by Vera Roberts
Bobbi snorted and blushed. “You know I was about to say that next?”
“I don’t mind a bit of self-depreciating humor. I’m a big guy, I can take it.” He shrugged again and flashed his megawatt smile.
“How did you know you wanted to play baseball?” She asked.
“I just did. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in life. My dad was a huge baseball fan so we always went to games. Even the minor league ones.” Quinn shrugged. “Apparently I picked up a bat and just started swinging it. Never stopped. Found out I was better at pitching than hitting so I focused on that.”
“Crazy.” Bobbi replied. “You have the same passion for baseball like I do for treating people.”
“When did you know you wanted to become a physical therapist?”
“I wasn’t meant for nursing school. I tried it and went as far as my practicums, but that was it. Too much gore for me. I didn’t want to deal with it.” She shrugged. “I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit it. Some people are meant to be nurses and some are meant to be physical therapists.”
“But you’re considered to be one of the best,” Quinn mentioned, “Hugh speaks your praises.”
“I had to practice on him,” she replied and Quinn raised an eyebrow, “I had my supervisors there so nothing funny went on. He also fell asleep.” She chuckled.
“Maybe that’s a good thing. He obviously hired you.” Quinn smiled.
“Yeah, and the timing was great. I moved back home with my parents for a small while before I went job hunting. Flew down for the interview and the practice run. Got hired the next day. Had to pack up and move down within a week. I still haven’t found a place.”
“Are you currently looking?” He asked.
“Well, yeah. I can’t really stay with my sister and her husband forever now.” Bobbi stirred her drink. “I didn’t realize how expensive L.A. has gotten, though. I mean, it’s pennies in comparison to the Bay Area, but L.A. is super expensive.”
“Where are you looking?” Quinn asked.
“Somewhere close to the stadium. Probably Chinatown or Elysian Park area. Somewhere I don’t have to go too far.” Bobbi sipped her mojito. “I hope to move sometime in the next couple of months.” She thought about the promises Scotland made to help her move. She should’ve known he was full of shit but she was so desperate for attention, she believed him.
“Hey,” Quinn reached out and touched Bobbi’s arm. “Where did you go just now?”
Bobbi let out a small breath. “I just have the worst luck with men. I’m smart in everything else. I have great credit. I have money in the bank. I’m in the process of finding an apartment to live in so I don’t have to bunk with my sister and her husband. I have everything going for me but I’m like that Robin character in Waiting to Exhale. I just have the dumbest luck with me.”
“Maybe your luck is about to change?” Quinn suggested. “Maybe there is a man who is willing to give you his time while you give him the most incredible massages he’s ever had in his life?”
“Why did I know there was a catch?” Bobbi laughed. “So, all you want from me are my hands?” She teased.
“I want the whole package but if it means all I can get from you are your hands right now, then yes.” He replied.
“Fair enough.” Bobbi finally chewed the Philly roll she’d been playing with. “Let’s talk about you. Every athlete has something about him that most people wouldn’t believe or find weird.”
“Oh, I’m sure a lot of people think my love for the Backstreet Boys and Taylor Swift puts me in a category of Not Straight.” Quinn bemused.
“I don’t care about that,” Bobbi dismissed. “What are other quirks about yourself? Will the real Quinn please stand up?”
“I sleep with a giraffe every night and I play with Legos before every game because if I don’t, my games are pretty bad. Maybe it’s mental or maybe the Legos help my anxiety in a way that nothing else can before I pitch.” He flatly stated. He watched for Bobbi’s reaction and received a blank stare.
“When you say Legos, what are we talking?” She asked. “Duplo? Friends? Junior? Classic? Architecture?”
“All of the above.” Quinn stated and he was quietly impressed Bobbi knew so much about Legos. Maybe she was a bigger nerd than she led on and his dick became happier at the thought of it. “I don’t know when it started but I’m sure I was pretty young when everyone noticed it. Ever since then, it’s just been my thing.”
“And the giraffes?” Bobbi leaned forward and rested a hand on her hands. “When did that start?”
