His Best Bet: Uncensored (Home Run Series Book 1)

by Laney Smith

  “Everything OK?”

  “I’m not talking to you, am I?” the man spouted.

  Ryan shrugged. “You’re not talking to her, either. Not in that tone, you’re not.”

  “Trust me, bud. You’d be pissed off, too, if you were me. If you came home from vacation and found your window smashed in, wouldn’t you be pissed off? If you were left with a stupid ass note that some wimpy little kid had an accident, wouldn’t you be pissed off? What was he doing in my yard?”

  Ryan smiled and dropped his chin to his chest as he recalled the day he first met Nathan.

  “Is it funny to you? We’ll see how funny it is when you two are paying for the window. We’ll see who’s laughing, then.”

  “I’ll pay for your window. Calm down. It was an innocent mistake. He’s a baseball fan. He was practicing and one got away from him. He wasn’t in your yard.”

  “I don’t really give a rat’s ass. I have wood nailed over my window. Is that your handy work?”

  “Yes, it is,” Ryan said proudly. “Kept the animals and the burglars out, right?”

  “That window is not cheap. You can act like it’s no big deal, all you want,” the man tilted his head. “You look familiar. Aren’t you with that girl over there on Easson Street?”

  Ryan chuckled. “No. I don’t even know where that is.”

  “I know I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  “OK. Well it’s a little early to be out here fighting and screaming. So, how do you want to do this? You want to call around and get someone to come out. I’ll take care of the bill.”

  “No, buster. I’ve got glass shards in my carpeting, thanks to that little shit. This is more than just a window, numb nuts.”

  “OK. What do you want to do?”

  “What do I . . .” the man repeated with a sigh. “What I want is I want my house like it was when I left it. What do you mean, what do I want? What would you want? You played Bob the Builder over there. I’ve got nail holes in my siding. What would you want?”

  “Sell the damn thing. Sell it,” Ryan urged.

  “Sell what?”

  “Sell the house. Then, you don’t have to worry about it.”

  “You’re a fucking clown, buddy. You . . .”

  “My name is Ryan. Not bud. Not numb nuts. Not buster or fucking clown, either. Just Ryan. If you’re so unhappy, sell the house.”

  “Hell no! I was here before that little dipshit.”

  “You’re really pissing me off. I’ll pay to make it right. But, you work it out with me. I don’t want you bothering her or that little boy,” Ryan said as he motioned to Corlay and toward the house.

  “I want all of it back like it was. I want every little nail hole fixed. I want every sliver of glass gone.”

  “Yeah. And?” Ryan said as he shrugged and flipped his hands upward.

  “And, you’re going to pay for it or we’re going to court. In fact, I’m not waiting for you to pay the bills. I want the money upfront. I’m not getting stuck with the bills,” he said before he turned his attention to Corlay. “And you can’t keep sending your kid out for the rest of the world to raise. That ain’t fair. Where were you when he did this, huh?”

  Ryan clawed at his jaw. “I told you. I don’t want you talking to her. You and I can work this out.”

  “Is that scrawny little kid yours?”

  Ryan’s head jerked to the side. “Don’t worry about it. You tell me what you feel is fair. We’ll get it done. You don’t come back over here unless you see that car out here,” he said and pointed to his car.

  “Who the hell are you? Since when are you something around here?”

  “My name is Ryan. Ryan Priest.”

  “Darrell Yarbrey,” the man responded as he processed what Ryan had said. “Did you say Ryan . . . Priest?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Yep!”

  The man started laughing. “Boy! I knew I knew you from somewhere. Didn’t I tell you? I knew you looked familiar. What’re you doing stomping around these parts?” he asked. “Oh,” he said as he subtly pointed to Corlay. “You and her . . . you’re . . .” the man left his statement hanging as he jabbed his finger toward Corlay more obviously than before.

  “Darrell, these two people are like family to me. It doesn’t put me in a good mood when I wake up to someone yelling at six something in the morning. Don’t yell at her ever again. Don’t terrorize that boy, either. I’m asking nicely.”

