“What do you mean?”
“She’s obviously very active on social media. You have to assume she’s going to lash out online before the night is over.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“I suggest you give me the tools to steal her ammunition before she gets a chance to use it.”
“And exactly what kind of tools are we talking about?”
“I know you and Ben are good friends. How much do you know about his engagement?”
“I know the real story,” he said, not comfortable sharing his friend’s private information.
“Good.” He picked up a pen and jotted something down on a notepad. “Ben got married to protect his reputation. I think you should consider a similar play.”
“You want me to marry Kari to get rid of Brandi? Isn’t that kind of extreme?” Ryan asked. It was one thing to ponder putting a ring on her finger but quite another to have his plans dictated by someone else.
“I was thinking more of making your relationship with Kari public. It doesn’t have to include a ring on her finger,” Trent said. “You said she’s already here at the park. We can take a few pictures of you together, and I have some from yesterday when she was escorting Jaden Sampson around.”
“I’ll have to talk to Kari about this,” Ryan said, not completely comfortable with Trent’s plan. “I have to say, I’m not thrilled with turning what I have with her into a media circus.”
“I can do subtle,” Trent promised. “Trust me.”
“Okay, but before you do anything, let’s make sure Kari’s willing to trust you too.”
“Before you talk to her, I have to ask, what is the status of your relationship with her?” When Ryan hesitated, Trent added, “I only ask because I’ll use a different approach if she’s just a summer romance rather than if she’s someone you expect to have around long term.”
“I already have the ring,” Ryan said. “But it’s not on her finger yet.”
“Congratulations on finding the right girl,” Trent said with satisfaction. “This will make my job much easier.”
“You do realize this is classified information, right?”
“My lips are sealed.”
Chapter 32
Kari emerged from the ladies’ room after changing into a new baseball jersey, one that matched Ryan’s uniform. She looked up at Ryan and asked, “Are you sure you want me wearing this today? I put Ben’s jersey on specifically so I could stay below the radar.”
“I don’t think staying below the radar is in the cards today.” He guided her through a maze of hallways toward the batting cages. As they walked, he explained how his public relations director wanted to use social media to publicly announce their relationship.
“Ryan, are you sure about this?” Kari asked. “I don’t really care if people know we’re dating, but you normally don’t like to put anything about your private life out there for the public.”
“I know, but Trent is right. It’s better to take control of the situation before Brandi tries to make either of us look bad in the press.” Ryan took her hand in his. “She is going to flip out when she realizes she’s being blocked from the team areas.”
“I’m surprised the team is going to such extreme measures. She’s still friends with lots of the wives,” Kari said.
“Yes, but management doesn’t want her harassing me, and I don’t want her bothering you.”
“I can avoid her if I need to.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to,” Ryan said. “I don’t want you to worry about running into her when you come to my games, and I certainly don’t want her to keep using the other players’ wives to gain access she has no right to have. From what I understand, she won’t have any power if we let Trent lay the groundwork for us.”
“What kind of groundwork are we talking about?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but he said to have you hang out during batting practice today.”
“And what am I supposed to do while I’m hanging out?”
“I don’t know. Just be you, I guess.”
“Okay.” Skepticism filled her voice. She waved with her free hand toward the now-empty batting cage. “I think it’s your turn.”
Ryan lifted her hand and kissed the back of it in a sweet gesture. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She glanced around at the other players and noticed a photographer with a huge lens on his camera, his focus on Ryan. Ben stepped beside her, a bat in his hand.
“What are you doing over here? The club doesn’t usually let anyone down here who isn’t on the team or holding a press pass.”
“It’s a long story, and I’m not sure I understand it yet,” Kari said. “Something about keeping Ryan’s ex from spinning too much negative press.”
“I’m clearly out of the loop on this one.” Ben slung his arm over her shoulder and motioned with his bat toward Ryan. “You never told me what happened with you two last night.”
She looked pointedly at the numerous people milling about. “That’s not a conversation I want to have around here.”
“Gotcha.” They stood there together for a few minutes until Ben moved forward to take a turn. “Stay out of trouble.”
“I always stay out of trouble.”
Ben laughed. “Right.”
* * *
“Okay, I give up. What’s going on with you?” Shawn Nills plopped down in the seat beside Ryan as they prepared for their game. “I’ve been seeing you everywhere with Ben’s sister, and then last night you were with Brandi. I have to say, I don’t want to be around if Ben decides to break you in half.”
Ryan saw the concern on his teammate’s face and understood it. Players at odds with one another could undermine the entire atmosphere in the clubhouse. With the way the team had been winning lately, no one wanted anything to upset the balance. Deciding he could have a little fun with Shawn, he said, “I believe when I talked to Ben about dating his sister, the warning was something about how he was going to break me into little pieces if I hurt her.” Ryan considered for a minute. “I think if he breaks me in half instead, my recovery time would be a lot shorter.”
