Page 44 of Wild Pitch

I knew I should’ve flown there when he offered for me to come along. I had a video call with a potential client earlier today, and I thought I’d feel more confident if I were in my own space rather than in a strange hotel room. Looking back, I wish I were there, because I’m sure he’s not going to take it easy on himself after this one. It’s not his fault, but I know he’ll take the loss as his own, and it’ll eat away at him.

I turn off the TV and make my way upstairs to take a shower. It doesn’t take long, so I go through a full skin care routine before falling into bed and waiting what feels like hours for my phone to ring. I’m in the middle of editing my last how-to video when it vibrates next to me, a photo of Riggs planting a messy kiss on my cheek while I scrunch my face in fake disgust filling the screen. I slam my laptop shut, tossing it onto the mattress and answering the FaceTime call.

“Hey,” I say, giving him my best sympathetic smile because I’m sure he’s not in the best mood.

“Hey, baby,” he replies solemnly. “How’s my sweet girl?”

I get comfortable, settling myself back onto the pillow as I pull the comforter up over my chest. We’ve made itour post-away game ritual to talk until we fall asleep. I miss him so much, but this is his job for a lot of the year, so I’m getting used to not feeling the heat of his body beside me at night.

“I’m good,” I say, a small smile tipping up the corner of my mouth. I feel like an asshole for wanting to celebrate, but I know he’d be pissed if I didn’t tell him about my day. “I got the account.”

“I knew it!” He says triumphantly, an ear-to-ear grin blooming across his face. “Congratulations, Mayhem!”

I laugh, not knowing why I expected anything less than this reaction out of him. Even though they just lost and he didn’t pitch his best, he’s setting that aside to experience this big moment in my life.

“Thank you,” I reply. “The instructional videos were a huge hit, and the shop owner said she’s already seeing an improvement in her online sales now that she’s getting social media engagement. I convinced her to sign up for three months of consulting, and hopefully, we can make an even bigger impact on her business in that time.” I pause, tears of joy filling my eyes. “I fucking did it.”

“I never doubted you for a second, my little badass.” The look on his face is full of pride, and it makes me feel so good knowing that I’m not letting him down. I know that his investment in me was a part of the hook to get me down here, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to succeed for both of us. I’m just grateful that things are moving in such a positive direction.

I yawn, giving him a tired smile as I pull the pillow from his side of the bed toward me, propping the phone against it. It smells like him, and if I close my eyes and listen to his breathing, it almost feels like he’s here.

“You tired, sweet thing?” he asks, and I nod my head in response. He mirrors me, lying on the opposite side and propping his phone up on what would be my pillow if I were there, taking a deep inhale and letting his eyes fall closed.

“Good night, baby,” he whispers. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” The words are barely out of my mouth before I’m drifting off, almost able to feel his protective arms wrapped around me as I fall asleep alone in our bed.

I wake abruptly, the alarm on my phone blaring in my ear. Normally, when Riggs and I fall asleep together, neither of us hangs up until our batteries die in the middle of the night. His must have gone first this time, because mine is still above twenty-five percent.

I sit up, trying to get my wits about me as I reach over and kill the loud noise. It takes me a minute to remember that Taylor asked me to meet with her this morning before she has to be at work. Apparently, she’s butting heads with some people on their marketing team about something, and she wants to pick my brain since Riggs told her all about my new business. I agreed because she’s been so kind to me since I moved to Daytona, and I truly want to helpif I can.

Deciding to do the bare minimum today, I throw on a pair of cotton shorts and a baby tee, with all my tattoos on full display, and finish the outfit with my brand-new white sneakers. I pile my hair up on top of my head in a messy bun and brush some tinted moisturizer over my face to cover the subtle dark circles I always get when Riggs is out of town. I can’t even deny the fact that I sleep a million times better when he’s home. It’s quite the change from living by myself and doing everything I could to keep my distance from him.

I chuckle at the sentiment, heading down the stairs and toward the kitchen to grab my wallet and keys. We’re meeting at a café, so I skip breakfast in lieu of the large macchiato I plan on having when I get there.

I make my way down to the lobby with every intention of having the valet pull my car around, but when I see what a gorgeous day it is already, I decide to walk the four blocks. Pushing through the door, I’m thankful that the humidity is low and there’s a slight breeze.

I turn toward the café, taking in the sights around me. I haven’t really spent much time getting to know the city, but now that I am, it really is a beautiful place.

Riggs and I haven’t discussed what the future looks like, but I’m starting to think that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay here. I love Hope Harbor, yet the thought of leaving him to go back there twists my stomach into knots.

Maybe I should call a realtor to see if it would be worth selling my house. It’s bittersweet because I worked so hard to buy it on my own, but I really want to put in the effort for this relationship. Riggs shows me every day that he’s all in, and making a commitment to move down here would show him that I am too.

I wait for the feelings of unease to settle in as I consider packing my entire life and starting over yet again, but this time, they never come. I don’t even have to wonder why that is. Last time, I was running from something. This time, I’m runningtoit.

I smile at the thought, putting a little extra pep in my step as I approach the café entrance and go inside. I spot Taylor immediately, raising a finger in the air as if to sayI’ll be right there, before heading to the counter to order my macchiato along with a glazed doughnut, because I walked all this way and now I deserve some extra carbs. Waiting at the counter, I stuff a twenty-dollar bill into the tip jar before taking my breakfast and joining Taylor at her table.

“Thanks for coming,” she says cheerfully. “I know it’s early.”

I shrug. “I had to be up anyway. It’s nice to get a jump on the day.”

She takes a sip of her coffee as I get settled, waiting until I’ve taken the first bite of my doughnut before she breaks the silence. “Okay, so here’s the deal. The fans seem to have forgiven Riggs for the most part, but his jersey sales are still at an all-time low. He’s usually one of our best-sellers, but right now, we can’t seem to move them at all. The marketing department is claiming that it’s not a PR issue, but I feel like it is. That’s why I asked you to meet me. I was hoping that you might be able to come up with some ideas on how we can get him back into the fans’ good graces, because apparently, pitching well and winning games isn’t enough. Short of letting Friggle beat the shit out of him on the field, I feel like there’s not much that’ll make them happy, you know?”

I make sure she’s finished, pursing my lips in thought while I go over everything she said. I’ve been to several home games, and I’ve noticed that people don’t cheer for Riggs until he starts striking batters out. There’s little excitement when he’s warming up, unlike there is for every other pitcher in the rotation.

The solution hits me like a freight train, and I try to work out the details before I say it all out loud. “We need to convince the fans that the two of them have buried the hatchet. Riggs made a public apology for his outburst, but he never went out of his way to say he was sorry to Friggle. That’s setting a bad example for the younger kids, and their parents aren’t going to support him by buying his jersey.”

She tilts her head, and by the look on her face, she agrees with what I’m saying. “Alright, so what do you suggest?”

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