“Oh, and nice game, by the way. Uh, you guys won, right?”
“Uh, actually when you left, we started to lose.”
“Nuh-uh,” I argued.
“Yeah, I’m lying. We won 3-1. But we did lose the second game,” he shrugged.
“Oh. I’m sorry. So are you still pitching on Wednesday?”
“Yeah, as far as I know.”
“And where is the game?”
“Across the river in Washington. We’re playing a new team in Vancouver.”
“Hmm, that’s close.”
“Yeah, like twenty minutes, maybe.”
“I think I’d like to go.”
He didn’t say anything at first. I actually thought he was going to give me the ol’ “oh, you don’t have to go” line, but he said, “Okay, but only if you want to. If it doesn’t work out, don’t worry about it. But I’d like you to be there,” he added with a smile.
“Okay, then. I’m comin’ to Vancouver on Wednesday.”
“Awesome, now I know we’ll win.”
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because you’re my good luck.”
“Oh, don’t even put that pressure on me, Tyse.”
“Okay, then pretend I didn’t say that.”
Dawn and Wyatt entered the house, each carrying a box, so Tyse went out the front door to help with the rest.
I began thinking about work for some reason. Friday morning I’d be sharing with listeners a good sports bar to go to. I’d been researching it for a couple of weeks, and so far I’d been to three already. I still had two more I wanted to check out, but if I was going to Tyse’s baseball game on Wednesday, that only left me three days in the week. I could push the segment back another week and go with another find I wanted to share, but I knew I should probably stick to my schedule.
I knew there was a big boxing match on pay-per-view that night at eight, and I also knew the sports bar that I wanted to review would be airing it. I was originally going to ask Dawn and Wyatt if they wanted to go with me—they always had fun doing the social scene with me when the radio station picked up some of the tab—but they mentioned just staying in and unpacking things. Tyse was the only other person home, so I decided to ask my new friend.
“Boxing?” he repeated.
“Uh, yeah, that’s what they’re showing tonight at this particular bar. Do you not like boxing?”
“I do like boxing. Do you?”
I smiled and replied, “I probably know more about it than baseball.”
“Really?”
“Well maybe not, but yeah, I’m kind of familiar with it. So will you come with me? You don’t have to pay for anything,” I assured him. “That’s probably my favorite part of the job—I get a bit of an allowance.”
“You have to pay for your own drinks, bro,” Wyatt said from the other room.
“Oh, yeah,” I smiled. “It doesn’t include getting wasted for free.”
Tyse smiled and said, “That’s okay, I don’t drink.”
“Then Ellie, you’re gonna have to down a few, babe,” Wyatt quipped.
I sighed. That was probably the least favorite part of my job. I didn’t drink either, so I had to take people with me that would have an opinion about the alcohol.
I looked at my sister with a pouty face. “Please, you guys?”
Dawn was like the Energizer Bunny, so I knew she wouldn’t give me a lame excuse. She looked around at the things that had been moved in and replied, “Oh, okay, I’ll go.” She looked at Wyatt with the same pathetic plea I’d given her and he agreed too. I actually felt a lot better that they were going, just so it didn’t feel like I was on a date with Tyse.
The bar was starting to fill up when we got there, but we did get a decent table. For the really social scenes it was a lot better when I had friends with me because it made the experience real. I did go to a lot of things on my own, depending on what it was, but usually bars, music lounges, and clubs were more fun with an entourage.
The night was actually pretty entertaining, and I thought it was especially unique because of the company I was with. Dawn seemed fascinated that Tyse talked to me so much, and later on in the bathroom I had to tell her to quit staring at him.
“He so likes you, Ellie!” she hissed. “It’s so obvious!”
“We’re friends, Dawn. That’s all we see in each other.”
“Maybe for you, but he has a total crush on you!”
I had to roll my eyes. “He’s a nice guy. You’re just not used to seeing that side of him. I told you he was a lot different once you get to know him.”
“I’m not getting to know him,” she smiled. “He spends all his time talking with you, not me.”
