by Megan Ryder
“Bullshit it isn’t,” Cody yelled. “I’m fucking sick and tired of this guy riding my ass every time I miss a pitch. So, I’m not perfect. I’m not the robotic man like he is. Jesus, man, back the fuck off.”
Nick exchanged bewildered glances with Dylan, who was just about shaking with anger. He wanted to grab the young pitcher and shake him so hard or punch him. He wasn’t sure which.
“You say you’re fine? Whatever. As if I give a fucking shit.” Dylan tossed the ball to Nick and stalked back to home plate, snarling at the hitter who stood there staring, eyes wide, at the umpire who studied him with cool eyes.
“You need a time out, Prosser?” The ump asked in a tone that brooked no disagreement.
“Nah, I’m fine. My pitcher says he’s fucking fine, so let’s get this going.”
The ump laid a hand on Dylan’s shoulder and he froze, barely restraining his automatic urge to toss the man’s hand off. “Take a minute to calm yourself. The plate needs cleaning anyway.”
The ump bent over and began wiping the already clean plate with a little broom, taking his own sweet time. Later, Dylan would appreciate it but right about now, all he wanted to do was pound Cody to the ground. Nick stood next to Cody, talking quietly to the pitcher, their heads bent together. Cody was shaking his head vigorously but Nick kept up a steady conversation and Cody was slowly relaxing.
God damn it. That should be him out there, calming his pitcher down. How had he fucked up so badly?
The inning ended. Badly. Cody stalked down the steps and into the tunnel, swearing the whole way. Dylan followed more slowly and Nick got in front of him.
“I think he needs some time,” Nick said quietly.
“I appreciate what you did out there, but I need to talk to him,” Dylan replied quietly. “Besides, you’re due up. I’ve got this.”
He took off his gear and headed down the tunnel to find Cody slumped on floor against the wall. He slid down the wall next to him and said nothing for a few minutes.
“Well I fucked up, didn’t I?” Dylan said.
Cody glanced at him, surprise in his face. “You? Aren’t you going to tell me everything I did wrong in that inning?”
Dylan shook his head. “You already know what you need to do. No, I fucked up by not being your partner, your teammate. And I’m sorry.”
Cody sat there quietly for a moment longer, the roar of the crowd a dull backdrop against the quiet in the tunnel.
Finally, Cody sighed. “My shoulder is killing me. I keep saying it’s stiffness but I think it’s something more.” He spoke quietly, as if afraid to say the words.
Dylan froze, the words sending chills in his heart. Every ballplayer knew the impact of shoulder pain in a pitcher, in any player. He swallowed hard a couple of times to get past the dry throat. He had to resist the urge to shake the younger man.
Finally, he was able to speak. “Why haven’t you said anything?”
“I didn’t want to let the team down. I know how you feel about the team,” Cody admitted.
Dylan closed his eyes, realizing what a shit he’d been and just how bad a teammate he’d been. “Damn, man. I’d never want you to risk your future for the team.”
“Even if we don’t make the playoffs?”
“Even if we don’t make the playoffs. There’s always next year.” Dylan shoved himself to his feet and stretched out his hand to Cody. “We need to talk to Sam.”
Cody looked up, a glimmer of fear in his eyes. “What if I need surgery?”
Dylan knew what he really was asking was what if his career was over. “Plenty of pitchers come back from this. Let’s not worry about it until we know more. But I know one thing. If you continue to pitch, you will run into the worst-case scenario and possibly never pitch again so we need to shut you down. Immediately.”
Cody heaved a shuddering breath then nodded. He held out his left hand and Dylan pulled him to his feet and touched his forehead to Cody’s. “I’ll be there for you. No matter what. We’re a team.”
The game was delayed a bit while another pitcher warmed up. Meanwhile, Cody and the trainers made plans for a consultation with the top shoulder doctor on the west coast and the media went nuts. Instead of heading directly home, Dylan texted Savannah and asked if she could take care of Sadie a bit longer. Since it was an afternoon game, a few of the guys thought they’d take Cody out and get his mind off his shoulder.
