by Jean Joachim
He ambled into the locker room. He was early and took his time putting his stuff away.
“Hey, Jake! How’s it goin’?” Skip Quincy asked, from the doorway.
“Good. You?” Jake shut his locker.
“Great. How’s that new girl? Getting enough?”
Actually, he hadn’t been getting any for a day or two, but he wasn’t about to admit that to his friend.
“She’s hot as ever.”
Skip slapped his friend on the back.
“How about you, Skip? Time you settled down, isn’t it?”
“Nah. I’m good. Haven’t met anyone anyway.”
“Maybe if you got your ass out of the bar, you might,” Jake volunteered.
“Ah, go fuck yourself, Lawrence. Not everyone has your luck.”
Jake laughed. “Got that right.”
“Someday I’ll meet the right girl.”
“You wouldn’t know the right girl if she fell in your lap,” Matt Jackson piped up.
“Fuck you, Jackson.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got a much better deal goin’ than makin’ it with you, Quincy,” Matt chuckled.
“Dusty’s way too hot for you, Matt,” Jake said, shaking his head.
“Be jealous, all of you.” Matt snapped a towel at Skip’s butt.
“I keep hopin’, every time I come in here, there’ll be a naked girl waiting for me, too,” Skip shot back.
Jake and Matt laughed.
Nat Owen joined them. He opened his locker. “Did you hear? Emerald Albright is singing the national anthem today.”
“That hotshot singer?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. God, she’s hotter than hell,” Nat replied. “Think she’s married, though.”
“If you like that sort of thing. I’m happy with what I’ve got. Best lookin’ girl in the U.S.”
“I disagree, Jake,” Matt shot back.
“Damn good thing we don’t all like the same girl. Or I’d have to kill all’a you,” Skip said.
Chuckling, the men headed for the workout room.
* * * *
Kate awoke at eleven. She padded into the kitchen and reheated the leftover coffee. When she opened the fridge to get milk, she spied the bowl of stew she’d wrapped and left for Jake the night before.
“Didn’t eat my stew?” She raised her eyebrows as she drew out the carton. “Didn’t want to have sex? Bloom is off the rose already?”
The excitement of preparing for an audition turned to gloom as she figured she hadn’t made a dent in the life of star slugger, Jake Lawrence.
“I love you, yeah, right,” she sniffed aloud to herself. “Don’t think so.”
She finished the brew and didn’t bother with food as her appetite had evaporated like mist on a sunny day. Time to get ready for an audition at one. She showered, dressed in a slightly sexy new dress she’d bought for try-outs and attempted to shake her downer mood.
She hit the street, showered with a warm, May sun. She stared at her phone, repeating the lines of the short speech she’d be expected to recite for the producers and director. A new off-Broadway play was being cast. Although there was no music, her experience qualified her for a look-see.
She approached the entrance to the subway and descended the steep staircase to the platform. Nerves kicked up, as they always did when she was trying out. After boarding the train, she was lucky to find a seat.
Things with Jake had hit a rough patch, maybe heading for the end. As the car rolled along at breakneck speed, she shoved thoughts about her man out of her head so she could master the words for this new show.
Opening the theater door, she made her way to the front. A woman with glasses, wearing jeans shoved a clipboard at Kate.
“Here. Sign in, then take a seat. You’re number twelve. Only four more to go before you get your turn.”
Kate filled out the information and slipped into an aisle seat, her gaze trained on the stage. She’d not often been privy to the auditions of others. She watched each one, critiquing the performance in her head. At two, she checked her watch. By two thirty, the woman wearing the specs gestured toward her.
“Kate McKenzie? You’re next.”
Kate stood, brushed her hands down her dress to smooth out any wrinkles and strode up to the stage with what she hoped was a confident gait. After the reading, she walked to the subway.
“I won’t get it. That’s okay. It’s straight acting and I’m a singer and dancer,” she said aloud to herself as she descended the stairs to the train. Kate always told herself she wouldn’t get a part because it made it easier when she didn’t and a wonderful surprise when she did. Except for that new musical. She’d never wanted a part as badly as she had wanted that one.
It still hurt to think about it, so as she sat on the train she opened her phone and pulled up a book she was reading. Anything to distract her from negative thoughts. When she got back to Jake’s place, it was time to grab some stew, change, and head for Freddie’s.
Eating alone in the kitchen, she missed the slugger. They had shared every meal on the road. She’d gotten to know that he always salts his food, he drinks water with his meal, he takes a little sugar and a lot of milk in his coffee and prefers fried eggs to scrambled. She wondered when they would break bread again. Was it over, already? She sighed. This time she wouldn’t be the one leaving. She didn’t want to lose Jake and would stick it out until he called it quits, no matter how much she wanted to run. This time, wanting to stay beat chickening out by a mile.
She warmed up her voice on the way to the bar and grill, humming, and doing scales. A few people on the train stared at her, but most ignored her singing. This was New York City, people were used to all kinds of crazy people. Most New Yorkers kept to themselves, wrapped in their own cocoon—removed from others.
