Page 120 of Under Pressure

“I’ll just wish you good luck, then.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I breathe out.

I set the cup on the counter before stripping off my apron and hanging it by the kitchen door. The lack of cover makes me feel even more exposed. It’s just preparation for later. What’s a bit of emotional nakedness if it means successfully getting my guy back?

“When Callie gets here, can you let her know that I should only be a couple hours?”

He nods as I pass behind him. “Yep.”

“Thank you. And tomorrow, we’ll chat about your hours. Promise.”

“What about them? You’re not dropping me to part-time?—”

“No! No, nothing like that. I’m hoping it will be a good chat.” I face him from the opposite side of the counter and tuck the latte to my chest. “We’ve all been spending too much time here. It’s time to change that.”

His confusion is almost adorably obvious. If I weren’t in a rush, I’d just explain it all to him right now.

“Don’t forget to tell Callie,” I say instead, rushing from the café.

My heartbeat throbs in my throat as I get in my car andexchange the drink for my phone. The list I made in my Notes app labelled PITCHING 101 makes me feel ridiculous. Still, I scroll through for what I want to write today and make quick work of scribbling it on the side of the cup.

(BB): Pitcher can’t find the zone. The batter walked to first base after pitcher threw 4 pitches called balls. You hardly do this.

I ignore the nerves wreaking havoc on my insides and smile.

Fuck, I hope this works.

I’m instantly overwhelmed.

Even with Aubrey meeting me at Pretty Little Pour and driving me to the stadium, I feel like I’m out of place. The security guard doesn’t so much as ask her for her name before stepping aside and letting us into the underground parking garage. I bounce my legs in the passenger seat, gaze pinging around the parked cars, searching for Beck’s.

“Are you doing okay? I told Elle I wouldn’t ask, but it feels rude not to. You’re still our friend, even if you’re not dating Beck.” Her voice bangs around the quiet car, even with the softness of it.

“I will be. Maybe. I hope.”

She finds an empty stall behind a mint-green, doorless Jeep. Nerves tangle in my stomach.

“What’s your plan?”

I tap the plastic lid on the cup in the console and ignore the way the drink looks borderline undrinkable now, the colours mixed and a shade darker. “He spent weeks coming to Blank Page and having me make him random drinks. Coffee especially.I think he thought that I would have been offended if he’d asked for anything else. It was his way of trying to get me to loosen up with him. Eventually, I realized he hated coffee and kept making him these terrible fucking drinks, hoping he’d eventually admit the truth. He never did. Until a week ago, he probably would have accepted dirty sink water and still tried to pretend he enjoyed it.”

Emotion burns my throat, then my nose and eyes. I push it away, forcing myself to continue talking.

Aubrey’s ultimately still a stranger to me. We don’t know much about one another and have only hung out during that one baseball game. Neither of those things has seemed to count for anything when it comes to wanting my guard up between us. I still feel comfortable enough with her to puke my feelings all over the interior of her expensive car.

“I took him for granted. Beck is . . . he’s not only the best man I’ve ever known, but maybe even the best person. He’s kind and thoughtful. There’s a seriousness in him that he hides behind flirty smiles and the winks that turn my knees weak. I’ve never once felt anything but safe with him, and that scared me because I’ve never experienced that with anyone but my sister and grandmother. I shouldn’t have let him go. From the minute I didn’t tell him I loved him back, I’ve known that I made a mistake. This drink is a really, really lame attempt to try to replicate what he did for me back before I’d even acknowledge him.”

Taking the cup, I bring it to my lap and frown at the melting ice and wrong colouring. My handwriting is still scrawled across the plastic, though. Not a single letter is smeared.

“He came out of nowhere,” I admit softly, feeling a tug in my chest.

“They always do. Trust me. Even when you think you know exactly who somebody is to you, they can still surprise you.”

“I don’t know if this is going to work.”

Aubrey’s hand brushes mine, offering support that I eagerlyaccept. I squeeze her fingers and inflate my lungs to max capacity.

“If there’s one thing I know for sure when it comes to the men in the Havoc clubhouse right now, it’s that they will do anything for the people they love. And Beck loves you, Quinn. You’re a part of the family now.”