She replied quickly. “Pick her up at my house when you’re done. You okay?”
He smiled at her text and shot her a smile emoji. The guys went out and enjoyed a nice steak dinner and a few drinks, with Dylan acting as designated driver. It was late when he poured the guys into his SUV and took them home, dropping Alex off, then Nick, and finally Cody, who hugged him and generally was an affectionate drunk.
“Thanks, man.” Cody hung on him, hugging him in typical sloppy drunk fashion. “You’re the best. Looking out for me. I was so afraid to tell you about my shoulder. Wish you could come to the doc with me.”
Dylan grunted as he hauled Cody up the stairs and into the big McMansion the kid had bought with his new contract. He flicked the lights on and surveyed the house, noting that it was a lot like his own. Decorated as if by a professional, with the living room dominated by a huge sixty-five-inch television. The rest of the house was sparse and looked like a showroom. Like Dylan, Cody spent more time at the stadium than at home. He spied the stairs and sighed. Typical.
“Bedroom upstairs?”
“Let’s watch a movie!” Cody said launching himself into the living room and collapsing on a couch, fumbling with a remote.
“I have to get home. Are you going to be okay?”
Cody let his head fall back on the couch, a soft snore emitting from his mouth. Dylan sighed and covered him with a light blanket he found on the back of a chair and let himself out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
He headed over to Savannah’s, noting her sister’s car wasn’t there. Thank God. He wasn’t up for dealing with Lucy that night. He was feeling a bit raw and tired from his day and he was looking forward to some quality time with Savannah.
She met him out front, Sadie on a leash, lunging for him. He loved Sadie up a bit and kissed Savannah.
“You just getting in?”
“I had a few dog sitting jobs so Sadie and I went for a ride. Lucy’s working tonight. I was just stopping in here to get some paperwork to finish up. Everything okay with Cody?”
He grimaced. “You saw, huh? Not great.” He followed her into the house. “He’s scared. No one knows how bad his shoulder is, not yet. It could be serious. At the minimum, he’s shut down for the season, putting the playoffs in jeopardy.”
She turned quickly, a quizzical look on her face. “Does that really matter?”
“The playoffs? As compared to Cody’s health? Not really. But the fans and media may not agree.” He shrugged fatalistically. “We’ll get through it. There’s still an outside chance we can get in the playoffs but I doubt it.”
She glanced around the living room. “Have a seat and I’ll get a few things.”
He looked at her phone and the machine next to it. “You still have an answering machine?”
She poked her head around the corner and blushed. “Yeah. I keep it for the rescue although most of the calls also go to my cell. Press the button. It could be an animal emergency. I can hear it from here.”
He shrugged and pressed the play button.
Hi, Savannah. Tom Clark from Pawsitively Pet Supplies. Saw your picture with Dylan Prosser of the Knights. I guess you’ve taken our suggestion about getting a spokesperson to heart and I’m glad to see that. Once you’ve signed him as your official spokesman, let me know and we’ll finalize our agreement as your sponsor. You know where to find me.
Dylan stilled, shock holding him in place, his hand frozen on Sadie’s head. He had thought she had been the only one not to be using him. Instead, she had been setting him up, not different than anyone e
lse. Saying she didn’t want anything when in fact, she was manipulating him like everyone else.
How could he have been so stupid?
Savannah heard the message from down the hall and, as soon as Tom’s voice started, a frisson of dread ran down her spine. She walked down the hall feeling like a prisoner walking to the electric chair and, when she got into the living room, Dylan sat on the couch, his head hanging next to Sadie, who had tried to crawl into his lap, whining anxiously, sensing his emotions. He lifted his head and what she saw in his eyes, the deep-seated betrayal and sadness, almost gutted her.
“Dylan...” she started.
He held up a hand and struggled to his feet, displacing Sadie. “Is it true?” His voice was hoarse and raw, as if he’d been yelling... or crying.
“Dylan, I can explain.” She stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm.