Not Kate. She smiled and said “good morning” or “hello” to people all the time. Some returned her greeting, others stared at her as if she were an escapee from a mental hospital. It didn’t matter to her. Kate had set her mind to the fact that she’d not bury her human side, just to ride the subway or walk the streets of New York.
“Hiya, Kate! Right on time. Harry’s special tonight is fried chicken.”
“My favorite! Give him a kiss for me,” she said, hanging up her light jacket.
“Kiss him yourself. Make his day. Ginger ale?”
She smiled. “Yep.” At the piano, she did her warm-up exercise as Tommy trotted over with her drink. Maybe she’d be rehearsing a new show soon, instead of singing at a bar and grill. With a slight toss of her sexy locks, she discarded the idea. Hope was a luxury she couldn’t afford. For the time being, Freddie’s had to be good enough.
* * * *
In the bottom of the ninth, the Nighthawks tied up the game with the Carolina Tigers. It went to extra innings. Not playing his best game, Jake had Kate on his mind. He tried to focus and was successful most of the time. But he’d committed an error on a routine grounder to third, bobbling the ball for a split second and throwing high to Nat Owen at first, allowing the runner to beat it out.
He was one for three at the plate. Nat had squeaked out a single and was languishing on first base as Skip and Bobby made out. It was the bottom of the twelfth inning. Jake was dog tired, but he was up at bat.
One look at the third base coach and he knew the hit-and-run play was on. He glanced at Nat, who gave him a nod. Usually, the hit-and-run was designed to move the runner one base, two at the most. Today, Jake prayed it would land in the farthest corner of the outfield, allowing the speedy ‘Hawks first baseman to make it all the way home.
Jake set his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the pitcher. The first two pitches were balls. This was a new reliever, fresh from the bullpen. His control should be on target. The third pitch came straight down the middle above his waist, just the one Jake had been looking for. He swung and connected and followed through on his swing, pulling the ball to the left field corner.
Nat had made it almost to
second when Jake let loose. As the ball sailed and the outfielders took off, full speed to get to it, Nat ran like the wind. Jake pushed his tired legs to run faster but was surprised by the speed Nat showed. Like a ghost in pinstripes, he flew from second to third. By the time he was nearing home, the ball had been fielded and was rocketing it’s way to home plate. Luck was on their side. The possibility of such a long throw being right on target was slim. And this one was no exception. The ball came in a little high, allowing Nat to slide into home just under the tag.
The fans went wild as the team hit the field, mobbing Nat and Jake. And the game was over. The two heroes had first crack at the showers. Jake put on his watch. It was six-fifteen. Kate will be at Freddie’s by now.
“A beer at Freddie’s?” Skip asked, towel in hand.
“Yeah. I’m going now. Gotta talk to Kate,” Jake said.
“I’ll catch up with you.”
The third baseman drove past the bar. It looked crowded. He had to drive four blocks away to find a parking space. The night air was pleasant. Memorial Day weekend was coming up. His thoughts turned to the next road trip. He’d be heading to Ohio, by plane, then a bus back through Pennsylvania. Ten days out of town.
He sighed. He’d have to tell Kate. How would she take it? Would she stay faithful while he was gone? A beautiful woman, like her, singing in a bar full of drunken, horny men. He swallowed. How would he know? He stopped to wait for a green light. He’d know. He’d always known. There was something different about a cheating woman. A man could always tell if he opened his eyes.
Sure, women keep secrets. But there are secrets and there’s infidelity—totally different. Guilt did strange things to women and trying to hide something that big might be too much of a challenge for most women.
Kate appeared honest, to a fault. He grinned as he recalled the time she told him they needed to stop in the next town and get him a haircut. The road trip had been telling. Hard to hide anything when you’re with someone twenty-four/seven. And in close proximity, like a car. She’d spoken her mind all the way across the country. And sometimes he got pissed at her comments –but they were honest. No, if Kate cheated, he’d know right away.
He pushed through the door and there she was, singing Piece of My Heart. Warmth filled him. Yes, take my heart. You’ve got it anyway. He didn’t want to interrupt and tiptoed over to the table with the reserved sign on it. That table was always reserved—for Nighthawks. He sat down and caught Freddie’s eye. The barkeep waved.
A couple of people hung on the piano, singing along with Kate. Her tip jar looked full. He smiled. She deserved success, even if it was only in a bar near the stadium. When she finished, there was applause and a few bills flying.
He strolled over.
“Can you take a break?” he asked.
She looked up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.
“I suppose. Sure.” She pushed to her feet.
“Do you want a drink?”
“Coffee, maybe?”
Jake got a coffee from the bar. “Let’s go outside,” he suggested, handing her the mug. He held the door and followed her out into the early evening. He took her hand and directed them to a small park around the corner from Freddie’s.
There were people on two of the four benches. He led her to an empty one and sat down.
“What’s up, Jake?”
Chapter Twelve
“First, I want to apologize for last night. I wasn’t prepared, I mean, I didn’t expect you—”
“To proposition you in the middle of the night?”
“Right.”
“I’m the one who should apologize. I forgot you had an early day.”
