She pulled Axel Diaz aside next, his olive skin, perpetually scruffy chin, sleek physique should have had her heart pounding. “Good to see you, Axe Man.”
“You too, Bonfire. You still here in Belltown?”
She hated that question. Wished she had any other answer. “Yeah, working for the university, and the local paper. You know, waiting for my break.”
“It’ll come.” His eyes sparked confidence in her and a glow of hope relit.
“Tell me, what is your biggest obstacle coming up for this season?”
His left hand went up to touch his necklace. The gesture looked familiar.
“I’ve just got to keep up the discipline, keep coming in early, leaving late.”
“Impressive, Axe Man. Take care of yourself.”
“Yeah, trying to help my team out of their funk. We’ve had a few setbacks this year. We can learn from those and come off better the next.”
She had a soft spot for Axel. He just seemed to work harder than most. Something about made her hope flare stronger, like if she worked hard enough, amazing things might happen to her too.
Now for their good luck charm. “Ryker.”
He was joking with Levi and didn’t hear her. “Ryker.”
Cole shouted, “Rabbit!”
He turned his head, a smile growing across his face. “Oh, am I up?”
“Don’t keep our bonfire waiting, man.” Cole playfully bumped shoulders with the first baseman. Cole’s grin made her laugh. He stood closer now, so he could almost hear, standing with arms folded across his chest.
She waved Ryker over.
He high fived her. “Harlow! How’s it going? Is that a new hairstyle? Highlights?”
She laughed. “Probably, thanks for noticing.” She shook her head. “Did you get highlights too?” She’d never met an athlete so attentive about his own appearance.
“Just the tips. But seriously Harlow, I’ve heard you’re doing great things.”
She waved away his compliment. “You know, same old.”
“No way. I hear you’re the press liaison for the whole school now. That’s epic.”
She laughed, eyes flitting to Cole. “I suppose it is. I write for the Belltown paper too.”
“Sweet. It’s good to see friends making their way in the world.” The irony of that statement lingered in the air. “Or, you know, making your way in Belltown, at least.”
“Yes.” Oh how she wished she were out in the world making a name for herself. “OK, so why don’t you tell me how you got the nickname, Rabbit?”
He shrugged. “It’s just that people say I’m lucky. Their good luck charm.”
“And he’s the fastest first baseman I’ve ever seen, runs like a rabbit.” Grizz nodded.
Ryker cleared his throat. “I feel though that luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.”
Grizz laughed. “Who said that? Another of Yogi’s”
“No, Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Roman statesman, 55 AD.”
“Wow, Ryker Stone. Reaching all the way back to the Romans.” He was the king of random quotes, but this time Harlow was impressed.
“Ok Grizz. What do you want to tell all our Belltown fans about this Beacon of Hope center?”
“Everyone can divert a little of their generosity over to these kids. If anyone deserves a break, they do.”
“Thank you. How is it catching for the Knights?”
“I’ll always miss Skeeter over there, but the Knights are a decent team. Their pitchers know how to find the glove. I can’t complain.”
“Thanks, Grizz. Oh and one more thing, does anyone call you David ever?”
Ryker snickered nearby but looked away like he hadn’t heard. Cole openly laughed. “Oh, she’s golden.”
Grizz growled. “Why would they?”
“I see your point. With a name like Grizz…” She let it dangle and her smile grew when the corner of the burly catcher’s mouth twitched. “Can you grab Levi for me?”
When the tall, lanky, third baseman sauntered over, she bit her cheek so she wouldn’t smile. “So, Levi, how you enjoying the weather in Minnesota? I heard it snowed today.”
Cole’s grin widened the closer he got. “She went there, Steal. Straight to the heart of it.”
Harlow laughed. “Sorry to rub it in.”
Levi moaned. “It’s colder than Belltown, if that’s even possible.”
“Do your nose hairs like, freeze together? I hear that’s a thing…”
“Oh, leave him alone, Bonfire.” Cole stood next to Levi, nudging him with his shoulder.
Harlow shrugged. “Okay, let’s see. They starting you up there?”
He nodded. “Yes they are. They’ve got me on third. My batting average is up and it looks like it’s gonna be a great season.” He winked. “And I got me a whole case of handwarmers.”
The guys nearby laughed. “Of course he did.”
Cole turned to her, “My turn?”
Her insides flopped. Something about this guy. “Yes.” She felt her face heat. Again. Get a grip, Harlow. “Tell me about the center, these kids, why people should be aware of them.”
He flipped the glasses up on top of his head, and she sucked in her breath. She’d forgotten the green color of his eyes. Wow.
“This center is called Beacon of Hope for a reason. It’s a place for families and foster kids to come together, to support each other, to talk about common difficulties. Every little bit we give goes to help the kids, the center, and the families. When you have a kid who really never feels like he belongs somewhere, suddenly he has a place just for him, it gets him off the street and with a community. This center means everything to them.”
Harlow had never seen such sincere animation in Cole’s face, never seen him speak with such passion. He had more to say, though he held back, and Harlow suddenly wanted to sit down for a full feature article.
