Felix (The Ninth Inning #1)

by Lindsay Paige

  “Wait, is this that same chick that you call your lucky charm? I thought she was dating someone else?” Kevin asks.

  “Same chick. And see, that’s an issue, too. If we break up, what are the odds that she’s still going to come to the games? I realize that’s probably not what I should be thinking about, but I am. And she is dating someone else. It’s not serious though.”

  “Well, how do you know that this guy she’s seeing doesn’t want her to go to the games? Maybe you could just…I don’t know…maybe, say that it’s serious with her and just keep her around until the season ends?” Lewis suggests.

  Kevin is quick to jump in. “Don’t give him any ideas. He’s gone this long without a lucky charm; he’ll be fine if he loses this one. He needs to be more worried about putting something other than baseball first. If you want her all to yourself, she’s going to have to be the priority as much as possible or she’s going to dump your ass like every girl before her.”

  “I’m not going to string her along, but I don’t know what I want yet. It was only one date…so far.”

  “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t my best advice ever,” Lewis concedes. “But what if she hung out with us when we come? Mom will definitely tell you what to do after she meets her.”

  “She is. She’s going to show us all around Memphis since I haven’t explored any. You want me to ask Mom if I should make her my girlfriend?” He can’t be serious.

  “No, dumbass. Just have her hang out with us and if she’s nice and if you’re all silly with her, then we’ll know if it should be serious or not. We know you better than anyone.”

  I laugh. “All right, fine. We just have to hope things don’t get too much better with that other guy.”

  We talk for a while longer before I hang up. I like Abigail, I really do, but my track record sucks and I would hate to mess things up with her. We’ll just see what happens.

  IT’S TIMES LIKE this when I doubt the validity of a lucky charm. Doubting is probably not helping matters either. With the way things are looking right now, there’s a real chance, even with Abigail in the stands, we could lose another home game. I take a deep breath to focus. I need one more strike.

  I throw the ball and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t hit it out of the park. He could have been my third out, which would have been fantastic considering there’s a player on second and third. They all run in and then the next batter comes to the plate. I take a moment to fidget with my hat, roll my shoulders, and glance into the crowd, quickly finding Abigail.

  All her good luck powers need to align and come my way. Abigail smiles and then blows me a kiss. I grin and wink at her before changing my focus on the batter. Blake gives me a signal, waits, and then gives another before I pitch.

  “Strike!”

  Okay, one down, two to go. I fidget with my hat again, but don’t bother taking too much time. Blake gives the signal and I throw the ball again.

  “Strike!”

  The batter locks his jaw, gets into position, and Blake has his glove open and ready. I pitch and get the last strike and out. Before I disappear into the dugout, I flash Abigail a quick smile. Hopefully, we can pull ourselves out of the hole we’re in now.

  The last few remaining innings pass much like most of the game. We don’t recover and lose the game. Once I make it back to the complex, I go straight to Abigail’s apartment. I knock four times.

  She opens the door and quickly says, “I swear I ate the hot dog before warm-ups and drank my beer. I didn’t even pee and I really had to go.”

  “And you were the exact same clothes as usual?” I ask.

  “Felix, I only own one piece of Angels clothing. I swear I was even wearing the same thong.” At this, she slightly blushes and I grin.

  “That would have been my follow-up question. I guess we were just off tonight.”

  “I’m sorry, Felix. Do you want to come in and have a beer? I think I can whip up some food real fast.” I love that she’s trying to be helpful.

  “I was going to head to bed, but time with you sounds better.”

  We walk inside and I take a seat on the couch while she goes to the kitchen. A moment later, she returns with two beers and a bag of chips. “Salt and alcohol seem to help me when I’m down. What do you usually do? Don’t you dare say running either.”

  “What do I do when I’m down? Or what do I do after a loss?”

  “Um…both.”

  “Well, when I’m down, I try to find something fun to do like skydiving, or indoor skydiving if that’s not possible. Just something with a good adrenaline rush. After a loss, I spend a day running, practicing, and in the gym.”

