Page 80 of Dream Girl Drama

“Who? What game?” Burgess groused. “The one game you should be talking about is the one we’re playing tonight.”

“I hear you loud and clear, Captain,” Mailer chimed in, standing up in the row across from Corrigan. “Normally, I would, anyway. But we’re being challenged by a baseball player. Named Elton. The significance can’t be ignored.”

“Elton from the dog park?” Sig’s attention had been caught. “Didn’t we scare this guy off? Why is he still a thing?”

“He hit on your sister,” Corrigan pointed out.

“She’s not my sister. And by the way, you’ve hit on her, too.”

Corrigan snorted, looked around for support. “Yeah, but I play hockey.”

Sig looked back down at his phone, willing a text from Chloe to appear. “I fail to see your logic.”

“The bottom line is,” Mailer started, “he named a time and a place for this baseball game. Us versus them. We have to show.”

“Have you ever played baseball?” Burgess asked the Rookies.

“How hard can it be?” Corrigan shrugged. “They don’t even wear mouthguards.”

Mailer was nodding along with his friend. “They wear hats, instead of helmets.”

“No pads. Just a little cup over their dicks.” Corrigan curved a hand over his junk to demonstrate, as if it was necessary. “It’s not even a sport.”

“Have fun embarrassing yourselves,” Sig said. “You won’t catch me out there learning a new sport on the spot. I need better odds.”

“If we start losing, we just incite a brawl,” Mailer said, as if that should be obvious.

“Something tells me the new GM won’t like us brawling in public,” commented someone in the back of the bus.

That gave Mailer pause. “So you don’t think I should invite her then?”

“We’re done with this conversation,” Sig called. “Sit down and shut up.”

“Next Saturday,” Corrigan said while collapsing back into his seat. “Nine in the morning. That field near the dog park.”

“Nope,” Sig barked, agitated. No text from Chloe. No call back. What was going on?

“Hey,” Burgess said from the row behind him. “What’s going on with you?”

Sig shook his head. Wasn’t going to answer, but the words just tumbled out, because he couldn’t carry the abundance of nerves alone at this point, especially before a game. He’d get himself killed out there. “Chloe isn’t answering her phone. It’s been too long and I’m getting worried,” he said, turning slightly in the seat. “I hate to ask, but do you think Tallulah could check on her?”

“Does she have a performance tonight?” asked Burgess, taking the phone out of his suit jacket pocket. “Something that might prevent her from answering?”

“No. She should be home.”

The captain grunted. Dialed. “Hey, gorgeous. Have you spoken to Chloe today?” He listened for a second. “She hasn’t talked to her since last week,” he said to Sig. Then to Tallulah, “Could you give her a call? Go see if she’s all right, if she doesn’t answer? Sig can’t get her on the phone...”

Sig had turned all the way around by now, a strange ripple passing through his chest on repeat. “She didn’t speak to her yesterday?” He lowered his voice. “Chloe said Tallulah sent her the article.”

Burgess raised an eyebrow, repeated the question to his fiancée—and shook his head. “Tallulah didn’t send her anything.”

Alarm pitched in Sig’s stomach. What the fuck was he missing here? He whipped back around in his seat and dialed again. Why would Chloe lie about who’d sent her the article? It didn’tmake any sense. Yet. Something wasn’t clicking. He just needed to speak to her and clear everything up. There had to be an explanation.

“Hello. Clifford residence.”

Sig looked down at his phone to make sure he’d dialed the correct number. Chloe’s name was on the screen, but the woman’s voice on the other end belonged to someone else. “Who is this?”

“I need no introduction, but whatever. This is Grace.”

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