Quinn smiled and it traveled up to his eyes. He was focused on Bobbi’s full lips and wanted to know when he would be able to taste them again. “I’ve always been fascinated with giraffes, but when I fed one once, I was in love. I have a huge one in my home. You should come by and see it sometime.”
“Well, if I’m ever in your area, I will.” Bobbi promised.
“Okay, let me rephrase that,” Quinn leaned forward. He was merely inches from her face. “I want you to come by and see this big-ass stuffed giraffe in my bedroom.”
Bobbi felt the hairs prickle on her arms and her head began spinning again. Her body immediately heated up to the idea of being inside Quinn’s bedroom and all of the wicked games they could do. He’d already proven to her when it came to sex, there was nothing such as being taboo.
Bobbi felt the familiar dampness of need inside of her panties but didn’t let Quinn see her sweat. “How many other women have you invited to see the big-ass stuffed giraffe in your bedroom?”
“None.” He stated and Bobbi raised an eyebrow. “If I invited a lot of women, I’m sure you would’ve found out in your Google searches about me, right?”
Bobbi knew almost everything about Quinn except his blood type. “I stand corrected.”
“I respect the fact you want to be friends, Bobbi.” Quinn admitted. “Even though, it’s killing me you do.”
“If we date and break up, that’ll be horrible, Quinn.” Bobbi firmly stated. She’d been through it a few times to know she doesn’t do clean breakups. A lot of cursing, tossing things, and leaving cities are often involved. “It can get ugly rather quickly.”
“If we date and get married, that’ll be amazing, Bobbi.” He winked at her. “That can get beautiful very soon.”
“Quinn….” Bobbi groaned. The thought of little Quinns and little Bobbis running through their home gave her tingling feelings. “I don’t believe in love at first sight.”
“You don’t believe it because it’s never happened to you.” He challenged her.
Bobbi smirked. “And it’s happened to you?”
“Yes.” He pointedly stated.
Bobbi felt jealousy course through her body until it slapped her face. “Oh?”
“Yes, a week ago when I was at a bar and I met this girl who thought NSYNC was better than the Backstreet Boys. Then I took her home and she kept my dick up the entire night.” Quinn held up a hand and Bobbi touched it with hers. They interlocked fingers together. “But that’s not why I fell in love with her. I fell in love with her because she’s everything I wanted, yet I don’t know her from a can of paint.”
Bobbi tried to ignore the warmth radiating from Quinn’s hand. It was hard to downplay it but it was impossible to ignore. Slowly, she felt her walls crumbling down faster than she could put them together again. “Maybe after you get to know her and learn she’s just about as entertaining as watching paint from said can dry, you’ll realize you were never in love but in lust.” She softly blinked at him.
Quinn was silent for a long moment and Bobbi felt her breath hitch inside her throat. “You know that scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny and Forrest talk to each other after she dumps him?”
How could Bobbi forget? It was one of her favorite movies. She had every scene memorized. “Yes.”
“That’s what I’m feeling now,” Quinn nodded. “I’m not smart in everything, but I do know what love is.”
Fourteen
The Bey Happy Karaoke bar was seemingly on the other side of Glendale. It was inside this hidden nook of a bar that only catered to locals and celebrities who didn’t want to be bothered.
It was Quinn’s kind of place.
As Bobbi and Quinn got situated in a booth at the Bey Happy Karaoke bar, other members of the Dodgers and a few other sports teams joined them. It seemed everyone wanted to have a good first night and relax before the tough business of training began.
The vibe immediately changed once the rest of the group joined them. Quinn went from being intensely serious and eager to get inside Bobbi’s pants to being silly with his bros. He was on his good behavior, she could tell, but the vibe was different. They ragged on him about his music tastes, while Quinn defended every choice.
When Quinn was with his friends, his whole face lit up. He was truly comfortable around them and there were no false pretenses. His blue eyes sparkled with joy, and he had a rich, boisterous laugh as if he truly enjoyed life.
He did.
It wasn’t that Quinn got by skate-free. Every time someone doubted him, he worked harder to prove them wrong. He had anxiety issues and openly spoke of them. But he also knew sometimes just getting down in your jammies while doing your best Rick James impersonation was also great medicine.