“This isn’t good.” Slowly, Shawn shook his head from side to side.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to get caught on Ben’s bad side.”
“Seriously?” Shawn shot him a look of disbelief. “Everyone saw you with Brandi yesterday, and I know she’s here again today. There’s no way you’re going to be able to go out with her again without Ben knowing.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m still going out with Kari.”
“You’re cheating on Ben’s sister?” The horror on Shawn’s face was classic. “Are you insane?” he whispered.
“No, smart,” Ryan said. “Kari is one of a kind. I’ve decided to keep her.”
“I’m confused.”
Deciding to set the record straight, Ryan turned to look at him. “I haven’t dated Brandi since last December. She keeps saying we’re going out, hoping to make it happen.”
“But last night—”
“Last night I got cornered, and you happened to walk by when I was trying to tell Brandi—again—that I’m not interested,” Ryan told him. “Apparently Celeste and some of the other wives have kept in touch with her, and she’s been misleading them about what’s really going on.”
Understanding dawned, and Shawn’s relief was apparent. “I’ll make sure Celeste knows the truth. She was actually pretty disappointed when she thought you and Kari broke up.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she said she enjoyed hanging out with her and Maya at the games in Arizona.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Gavin approached them and looked around the clubhouse before saying quietly, “Hey, Ryan, I just saw Brandi.”
“Yeah, I thought she might be here today,” Ryan said, keeping his expression neutral.
“I thought you were going out with Ben’s sister.” Beside him, Shaw
n tried to smother his laughter with a cough. Gavin leaned forward and continued. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re messing with fire on this one. Ben and his sister are tight.”
Shawn stood and managed to keep a straight face. “Ben’s going to kill him after the game. Do you want to watch?”
“This isn’t funny,” Gavin said.
“I think it’s pretty funny,” Ryan said, looking at Shawn. “What do you think?”
“Yeah, I’m enjoying myself.” Shawn raised a hand in greeting when Ben approached. “Hey, Ben.”
“You two are crazy.” Gavin stepped back, shot a look at Ben, shook his head, and said again, “Crazy.”
As Gavin moved away, Ben’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What’s with him?”
“He thinks I’m cheating on Kari.”
Ben didn’t miss a beat. “That wouldn’t be good.”
“Yeah, that’s what they said.” Ryan motioned to Shawn and Gavin.
“It’s good to know they value your life.”
“Nah,” Shawn said as he stood. “We just value his batting average.”
“At least now I know why they keep me around.” Ryan finished buttoning his jersey. “Let’s go get this game started.”
* * *
“You’re dating Ryan Strobel?” Lauren’s voice vibrated with disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were dating that Ryan?”
Kari looked over at her friend, not sure what to say.
“How did you know Kari was dating Ryan?” Maya said, saving her from coming up with a response.
“It’s right here on Instagram.” She held up her phone. On it, a photo of Kari with Jaden, the veteran she had met yesterday, was displayed along with the caption Ryan Strobel’s girlfriend, Kari Evans, shows a special guest around Nats Park. “Is this why you weren’t sitting with us yesterday?”
“Yeah,” Kari admitted. It was one thing to say she didn’t care about her relationship being on social media, but she hadn’t expected to face the results so quickly.
“And you’re dating Ryan Strobel.” Lauren pointed at the field. “The really hot guy right down there.”
“I think we’ve already established that,” Kari said dryly. “It’s not that big a deal.”
“Are you kidding me?” She leaned back in her seat and propped one foot on the seat in front of her. “I feel like an idiot for thinking you would even want to see Austin again, much less date him.”
Kari caught a glimpse of movement and saw one of the stadium attendants barring Brandi’s entry to their section. She braced for a scene and was amazed when Brandi fell in step with the man as though she were happy about her circumstances.
“What are you looking at?” Maya asked, turning to follow her gaze.
Kari automatically censored her response to avoid giving Lauren any more gossip to spread around. “I just saw the friend who was in my seat yesterday.”
“I’m glad the team was able to get you a seat with us today. We missed having you here yesterday.”
“I missed it too,” Kari admitted, glancing at the security guard and Brandi disappearing onto the upper concourse.
“Here’s another one,” Lauren said, bringing her attention back to her screen. “That’s a cute picture.”
Kari’s stomach fluttered with unexpected emotions when she saw the photo. The image captured the moment when Ryan had kissed her hand, her gaze focused on him in adoration. “I guess there’s no question that we’re dating in this one.”
Maya leaned forward. “It is a cute picture of you guys.”
Kari’s phone vibrated, and she looked down at it to see a text message from one of her other college friends. You and Ryan Strobel? That’s awesome. When do I get to meet him?
“Seriously?” Kari held the phone out to show Maya.
“Let me see that.” Maya took Kari’s phone from her. She turned it off and gave Kari a satisfied look. “There you go. Problem solved. Now you can enjoy the game.”
