Felix (The Ninth Inning #1) (2 page)

Then, there’s me. Little twenty-three year old Abigail, aka Abby-bear. I’m a good person and I’m a mix between both of my sisters. They are my best friends and I love them. They’re always there for me. No matter what.

“I didn’t say that you did need a man, did I? I’m simply saying you haven’t been out lately with someone of another gender.”

I laugh. “Annie, I’m fine. I don’t need any other
gender
right now. I need to focus on my last semester and trying to find a job.”

“Okay. But I do have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Is Felix as hot in person as he is on TV?”

I snort. “He’s not too bad on the eyes. Actually, he has beautiful eyes.” I think back to the light brown eyes looking at me. He’s good looking.

“You still coming to dinner tomorrow night? Do you need a ride in the morning?”

“Yes, I am, and no, I don’t need one. I’ll take the bus.”

“Be careful, Abby-bear. I love you.”

“Love you.” I end the call and give up on the book and chug the rest of my wine. I decide that sleep is the best thing for me right now.

I HATE MY flat dirty mop hair color. Annie and LA are lucky to get Mom’s pretty, golden brown hair. I have Dad’s hair and it’s in between wanting to be blonde and wanting to be brown. I slap on some makeup, pack my bag, and head out to the bus stop.

I arrive in time to see the bus drive away.

Shit. I look at my cell phone. I’m going to be late. I close my eyes and curse myself. I know that Annie’s probably already at her school. I could call LA but she’ll have to come across town and I’ll still be late for class.

Damn it.

“Need help?”

I turn and see Felix in a black, shiny BMW. “Huh?”

“Well, you looked upset, and I’m offering my help.”

“Oh, thanks. I missed the bus, that’s all.” Why am I talking to him? I need to call LA and get my butt to campus.

“Need a ride?”

“Um…”

“I have plenty of time before training. I can take you where you need to go.” He gives me a small smile.

“Well…”
Make a decision, Abigail.
I need to get to campus and he’s my only option. “Shit,” I mumble. “Fine, but if you murder me, I’m going to be pissed off.” I point at him and give him my mean face.

“Pretty sure I already told you that I’m not a murderer.”

I give up and walk around to the passenger side. I make sure my seat belt is locked tightly around me.

“Where am I going?”

“Oh, to the University. I’m going to class.”

“You’re a college student?” Felix pulls out onto the main road and I glance at him. It looks like he recently got out of the shower because his shaggy hair is damp. He didn’t shave because I can see the stubble. It’s sexy.

“I’m a grad student and I’m a PA.”

“PA?”

“A professor’s assistant,” I explain. “It’s more like ‘go grab my coffee’, but it’s a good experience.”

“Interesting.”

“I guess. What about you? Did you go to college?”

“Yes, I did. Not here, though. I went to Laurenburg University. I’m still pretty new to the area.”

“Laurenburg? Wow, I owe you an apology. I was expecting you to say some little school, not an Ivy League school. What did you study? Did you graduate?”

“Engineering, and yes, I graduated. What are you studying?”

“I’m studying literature. I want to be a professor.”

“Literature? That’s awesome.”

“How are you liking living here? Have you been here long?”

“I’ve been here long enough to know how to get to where I need to go, but need a GPS for everything else basically. I still need to do some exploring, but I like it so far. Have you always lived here?”

“Yes, my sisters and I grew up close to here. It’s home for us. Do you have siblings?”

“Yes, two older brothers.”

“Oh, I’m the youngest, too. I guess you’re not a murderer because you understand my pain of older siblings trying to run your life. Well, that’s how it is for me.”

“I think most older siblings are like that when you’re all close. My brothers like to point out what my life is lacking, stuff like that, more than trying to run my life.”

“See, you do understand. Annie and LA are like that. I should apologize for LA last night. She doesn’t have a filter and tends to say the first thing that pops into her brain. I hope she wasn’t too forward with you.”

He laughs. “I’ve seen worse. Plus, she just wants you to be happy.”

“I know, but it gets old. I’m twenty-three; I think I know what makes me happy. They just have different ideas than I do. Oh well, I wouldn’t give them up for anything. Are your brothers here now? Or is your family back home? Where is home, by the way?”

“California, and my family is there, too, so I’m a long way from home.”

“Wow, that is far.” I pause and realize we’re here. “You can drop me off on the corner. I don’t want you to have to find a parking place. How much do I owe you in gas?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I WATCH ABIGAIL walk down the sidewalk for a moment before pulling back into traffic. Overall, she seemed skeptical of me, half interested, half not. I press down on the gas because I’m running late. I said I had time before training, but only because Abigail looked like she needed help and I wanted to give her a ride.

Most of the guys are already here. In fact, I’m the last to arrive and unfortunately, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I don’t think you’ve ever been late, Felix,” Blake, our catcher, comments.

“He’s always here early,” Hector, our first baseman, adds.

“So who’s the girl?” Colby, our third baseman, asks.

“What is this? Twenty questions? I’m five minutes late. Get over it.” I drop my duffle bag in my locker.

Our shortstop, Jordan, leans against the one next to mine. “Yeah, but why were you late?”

Who knew being late would be such a big deal? “I gave someone a ride. Happy now?”

“We’re just surprised you let someone get in the way of you being a punctual workaholic,” Roman, our left fielder, says.