“Oh brother. If you’d stop hanging on Wyatt long enough, maybe Tyse would have an interest in talking to you. Not everyone is used to seeing you guys all over each other in public.”
“Well I’m sure Tyse is just jealous he can’t do that to you!” she laughed.
“Okay, if you’re gonna make this awkward for me, I think we should just go home.”
“You make it awkward for yourself by not admitting that Tyse is hot for you.”
“Because he’s not.”
“Oh, Ellie!” she hissed again. “Get real, sweetie. You are such a beautiful girl! How could he not be attracted to you? You come to these things all the time and this is the first time I have ever seen you not get hit on a single time. The guys here can only stare at you because you’ve got your own personal bodyguard sitting right next to you!”
I had to smile. “Yeah, it has been kind of nice,” I replied. “I can actually do my work without getting interrupted a dozen times.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well at least Tyse is having a good time with it. All he has to do is look at a guy long enough and it makes them focus on the big screens instead.”
“Nice,” I laughed. “I wish I had that power.”
“I’m glad you think this is funny, but I’m only thinking about you and Gage.”
“What about me and Gage? How does being here affect my relationship with Gage?”
“I don’t know; I just don’t want to see anything come between you. I don’t want there to be a problem because Tyse wishes he could snag Gage’s girlfriend.”
“Oh gosh, that is not going to happen. Look, Dawn… I know you’re just looking out for me, but there are some things about Tyse that you just don’t understand. I wish I could explain it to you, but I can’t. For now let’s just have fun as a group of friends, okay? Well, besides the married couple, we’re all a group of friends.”
She smiled, seeming pleased with the clarification, and we walked out to re-join the guys at our table. The funny thing was that there were two girls standing there talking to them.
Dawn gave me a look and I shrugged my shoulders.
“Feel like breaking their hearts?” I asked her.
She smiled, but I could tell she was a little ticked that Wyatt seemed to be talking and smiling with one of the girls. Tyse was just sitting with his arms resting on the table, not even appearing to acknowledge them. It was kind of amusing because the girl that was standing closest to him seemed like she’d been dismissed, and she was awkwardly trying to get in on the other girl’s conversation with Wyatt.
“Hmm, which one should I punch?” Dawn growled. “The blonde bimbo, or my husband?”
“Neither. Let’s just sit down and observe the awkwardness.”
She only took a step forward, so I assumed she agreed. Wyatt’s back was to us, so Tyse saw us just before we sat down at the table. I decided to just look at both girls for as long as it took to get a reaction. The one that was standing next to Tyse backed off even further, but the other one that was flirting with Wyatt took a few seconds longer. First she eyed Dawn, and it was pretty apparent that Dawn was willing to say something if she had to. But the girl glanced at me staring at her too, and she decided to mumble some sort of departing remark and then left.
“Man, Ellie, if looks could kill,” Wyatt said to me. Apparently he hadn’t notice Dawn glaring at the girl, too. “Why don’t you give Tyse a chance next time.”
“Tyse?” Dawn scowled. “Uh, he wasn’t the one ogling.”
“I was not ogling,” Wyatt chuckled. “The poor girl totally flopped her attempt at a pick up line. I was only trying to be nice so she didn’t completely humiliate herself.” Dawn didn’t look convinced so he added, “Hey, I even said that I was married. Didn’t I?” he asked Tyse.
Tyse slightly nodded his head, and Dawn seemed to soften. Then she commented about what nerve that girl had flirting with a married man, and she and Wyatt kissed and made up. I ignored it all by watching the boxing match on the big screen, and Tyse seemed to do the same.
All in all the night was pretty fun, but the fact that I got home around midnight was probably the worst part. I hated getting up so early for work, especially when I hadn’t slept very well for the few hours I’d tried. I seemed to be pretty slow the next day, but thankfully my job kept me at my desk for the most part.
