Page 78 of Dibs
“If I may, before we start, I’d like to know where you stand on a matter.”
“Okay,” Larry said and leaned back in his chair a bit.
I cleared my throat. “A few days ago, an article was published online about my dating life and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time if that will be a problem.”
“Oh.” Larry balked slightly and then looked around the table at his colleagues. “I see.”
“Even though the so-called source is unknown to me, the truth is, I am dating a man. If that’s going to be an issue—”
“Let me stop you right there.” Larry held up his hand. “We are well aware of the article, but we don’t care. Your relationship status has no bearing on your ability to give your insight about baseball and the players around the league. And to be completely honest with you, Chase, we want you on our team. You played for over twelve years and know the game better than anyone in this room. We just wanted you to come in and tell us what it will take to make it all happen.”
“Oh.” I blinked, my anxiety lowering at his declaration. I relaxed in my chair and said, “Well, tell me what you have in mind.”
* * *
The interview went betterthan I’d imagined. They offered me a decent amount of money, told me they’d give me a trial run to make sure I was comfortable in front of the camera, and then showed me where I’d be working. I met other analysts there and one of them offered to show me the ropes.
I felt good as I pulled onto the freeway toward Gage’s high school where he had a home game for his freshman team. He had no idea I was coming, but I couldn’t wait to see him and tell him the news.
Once I got to the school, I rolled up the sleeves of my white button-down shirt and made my way to the field. I spotted Gage immediately where he stood in the third base coach’s box. He winked at me and I waved a hello. Since his team was up to bat, I decided to wait until the inning was over before I walked over to talk to him.
Making my way up the metal bleachers, I sat at the top and looked out at the field. The women I’d remembered from before were each slowly turning around to glance at me before going back to their gossip huddle.
“Just ask him,” one lady whisper-hissed.
“No, you ask him,” another one suggested.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” the third one stated and turned around to face me. I looked down at her. “You used to play for the Rockies, right?”
“I did.” I gave a quick nod.
“And you retired at the end of last season?”
“Yep.”
She looked at her friends briefly and then back at me. “And you’re dating Coach Statler?”
I chuckled slightly, and a smile graced my lips. “I am. Is that a problem?”
The three ladies shook their heads rapidly and the brave one spoke again. “Not at all. We just …”
“Thought you called dibs first?” I grinned.
The woman’s eyes widened. “You heard that?”
“I did, but just so you know, I claimed him first.”
24
GAGE
Chase parkedhis car in my driveway, and we walked toward my house. I had a huge smile on my face because, after weeks of stress and drama, the judge overseeing my custody case had ruled on our final order. I was awarded full legal and physical custody and Lisa got monthly supervised visitation. In addition, a protective order was issued against Miguel that required him to stay one hundred yards away from my kids.
At the emergency hearing following our trip to pick up the boys in Houston, the judge determined that Tyler and Dylan would stay with me in San Diego until a new custody arrangement was put in place.
We worked with a mediator for over a month, but Lisa rejected every single plan my lawyer, Kyle, and I proposed. There were two points I refused to budge on: her not being allowed to take the boys to Texas and making sure Tyler and Dylan didn’t have to be around Miguel. Since Lisa and I hadn’t been able to come to an agreement, a judge had to intervene.
Since it was finally all over, I couldn’t wait to share the news with the boys, who were waiting at home with Jamie, Jase, and Cammie. They were more than capable of staying home alone, but I’d been worried about Tyler since we’d left Houston. He was often solemn and withdrawn, and even though I’d found a counselor he met with twice a month, he still seemed to struggle. It wasn’t until recently that I noticed he seemed to enjoy Jamie’s company and appeared more at ease when she was around. Since Dylan and Jase spent a lot of time together, Tyler also got to see her frequently.
