Double Play

by Jennifer Bernard

  “Really, even though he’s doing so well?”

  During his first game back, Dwight had gotten two hits—which was two more than he’d gotten during his entire first stint in San Diego.

  “Yeah, Trevor says it’s like he doesn’t care anymore. Like he’s just going through the motions. Can you hand me those twist ties?”

  Nina walked over to the ladder and handed up a box of the ties Paige was using to string the lights. “Maybe that’s why he’s killing it this time. Because he doesn’t care as much. Because deep down, he cares more about Maggie than about home runs.”

  Paige snorted as she cinched the tie into place. “You really need to lay off the romance novels, girlie. I guarantee he cares about home runs. He’s a ballplayer. It’s his job to care.”

  “Whatever. You’ll see. Something’s up with Dwight and it has something to do with Maggie.”

  “Then I guess you have two missions when you’re in San Diego. See Jim Lieberman and get to the bottom of what’s going on with Dwight.”

  “Booking my ticket now!” Nina pulled up an app on her phone and got busy. “Don’t mention this to anyone.” Now that Paige had suggested a trip to San Diego, she realized she should have done this earlier. She could take a few days off from her cotton candy gig. She wasn’t like Maggie, who had a job and responsibilities. She was just Nina—a girl in love with a boy who was giving her fits. If she wanted to fly two thousand miles to find out what was going on, she would do it.

  Maggie also tried to talk her out of making it a surprise. “What if you catch him doing something you’d rather not see?”

  “Like even more than kissing a woman on the cheek? It’s better to know, isn’t it?”

  “I guess so.” Maggie colored in the bird she’d drawn on their joint art project. “But what’s the harm in giving him a head’s up so he can pick you up at the airport?”

  “Because I have it all planned out. I’m going to arrive in time for the game and sit right behind home plate, the exact same spot I was sitting when he made his amazing triple play. Well, different stadium.”

  “Yes, it is a different stadium, and it’s much bigger. He might not even see you.”

  “I’ll make sure he does.” Nina smiled secretly. She’d already planned her outfit, based on what she knew Jim liked. He always told her how sexy she looked in her cotton candy vending shorts. She planned to wear those, along with a Kilby Catfish t-shirt tied under her breasts, showing plenty of bare stomach.

  He’d see her, all right.

  Then after the game, he’d take her to dinner and maybe the beach, and they’d kiss the way they had before he left.

  Then they’d go back to Trevor and Paige’s condo. And since Trevor would be gone, they could do a lot more than kissing.

  “If you see Dwight…” Maggie kept her gaze on the cobalt-blue pencil she was using to shade the bird’s wings. Nina’s heart went out to her. She’d heard Maggie crying in the middle of the night, but she never talked about it.

  “Yes,” Nina prompted. “Should I give him a message?”

  “Tell him…mmm…tell him that I’m proud of him.”

  “Because of how well he’s doing?”

  Maggie’s pencil tip snapped and she reached for the sharpener. “No, scratch that. Just tell him I’m thinking of him.”

  Nina made a face at her roommate. “That’s a very boring message. Can’t you come up with something more romantic?”

  “No.” Maggie’s face crumpled. She dropped her art utensils and covered her face with her hands. “I tried but I’m a computer geek. And I don’t know what he wants me to say. I thought things were going so well. He told me he was falling in love with me. Then we FaceTimed with my parents and things were never the same.”

  “Oh sweetie.” Nina patted her arm. “I know he loves you. He ran off the field during a game to help you!”

  “I really wish I had been conscious for that,” Maggie said wistfully. “It’s still hard to believe.”

  “Believe it. I was on the other side of the stadium but I saw him bolt across the diamond like his feet were on fire. Never fear. I’ll find out what’s up with Dwight. It’s probably some kind of boy thing.”

  “Boy thing?”

  “You know, they get things in their heads that make no sense, but they won’t talk about them, and so they take root like some kind of weed. You have to get in there and yank those weeds out.”

  “You’re going to weed Dwight’s brain?”