He stepped back as if her touch repulsed him. “Is. It. True? Did you make a deal with him in exchange for signing me as a spokesman?”
“No, I would never do that, Dylan. Tom said that but I never really agreed. He must have seen that picture of us on our date.” She wrung her hands, wanting to touch him, to convince him, but he had built a wall around himself, invisible but just as effective at keeping them separated.
“Did you set that up too?”
She stepped back as if physically wounded. “How can you think that?”
“I think you’d do almost anything for your dogs, for your rescue.” He began pacing the small room. “I should have known not to trust you. I mean, you profess to love your dogs, to love me, but yet you had no trouble giving up your dog, a dog that you’ve had for months, cared for from the brink of death all because you won’t commit, because you can’t commit to him or anyone.”
She slapped him, visibly shaken at his accusation. “That’s bullshit. It’s my job. How dare you accuse me of that? I loved Carl but I had to give him up to save another dog.”
“Really? So why don’t I see another dog here? No, I don’t think he ever really mattered to you. You say your dogs mean so much to you, that I mean so much to you. You sit here, consoling yourself with your mission and all of that yet you’ve just abandoned the one dog who looked to you for everything. How are you different from anyone else who abandons a dog? But you never really attach to anyone or anything. You gave up Carl. You sold me out.” His voice dropped and broke. “What’s worse is that I probably would have done it if you had just asked. But instead, you had to manipulate me, go behind my back instead of just being honest with me. I just can’t handle liars.”
“So that’s it. You’re not even going to hear my side of the story? You’re just going to judge me and walk out?”
He paused at the door and slowly turned. “Did Tom offer sponsorship if you signed me a spokesman?”
“Not you specifically. Just someone big,” she admitted, her eyes on the floor. “But we never agreed.”
“You never said no, though, did you?” he said quietly.
She shook her head, heart breaking all over again, tears flowing freely.
“I’ll make other arrangements for Sadie. Please give me my key.”
Hands shaking, she took his key off her key chain and handed it to him.
“I assume you didn’t make a copy. I suppose I’ll have to trust you on that. Good bye Savannah. I wish this could have been different.”
And he walked out of the door, Sadie trailed mournfully after him, the screen door clattering shut behind him. Savannah sagged to the floor and buried her face in her hands and sobbed as she had not sobbed since she had been a little girl.
Savannah curled up on the floor, clutching the blanket she had been holding when Dylan had confronted her, sobbing into it as if her heart would break. The room spun around her and she leaned against the chair, resting her head on the cushion, as the tears spilled down her face. She waited for Carl’s heavy weight to come lean on her, pushing his head under her arm. He always hated when she cried, but then she remembered she had pushed him away, adopted him out to a new family. She was alone, as she had always been.
Several minutes, hours, who knew how much time had passed before the sobs slowed to hiccups and finally to shuddering breaths. The blanket was soaked from her crying, and her eyes with gritty and sore from the salty tears she had shed. Her body felt anchored to the ground, too heavy to lift or move, so she curled up on her side, pulling a cushion down from the chair and laid on her side, shivering in the cool night air.
At some point, she heard her sister’s death-trap of a car pull in and she didn’t even have the energy to pull herself together, to put on an act for Lucy’s sake. Lucy sauntered in, smelling of booze and cigarettes, froze in the doorway, then immediately rushed over to her.
“Vannie. Are you hurt? Should I call the police?”
Savannah shook her head, tears starting anew. “Dylan and I broke up.”
Lucy pulled her to her side, hugging her close. “That was one hell of a breakup. What happened?”
Savannah opened and closed her mouth a few times, then shook her head. “I can’t. I just can’t.”
Lucy nodded. “Let’s get you up and into bed. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
Somehow, Savannah doubted it. Her heart had been ripped out and lay bleeding on the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next several days passed with Dylan in a foul temper, snapping at everyone on the team, until even Alex and Nick steered clear. His bat had gone cold, and he was worth shit behind the plate. Sam benched him finally, telling him to get his shit together and clear his head or he’d be catching in the bullpen the rest of the season. Lindsey hid in her room, Sadie keeping her company, so he had no respite at home either. When they did emerge, he got hurt looks from both of them, as if he had abused them or something.