  “Yeah! We’re cool. Don’t worry about it. I just didn’t know, you know.”

  Ryan’s eyes lifted as he pressed his lips together, his head bobbing once before his eyes locked on Darrell’s. “Maybe it shouldn’t matter.”

  “Ryan Priest,” Darrell said as he shook his head in wonder. “It’s crap what they did to you. Fuck those guys. They’re assholes, you know?”

  “Let me know what you need to take care of your house.”

  “Yeah. No rush. I’m sure I’ll see you around. We’ll have to talk baseball one of these days.”

  Ryan pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “Thanks, Darrell. See ya, later.”

  There was something about Ryan’s glare and his tone of voice that cued Darrell that it was a good time to leave. He lifted his hand and turned to walk toward his house. Darrell looked back, smiling and shaking his head. Ryan watched him until he was content that Darrell was gone. He turned to face Corlay. His stone face melted as he smiled at her.

  “Good morning,” he sweetly said. “Thanks for letting me crash on your couch.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said, indicating the issue with Darrell.

  “I knew that was coming. Six o’clock in the morning seems a little early, though,” Ryan chuckled. “But, I’m not a kid cooker. What do I know?”

  “What?” Corlay laughed.

  Ryan put his hand on her back, guiding her toward the house. “Nathan didn’t tell you? That dude cooks kids. I laughed at first. Now, I’m a believer. I almost peed my pants. He’s scary.”

  Corlay stepped up into the doorway of the house and spun to face Ryan. She wrapped her arms around his neck – subtly friendly – or maybe more. “Thank you. Really,” she said and gently kissed his cheek.

  His breath hitched as he slowly blinked and nodded. “Anytime.”

  They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment before his eyes roved over her face and a smile crept across his lips. His eyes locked on hers again and he started to lean in toward her.

  “Mom!” the little voice called from the living room.

  Ryan chuckled and cleared his throat. “Woo,” he exhaled. “That was . . . so close.”

  Seeing that everything was as it should be with Nathan, Corlay decided she should busy herself getting ready for work. Ryan tempted her, trying to convince her to take another day off and play with he and Nathan. Though she struggled with the offer, responsibility stepped in and Corlay knew, financially, she would regret it if she skipped work. She felt as though she leaned on Ryan enough, already. The last thing she wanted was to be in a position where she had to ask him for anything else.

  After she left, Ryan and Nathan set out to gather Little League registration information. Then, Ryan started looking into his business venture idea. In his perfect vision, he would buy some land, put up a greenhouse, and find someone to run it just long enough to get Corlay hired. Then, she would be promoted and that nursery would become hers to run as she saw fit. He didn’t want her to know that he was involved in any way. He only wanted to be a silent investor.

  In reality, everything in his perfect vision would take a lot longer than he wanted. Instead, the temporary solution was to find an existing operation to invest in. Though it would be a gamble, it wouldn’t be the first time he had taken financial risks. Nervous as he was, he set the wheels in motion and took the first step. After returning to the Brock house, a few phone calls later, Nathan looked up at Ryan with his curious eyes.

  “What is an investor?”

 
“It’s someone who believes in someone else’s dream and they put up money to help them make it happen.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Let’s say you wanted to open your own toy store. You had big plans and ideas for how to get everyone to buy your toys. Maybe you don’t have enough money to buy the toys and the store to put them in. So, you could come to me and say, Mister Investor, if you will buy these toys and this store for me, now, I will pay you back when I sell all of my toys. Then, I will keep the store. See? Does that make sense?”

  “I want to buy a toy store. Will you buy me a toy store, Ryan? Who are you buying a toy store for?”

  Ryan smiled as he looked at his little friend. “I’m not buying a toy store. It’ll all make more sense one day. For now, all you have to know is that I’m trying to help make things better for you and your mom.”

  “By buying a toy store?”

  “No. No, buddy. Forget the toy store,” Ryan chuckled. “Ah boy! That was a bad example. Now, my coolness quotient just plummeted. Great.”