Some of the men have known Quinn forever, and went to college with him. Playing with the same teams and on the same schedule, everyone knew everyone. They were all friends. They were also frenemies. But they also had a love for each other.
Bobbi settled into her booth and calmly sipped her Shirley Temple. She’d heard of the guys but she didn’t know them. And she wasn’t going to pretend she was ‘one of the guys’ because she didn’t want anyone to get comfortable with her presence.
It was a hard lesson she’d learned throughout life. She’d become friends with her boyfriends’ friends. They hung out. They had dinner parties. They randomly texted each other about stupid and silly stuff. She got accustomed to the friendship.
And when the relationship went to shit? Well, she lost all of those friendships in response. No one was going to choose loveable and life of the party Bobbi over their bro, no matter how much at fault the man was.
Looking around, Bobbi inwardly sighed. She was setting herself up again. It was her, Quinn, and Quinn’s friends. Same book, different chapter.
Bobbi stirred her drink and shrugged. Why did she always do this to herself? Fall for a guy, fall harder for his friends, and then when the relationship ended, she was left with embarrassment and a wet ass. Why didn’t she learn her lesson the first three times?
She was destined to be alone with five cats named Mr. Snuggles, Frumpy, Poco Loco, Cher, and Mariah. The last two because she was fans of the singers. She needed at least one cat named Mariah. It made sense.
“You’re frowning,” Quinn purred in her ear, and Bobbi felt every sense become aware. “I don’t like it when you frown.”
She turned towards him and locked eyes. His eyes were full of concern and it was amazing how fast he switched from being in bro mode to being her lover….erm, former lover.
“I was thinking about just something random, that’s all.” She lied. She already hated lying to him but her feelings weren’t something she could be honest with yet.
“Anytime you feel uncomfortable, Bobbi, we’ll go. I don’t want you to play nice and you’re miserable here.” He was concerned.
“No, I’m fine. I just don’t really know anyone so I’m a bit nervous.” She casually shrugged. “That’s all.”
“You know me,” Quinn batted his eyelashes.
“Because I…” Bobbi wanted to finish the sentence. Because I slept with you and seen you naked. She hated how her body and mind went into overdrive whenever she was near Quinn. “True,” was all she could muster.
“Bobbi!” Xavier pushed himself into the booth, followed by Angel, and a few others. “I hope this lame ass isn’t giving you a hard time. Maybe he’s not capable of that.”
“And hah hah hah.” Quinn flipped off his best friend. He looked over Xavier’s shoulders and saw other mutual friends but no female companions. “Struck out?”
“I never strike out. But I can’t bring my hoes everywhere.” Xavier tilted his baseball cap. “Besides, no one is going to see how lame this is and how wack you are, Q.”
“Oh?” Quinn folded his arms, “because I beat your ass last time?”
“Luck. Pure luck.” Xavier scoffed. “And I was drunk.”
“And you still lost,” Quinn replied. “It’s okay you don’t know all of the words to Bodak Yellow.”
“Whatever.” Xavier turned to Bobbi. “What you got planned for tonight, girl? I need someone to beat this kid. He beats everyone all of the time.”
“How do we play?” Bobbi shrugged. “I have no idea what’s even going on here.”
“Pretty much you get up there and do your best Celine Dion. If you get the crowd going with your song, you win. If you don’t, you lose.” Angel stated. “Quinn has won hands-down, but I almost beat him last time, though.”
“Almost doesn’t count,” Quinn shrugged.
“I chose the wrong song,” Angel nudged Bobbi. “I should’ve went with Whitney but I chose Britney. I don’t know why I did that.”
“The past is the past, my friend.” Quinn gently slapped his friend’s shoulder. “We have a new battle to do. Who’s up first?”
“Since we all know you’re going to win this, you go.” Xavier shrugged, “I just want to get drunk and laugh at your dumb ass.”
“Such a sweet friend,” Quinn blew him a kiss before he hurried over to the stage. He flipped through some music and picked one. He smiled as he landed on the song. “And this song is dedicated to a special lady who has questionable taste in music.” He smiled at Bobbi.