No, he had been in a right foul temper ever since his breakup with Savannah. She hadn’t tried to call him or offer any explanation for what had happened. Not that he had expected it. He had pretty much gave her no chance. No, it was better that he had found out this way that she was using him. It hurt, but better to find out now rather than later, when their emotions were too entwined. He’d been there, done that, has the emotional scars to prove it.
A banging at his front door jerked him out of his thoughts. He headed downstairs and opened the door. Cody pushed his way inside, his right arm in a sling.
“Are you a fucking moron or just an asshole? If my arm wasn’t in this sling, I’d beat the living shit out of you. What happened between you and Savannah?” he demanded.
“How did it go with the doc?” Dylan asked.
Cody stared at him, left hand planted on his hip, eyes shooting daggers at Dylan. “Are you fucking kidding me? I get back here to hear what a complete asshole you’ve been to everyone and you want to know how my fucking appointment went?”
“I’ve been in a bad mood but not that bad.”
“Oh, yes, that bad.” Lindsey leaned over the top railing from the second floor, wearing a t-shirt and tiny shorts. “He’s been a complete asshole. Too bad you’re hurt. He could use someone to knock some sense into him.”
She walked down the stairs, barefoot, and smiled up at Cody who seemed stunned.
Cody suddenly whirled and, with his left hand grabbed Dylan by the front of the shirt and pinned him to the wall. “You’re screwing around on her? Already? You had a grade A woman and you threw it all away for this? No offense, darling.”
Lindsey grabbed Cody’s arm and hung on it like a Capuchin monkey, not able to budge it one bit. “I do take offense. I’m pretty hot too you know. And I’m his sister, idiot.”
Cody’s arm eased then let go. “His sister?” He looked her up and down. “Sorry, darling. I thought he was screwing around on Savannah.”
She snorted. “Whatever. I wish that was what it was.”
Cody faced her. “So, what happened?”
“Beats the heck out of me. He came home late one night raging like a bu
ll about being used and manipulative women and proceeded to get drunk. He wouldn’t even let me drink with him. Then he got like this. Mean, cranky, and downright miserable to live with. Honestly, if I had somewhere else to go, I’d be gone and take Sadie with me.”
Dylan stared at the two of them like a spectator at a tennis match. “Excuse me. I’m standing right here.”
“Yeah yeah.” Lindsey waved him off. “People talking here.”
“So, what are we going to do about this?” Cody asked, angling closer to Lindsey, a hint of a flirtation beginning.
Dylan narrowed his gaze and shoved his arm between the two of them. “That’s my sister. Off limits. Permanently.”
Lindsey shoved at his back. “Ass.”
Cody leaned around Dylan. “A pretty girl like you really shouldn’t swear so much.”
She glared at him. “You do.”
“But I’m not a pretty girl.” He grinned.
She snarled and stalked into the kitchen. Cody slapped Dylan on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go into the kitchen and figure this mess out. You look like shit, buddy.”
He followed Lindsey into the kitchen, whistling an off-tune sound, leaving Dylan in the hallway wondering what the hell had just happened.
Lindsey was busy at the stove when Dylan made it into the kitchen, Cody perched on a barstool watching her a little too closely for Dylan’s comfort. He smacked the younger guy on the side of the head.
“Sister.”
“Hot.”
“Off-limits.”
Cody shrugged and turned on the stool. “So how did you fuck it up?”
Lindsey handed Dylan a cup of coffee, deliberately ignoring Cody but shooting him a pointed look. Then she went back to the refrigerator to scrounge something for them to eat. Dylan was a bit worried about what she’d find. She wasn’t exactly known for her cooking skills and, in the past couple of weeks, she’d almost poisoned him a couple of times with uncooked meat. He’d wondered if it was payback for his piss-poor attitude but he decided not to take the chance.