  “Ryan, I have no idea what you are talking about today. I don’t really understand one thing you just said.”

  “Nathan, my friend, it’s not fun, kid stuff, anyway.”

  “I’m not a kid, Ryan.”

  Ryan let out a frustrated breath. “So, Little League, huh? Are we gonna do it?”

  “I’m going to be like you. I’m going to be a catcher. I just want to bat, sometimes, too. I want to bat a lot. Maybe you can tell my coach that I should get to bat more than anyone else.”

  “We have to be fair. All those other kids are going to be your friends. You want your friends to have fun, too, right?”

  Nathan thought about it for a few seconds. “They will. They can bat, too. Just not that much. You’re going to teach me, huh?”

  “I’ll help out, a little. No matter what, though, we stay friends. Deal?”

  “You’re my best friend.”

  “Remember that when I’m pushing you to try really hard. OK?”

  “I don’t get mad at you, ever. Just when my mom tries to make you her friend because I just want you to be my friend.”

  “That’s mean. Your mom is nice. She could be our friend, too.”

  “No, Ryan. Because if my mom is your friend and then one day you get mad at her, then you won’t be my friend anymore either. I don’t want you to be friends with my mom. Just trust me.”

  “We will always be friends. I promise,” Ryan insisted.

  “We should go see Scottie, today,” Nathan said.

  “You want to go see her? I thought you didn’t like her.”

  “Today, I do. Are we going to go see her?”

  Before Ryan could answer, his phone rang. He looked at the screen. He was sure it was Scottie, right on cue. Instead, it was Corlay. He smiled at Nathan as he swiped his finger across his screen.

  “Hello,” he said in his velvety, smooth voice.

  A sniffle came through the phone. “Are you guys at my house?’

  “Yes. Is everything OK?”

  “Yeah. I can’t do this, anymore.”

  “Um, what? You can’t do what?”

  “I’m not having a very good day. I think Nathan and I need some time alone, tonight. I need to figure some things out.”

  “That sounds . . . What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just need to talk to Nathan.”

  “I can hear you crying. What’s going on?” he demanded.

  “Ryan, I don’t want to be mean. I just want you to pack up your cape and go save someone else for a while. That’s all I’m asking you to do. Just leave us alone. One night. That’s all I’m asking you for.”

  “I wasn’t planning on moving in. I’m not trying to push. I’m just worried about what’s getting you down. You’re my friend.”

  “You’ve done so much for us. I really do appreciate that. I just need some time to figure things out.”

  “Bad day at work?” he pressed.

  “I’m like the biggest fuck up. I’m trying so hard. Ryan, just . . . I can’t do this right now.”

  “OK. You need me to walk out when you walk in?” he laughed.

  Corlay sobbed. “I don’t know,” her voice cracked. “I don’t know anything. Just because I don’t screw his brains out? Just because I don’t wear the slutty clothes? I should just go sit under his desk like Shay. Then, maybe -”

  “No! No, no, no. I vote you not do that,” Ryan chuckled. “I have reasons of my own, of course.”

  “I’m in trouble for taking time off to sit with my sick child. You saw him. He really was sick.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I left early that night you sent me the guilt trip photos. Then, I took time off to sit with Nathan. All of a sudden, I’m unreliable and not a team player. Since you’ve come around . . . Ugh! Why does he hate me so much?”

  “It’s going to be OK. Listen to me. I’m telling you, that it’s going to be OK.”

  “I just need to cry. I just want to sit on my sofa, watch some sad movie and cry. Then, tomorrow, I’ll be ready to do this all, again.”

  “OK. But, if you need a shoulder . . .”

  “I just need to find my own legs. I need to remind myself that I can do this. I need to prove to myself that I can do this.”

  “Alright.”