“Thank you, Cole, and I should ask, how’s the season looking? How are the Sea Rays?” His major league team was doing well. In part thanks to Cole. Though she knew he wished for a better showing at bat.
“They’re great as always, but today is about the center. So happy to be here to support them. Every dollar you give, goes a long way to put a smile on a kid’s face. A lot of kids’ faces.”
She scribbled every word and then stepped closer. “I love that you’re doing this, Cole.”
His eyes lit again, searching her face. “You do?” His nearness pulled her even closer and she had a completely irrational desire to place a hand on his ripped and solid chest. But instead she put the offending hand in her pocket and rocked back and forth. “I didn’t know you did this kind of thing.”
He searched her face and stepped closer. “Well, it’s not something I broadcast, but it’s important to me.”
His nearness, the inches between them, the smell of his aftershave filled her with sensations she hadn’t felt in a long time, the catch in her throat, the tripping of her heart, the thrill of expectation. “I’m impressed.” She kept rocking back and forth on her heels.
“You are?” He reached up and tucked her hair behind an ear and she had to stop herself from leaning into his palm.
“Yeah, I’d love to do more too. These kids—
A loud drumming entered from the opposite side of the gym.
“Hold that thought.” Cole tapped her nose and then they both turned to the side door.
She recognized the beat. The drumline from Belltown? Of course it was. She shook her head. The head of the athletic department would stop at nothing to make sure the university gained all the publicity and credit it could, especially where the Six Pack were concerned.
They came in, drumming the Timber beat. The room chanted with them. “Oh, Oh, Oh. Timmmmbbeeeer!!!” And everyone cheered.
Then the drill team came in with their flags and a set of cheerleaders doing back handsprings. Harlow had not been notified any of this would be happening.
But it was all in good fun. A w
hole group of huge, oversized guys walked in after the cheerleaders, wearing their football jerseys.
“What are they doing here?” Cole grinned.
The Belltown offensive line. When they got up to the front, they stood in a line, facing all the kids, growling and frowning. Then they suddenly laughed, lifted their shirts and shouted, “Six Pack,” rolling their large, pot belly guts in front of all the children, press, and players.
Grizz snorted. “That’s a beautiful thing.”
Cole coughed. “Yeah, brings a tear.”
The kids screamed and everyone laughed but then the head of the center indicated that the linemen and their shirtless bellies could move off to the side.
Harlow waved them off and then thanked them all for coming. She introduced the athletic director who had plenty to say. Everyone knew the drill. This group of guys was in the press more often than most. And they were a historic sensation. At a time when only two guys had been called up to the majors straight out of college in the last eighteen years, all six were recruited from Belltown University the same year to play pro. They played together as real brothers might while they were at Belltown and were amazing. For the first time in its history, Belltown made it to the College World Series. When you had six professional level athletes playing your starting line up at the university level, things were like magic out there. First base, short stop, third, catcher, pitcher, and of course, the ever flashy and confident centerfielder.
The school milked publicity wherever they could find it. Cole’s Dad landed his helicopter right on the field during the seventh inning stretch a couple times, dropping off Cole and the five others to his spot right in centerfield. The university let him get away with it, more press for their school.
And then when they were all recruited at once, the donations that came pouring into their athletic program and the influx of applications as a result earned the Six Pack everyone’s undying gratitude. To say that the school president loved these guys was like saying baseball players liked chewing gum or were picky about their mitts. Total understatement.
Movement to her left caught her eyes. Cole had drifted away from the main group and was high fiving two of the boys. One showed him his elbow. It looked to be a bit scratched and Cole took a moment to look at it up close before nudging him with his knuckle in the shoulder. Then he pulled them to him, hugging their head into his legs and Harlow’s heart warmed. What a tender moment. Her curiosity piqued. Why was he so close to these boys? She stepped back to hear them.
He turned to go when the younger of the two called out, “Play catch?”
Cole stopped, and she could see the hesitation but it only lasted a second. “Sure, grab your mitt.”
She was frozen, so shocked at his reaction. This was not the Cole she had expected to see.
He grabbed a bag of balls and his athletic bag from off the floor and took the two kids back out into the yard, saying, “But just until the case worker gets here.”
She wanted to follow. Case worker?
Axe Man sidled up next to her. “Wanna go to the Glass Onion with the guys?”
She hesitated. Then shook off the ever ready urge to decline and said, “Sure.” Nothing would come of any interaction with these particular athletes. They had shown over and again their lack of interest in her all through college.
“Did you bring a bike?” Axel always rode a motorcycle, even when out of town if he could manage it.
“You know it.”
“Even better.”
“Great! Come ride with me.” He put his hand at the small of her back and for a minute, she enjoyed the feel of walking next to a strong athlete. Especially since she was free to relax, knowing he was about as interested in her as he would be a minivan. She felt eyes on her back as they made their way to the parking lot. Cole. Now, if he’d been walking next to her, there’d be a whole new set of sensations. And a whole new slew of worries.
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