Page 26 of Double Play

“I bought a condo for him in the city.” He drops his head down in what looks like a bit of shame. “He’s in and out of odd jobs. He can’t seem to hold one down, often teetering on the edge of sobriety. I wish I could do more.”

“You can only help someone who’s willing to help themselves.”

“I suppose. He had it rough. I feel bad for him.”

“So it’s all because of Henry? The reason you want to stay here?”

“Not just that. I love the kids I coach, I love my teammates, and I love this city. It’s everything. It’s home. I don’t want to move. It’s that simple.” He pushes my plate in front of me. “Enough chit-chat. It’s time for your taste test.”

He has my cheesesteaks cut up for me on a paper plate. I’ve got three different selections. He points to them. “Geno’s is the one with the longer strips of steak, while the others are chopped. The one with the steak chopped up most finely is Jim’s. Pat’s has the Cheez Wiz wit onions.”

“Withonions?”

He smiles. “When you go to Pat’s, you’ve got to saywit, or they won’t give it to you. It’s on the menu that way, and they honestly won’t give it to you if you say it in proper English.”

I let out a laugh. “This town is weird.”

He chuckles. “You have no idea. Oh, and they’ll have Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks at the stadium if you want to try a fourth option. That one is good too.”

“A fourth? I’m going to need to run ten miles this week just to exercise all this off as it is.”

“Be happy that I narrowed it down for you. There are dozens of great places to get a cheesesteak.”

He takes a big bite of his, looking incredibly satisfied as he chews it.

He smiles and mumbles, “I’m a runner too—when my knee doesn’t act up. I’ll go with you. I’ll show you the good running spots.”

“You have a bum knee?”

“I’ve been catching for over twenty years. Of course I have knee issues. It’s part of the job description.”

“If you’re in pain, why don’t you retire? I assume you don’t need the money.”

He shrugs. “I’d miss the guys.”

“Not because you love the game and would miss it?”

“I’ve been playing a long time. I’m sure on some level I’d miss it if I were to retire. Stop distracting me. You need to eat them while they’re fresh. The bread being fresh is important. Eat up, sunshine!”

“You’re very bossy.”

He winks. “You have no idea.”

My face flushes at the insinuation. Why is he so damn hot? And now I’m learning he’s nice too. It’s almost unfair.

I distract myself from his sexiness by diving into the cheesesteaks, taking bites of all three. With a mouthful, I manage, “Oh my god, they’re all so good. I can’t possibly choose.”

“You have to pick one. It’s an unwritten Philly rule.”

I giggle. “I’ll wait until I try Tony Luke’s to make a final decision.”

“Fair enough.” We sit in comfortable silence for a bit as we continue to eat. At some point, he asks, “Will you tell meabout what happened with your fiancé? Q wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“I don’t like to talk about it. It wasn’t exactly a happy time in my life.”

“A brief summary?”

I sigh. “Fine. To make a long story short, I was left at the altar. Literally. It was our wedding day. I was dressed and ready. I received a simple text from him reading,I’m not ready to settle down. I don’t think you’re the one for me. Sorry.”

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