  “What kind of masochist are you? Skydiving? Running? Are you trying to cause my legs to hurt again?” A cute disgusted expression appears on her face.

  “Depends. Does this mean I get to massage them?” I grin.

  “Considering you lost, it’s only fair.” She throws her legs onto my lap. “Now, let’s forget the game and discuss something more important.”

  I begin massaging her legs, kind of thankful we lost. “We should lose more often. Something more important, though? Well, my family is pretty excited about meeting you.”

  “Oh God, I forgot about that. I’m turning into you,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Well, never mind what I was going to say. What day are we doing the tour? I have to make sure I can take the day off school and not miss any work.”

  “What were you going to say? And we can do it on a Saturday or Sunday, whichever works best for you.”

  “Saturday would work great. I was going to ask if you wanted to go to Jackson Church’s signing, but it’s Friday night and I don’t want to take away from your family either.”

  “Maybe we can work something out. They might be too tired to want to do anything Friday night. We can hope and cross our fingers.”

  She giggles, her fingers aimlessly playing with the hair on the back of my head. “I don’t want to take time away from your family. I want them to like me. I can have LA take me.”

  “LA would be a bad choice. I would be the better option since I would enjoy it. I’ll figure something out. They won’t care as long as I make it worth their while.” I pause and then smile as I realize what she said. “So you want my family to like you?”

  “Well, duh! I mean, I don’t want them to think I’m some Tennessee Princess who was raised in a barn. Why wouldn’t I want them to like me? Should I be scared?”

  “They’ll like you. The only reason you should be scared is maybe because of my brothers. They don’t always think before they speak.”

  “I’m sorry, have you met my sister, LA? She has no filter.”

  “Oh, right. You should be fine then. How have you been sleeping? Did you go to therapy yet?”

  “It’s been okay. I didn’t sleep much the night before last, but I think it’s because I had a lot on my mind, too. I decided that maybe I need to go back to my therapist more regularly again. We discussed how I need some stability in my life. I need to focus, not just on school, but my personal life, too.”

  “Stability is good. I don’t see how it could hurt. How are you going to do that though?”

  “I have no clue,” she laughs. “I explained that I’m currently, somewhat, dating two guys and she went into the whole don’t-use-sex-as-a-cure speech. Needless to say, that’s where the stability speech came in. However, she’s right, but I have a lot more to work through first.”

  “You can do it; I’m sure.”

  “I guess. She and I made a list of things to work on the next couple months and I’m really going to take the summer off and relax. Annie is thinking about doing some traveling and wants me to come along. I haven’t taken a break from school since I started college.”

  “You definitely need to take the summer off then. Traveling is great; you should go with her. Although, for my own sake, it would be unfair for you to go to any beaches or tropical islands without me.”

  Abigail giggles
. “Oh, and don’t worry, Annie promised me that I wouldn’t miss any home games either, but why don’t you want me to go there without you? Is it because you want to see me in a string bikini?”

  “Exactly. I can’t see you if I’m not there and that would be unfair. And if a vacation is what you really need, then I could make an exception for you to miss home games.”

  “Wow. Although, after tonight, I’m not sure I still have any good luck mojo left.”

  “Oh, you do. You gave me those three strikes when I needed them. Good luck has bad flares every now and then. It happens.” I shrug.

  “Aw, look how sweet you are.” She leans over and kisses my cheek. “Have you been taking nice-guy classes or is it because your family is coming into town soon and you have to be a nice guy?”

  “When have I not been a nice guy? I’ve always been this way.”

  “Well, I guess.” She playfully rolls her eyes. “Are you feeling better?”

  “Much better. Are you?”

  “Don’t let this go to your head, but I always feel better when you’re around. Now, shut up and don’t bring it up again.” She laughs and I smile.

  “Saying, ‘Don’t let this go to your head,’ almost always guarantees that it will. I didn’t know I had that ability. Looks like you aren’t the only one with powers around here.”

