Page 16 of Off the Mark
But it wasn’t common for younger pitchers in the majors to have their shoulder essentially disintegrate on live television after a throw.
It happened to me though.
“Rowan…shit, I’m sorry. That’s horrible,” she said.
I cocked my head at the pile of paperwork behind me. “I’m happy here. I’ve been working at the rec center for three years now, coordinating programs. But our director is out sick for a while, so I’m the temporary stand-in guy.”
She studied me with warm affection. “Look at you. You landed somewhere where you could belong again. I’m so happy for you.”
My body tensed, memories of the last time we’dtrulyseen each other—the night of my injury—bubbling up in my thoughts. Then I hadn’t been sure I’d ever feel like I belonged again.
“Thanks. I couldn’t be a baseball god forever, you know?” I winked. “Plus the pay is way better here.”
Her expression turned sardonic, the same look she wore most nights tending bar, as if my flirting was a game she liked to analyze. “I’m assuming you’re still leaving a trail of broken hearts in your wake?”
I opened my mouth to prove her wrong.
But I couldn’t.
I never stayed long enough to get hearts involved, so I doubted there was atrailfollowing me around. Didn’t mean the reputation I had around town of being a guaranteed good time was wrong though.
I rubbed the back of my neck, flashing her a mischievous grin until she returned it. “I can’t help the effect I have on women, Maddox.”
She snorted, belying the tiny flush in her cheeks. “Glad to see some things haven’t changed.”
My smile faltered but I pushed through it. “I’m enjoying this surprise visit and all, but I’m technically late for a meeting and have about ten years of emails to wade through for my boss. Are you…okay?”
“Oh yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she said breezily.
I frowned. “I haven’t heard from you in two years and now you’re showing up, unannounced. Talking about propositions. What the hell is up?”
Charlie walked toward me and came to stand by the chair, looking even more beautiful than I remembered. I tightened my grip on the desk. For most of our friendship, there’d been a tired, scratched-up mahogany bar between our bodies.
Without that barrier, the yearning to touch her was practically unbearable.
She clasped her hands together, cleared her throat. “I’ll start by saying that what I need to ask you isn’t easy for me. And I’ll admit this is, you know,awkwardalso it’s just an idea, not even a smart one, so if you hate it —”
I reached for her wrist, even though five seconds earlier I’d been clutching at the desk with all my strength. Her pulse was rapid beneath my fingers, skin soft. She stopped talking, eyes wide.
I let go immediately.
“Hey, it’s only me,” I said evenly. “I can handle awkward. You spent a ton of time watching me make a fool of myself after practice at Jolene’s.”
One end of her mouth hitched up. “So you admit that you’re bad at picking up women.”
“I never said I was bad, Maddox,” I teased. “Iamsaying, there are swings and there are misses. You had a front-row seat to some misses.”
Charlie tugged on the end of her ponytail, eyeing me with a scrutiny that burned.
Burned in a way I’d always liked more than I should.
“Okay, fine,” she finally sighed out. “I’m in deep shit with Bettencourt because I partied with some friends in Philly this weekend and our pictures got taken and plastered across a bunch of gossipy sports sites. Apparently, this violates a part of their contract that mandates my reputation remain ‘family-friendly.’ Also, I blew off a few of the investor dinners I’m required to attend to charm rich people.”
“Glad to see some things haven’t changed,” I said, echoing her earlier taunt.
She flipped me the bird. My fingers retightened on the desk.
“And it’s comforting to know you’ll always be a pain in the ass. But…” She dropped her head and mumbled something I didn’t catch.