The bad thing was that I noticed Doug with Belinda Martin several times throughout the day. Belinda held the same position as me doing a lot of the legwork for the station. I knew she was also being considered for the position to fill in for the afternoon show during Gina’s maternity leave. I couldn’t help but feel a bit competitive, and because Belinda had never been very friendly to me, I seemed to think the worst of the situation.
After the third time seeing Doug and Belinda laughing together in his office, I was ready to take a lunch break. However, I was currently helping Miranda with some research, and I knew I was kind of stuck for a while. Twenty minutes later my desk phone rang and Beth told me there was someone there to see me.
“Tall, dark and handsome, with a side of toughness—that’s all I have to say,” she whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
Miranda was fine when I excused myself, and she even insisted that I finally take lunch. I wasn’t going to argue with her, so I grabbed my purse and headed for reception. Tyse was standing by the door like the last time he’d been in, and Beth looked like she wanted to devour him.
“Can you just tell her I’m gay or something?” was the first thing he said when we stepped out the door.
“Sure, if that’s what you want getting around,” I chuckled. “She really is a nice girl, though. A little extreme, but nice.”
“Hmm, well next time I’m just gonna call you instead.”
“That’s fine. So, uh, where are we going?” We seemed to just start walking aimlessly across the parking lot.
“I was hoping you hadn’t eaten yet,” he replied.
“No, it’s now my lunch break.”
By then we had arrived at his truck and he motioned for me to sit in the passenger’s seat. There were take out containers stacked in between the two seats with a couple of sodas. He sat down in the driver’s seat and said, “Well I got Thai food and I was hoping you could eat with me. If there’s not something you like then you don’t have to, but I thought I’d try.”
My mouth watered just from the smell of it. “Ah, that’s one of my favorite restaurants,” I admitted.
“I thought that’s what I remembered from one of your morning things, but I wasn’t sure. I just had to guess with the food choices though, so I got a variety.”
“Wow, I am so excited right now,” I replied.
He looked at me suspiciously and asked, “Uh, are you being serious or is that your way of making fun of me?”
“What? No, I’m not making fun of you! This is so awesome. This restaurant is clear across town, so I never have time to go there for lunch. I mean I don’t always eat out for lunch—actually I usually don’t—but I probably do once a week.”
“I’m not keeping you from a dry turkey and spinach sandwich, am I?”
“Uh, yeah, but I can save that for later,” I smiled sheepishly.
He began opening containers and told me to take whatever I wanted.
“Tyse, this is such a cool surprise. I totally needed this today.”
“The sodium?”
“No,” I laughed. “Just…the thought, I guess. It’s nice.”
He took a few seconds to study me. “So it’s true? You’re not having a good day?”
“Huh? How did you hear that?”
“I didn’t. For some reason I just thought you were having a bad day or something, so I just thought I’d come see you.”
It was my turn to study him. “Telepathy? Is that how you pitch no-hitters? You can read what the batter is thinking?”
With a chuckle he replied, “No. I wish. That would be pretty cool, huh?” We were both quiet for a few seconds as we ate. “So what’s been going on? How come you’re having a bad day?”
I sighed and held up my hand that was still in a cast. “Well if it’s not bad enough with this, I also smashed my other hand in the desk drawer.” I showed him my bruised knuckles on my left hand. “I think I may have been half asleep too, because I believe it took a while to realize I even did it.”
“I shouldn’t keep you out all night anymore,” he smiled.
“I know; you need to stop that. But that was the first thing. Then I misplaced a couple of files that I needed to work on. I can’t for the life of me remember where I put them. I thought they were on top of my desk calendar, but apparently not.”
“Did someone else move them or take them to look at?”
“I doubt it. No one really touches anyone else’s work except the boss. But I’m sure he didn’t take them because that work isn’t due for a few weeks. But anyways, besides that, I’ve got this witchy, backstabbing co-worker that would like to scalp me if she could.” He was chuckling, so I added, “I know, I can get pretty vicious, can’t I?”
“Yes, that’s…that’s pretty bad, Ellie. You should tone it down a bit.”
“She’s not very nice.”
“Yeah, well maybe she ate your files.”
