Page 18 of Double Play

He arrives at the diner just a few minutes after me. I’m already seated in a booth toward the back.

I’ll never admit it to him, but Quincy Abbott’s presence is known anytime he walks into a room. He’s tall, with overgrown blond hair, curled in the back, that’s always a bit messy and always looks like he needs a haircut. His eyes are sky blue, way bluer than mine, but the family resemblance is there.

Admittedly, he attracts the attention of women, though he’s always so secretive about his relationships with women. He’s never brought one home for us to meet. Not once.

Despite our age difference of five years, we’ve always been close and have fun joking around with each other. He’s severelyprotective of me, more so in the past year than ever before. We might have a little sibling rivalry at times, both being athletic, but when everything went down, he was there for me, and when he had to leave, he called every day to check in on me for those first few months.

A few patrons hold out their hands to high-five him. He’s the ace of the Cougars’ pitching staff and seems to have already ingratiated himself with the often-fickle Philly fans by having a great first half of the season. One of the best of his career. I’m so happy for him.

He smiles at everyone in the restaurant, but his face drops when his eyes meet mine. That’s very unlike him. He’s always happy to see me. In a low voice, he says, “We need to talk.”

I give a big, fake smile. “Good to see you too, big bro. Thanks for the nice welcome to Philly. I’m feeling very loved.”

His face immediately softens as he slides into the seat across from me in our booth. “I’m sorry. I woke up to a million texts about you and Layton Lancaster. And then I saw pictures of you two online at the all-star party last night. What the fuck is going on?”

“Relax. It’s not what it looks like. I’ll explain everything.”

The waitress walks over and takes our orders. After she leaves, I explain to him the whole fake relationship proposal from the owners.

He shakes his head. “This is fucked. They’re using you for your good looks. I won’t let them treat you like this. Why in the world would you agree to it?”

“I’m trying to save my sport. The league is in dire straits. This could legitimately help. Q, you get to play the sport you love for a living, every single day. If our league can’t turn things around, I won’t be able to do the same. Think about Layton’s star power. As crazy as it seems, it actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Why the hell would he do this? What’s in it for him?”

“That’s his private business. If he wants to share it with you, he can. I’m not going there.”

He momentarily lifts his backward hat and runs his fingers through his messy hair. “He’s a womanizer, Z. He bounces around from faceless woman to faceless woman. I don’t want you to be one of them. One of many.”

“I totally agree. I’m not stupid. I’ve been clear with him that this is a business arrangement. It’s nothing more. Layton understands and agrees it’s for the best. He was a perfect gentleman last night.” Sort of. His dancing dick has been playing on a loop in my mind.

He takes my hand. “You’ve been through a lot. He’s no good for you. Keep that in mind.”

“I know. That’s why I insisted on you being in the loop. I knew you’d never believe that I’d date someone like him because I genuinely wouldn’t.”

His face relaxes in relief. “Z, I just want my sister back. The happy, confident, carefree sister I had before that fucking jackass broke you.”

My eyes fill with tears as I squeeze his hand in return. “I want that too. It was one of the many reasons I decided to move here. I needed the fresh start. Away fromhim. Away from the constant reminders.”

He smirks. “It wasn’t to be near me?”

I let out a laugh. “Of course it was to be near you. All of it. The new start, living in the same city as you, and the chance to live and play with Ripley again.”

I see his jaw tic slightly. “How’s Ripley acclimating to Philly?”

“You know Ripley. She’d be fine anywhere. It’s so nice to live with her again. Having someone I trust and love wholeheartedly is priceless. You don’t appreciate it as much until it’s gone.”

“And what about crazy and her twin sister, slightly less crazy?”

I smile. “Kam and Bailey are fine. They live next door to us. It’s just like the good old days.”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh god, I feel bad for everyone in your building. That’s going to be one loud floor.”

I giggle. “True.”

“I do think being back with all your girls will help you break out of your funk.” Ripley and I played with the twins in college. We all lived together for those four years but not since.

My shoulders fall. “I do too. I want that more than anything.” It’s been a long year for me. “What about you? Catch me up on things.”

---