Page 33 of Hitting the Gap

Bailey winced and glanced over at Kia. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

Kia laughed. “It’s all good.”

The next two batters didn’t make it on base either. Great start to the game.

Several innings later, the score was still zero-zero. Pete Saunders hit a nice little dinger in the bottom of the fifth and jogged to first base. The game had seen lots of action for the fielders, but so far neither team had scored a run. Gonzo had been stranded on second his last time at bat. As he took to the plate, Bailey leaned forward in her chair. She didn’t know how the players handled the pressure. She was just watching and her entire body coiled tight with anticipation.

Gonzo said something to the catcher and grinned. A friendly joke? Trash talk? With him, it could be either.

He rolled his shoulders and lined up at the plate. As the first pitch soared across the plate, he swung. The bat connected with a crack and the ball soared toward the fence at center field. Bailey held her breath. The center fielder jumped but couldn’t reach the ball as it soared over the fence just out of his reach.

Their entire row leaped to their feet. Fireworks displayed on the jumbotron as Gonzo made his way around the bases. His home run put the Hawks’ up two-nothing.

Bailey’s heart raced from the excitement of watching her friend hit a home run, and the energy of the crowd buzzing around her. Okay, she took it back. She could entirely see why a person would put themselves through the stress of batting if the adrenaline rush they got when they succeeded was anything close to what it felt like as a fan. That feeling would be addictive as hell.

The remainder of the game was very non-eventful and the Hawks pulled out the two-nothing win over Seattle. As the fans started filing out of their seats, Kendall leaned forward. “You’re coming out for a drink with us after the game, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Perfect. It’s hard to chat properly here, so it’ll be nice to get a chance to really talk.”

Kia leaned over and in a stage whisper said, “Prepare to be grilled.”

“Shut up, I’m not that bad.” Kendall scrunched up her face as she looked at Kia.

Peyton snorted. “Umm yeah, you are. Be glad you aren’t dating Gonzo, Bailey, otherwise she would be relentless.”

Kendall shouldered Peyton, then looked at Bailey. “I promise I am not that bad. I might go a little overboard when you’re dating one of my people, but that’s only because I care. But you’ve known Gonzo forever, so you’re good.” She waved her hand nonchalantly.

“You’re getting off easy,” Kia mumbled.

“I hope you have other things planned for discussion because I’m honestly not that exciting.”

“Oh, I’m sure Kendall can find something to grill you about,” Peyton teased.

“That’s true.” Kendall nodded in agreement. “I’m crazy nosey, so you’ve been warned.”

“Great.” Bailey smiled tightly. Was it too late to back out of this?

Kia looked around the stadium and glanced at her watch. “Alright, should we head down?”

“Sure.” Bailey gestured for the other women to lead the way.

They took the stairs down and Bailey followed the women down a hallway toward a security guard.

“Hey Carl,” Peyton said. “This is Bailey, she’s with Gonzo.”

“Really?” Carl’s eyes widened as he looked her up and down. Bailey’s jaw clenched. Yes, she didn’t look like these women, but seriously, did he have to look so shocked that she was with Gonzo?

She muttered, “Go figure,” when what she’d wanted to say was asshole.

And with one absent comment from some random guy, all of her excitement about the day instantly vanished. Damn it, she hated that something so simple affected her so strongly. So much for all the therapy she’d done over the years. Brad had broken her worse than she’d thought.

Needing a minute to compose herself, she turned to Peyton. “Is there a bathroom nearby?”

“Yeah, there’s one just up on the right.”

“Great, thanks.” Bailey picked up the pace and quickly turned into the washroom. She stood in front of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Sure, she might not be a size two like Peyton, but she was comfortable with the way she looked. Her face had always been pretty and with her new haircut she was feeling more like her old self. Overall she looked pretty good.

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