  “If you develop powers, the world will never be the same. I may be scared.” She hides behind her hands.

  “Hey, no hiding.” I pull her hands away. “It’s kind of hard to see your pretty face if your pretty hands are in the way. And then,” I lean toward her, “it makes it really hard to give you a kiss.” I give her a quick kiss and pull away before I get lost in her lips.

  “Felix, what have you told your family about me?”

  “Pretty much everything. Why?”

  “I was just wondering. I didn’t know if I had to pretend that I’m not the lucky charm because you lost tonight.”

  I laugh and tell her, “Just be Abigail.”

  Her phone rings and Abigail reaches for it. She glances at the screen, bites her lip, and then hits ignore before sitting it back down. “I can do that, but I think it’s getting late. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I need to be going. Thanks for the beer and allowing me to give you a mini massage, too.”

  “I THOUGHT I wasn’t going to be dragged to any more of these dumb things.” LA stands in line with me.

  “I didn’t remind Felix because his family is in town, remember?” I hold Jackson Church’s book close to me as I shuffle forward.

  “You’re meeting them tomorrow, right?”

  “Yes,” I mumble and I feel my stomach flip. “I’m nervous.”

  “Why? They’ll love you. Everyone loves you. You have two guys breaking their necks to date you.” She groans as the line moves again. “Why is this taking so long?”

  “There are over two hundred people here.”

  “And tell me why I’m having a book signed, too?” She holds up the book.

  “I’m getting one for Felix.”

  “Oh,” she swoons. “Not getting one for Mr. Nerd but one for Mr. Baseball. Does that mean you like him more?”

  I take a deep breath and don’t answer her. I don’t want to get into this right now. I’m more confused now than I have been in my entire life and LA isn’t going to help because she likes Felix more than anything or anyone.

  Thankfully, she doesn’t push the issue and we make it to the front of the line. Mr. Church is kind and signs both books with no problem. LA takes me home and I send a text to Warren.

  Me: Thanks for the flowers again. That was sweet.

  When I came home today, there was a box and inside were six long stemmed red roses. I thought it would have been from Felix, but it was Warren. I should have known Felix wouldn’t know tomorrow is my birthday. I never told him, and if I had, he wouldn’t remember anyway.

  Warren: I hope you have a great day tomorrow.

  I’d told him that I would be with Felix and his family. I don’t want either of them to be surprised about what I’m doing. My therapist is pushing me to either choose one or be single. She wants me to focus on my life and having two relationships is taking from the focus.

  Me: I will. I’ll see you Sunday after the game.

  Warren: It’s a date.

  I’d told Warren I can’t miss the Angels game, but when the game is over, we’re going to have dinner together.

  I sit Felix’s book on the coffee table and put mine on my bookshelf. I have my outfit sitting out and ready for tomorrow. I’m going with a light pair of skinny jeans that I think make my ass look great and a soft pink, capped sleeve shirt and matching flats. I know that we’ll be doing a lot of walking.

  Me: Please don’t forget that I’ll be there at nine.

  Felix: I remember because Mom keeps reminding me, too.

  I don’t know if I should tell him that he forgot the signing, but it’s not like this isn’t the first time he’s missed something.

  Me: LA took me to the Church signing. I got you a book.

  Felix: Damn it! I knew I was forgetting something tonight. Why didn’t you remind me?

  Me: You have family in town. I’ll talk to you in the morning. AT NINE!

  Felix: Yes, I know.

  I can almost see him rolling his eyes and I laugh at the screen. I think tomorrow is going to be fun. At least, I hope so.

  I’VE BEEN STANDING outside of Felix’s door for two minutes. I can hear laughing inside and I’m nervous. I’ve never been in his apartment, and I’m meeting his family. Man, this is crazy. I quickly rap on the door four times and shake out my hands to get them to calm down.

