women just hold that sort of power over men like me.
No. Not beautiful women in general.
Lily.
She, especially, had that power of me.
And I just hoped that she wasn’t abusing that power.
LATER THAT NIGHT, I arrived at Lily’s doorstep, box in hand. I rang the bell and waited for her to answer. She must have been waiting for my arrival because the door swung back at a moment’s notice.
“Gayle,” she breathed like she had just finished running a marathon. “I tried calling you but you didn’t answer your cell phone.”
“Sorry, I must have had it on silent.”
“Oh?” She cocked her head to the side. “Is everything alright?”
“Fine.”
The corners of her lips turned downwards in a subtle sort of frown. Despite this, I didn’t feel like explaining my concerns. Lily needed my help and that’s what I was going to do — help her.
“I got you a dress.”
“What?”
“To wear tonight since your red one is out of commission.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to bother yourself with doing that. I would have found something to wear in my closet.”
“I figured if we are to make our first appearance as husband and wife to be that we should at least match.” I straightened my tie. “So, tonight’s color is purple.” With that, I handed over the box.
At first, she looked like she didn’t know what to do with it.
“Go on,” I said. “It’s not going to open itself.”
Still, she hesitated but after a few moments of staring at the box, she finally got around to unraveling the bow that held it together. She lifted the top and pulled back the paper that the dress was wrapped in.
“It’s beautiful...” she gasped as she held the garment against her chest. “Gayle, you really shouldn’t have. First the ring and now this...”
“The ring you paid for when you got that blackjack and this is my gift to you.”
“I can’t accept something like this. I can’t even imagine how much it had to have cost you.”
I shushed her by placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face so that it could meet mine. All the doubts I had felt during the course of the day melted away once her lips were connected to mine. Maybe this whole thing would start off as a ploy but mark my words, by the end of the season, I would prove to her that I truly intended to marry her.
Yes, I’d be putting our friendship in a gamble but that’s what life is all about, right?
I took both her hands and pulled her off the couch. I then pressed my palm to the small of her back so we were joined at the hips. “I hope you’re ready to do a lot of dancing tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me there would be dancing involved.”
“Dancing and a lot of journalists. You might be wise to make a good impression if you want this to work.”
“I never got the opportunity to thank you. It still boggles my mind that you agreed to go along with this.”
“I have my motives,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow but before she could ask me any form of question, I started taking off her clothes. There really wasn’t anything sexual about it. I was simply unveiling someone of sheer beauty. Once she was exposed to me, I took a step back and smiled. “You’re going to be the highlight of the party,” I whispered as I helped her into her dress. It suited her to absolute perfection. Her hips were accentuated and the neckline gave a small sneak peek of her chest but it still kept things classy. “I’ll let you finish up with shoes and accessories and all that. When you’re done, meet me by the car.”
And when she did, I was starstruck.
THE FUNDRAISER WAS crowded as usual. Typically, I came to the joint, bought a few drinks, made my donation, and left. This year, things would be much, much different.
I had Lily on my arm and she was smiling up a storm. I could sense many of the men around the room looking her way.
Jealousy crept underneath my skin and made me want to hold her even tighter but if I did, I would hurt her. So, I contented with giving them the ‘back-off’ look and moving on.
Just as I expected, I found Diana working the room, trying to round up interviews and the like.
Diana was the lead writer at Batter Up Magazine and she also happened to be one of my ex-girlfriends. Our break-up wasn’t a messy one but a bit of awkwardness still remained between the two of us that we did our best just to avoid. It was just easier that way.
But if it meant getting herself a story, Diana wouldn’t hesitate to approach me.
“Gayle!” She exclaimed. “It’s so nice to see you!” She greeted me with a hug. Out of politeness, I returned it but I could feel myself becoming stiff, especially with Lily watching our exchange. I could feel the weight of her stare. Could it be that she was also jealous?
“Here on business or pleasure?” I asked.
“A bit of both. I wanted to cover the fundraiser but it’s always nice to see such handsome faces dressed to the nines so I can’t exactly complain.” She held up her tablet. “Sometimes, the job comes with its benefits.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it,” I said. “You always seem to enjoy it.”
“I do.” She flashed a smile as she rested her hand on my chest. It was then that she seemed to notice that Lily had been standing beside us that entire time. “Oh! And who might this be?”
That was my cue.
I took Lily by the shoulders and pulled her forward so she was standing right in front of me. “This, Diana, is my lovely fiancée.”
