“You’re good with Crispin and Jake, too?”
“Always.”
He finishes his water and walks back to the mound as I head upstairs.
When I step into the box, I can hear Nate on the phone. He points me to a table that has some snacks and a large bowl of ice with drinks in it. I reach for a bottle of water and try not to listen to him. He’s talking about strokes. At first I think he’s talking about his golf game, and then I realize he’s talking about the kind of strokes dealing with blood flow to the brain.
“My next meeting is here,” he eventually says. “I’ll follow up with you next week, and let me be clear—I want to get testing started. Let me know if you want to participate.”
Once he hangs up, Nate looks over at me. “Sorry about that. My newest venture.”
“No problem.”
He rubs his hands together, eyes wide. “Can you believe how well Jeremy is throwing? We’re hoping he’s going to break the record tomorrow.”
I nod. “I’m really excited for him.”
“I called Mia to see if she wanted to fly down with me to the game, and she mentioned you guys had plans over at MoMo’s.”
I feel like I should be careful here. I’m not sure what he’s getting at. “We do. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely. Mia’s the biggest baseball fan I know outside the league. I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you guys want to fly down with me to San Diego for the series, there’s room on my plane. I’ll have a few of my other friends along, who Mia knows, but also Thomas Luck. Thomas’s trying to convince me to put pressure on George to play Raymond more.”
I shake my head. Thomas Luck is Jonas Raymond’s agent. “Does that work?”
“Shit, no. I’ve told him he needs to deal with George, but as strong as Jeremy is playing, I thought he should be there when he breaks the league record. Maybe then he’ll get why Jonas isn’t our star pitcher, despite what he likes to tell me.”
I smile. It’s a subtle way to get him to back off. “I’ll make sure that works for Mia, but I’d love to be there.”
Nate offers his hand. “Great. Let me know. We’ll probably take off about one. Bring an overnight bag, and I’ll make sure there are rooms for you and for Mia—separate ones, of course—at the team hotel. The number I called you from is my personal cell. You can text me once you confirm with Mia.”
Nate and I chat for a few more minutes about the Prospectors and what they’re doing. He seems to think the three players I rep are key to making everything happen. I certainly appreciate his perspective. Once we’re done, I walk out of the owners’ box and make my way out to catch a rideshare home. The entire ride, I debate whether I should text or call Mia. You can’t tell if there’s any emotion in a text.
Once I get home, I decide I need to call. Mia answers on the first ring.
“Caroline, I told you, I’m not going to bring it up—”
“Hi,” I interrupt. “Sorry, I’m definitely not Caroline. This is Axel. Were you expecting a call?”
She laughs, and it sends a jolt to my cock. “I’m sorry. My friend Caroline wants me to do something, and we just hung up. It’s like her to call back again and needle me. I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. She’s just very persistent.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. My sister can be the same way.” I’m pacing in my condo. “Sorry to bother you. But I was at the park during practice today—”
“I heard Jeremy has been pitching consistently over one hundred and ten. That’s incredible. That would make him a shoo-in for the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year if he can throw that during a game.”
“Maybe. I would love that for him. He’s such a good kid.”
“I’m guessing you want to postpone our date and head down to San Diego for the game.”
“Well, I thought we might just change the location. How does Tarantula Stadium sound to you? Nate Lancaster has offered us a ride in his private plane.” Something occurs to me. “I know private planes can be scary, so if you prefer a larger plane, I can make reservations on a commercial flight for first class—whatever you’re comfortable with.”
There’s silence for a moment when I finally take a breath. But when Mia speaks, there’s a smile in her voice.
“I’m fine traveling with Nate,” she says. “I’ve traveled with him and Lilly before. They’re very generous about that.”
“Okay. Do you think you might be able to take part of tomorrow and Friday off? There’s another game on Friday. I know Jeremy won’t be playing, but Nate suggested he’d get us rooms at the team’s hotel. We can enjoy the second game and probably time with Jeremy, since the press will overwhelm him.”
“Sure,” she says. “That would be a lot of fun.”
“Great. I’ll find out where we need to go, and I can pick you up—if you’re okay giving me your home address.”
“I don’t mind, but I’ll probably go into the office that morning early. That way I won’t feel quite so bad about taking the afternoon and Friday off, since we’ve just launched.”
“Of course. I forget that people work in offices here. I work from home with my dog to keep me company.”
“You have a dog?”
“Yes, he’s a greyhound rescue.”
She gasps. “I love greyhounds. What will he do while you’re out of town?”
“Actually, one of my neighbors enjoys taking him out. SoBe is quite the chick-magnet, and he likes the attention. He’s seventy-five years old and chats up all these younger women.”
Mia laughs,