  “Someone has to,” Nina said virtuously. “And I’m the right girl for the job because he sees me as a little sister. I can smack some sense into him and there’s nothing he can do about it.”

  Finally, Maggie was starting to laugh. “What if it’s not his fault? What if it’s all me?”

  Nina gave a disbelieving snort. “Who’s the boy in this scenario? ’Nuff said.”

  Maggie seemed to take the question seriously, even though Nina had meant it to be rhetorical. “Well, he’s more emotional than I am. He likes to talk more than I do. He’s more social and gregarious. There’s a good possibility that I’m the boy in this scenario.”

  Nina stared for a moment. She’d definitely never thought about it that way. She considered the possibility, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to sort it out for you guys. Leave it to me.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do a better job of that than I have. In return, I’ll represent you at the wedding.”

  “And take lots of pictures.”

  “Absolutely. I’m looking forward to seeing all the baseball players in their tuxes.”

  Nina clapped a hand over her mouth. “What are we doing? We’re talking about baseball players! We swore not to!”

  “Gah!” Maggie took up her pencil again and got to work. “Changing the subject. Did I tell you about the position my mother found for me at MIT?”

  “MIT? Seriously? By the way, I can’t believe I’m friends with such a brainiac. Are you going to take it?”

  “I don’t know.” Maggie tucked a curl behind her ear. “It involves statistics related to glacier melt and climate change.”

  “So you’d be saving the planet?”

  “And losing my mind.”

  They both laughed. “I sure will miss you if you go back to Boston.” Nina felt sad at the very thought of Maggie leaving. As different as they were, they’d bonded so thoroughly that Maggie felt like a sister by now. “You’re the best roommate I’ve ever had.”

  “You’re saying I beat out the Israeli assassin?”

  “By a mile. But don’t tell her that. She can kill a man with her left thumb.” They smiled at each other and continued their art project. Nina glanced at the bird Maggie was putting the finishing touches on. “It’s an owl.”

  “I guess so.” Maggie squinted at it. “Something between an owl and a bluebird.”

  “If you see an owl, that means change is coming your way.”

  Maggie shot her the look she used when Nina talked about crystals or chakras or anything not strictly scientific.

  But change was coming; Nina could feel it. And since she always looked on the bright side of things, she just knew the change would be something fantastic.

  16

  Everything in the Major League was different. Faster. Louder. More crowded. More stressful. More exhilarating. More crushing. In a million years, Jim would never get used to the reporters who swarmed him after a game, or the thunder of applause, or the rolling boom of jeers. The girls who screamed his name, the speed of the fastballs, the attendants scurrying to carry his bags, the charter flights to other cities, the expensive hotels, the steak dinners—it felt like a blur sometimes.

  Going from Kilby to San Diego was like trading in an old Chevy truck for a Porsche.

  The experience was overwhelming. When he wasn’t playing or fulfilling his off-field team responsibilities, he slept a lot. Each day that passed, the pressure got more intense because the Friars came closer to making the playoffs. E
very at-bat got scrutinized by the batting coach and manager. Every game got picked apart by the newspapers. He operated at full throttle every game, every post-game, every team event.

  It was good to be back with his old Catfish teammates who were now playing in San Diego. Caleb Hart was on fire. He had one of the lower ERA’s in the league and had nearly pitched a perfect game earlier in the season.

  He and Mike Solo made a great battery, though Mike mostly filled in as a backup catcher. His most important contribution to the team was being an inspirational mood-lifter. He excelled at that.

  The Major League hitters still hadn’t figured out Eli Anderson’s knuckle ball. They often left the batter’s box scratching their heads and cursing. His fiancée, Caitlyn, an incredible baker and candy-maker, kept the entire clubhouse supplied with sweets.

  It was the most amazing, phenomenal, exhausting time in his twenty-five years.

  He didn’t have the time to look for another place, so he kept extending his stay in Trevor’s guest room. When he got home, he was too exhausted to do much more than scan the sports channels, then crash.