Bobbi blushed. “Oh?” She recognized the beginning of “Bye, Bye, Bye.” “Wait a minute…” She folded her arms. “He doesn’t even like NSYNC! He stole my group!”
“Oh, it’s personal now.” Angel nodded and sipped his beer. “Now, this is interesting.”
Bobbi watched in amazement as Quinn perfected the song, even down to the choreography. Other people in the bar began to cheer and he already had a small fan club of admirers. It was easy to see how he always won; he had the crowd eating out of his hand.
When he was finished, the crowd went nuts and Quinn bowed. “Thank you. Thank you.” He walked back to the group and shrugged as he took a sip of beer. “Alright, who’s next?”
Angel, and Xavier shook their heads along with their other friends. Bobbi looked around and felt courage come from her virgin drink. “Fine. I’ll go.” She excused herself from the booth. She walked on unsteady legs to the stage and blew out a breath.
Bobbi couldn’t sing a single note. She wished she had the voice of Mariah but ended up sounding like Paula Abdul most of the time. At least she could perfect “Forever Your Girl” without breaking a sweat.
What the hell was she doing? Why was she trying to impress Quinn and the rest of the Dodgers? She was their trainer, not their friend. She could admit she would be traveling with them a majority of the year so it was better they were on great terms.
But why was Quinn’s dick making her do some stupid shit like karaoke? Who was this chick?
She finally chose a song and waited for it. She talked to herself to being sane and that her mama didn’t raise a punk, and she got this. Oh, who was she kidding? She was going to look like a plum fool. Maybe that was the point.
If Quinn could remember the choreography from one of the most iconic music videos, then he was about to be surprised what Bobbi had up her sleeve. “Let’s go!” She began dancing.
Quinn didn’t care what song Bobbi chose. He already knew he was going to lose regardless if she couldn’t sing one note or just stood there if her feet were cement blocks. The way she moved, shook her hips, and licked her lips had him mesmerized.
“Hey, the Backstre
et Boys!” Angel nodded to “Backstreet’s Back.” “Dope track.”
“And what?” Quinn stood up and folded his arms over his chest.
“Aren’t those your boys?” Xavier asked.
“She likes NSYNC and I like BSB; it’s a thing we have.” Quinn explained.
“Oh, you two have a thing, now?” Angel asked. “That must’ve been some massage earlier.”
“It wasn’t just a massage,” Xavier said before Quinn elbowed him in the stomach, “well, shit! Dude, it’s obvious you two have a thing for each other. You both are lying and worse yet, you’re lying to each other. You think baby girl would be singing some wack-ass song to us for the hell of it? She’s singing that shit because she’s in love with you, dickwad.”
“She’s in love with me but she won’t give me the time of day.” Quinn couldn’t take his eyes off Bobbi. Her face lit up and a smile spread from cheek to cheek. “There goes that.”
“She’ll fuck you again, dude.” Xavier guffawed. “Spring training is thirty days, my friend. Anything can happen in thirty days.”
The song ended and the crowd went wild. Bobbi took a bow before she walked back the group. She jabbed an index finger at Quinn’s chest. “Your turn, big shot.”
Quinn glanced down at Bobbi and resisted the urge to kiss her. “You got it.”
Quinn walked up to the stage and began flipping through the pages. He found the perfect song and nodded. “For every woman who’s ever had her heart broken, wasted time on a man who was wrong for her, and regretted it? This is for you, ladies!” Quinn held Bobbi’s attention for a long while.
Bobbi nodded and watched Quinn move on the stage. “Wait a minute,” Bobbi narrowed her eyes, “is he really singing “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo?”
“Ooh,” Xavier whistled, “shots fired.”
Bobbi looked around and saw the rest of the karaoke bar cheering and singing along with Quinn. He made eye contact with everyone and even let a couple of drunk blondes sing into the microphone.
His eyes always returned to Bobbi. Despite the song being about a breakup, it was clear Quinn meant something else. He wanted more with Bobbi. He wasn’t happy with just being her friend and truthfully, she wasn’t happy with their arrangement, neither.