“Fiancée?” She repeated like she couldn’t believe the word that had just come out of my mouth. “You mean fiancée, fiancée. Like you two are going to get married and become Mr. and Mrs. Nash?”
“That’s right,” I agreed.
“How did that happen? Last I heard you were single.”
“You know me. I like to do things on a whim. Lily here has been my neighbor for years now and I’ve always been meaning to have her for myself so I just decided to do it.”
“He surprised me with this ring,” Lily chimed in. “I was just sitting on my couch and all of a sudden, there he was at my doorstep, dropping to one knee. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I was on the set for a movie or something. I mean stuff like that doesn’t just... happen.”
“And you said yes?” Diana asked, trying away at her tablet. “Did you expect it at all?”
“Not in the slightest,” she answered. “It was a total surprise. But I couldn’t say no. I mean, look at his face.” She rested her hand on my cheek and kissed the other. Even while wearing high heels, she still had to stretch onto the tips of her toes. “Besides, we’ve known each other ever since I moved in with my grandmother —”
“And when w
as that?” Diana was hunting down for the details that would make our story extra juicy. Even if I wanted to pull back, there was no way for me to do so now. Diana had taken the bait and she would expose our little love story to the entire world.
“When I was about seven. My parents died in a car crash.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Diana stopped her typing to show her condolences.
An upbeat song started to play and plenty of couples migrated onto the dance floor to enjoy the mirth.
“I don’t want to keep you two from all the fun but I just have a few more questions.”
I nodded my head with approval. “Go on.”
“We all know that Gayle Nash is a famous baseball player but what is it that you do?”
“Well, I actually have a degree in journalism —”
“Is that so? Any interest in sports journalism?”
“As a matter of fact — yes.”
“Any experience?”
“I think being Gayle’s neighbor is experience enough.”
“And now you’re also his fiancée. That might be an interesting angle to write from...” Diana said more to herself than to anyone else.
“Excuse me?”
“If you’re looking for a job in sports journalism then send me a copy of your resume and I’ll take a look at it. I might have a position opening up real soon that you might consider.”
“Truly?”
“Absolutely. Gayle is a good friend of mine and I wouldn’t mind helping out his special someone. Plus, with Gayle as your hubby-to-be, you’ll get some inside action that my other writers could only dream of.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to abuse —”
Diana waved her hand to shut down her qualms. “Nonsense. Life is all about who you know and don’t know.”
“Well, if you truly feel that way then I’d be more than happy to send over my resume.”
“And a few writing samples if you have them. If any of them are baseball related then send those.”
“Right.”
“Well, I look forward to it.” She handed over her business card. “My email is on there and I wouldn’t wait too long because positions are known to fly off the shelf, so to speak.”
“I’ll get them to you right away.”
“Perfect. It was a pleasure speaking to you.”
As Diana walked away she looked over her shoulder and gave me one last look. There seemed to be a certain sense of longing in her eyes like she regretted the fact that I was finally off the market.
“That was nice of her,” said Lily. “I didn’t think I would get offered a job quite that quickly.”
“If I were you, I’d jump at the opportunity. Batter Up Magazine is one of the better-known magazines in the business. I get it delivered to my door every month.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be emailing her tonight.” She glanced towards the dance floor. “But, I have to ask. Who is she to you?”
“Diana?”
Lily nodded. “You guys seemed to have some sort of unspoken connection.”
“We dated for a little while but it’s no big deal really. We’ve learned to go our separate ways.”
“I see.” I could tell that Lily was trying to paint on a poker face but it wasn’t really working. Her eyes told me everything.
She was definitely jealous.
Chapter 9 (Lily)
IN THE BLINK OF AN eye, I had landed myself a job. It was only a few weeks after the fundraiser event and already, I was going in for my very first day as a baseball journalist. Honestly, even after doing hours upon hours of research, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Most magazines were cutthroat and borderline sweatshop for the lower ranked writers but perhaps Batter Up was different than that.
I could only hope.
“Hello.” I walked up to the receptionist’s desk. “I’m looking for Diana Day.”
“Ms. Day isn’t in the office at the moment but you must be our newest writer. Ms. Cannon, am I correct?”
“Yes, that’s me.” My voice was a bit too high pitched and I reprimanded myself for being so nervous. I was a good writer, that much I knew, and that alone should be enough to get me through. Plus, it certainly helped that I had Gayle on my side for moral support and baseball technicalities. Really, I had nothing to worry about and yet, the jitters had me failing to stay still.
“Ms. Day advised that I introduce you to Mindy Davidson, one of our staff writers. She’ll show you around the place until Ms. Day’s return.”