  He didn’t have time to call his parents, his little sister, his friends back in New York. Only Nina—and he even nodded off sometimes while talking to her. Crush, Wendy, Paige, the wedding…paying attention was difficult when he kept reliving his at-bats and filing away details of each pitcher he’d faced.

  Then, in the second game of a day-night double-header, he strained a muscle in his groin while diving for a grounder. The trainer recommended he sit out the next game, and Jim limped home to Trevor’s and fell straight into bed. He woke up in the middle of the night with the need to pee.

  On his way back from the bathroom, he heard Trevor in the kitchen talking on the phone to Paige. He knew it had to be Paige because of the warm, intimate tone in the big Viking’s voice. He paused when he heard his name.

  “Lieberman? Nah, he hasn’t said shit to me about it. … Yeah, he’s good. Having the time of his life. … Nina will get over it. … Paige, I’m not his babysitter. He’ll have to figure it out for himself. Nina keeps telling me not to interfere so I’m staying out. … Hell no. If he wanted to come, he would have spoken up. … Yeah, sweetie. … Yup, they’re letting me sit out one. I’ll see you tomorrow. … Yup, Crush’s airstrip. Love you.”

  Trevor hung up, and in the sudden quiet, Jim stepped toward his bedroom.

  “Beebs, is that you?” Trevor stuck his head out of the kitchen. “Hey dude, there’s a package for you, did you see it?”

  “Did not. Thanks.”

  “It’s in the entryway. A Nina Stark Special.” Trevor disappeared again.

  Jim hurried to the living room to pick up the package, but didn’t open it until he was back in his bedroom.

  He slit open the cardboard box and realized it was a care package. He sorted through the contents, which were nestled into a bird’s nest of shredded paper. She’d included a book on the physics of baseball that had just come out. Homemade cookies in the shape of cowboy boots. Photos of the two of them goofing around. A scrapbook that already held articles from the San Diego newspaper about him. Several bags of his favorite variety of roasted peanuts that he’d only seen at Catfish Stadium. And a note. It read, “Number 2. Be their number one fan. Number 3. Accept the fact that they’re always busy. Number 7. Take them to eat often. (Or send cookies!) Your number one fan in the whole world, Nina.”

  His heart rolled over in his chest. He put the note to his nostrils and breathed in a faint scent that brought her vividly to life. She was right there with him, with her big blue eyes and mischievous smile.

  Accept the fact that they’re always busy.

  But she shouldn’t have to accept that. He didn’t want her to. He loved Nina. Loved her so much it hurt. He wasn’t ever going to want someone else. And she was lonely there in Kilby. The wistful tone of her note ripped his heart out. His sweet girl needed him.

  He grabbed his phone to call her, but it was three in the morning.

  He lay back, but sleep didn’t swallow him up, nor did his last at-bat consume him. His mind crystal-clear, he clicked through the phone conversation he’d overheard.

  What did Trevor mean, Nina would get over it? What did “he’ll have to figure it out for himself” mean?

  There was something important in that conversation, something regarding Nina and him and…Crush’s airstrip?

  And then it clicked. He knew exactly what Trevor was talking about. And he knew what he had to do.

  “I ought to call security and get you dragged off this plane.” Trevor glared down at Jim, who was hiding in the restroom of the small chartered plane.

  “We’re already in the air,” Jim pointed out. “Too late.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” Trevor wore his game face, the Viking iceman warrior look that sent terror through opposing pitchers. It worked on Jim too, but this was too important. He steeled his spine and stood his ground.

  “It’s the only way I could figure out to attend the wedding and get back in time for the next game.”

  “Oh, you think you’re getting a ride back? That’s rich.”

  “Do we have to discuss this in the restroom? Can we, you know, sit down and fasten our seat belts, like the pilot just said?”

  “No.” Trevor folded his arms across his chest and glared.

  Jim winced, because that was his automatic reaction to the Glare. This is for Nina, he reminded himself. He mimicked Trevor’s movement and glared back. The stare down dragged on, even through a bumpy patch of air. Trevor braced his legs farther apart, as if to emphasize that little things like turbulence had no effect on him.