“I guess that’s one way to do it.”
Maya dropped Kari’s phone into her purse.
“You don’t have to hold my phone for me,” Kari said, reaching out so Maya would return it.
“If you have it, you’ll be too tempted to turn it back on and see what’s happening,” Maya insisted. “Trust me. This is the only way.”
* * *
Ryan didn’t know if it was having Kari back in the stands where he could see her or knowing that Trent was keeping Brandi at bay, but he had a good night. Two doubles, a single, and a walk had given him a nearly perfect night on offense and had landed him in the spotlight at the after-game press conference.
He was surprised to see Kari standing inside the clubhouse with Marty and wondered if her presence was courtesy of Trent’s kindness or if it was a deliberate move to protect her from any interaction with Brandi.
Regardless, when her name came up during the question-and-answer portion of the press conference, he was caught off guard.
“We saw mention of your relationship with Kari Evans on social media for the first time tonight. How long have you been dating?”
“We’ve been together a few months.”
“Is she any relation to your teammate Ben Evans?”
“They’re brother and sister,” Ryan confirmed.
The manager stepped in and helped steer the line of questions back to the game. After the press conference ended, Kari approached him.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not,” she said.
“I like it,” Ryan told her. “Let’s get out of here.”
They headed for the exit, and Ryan noticed one of the security guards fall in step behind them. “Marty, where are you going?”
“Trent asked me to walk you out to your car. It’s just a precaution.”
Not sure what to think of the extra security measure, Ryan continued forward. He scanned the area as they approached his car. Thankfully, tonight’s journey through the parking lot was without incident.
He waited until they were on their way home before he asked, “I’m afraid to know the answer, but I have to ask: How bad was Brandi’s reaction to our relationship going public?”
“Do you want me to check?” Kari reached for her purse.
Ryan glanced over at her, stunned. “You haven’t already looked?”
“No.” When he didn’t respond immediately, she added, “One of my friends texted me when they saw something about me going out with you. Maya suggested turning off my phone so I wouldn’t be bothered.”
“You’re telling me your name has been deliberately leaked all over the Internet, and you weren’t watching the reactions at all?”
She looked confused. “I was at your game to watch you, Ryan, not stare at my phone.”
A grin broke out on his face. “I really love you.”
“That’s good to hear,” Kari said. “Because whether I was watching it or not, it would be pretty embarrassing to have your team link us together only to have you decide you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“I don’t know how that could ever happen.”
“I may have to hold you to that.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
Chapter 33
Kari watched Lauren get into her car with a last wave good-bye. “Is it bad that I’m glad to see her go?”
Maya giggled. “I thought you were going to string her up by her toenails if she brought up Ryan again.”
“Her perfectly painted toenails,” Kari added. She offered another wave as Lauren pulled away from the curb. “I never realized how much you must have dealt with when you and Ben got together. What a pain.”
“The media only affects you if you let it,” Maya told her. “Other than one bad week, we haven’t had any real issues. And now that your relationship with Ryan is out in the open, Brandi won’t be able to keep lying about things to everyone.”
“True.”
“Celeste called this morning and told
me Brandi is leaving town today. It looks like Trent’s plan worked.”
“I hope so,” Kari said, relieved. “Ryan doesn’t need the stress.”
“I agree.” Maya led the way into the kitchen. “Ben and I are going to head over to the hardware store to look at blinds. Do you want to come?”
“Hmmm. Walking through a hardware store with my brother. I think I’ll go with no on that one.”
Maya chuckled. “I’ll see you later.”
“Have fun,” Kari said. “And text me if you need rescuing. If you let him anywhere near the power tools, you’ll be there all day.”
“I know. I found that out the hard way when we were looking for paint.”
Kari glanced down at her watch and wondered if Ryan was up and moving yet. He had come over the night before, after his Sunday afternoon game. Hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, and corn on the cob. The late July barbecue had felt so blessedly normal after all the chaos of the past few weeks.
Ryan and Ben had even managed to put Lauren at ease, and by the end of the night, she seemed to finally understand that they were more than the uniform they wore.
Kari wandered into the living room, where her study materials were lying on the coffee table. She knew she should study but couldn’t muster the energy for it. Besides, it wasn’t often Ryan had a day off. She wanted to spend it with him.
She looked around for her phone so she could text him. After a thorough search of her room, pockets, and purse, she remembered Maya had put it in her purse the night before.
With a shake of her head, she slipped on her sandals and walked outside. She was at the edge of her brother’s lawn when a car pulled up beside her. Her eyes narrowed when the driver climbed out and she saw it was Austin.
“What are you doing here?”
“The grievance committee hasn’t heard from you yet. I thought I could make things easier and bring the paperwork to you.”
“Paperwork?”
“Yeah, you know, the document saying you’re dropping your grievance.”
Chance for Home Page 20