“That sounds good to me.” I attempted to smile but my face felt as stiff as a board. I probably looked like some sort of possessed, that isn’t a very flattering look.
The receptionist didn’t seem to mind because she got up and showed me through the office. It was a relatively quiet place with individuals sitting at their desks, typing away. Most people didn’t even bother to look my way as I passed them by. They were lost in their own little bubbles.
Toward the back was a spunky-looking redhead who was perched on her seat. She had her face so close to the computer screen that her nose almost touched it.
She looked up and offered a great big smile. “Mindy, this is Lily, our newest employee. Since Diana is out of her office she told me to leave Lily in your capable hands.”
Her smile widened as she sprung to her feet. “Oh, yes! Diana told me to expect you.” She squared up before me and to my amazement, she was shorter than I was and I’m pretty freaking short. “You’re Gayle’s newest fiancé, right?”
“Newest?” I repeated. “You make it sound like he’s been engaged before.”
“Oh, sorry, just a turn of phrase. I didn’t mean it like that before.” She waved her hand to dismiss my worries. “You are his one and only, I’m sure.”
I really didn’t know what to make of this woman. She seemed friendly enough but there just something about her that was rather unsettling.
“Anyway, I am sure you are eager to look around and explore your new workspace. I know I was when I first got here.” She was halfway down the hall by the time I finished blinking.
I had a feeling that spending the day with Mindy was going to be a tiresome one. My shift hadn’t even started yet and already, I felt like I didn’t have the energy needed to keep up. No one should so lively this early in the morning.
But since I desperately needed this job, I played along. I couldn’t blow this. Not only did I have bills to pay but there was also the matter of repaying Gayle. He had made a sacrifice on my behalf and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.
“And here we have the printer room. Personally, I like doing all my editing online but there are some people that still like doing it the old fashioned way. I think it’s a waste of time, ink, and paper, but hey, we are here to write amazing baseball stories, right? Arguing with our co-workers about the best editing policy isn’t a part of our job description.” She laughed like she had just shared the funniest tidbit of information on the planet.
Awkwardly, I tried to laugh alongside her but I could tell that it sounded forced.
Would she notice?
It didn’t seem that way because she was already sprinting towards the next point of interest. “So, what brought you here? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Oh, well, knowing Gayle for a long time, I sort of became indoctrinated into the sport of baseball, you know.”
“Makes sense,” she said with a nod. “Diana sent over your writing sample and it really was quite good. I loved the way you made that first home run of the season really theatrical. It really added a level of excitement to the writing that a lot of new journalists fail to achieve. I have no doubt that you’ll fit in quite nicely around here.” Somehow, she managed to say all that in one single breath. I was left gasping for air just looking at her. This woman was definitely a character but I had yet to make up my mind whether she was a good one or someone to stay away from.
“And you?” I asked. “Might I ask how you got your start around
here?”
“Oh!” She acted surprised. “I’m flattered you asked.” She flashed that wide-brimmed smile of hers. “I started off as an intern. Naively I thought that I’d be able to sink my teeth into some significant work but all I got were a couple of coffee runs for the higher-level writers. It wasn’t all that bad. Free coffee, you know? And everyone has to pay their dues to the company somehow.”
As she said that last bit, her eyes darkened in my direction but she kept on talking like her life depended on it.
“Eventually, Diana gave me an assignment. I slaved away at it and tried to make it as perfect as possible because you see, this here is my dream — my passion. I watched baseball with my father all the time growing up and I always told him that I’d be one of the ‘TV ladies’ one day.”
“So, your hope is to go into television then?”
“No, I prefer writing. That’s something I figured out early on in my career.”
“Right.”
“But to be the head writer one day — that would be amazing.”
“I’m sure you’ll get there,” I said. “Especially since you’re so passionate about it.
“I don’t know. There’s a lot of competition in this industry and I’m not sure whether I have that cutthroat personality needed to get to the top.”
Before I could say anything in response, Diana joined us outside of Mindy’s cubicle. “Ah, Lily, exactly who I was hoping to see.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m having you cover the main story for this week.”
“The main story?” I nearly choked.
“That’s right. Consider it a sort of baptism by fire.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Hopefully, your connection with Gayle will get you the inside scoop that this magazine needs. It’s one thing to interview players on the field but its something else to get them on a much more personal level. I want you to go in there and be their friend. Get them to trust you.”
I nodded.
“Perfect. I look forward to seeing what it is that you come up with. Just remember that it’ll be our feature reel so make it good.”
I gulped. The pressure was on.
“Congratulations.”