I smiled, but it did cause me to wonder. But why would Belinda want to take my work? She didn’t even work on the same stuff that I did, so it wouldn’t do her any good to have my research.
“Anyway,” I sighed. “She’s been chummy with the boss all day, so I think my chances of temporarily filling in a spot on air are probably scratched right now.”
“Oh, I never thought of you as a quitter, Ellie,” he groaned dramatically. “Buck up, sister. You’ve got a lot going for you right now. And if you don’t get the spot this time, maybe there will be a better one that you’re supposed to have instead. Don’t lose hope.”
I looked at him wryly. “So when do you want to start delivering your inspirational thoughts on-air?”
He laughed. “Uh, never. I don’t do well talking to people.”
“That’s not true. You talk to me all the time.”
“That’s different. I feel comfortable around you. I don’t feel like you’re judging me all the time. I feel like I can just be who I am without expecting any criticism or hostility.”
It felt good to hear that, but I felt guilty at the same time. “Well, you’re wrong about one thing. I did judge you. The first time I saw you I, uh… I really thought you’d just gotten out of prison.”
He laughed when I hadn’t expected him to. “I did. Well not just out, but about a year ago.”
“Yeah, but why would I stereotype you like that? It wasn’t fair. Even though you did serve time, it doesn’t define who you are at all, Tyse, and it wasn’t right of me to determine your personality based on that.”
“Well there’s a difference between forming an opinion about someone right off the bat, and just being cautious in general. You’re a very, uh, beautiful girl, and to face two guys in a parking lot like Nate and I… I’m glad you were careful. I know I kind of worry people because of my demeanor, but I’m used to it. And is it the tattoos? I don’t really understand why a few tattoos can intimidate people like that.”
“It�
��s not the tattoos,” I admitted honestly.
“It’s not? Well that’s good to know because tons of people have ‘em. And it’s not like I’m done over like Nate or anything.”
“Your tattoos aren’t scary or whatever. I mean you only have, what, three? –That I know of. And they’re not unappealing in the least bit. It’s just… Your overall look, I guess. The way you kind of watch everything and don’t say much. It’s when you don’t smile,” I suddenly realized. “That’s what it is. Because when you smile, you look friendly and approachable, and when you don’t, it’s the opposite.”
“Hmm, so I should smile more?”
“Well not if it’s fake. I’ve been seeing you smile more, though.”
“Because I’m around you. It’s easy to smile around you. You have a way about you that makes it easier to be happy. I see it with the other people you’re with, too. And the reason I just observe and don’t speak is because life is easier that way. I’m accountable for less,” he shrugged.
I laughed. “I guess with my job I have to speak, and what I say can really make or break me on air.”
“That’s why you’re good at what you do. The best part is that it’s just…you. There’s nothing about what you say or do that’s phony. It would be nice if everybody could just be like that all the time. I guess with me I feel it’s better not to say anything because I just assume it won’t matter anyway.”
“You just keep people at a distance. Some people are like that. Others don’t care what they say, or different emotions fuel what they say. Dawn is very open. She just blurts everything out that she’s feeling. She’s kind of an open book. Wyatt tends to say what he means because he wants to get his way. The difference between those two is that Wyatt says certain things to get him from point A to point B—he’s an operator—and Dawn speaks her mind truly from the heart. Dawn says things that are strictly driven by how she feels.”
“And Gage? How would you type him?”
“Gage. Hmm. Well Gage and I got to know each other over the phone before we even met. For me it kind of helped because I have a hard time with that ‘get to know you phase’ at the beginning of a relationship. And then I was really nervous when I was going to meet him for the first time,” I smiled. “But I think the whole ER situation gave me something else to focus on, so it helped. In person he used to be a little more reserved at first, but I think he’s more comfortable around me now, and he has an easier time speaking his mind. He used to hold back a lot, just until he could figure me out better and predict how I might react. But now I think he realizes that he can pretty much say anything and I won’t judge him. I might have a response, but I won’t hold it against him. At least that’s what he’s told me.”
Summer Swing Page 17