“I didn’t mean to shoot you down. I’m kinda strict about some things about baseball, food, alcohol, sleep, and stuff like that.”
She stroked his forearm. “I know. You’re right.”
“In the morning, you were too sleepy to take up where we left off.”
“Right. I’d gone to sleep real late.”
“It’s okay. I guess we’re going to have some timing problems.”
“Maybe you want to call it quits?”
“What? No. No! Where’d you get that idea?” He took her hand in his.
“I mean, I left you a bowl of stew. You didn’t touch it. You didn’t want to fool around…”
“I told you about the sex thing. The stew? I didn’t know you’d been cooking all day. It looked great, but I’d eaten at the stadium. I put it away to have later.”
“Really?”
“I was surprised. You cooked for me? That’s awesome.”
“I did. But I thought you didn’t like it or want it. And then in bed,” her voice grew shaky.
“What?”
“I thought you didn’t want me. I tried to say it was because of your early day. But I’ve never gotten ‘no’ before. It hurt. So if you’d rather stop now, I understand.” She took a deep breath.
“Stop what? Us?”
She nodded.
“No, no! What are you talking about?”
“I just thought—”
“You thought wrong. You don’t want to break up, do you?”
She shook her head.
“Well then, what are we talking about here?”
“I guess, I don’t know.”
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “We’re just getting started. Don’t pull away from me, Kate. Please.”
Her chin quivered.
“Please, baby,” he said, folding her in his embrace.
“I don’t want to,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“I love you, honey. Don’t you feel the same?”
“I do, I do, Jake. I just thought, maybe you’d changed your mind.” She rested her head on his strong shoulder.
“Never, baby. Never.” He brushed her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. He felt her muscles relax against him.
“Good. Because I don’t want to move on. I’m happy with you.”
“We might need to make schedules or something.”
“Schedules?” She leaned back, her gaze searching his face. “Like for sex?”
He could sense the heat in his face. “Well, maybe. I mean with you working nights and me sometimes days, and sometimes nights, and some days out of town.”
“When’s your next road trip?”
“Funny you should ask. We leave on Friday. We’re playing Saturday in Cleveland, then a doubleheader there on Sunday. Monday we leave for Pittsburgh, play three games there, then Philly, then home.”
“Wow!” Her eyes widened.
“Yeah. We play a lotta games.”
“When you play a night game, you can pick me up at Freddie’s and we can go home together, right?”
“Yep. That’d work.”
“Could you put a calendar on the fridge? For, like a month? Then I’ll know where you are, and when you’ll be home and stuff?”
“I could do that.” He nodded.
“When you’re on the road, no fooling around. Okay?” She straightened up.
“Right! And you, too,” he said, wagging a finger at her.
“Of course not. Who am I going to cheat with, anyway?”
“A bar full of horny guys, that’s who.”
She laughed.
“I mean it. Don’t you get propositioned there?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t flirt with anyone.”
“That doesn’t stop some guys.”
“Freddie’s got a bouncer. If anyone gets out of line, I simply motion for Sam. He gets rid of them. Problem solved.”
Now it was Jake’s turn to laugh. “See? You have had men coming on to you.”
“A couple of times. No biggie.”
“No woman who looks like you do doesn’t have men hanging around.”
“Okay, okay, I admit it. There’ve been a few guys. But I set them straight. I’m not available and they take it well. I’m not shy about telling people about you.” A small
smile graced her lips.
His heart swelled. “You tell guys about me?”
“Of course.”
“And when I’m gone?”
“I’ll do the same. I’m no cheater, Jake. What about you?”
“Me, neither. With a girl like you, what could I possibly find on the road?”
“You found me on the road,” she replied, narrowing her eyes.
“That was a different kind of road. I was kinda looking then. Not anymore.”
“That’s good. Because if I find out you’re cheating…” she said, making a fist.
He covered it with his big hand. “Never happen, baby. Never.”
“Can I take that to the bank?”
“You can. Now let’s finish up your night and get home.”
“Hmm, one of those horny guys at the bar?” She cocked an eyebrow then stood.
“How’d you guess?” He took her hand.
“Just lucky.” She grinned.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. Her face flushed.
“Uh, let’s go. We need to get home. In a hurry.”
“You might say that,” he replied, chuckling.
He took her in his arms and kissed her, then they scurried along back to the bar to finish her last hour. Jake ordered a steak and a salad with blue cheese dressing. He ate quietly, watching her, listening to her silvery voice and pretending to pay attention to Skip’s chatter. All the third baseman wanted to do was kiss his girl, climb in bed with her, and make passionate love. Although he’d have to wait, he knew it would be worth it.
In the car, he took it easy, dodging people on bikes and aggressive cars. They pulled up to a red light. Kate leaned into him, rubbing her breast against his arm. She closed her fingers around his upper thigh.
“Can’t you go any faster?”
Her lips so close called to him. He kissed her, losing track of the light, which turned green. A teen in a car next to his yelled out the window. “Get a room!”
Jake jumped back. Honking horns behind him urged him to step on the gas. Kate laughed as they zoomed ahead, beating out the next light, which had turned orange.