Page 12 of Off Pitch

Harlow is spirited and happy—the antithesis of myself. But maybe that’s exactly what I need. Perhaps I need my complete and total opposite to help me open up, at least a bit. I’m too fucked up to let anyone all the way in, but allowing everyone to see past some of the walls I put up around myself would go a long way.

“So…” Harlow says, reminding me that we’re both awkwardly standing in the hall outside of the conference room after our meeting with Simon. “That was… unexpected.”

I breathe out a sigh. “To say the fucking least.”

“Are you okay with this, Knox? I can’t imagine this will be easy for you.” Her concern is unexpected, but it is nice. It says a lot about who she is when one of the first things she does is check on how the dickhead pitcher is feeling.

I give her a small smile, tilting up one corner of my mouth. “I think I have to be,” I reply honestly. “But if I have to do this, at least it’s with you. You’re tolerable.”

“I’m tolerable?” Harlow brings a hand up to her chest. “Knox Spencer, that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said toanyone.”

“Keep that shit up, and I’ll take it back.”

“Too late. The moment you told me I’m tolerable will play on repeat in my head for the rest of the day.” She’s so much like Cole. That dick will probably revel in this weird as fuck situation, even if it is with his sister. “Well, I’m going to grab a beer and then head to my seat. I’d wish you a good game, but you’re a starting pitcher. One game, and then you have to rest your ass for four days.”

“Kick me in the dick, why don’t you? You go out and pitch one hundred mph fastballs and tell me you don’t need four days of rest.”

“Lucky for me, I don’t need to. You also don’t need to—you can pitch knuckleballs.” She turns on her heel and heads now in the opposite direction. “Have fun in the dugout tonight, Spencer.”

As she struts down the hall, seeming to be at ease with this awkward situation, I allow myself to watch her as she goes. A man can check out his fake girlfriend, right?

I make my way back to the clubhouse after Harlow walks off. I’ve been ready for the game, but I need a quiet moment to collect myself. The past half hour has thrown me for a goddamn loop.

I lay back on one of the clubhouse sofas, pinching my brow, trying to decide if I think this is a good thing or if it will blow up catastrophically in the end. Right now, I have no fucking idea.

The door to the clubhouse swings open, so I quickly sit up, trying to look like I’m not going out of my mind. But it’s Cole who walks in. And he’s already side-eyeing me, so he knows something is up. Did Harlow talk to him already?

“What are you doing back in the clubhouse, Fort?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “You got ready before everyone else today.”

“Oh, I, uh… just forgot something in my bag. That’s all.”

“Then why are you lying on the sofa and not grabbing something in your bag?”

“Of all the people to walk in here right now, it had to be you, didn’t it?”

“And that’s why you’re the asshole of the league.”

I sigh. “Yeah. Sorry about that, man.”

Cole stops and slowly turns to face me. “Did you just… apologize?”

“Shut up,” I say. “The league thinks I’m an asshole, but you know damn well that I’m not.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize like that. What’s going on? Am I being pranked right now? Are there hidden cameras?” Cole looks around the room, searching for any hint of a device recording his every move.

“Why the fuck would I be pranking you?” I have to ignore the pit forming in my stomach at the thought of hidden cameras.

“I don’t know!” he replies, throwing his hands up in the air. “But you don’t apologize for your attitude, so something is up.” He takes a seat next to me on the sofa. “Is everything okay, Knox?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Life is just crazy.” I take a deep breath and turn to face him. “It’s that Axis deal.”

“What’s going on with that?”

I give Cole the rundown on what Axis and Simon said about what I need to do now to get this endorsement deal.

“You need to be approachable?You?”he laughs. “And you need a better image. How the hell are you going to do that?”

“Well, Simon thought a good way to do that is…” I sigh, dreading the need to admit out loud that my image is so bad I need a fake girlfriend to improve it. “Simon wants me to fake a relationship with someone for the season. It’ll help show that the guy who doesn’t let anyone in isn’t as cold as he appears. He says that should help jumpstart my public perception and help me land the contract.”

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