He does have a point. Baseball is my life. If I had a list of my top ten priorities in life, it would alternate between baseball and my family, and baseball would still be first. It’s easier to have it this way since I haven’t lived in California for a while. I start changing, ignoring the chatter around me. Baseball saved my life. It only makes sense that I give it everything I have to stay on the right track. Plus, I love it. Girls come and go and will always be around. However, baseball won’t be here forever. I can handle being single as long as I have the game.

Coach takes us outside where we stretch before dividing up and entering the batting cages. I could spend all day in the cage, on the field, or in the gym. I love the thump of a ball smacking into the bat and being sent back in the direction from which it came. I love the smell of the field and the heat from the sun warming up my back. I love the clinking of weights and sweat running down my back. If I could live here, I would.

I put in a full day of work between the training activities and working out in the gym. Once I get home, I start a three-way call between my brothers as I gather ingredients to cook something to eat. Eating out would probably be easier, but it’s not as healthy as what I can fix for myself. When Kevin answers, I finally have both him and Lewis on the phone.

“How are things over on the West Coast?” I ask.

“Same as always,” Kevin says.

“That’s always your answer, Kev. Something new has to happen occasionally. If I asked Mom that, she’d talk for five minutes about what’s going on.”

“I did see some hot chicks when I was surfing this morning. Does that help?” Lewis adds, causing Kevin to laugh.

“Yeah, that makes all the difference.” I roll my eyes even though they can’t see me.

“Have you found any southern belles in the great city of Memphis?” Lewis asks.

“I’ve met plenty, sure. There are a few here in the same complex I’m in, too. I gave a girl a ride this morning and caught hell with the guys because I was a little late.”

“Wait? You were late? Must have been one hell of a ride, brother. I don’t think you’ve ever been late,” Lewis says.

Kevin laughs. “He’s right. She must have been worth it for you to be late.”

“I didn’t bring it up to hear this crap again. She doesn’t drive, apparently, missed the bus, and I took her where she needed to go. I happened to be late because of it. Not something to blow out of proportion.”

“Whoa, hang on,” Lewis starts. “You just drove her somewhere? Talk about bursting my bubble. I’m sitting here waiting for some juicy details and all you did was be her chauffeur. You’re losing your touch, Felix.”

“I was being
nice
. Maybe if you learned how to be that way, you wouldn’t still be single. I’m not losing my touch, either. If I wanted a girl, I could get one.”

“Sure, Felix, sure. You only want to be married to baseball. That’s why you trekked your ass all the way to Tennessee, instead of staying here in California with your family. But we understand you want a championship and since the Angels have cleaned up their roster, you might actually have a chance.”

Kevin picks up on Lewis’s train of thought. “We miss you, that’s all. None of us want you to be so wrapped up in baseball that you forget we exist.”

“No need to be all sentimental. I’ll jot you into my calendar every week. I always have time for family.”

“Aw, you’re such a little girl sometimes. No wonder you’re Mom’s favorite,” Lewis teases.

We chat for a few more minutes before I hang up. After eating, I change my clothes, put on shoes, and head outside until I reach the sidewalk. I slip my phone into the holder on my arm, put the earbuds in place, and start running once the music begins to play. It’s hot and muggy out, but it doesn’t bother me. As long as I have my up tempo music and a sidewalk in front of me, I’m good to go. One of the first things I did when I moved here was find a running route. I run early in the morning and then again later in the day. My pace changes from a jog, to a faster, steady run, to running as fast as I can and back to a jog again.

I’ve been only five miles when I make it back to the complex. I’m tempted to run the route again like I usually do, but I catch sight of Abigail. Slowing my jog just a bit, I pull out my earbuds and call out her name. She turns just as I reach her.

“Hey.” That’s all I can think to say to her, but hey is always a good starting point.

“You look like a hot mess. I’m going to guess that you’ve been...running, maybe?” she teases.

“Yeah. Do you run?” I allow myself to run my gaze down her body and back up as she laughs.

“Only if zombies are chasing me or if I’m trying to catch Daryl Dixon.”

I chuckle. “Well, that makes sense, but your odds would be better if you ran regularly, you know.”

“I’m not the most coordinated person around. Trust me when I say I’m dangerous walking, let alone running. Thanks for the advice though. How was training? My sisters and brother-in-law are excited for the season to start. You know, the shake up last season took the city by storm.” The roster was cleaned out because of drug usage and all new guys were brought in to replace them. The media has had a field day with it.

“It was good. I think we’ve got a good group of guys, too. I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re not the huge fan your sister made you out to be?” LA acted as if she was all about baseball. She must have thought it would have helped her odds with me if I thought she was a big fan.

“I like baseball and understand it, but they are a bit more overboard than I am. I have nothing against it, that’s what I’m getting at. I guess it’s different for you, though. I mean, you must have been playing since you were walking to be in the big leagues.”

“I played some, yeah, but I didn’t always play. Now, it’s all I do, of course. It’s good for me, so it’s where I need to be.”

“That’s nice. I guess everyone should do something they love. According to LA, you seem to be a skilled pitcher. I’m sure you and all the new guys will be great this season. That is, if the papers don’t keep bringing up last season.” She rolls her eyes. “That’s getting old if you ask me.”