Page 45 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

“We’re short a player to cover all the bases.”

I hesitated, which was enough for Rosie.

“Everyone, circle up.” Rosie clapped her hands for her pep talk. “It’s been a tough season, but we’re going to pull through. We have grit. We have spirit. And I have dirt on all of you. You’re all terrible at hiding your dumb decisions.”

Wow. This was the worst pep talk I’d ever heard.

“We’d all like to keep those secret things secret, right? That’s what I thought. So Dylan’s going to play with us, but no one’s going to say anything so he doesn’t get in trouble with the Peaks for breach of contract. Sound good?”

The team nodded warily, shooting glances at me like I was the one who’d blackmailed them.

“Excellent.” She turned to me. “No excuses. You’re on my team. Let’s go. Hands in, everyone!”

Just like everyone else, I put my hand in the circle, and we yelled, “Goooooo Asps!” before we split up. This was Rosie’s world, and we were all just living in it.

Our team was in the outfield first.

The clouds had grown more menacing since lunchtime, and I had a feeling practice was going to get rained on. I enjoyed playing with the team more than I expected. Rosie was a strong catcher and loved to slide to the bases. Not ten minutes into practice and her entire backside was dusty from her slides.

Not that I waslookinglooking at her backside. They’d put me on second base, which meant I had a real nice view was all.

It didn’t take long for me to get into the game and feel the exhilaration of playing. Since I was a kid, I’d loved playing sports. I’d had a ton of energy, and my parents had put me in every sport Winterhaven had to offer. I’d loved playing most of them, but Shiloh had been gifted in hockey so that’s where he ended up. Hockey was as good a sport as any other, and I’d rather play on Shiloh’s team anyway, so hockey it was.

It had been a long time since I’d played something just for the fun of it.

It was fun to throw a ball again, even if my arm was rusty. I’d never played on a co-ed team before, and this one was all ages—from older teenagers to someone who appeared to be in their seventies.

I kept waiting for the snide, under-the-breath comments about me, but they didn’t come. They were mostly giving me a wide berth, but it wasn’t filled with animosity. Finally, I let my shoulders relax and enjoyed the game.

The other team struck out, so we switched sides to bat.

I was third in line, anticipating batting more than I really should have.

A small group had gathered to watch, which changed the vibe of the practice. Instead of focusing on the game, everyone’s eyes kept darting out to the observers.

Especially Rosie’s. I studied the group and landed on why. Max was there. And Lily. A little kid in a baseball jersey was holding Max’s hand, and two other adults were there as well, chatting.

I waved at Lily, but she either didn’t see it or pretended not to see it. I wasn’t worried about pictures getting back to the GM. First, because I couldn’t picture him getting worked up over a hometown softball scrimmage. And second, this paled in comparison to everything else.

It was Rosie’s turn to bat, and I returned my focus on her.

“She’s almost as good as me,” Greg said, begrudgingly. “Hardly ever misses.”

The pitch flew toward her, and I could see right away that she was going to swing too late.

“Strike one!”

She dropped her arms to the side to shake them out and then got back into position. She looked toward Max again. He was smiling and talking to Lily, but his eyes were on Rosie.

The ball left the pitcher’s hand and this time, Rosie swung way too early.

“Strike two.”

“Just a second,” I said, leaving Greg’s side to jog over to Rosie. I held up my hand to indicate to the pitcher to wait a minute.

“What’s going on?” Rosie held the bat down to the ground.

“I don’t know. That’s what I came to ask you.”

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