  They both rode the plane like a rollercoaster until the pilot came on the intercom again and insisted that everyone buckle up.

  Grudgingly, Trevor gave way so Jim could take a seat. They both staggered into the deluxe seating area, where leather seats were arranged around a conference table. Both buckled in, choosing seats as far away from each other as possible.

  “You oughta split the cost of this thing with me.”

  “No problem.” It would be a huge problem, since he wasn’t a big-money player like Trevor. But he wasn’t about to let it show.

  A short silence followed. Jim looked out the window, but there wasn’t much to see beyond clouds and endless blue sky. It was still early in the morning. The wedding was scheduled for two in the afternoon. The charter was supposed to arrive in Kilby by eleven, then take Trevor back to San Diego in time for the next day’s batting practice. Trevor and Jim, hopefully.

  “Why didn’t you just ask me instead of stowing away?” Curiosity replaced the hostility in Trevor’s voice.

  “I figured you’d say no.”

  “Why would you think that?” Jim couldn’t read the expression on Trevor’s Viking angel face.

  “Because you keep telling me to stay away from Nina. If I told you I was doing this for Nina, because she really wants me to come to Crush’s wedding, and because I haven’t seen her in weeks and it feels like years, you’d tell me to fuck off.”

  Trevor listened impassively. “So your solution is to hitch a ride on my jet?”

  “Yes. I’ll split the cost with you.”

  “Do you have any idea what it is?”

  Jim gulped. “No,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t matter. I know it will mean a lot to Nina, and that’s all that matters.”

  Trevor narrowed his eyes into ice-blue slits. “What about all those fan girls in San Diego? Why can’t you move on to one of them?”

  For a quick, hot moment, Jim was so insulted he couldn’t see straight. “You have fans too. That doesn’t mean you don’t love Paige.”

  “This isn’t about me,” Trevor snapped.

  “Maybe it is about you.”

  Back came the Glare, fiercer than ever. But Jim was way past caring about the Glare. “I just figured something out, Trevor. All this time, I thought I was scared of you.”

  “You should be sc
ared,” Trevor growled. “I’d do anything to protect Nina.”

  “Well, I’m not scared, because I love Nina and would never hurt her. I was scared of not living up to you. Her older brother that she loves so much. The one with the .323 slugging percentage.”

  “It’s .325 now.”

  “Yeah well, it doesn’t matter what it is.” At Trevor’s annoyed expression, he added, “I mean, good for you, that’s awesome. Point being, I’m a Friar too, now. I’m a Major League baseball player. Just because I don’t have your level of talent doesn’t mean anything. I made it. I’m just as worthy as the next guy. I don’t have to live up to anything anymore.”

  Trevor opened a bag of pretzels from a tray on the conference table. “So this is your big revelation? You’re just as good as me so you can steal my sister?”

  Jim shook his head, eyeing the snacks and wondering if his theoretical offer to split the cost of the plane meant he could help himself. He decided not to push it. “I know you’re a better player than me. I also know that I love Nina. And I think she loves me. If she doesn’t, she can kick me to the curb. Her, not you. My feelings for Nina are real, Trevor. You might as well try to get used to it.”

  Trevor regarded him thoughtfully, popped a pretzel in his mouth, started to say something, then stopped. “What about those groupies of yours? You kissed one on the cheek.”

  “Yeah, I did. Because I went to high school with her. She happened to be in town on her honeymoon. I gave her a kiss of congratulations because she just got married. I want Nina, and I wouldn’t do anything to mess that up.”

  “She says you don’t call her much.”

  “It’s a little hard when I’m staying at her brother’s place and I think he hates me.”

  “Why would I invite someone I hate to crash at my place?”

  Lieberman had thought about this thoroughly already. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

  Trevor laughed. “That’s one theory. Here’s another. What if I’m just a nice guy who came through when my sister asked me for a favor?”

  “Huh.” Trevor, a nice guy? Jim would have to think about that one. Not that he was a jerk—though he sometimes acted like one. But nice? Definitely not the word Jim would use.