Page 34 of The Problem with Players

Drew walked over to the display window and slammed her hands against it, leaving her grimy fingerprints on it. Now, I’d have to clean off her prints after they left.

“Hey! Aren’t you like…that famous baseball guy?” she asked, gesturing toward me. “I came into town and heard people talking about you.”

“That’s me,” I mumbled.

“Nathan, right?” she asked. “Nathan Pierce?”

I nodded.

Wesley looked at me, and his smile somewhat faded. “Avery’s assistant coach?”

“Yup,” I dryly replied.

He held a hand out for a shake. “Oh, hey, man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I shook his hand even though I didn’t want to. “I would say hopefully good things, but if they came from Avery, probably not.”

He laughed and retracted his hand. “So you know my lady’s personality well.”

I ignored his comment. “What can I get you?”

He glanced at the display as Drew kept hanging all over it. He raked his hand through his messy red hair and pointed. “We’ll take some of the pork belly.”

“Just what this guy needs,” Drew said, poking Wesley in his gut. My eyes fell to the gesture, and when I moved back to Wesley’s eyes, he must’ve noticed the daggers I was shooting his way because he took a step away from Drew.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “About five pounds of it. I’m making a special dinner for Avery. A little treat-before-marriage type of meal. She’s been a bit overwhelmed, and I want to make sure she feels loved,” he told me.

“I’m sure what you’re doing will make her feel that way,” I taunted.

“Yeah, and I’m just working as his sous chef,” Drew chimed in. “I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t cut off a finger, seeing how he hardly knows how to cook,” she said, playfully swatting his chest.

I took notes of the hits again.

Wesley took note of me noting said hits.

“Chill out, Drew,” he said with a forced laugh.

She leaned in and licked his ice cream again. It appeared she had no chill-out mode.

“Do you need anything else?” I asked curtly, still annoyed.

“Just two ribeyes, and we’ll be ready to go,” Wesley said, sensing the uncomfortable energy in the space.

Priya began collecting the order. When she finished, I rang them up and checked Wesley out. He thanked me for the order. I didn’t say anything back. They left, but before I knew it, Wesley walked back inside.

“Hey, man. I know you and Avery have practice later today. Do you think you can keep the whole dinner and our interaction here to yourself? I want it to be a surprise.”

“You want me to keep Drew licking your fucking cone to myself, too?” I bit.

His face flushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not what it looks like. She’s just?—”

“Better get those oxtails home, Wesley.”

“Come on, man. Don’t be like that. From one guy to another, you know how Avery can be. If she found out, she’d make it something it’s not. She’s a bit of a drama queen with a temper regarding this friendship between Drew and me.”

“Hey, Wesley?” I said.

“Yeah?”

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