  “Thank you, though. I really do appreciate it, Ryan.”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

  ~TWENTY-THREE~

  When Ryan got back to his mother’s house, it seemed like it had been a week since the incident with Rick, in some ways. It hadn’t been long enough that he didn’t feel the chains pulling him down as he stepped through the door. He visited with his mother for a few minutes, listening to her recount the events with Rick. Oddly enough, her rambling and “funny” stories comforted him. Maybe it was the sound of her voice, because it wasn’t that he was paying attention to the words she said. His eyes locked on her as though he were hanging on her every word. However, his mind was a million miles away.

  After a while, Frannie announced that she was going to turn in for the night. Ryan retreated to his room and fell onto his bed. He wanted to call and check on Corlay. However, he was trying to respect her request for “just one night.” He stared at his phone and opened the text messages, hoping he had missed a message from her or Nathan. Nothing.

  He tossed and turned all night. He would drift off to sleep and then he’d wake himself up, again. Then, he would toss and turn until he’d drift off, again. It was torturous. Finally, he realized he was so excited about being with Nathan and Corlay that he couldn’t even sleep – like a child excited for a day at a theme park.

  When morning finally broke, Ryan rushed through his shower and hurried out the door. His head bobbed with the song cranking out of his speakers. He was going to see his two favorite people and he couldn’t wait to get there.

  Ryan pulled his car along the curb in front of the Brock home. His feet were quick to close the gap between him and the door. He stood on the stoop, knocking softly, resenting the wooden slab that stood between him, Corlay, and Nathan. When the door finally opened, a cloud of perfume washed over him. He studied the woman in front of him, feeling his heart drop to the floor. Corlay motioned for him to come in as she offered a chipper, “Good morning.”

  Ryan stepped just inside the door, staring straight ahead, blinking so fast his eyelids felt beaten and battered. Corlay passed in front of him, her heels clicking on the floor. Ryan arched an eyebrow as he turned his head to follow her with his stare. He felt his blood boiling.

  Corlay’s soft, angelic, natural, girl-next-door beauty had taken on a rougher edge, buried under eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara. The perfume she wore smelled like a mating call. Her curled hair fell around her face and the tight, red micro mini-skirt left little to question. The line going down the back of her stockings, to Ryan, seemed a little less “professional.” However, if there were any question as to what her intentions were, they were quickly
answered by the sexy kitten heels she was dancing around in.

  Ryan watched her for a few moments, wishing he wasn’t seeing what he was seeing. Not here, anyway. Not now. Not like this. Not for this reason.

  “So,” he barked, “who the hell are you?”

  “What do you think? Think this will get me on the team?”

  “Oh yeah. I’m pretty sure that will . . . anything you want. What’re you doing, Corlay?”

  “Two can play this game,” she spouted.

  “The problem is it’s not just a game for two. You do understand that, right? He’s not going to stop the world because you’re caving in. You’re just going to be another trinket in his collection. It’s a shitty job. Why would you sell yourself for something you don’t even want?”

  “I want the notoriety for my accomplishments. I want the promotions and the pay raises. Without this, I will never see any of that.”

  “So, you’re a prostitute? Why not take it to the streets? You’ll get a lot of money out there.”

  “You wouldn’t be saying that if I were going out with you, would you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t. But, that’s the point. You’re not going out with me . . . or anyone else. You’re just going to work, looking like you’re going out.”

  “It’s none of your business, though, is it?”

  “Heh! No. I don’t guess it is. Oh! I forgot to tell you, I can’t sit with Nathan today.”

  “What? Oh, come on. Don’t do that. That’s a cheap, chicken shit shot.”

  Ryan shrugged with an incredulous expression. “It’s true. I can’t do it today. I’ve got stuff I need to take care of. And, just so you know, if you leave him by himself, I will call you in for that,” Ryan said sternly. He carelessly shrugged. “Sorry! He’s too young and I’ve spent enough time with him to know that he shouldn’t be left alone.”

  “Ryan, don’t do this. I’ve already told you I’m in trouble for the time I’ve missed. I need you, now.”

  He stared into her eyes with a cocky, stubborn expression as he pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Yeah? Well, that’s none of my business, either. Sorry.”