  Felix answers the door and smiles. He steps to the side and I walk in. His apartment is simple. There isn’t much furniture and I’m not surprised. Felix’s mother, Marie, is the first to greet me. I can see where Felix gets his eyes. Stanley, Felix’s dad, is tall and chunkier. However, it’s Kevin and Lewis that make me do a double take. The brothers and Felix could almost be triplets. Felix is taller than the other two, but not by much. They all have the same eyes, grins, and even the same shade of hair.

  “It’s nice to meet y’all.” I smile at them.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you.” Marie stands right next to me. She’s taller than I am, and she’s very inviting. “I’ve heard so much about you, but not from Felix. He tends to forget he has parents during baseball season.” She has a mean look on her face as she glances at Felix.

  “He forgets everything during baseball season. You do remember to bathe, right, son?” Stanley chuckles.

  “Yes, I do.” Felix sounds frustrated. “I don’t forget everything. Aren’t you supposed to make me look good in front of girls? Not make me look worse?”

  Lewis slaps me on the back. “You shouldn’t have invited her then because we’re going to tell her the truth. You’re screwed.”

  Felix shrugs. “She’ll still like me anyway, right, Abigail?”

  “Depends on what secrets they tell me.” I laugh.

  Marie puts her arm around my shoulder. “I like you already, Abby. Now, I’m ready to see some sights. Felix, did you rent a van or are we going to turn your sports car into a clown car?”

  “Case Number One: I didn’t forget to do that.” He grabs the keys. “Let’s go.”

  Stanley smiles at his son. “I’m impressed, Felix.”

  Everyone heads downstairs and piles into the rented van. Felix is driving and Stanley is next to him. Marie and I sit in the middle row and the brothers are in the back.

  “Okay,” I announce. “Is anyone hungry or are we going to sightsee first?”

  “We’ve eaten already, Abby,” Marie states and I like that she calls me Abby. “I’m ready to explore.” She sounds very excited.

  “All right.” I smile at her. “Let’s head out then.”

  On the way to the middle of town, I point out certain things. Marie is the only one who is really paying attention. We walk arou
nd Beale Street and take a tour of Graceland. We walk around downtown, stop at a few places, and Marie oohs and ahhs over everything. It’s sweet to see Stanley letting her go on and on, and nobody’s complaining at all.

  Finally, everyone agrees it’s time to have lunch and I lead them down to a bar and grill that’s not busy during the day. We all sit around a large round table and I’m between Felix and Marie.

  “Marie, did you enjoy the sights?” I ask.

  “I loved it,” she beams. “These boys are a little tired, but I had a blast.”

  “I thought I saw Felix yawing and Kevin was napping in the back of the van. You think these men wouldn’t be such wimps,” I tease loud enough for them to hear me.

  “We are not wimps.” Kevin seems offended. “I’m not so sure about her anymore, Felix,” he says, leaning over to his brother.

  “I’m not so sure either.” Felix tries to hold back the grin that’s making an appearance. “It’s been a long day, we have the right to yawn,” he tells me.

  “I think I’m with Abby on this,” Stanley jumps in. “Y’all wimps.”

  We all laugh at his attempt to say y’all. The waitress comes over and Felix orders a couple pitchers of beer for us. The waitress smiles at me and I know she’s going to ask for my ID. I pull it out of wallet and hand it to her. She nods and tells me happy birthday as she walks away.

  “Is it your birthday?” Marie asks.

  I feel my cheeks heating up as everyone is looking at me. “Yes, it is.”

  “Felix,” Marie looks upset as she looks at her son. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I didn’t know.” He lifts his hands in surrender. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?” He almost looks hurt.

  “I didn’t tell you because I don’t really celebrate it anymore. I mean, you have one birthday, you’ve had them all. It’s not a big deal.” I try to play it off and the waitress brings back our drinks.

  “Abby, birthdays are a huge deal. It’s time for family togetherness and celebrating your life. I’m sure your parents would want you to spend it with them,” Marie tells me softly and I feel my mouth drop a little bit.