Page 117 of The Third Baseman

Music echoed off the billboards once more. We’d won. The game was over. Jupiter had hit the home run which secured it, all in front of The Dodgers scout sitting behind us.

He was still running the bases as students poured onto the field. That was my cue. I pushed past Mallory and ran down the steps as fast as my legs would carry me.

Faster.

Jupiter passed home plate, picked up his bat, then turned. I could see his eyes searching for me where I’d been sitting, and when he finally spotted me, he took off into a jog heading straight in my direction. I launched myself onto him, wrapping my legs round his waist; one hand scooped under my ass, the other still held onto his bat.

“You did it, Jupe. I’m so proud of you! What a game.” His eyes sparkled like the evening’s first stars, and I couldn’t wait to tell him the news. “The Dodgers scout, he was here. He was sitting behind me.”

His eyes flared wide. “Shit, really? Fuck! They were really here?”

I nodded, a grin splitting my face.

He spun his hat round so he could get as close as possible, burying his head in my neck. “I fucking love you, Marn. What a fucking day.”

“I love you, too. I’m so proud of you.”

I held onto him, breathing in his sweat, licking the salt off my lips from when he’d kissed me. I thought my chest might cave in.

This. This was mine. Jupiter was mine. And I was going to do everything in my power to make sure it stayed that way.

17

MARNIE

Present Day

I pressed down hard on my legs, trying my best to halt thetap, tap, tap,but I could still feel them jittering underneath. It was possible I’d had too much caffeine already.

It wasn’t like I’d been mainlining it, but that was only because I hadn’t found a suitable I.V.

Yawning, again, I peered over to the glowing red clock above The Lions’ field.

“He’s on his way up. I just had a notice he walked in downstairs.”

I smiled over at Penn Shepherd’s P.A., Melony. I’d been waiting outside for the last thirty minutes, no doubt getting on her nerves.

It didn’t occur to me that he wouldn’t be here, because he wasalwayshere. Always somewhere in the stadium; usually hovering over me, checking on what I was up to next, sometimes lurking in the hallways, straightening one of the framed team shirts which hung along the walls of the executive entrance.

One time I found him arranging the sweat towels in the gym.

Penn Shepherd washands on.

Even Lowe had started complaining that he never seemed to sleep, and we weren’t yet half-way through the season.

I jumped up as he walked out of the elevator. Finally!

Taking the wad of messages that Melony was holding out for him, he flicked through them, only then noticing that I was standing right next to his office with a large box under my arm.

“Oh, Marnie! Did we have a meeting?” he startled, “or are you trying to make me look bad by being at work before me?”

“No, to both,” I scoffed.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

A wry smile flashed on his lips as he passed by, walking straight into his office. “So to what do I owe the pleasure then?”

I took a second to blink my sight back after being momentarily blinded by the sun hitting his windows. It really was a beautiful day outside. My old office had been underground, in the depths of the Johnson Space Center, and I’d almost forgotten how much better a sunny day made things seem.

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