Page 119 of Off Season

He shakes his head. “That’s not any better. It was nice of him to come to the funeral.”

“We were away. I was…umm…helping him out with something.”

“Like what?”

“It’s better you don’t know.”

Bailey wiggles her eyebrows. “They’re taking dance lessons together.”

I sigh. “That was my Christmas present from him.”

Dad’s face lights up. “Dance lessons? That’s wonderful. I remember you begging to take them as a little girl, but your mother felt like you didn’t have time with all your modeling commitments.” He winces. “I should have signed you up myself.”

I don’t want him to feel bad. “You’re forgetting to see your flowers, Daddy. Yes, we’re enjoying the dance lessons. Better late than never, right?”

He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He’s feeling guilty, and I don’t want that for him. I ask, “Now that you’re not housebound, do you and Ray have any plans?”

I see a small smile form on his lips. “I don’t have much saved, your mother drained what we had for her…habits, but I’d love to save for the next few years and then do some traveling. I’ve never been anywhere. Hell, until today, I hadn’t left the state of Florida since your college graduation. What I wouldn’t give to see the world. My time is coming.”

I rub his hand. “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to follow your new adventures.”

Bailey begins to clear the dishes, but I hear a gasp as she approaches the sink. I look at her, and she mouths, “I’m going to kill you.”

It takes me a moment before I realize why. With the kitchen table cleanup, the search for Febreze, and the food delivery issues, I forgot all about the butt plug Cheetah threw into the sink. I can’t help but let out a laugh as I encourage my father to bring his bags into Bailey’s room so I can clean up the sink.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHEETAH

It’s been a weird week. Ripley went into severely premature labor out in California. It was touch and go for a while. We were all freaking out.

Coincidentally, Quincy had just arrived in Florida for pitchers and catchers to begin Spring Training. He was with Arizona and Layton when the call about Ripley came in. They all flew out to California to be with her and the baby, who’s currently in the NICU.

Kam and Bailey wanted to fly out right away, but Arizona told them not to come. She told them that only family members were allowed around Ripley and the baby for the next several weeks. She encouraged them to visit once both were completely out of the woods. Kam and Bailey have been a mess about it. I did my best to distract Kam, and I know Tanner has been doing the same for Bailey.

Tonight was our last dance class. I leave tomorrow to go to Florida for five weeks of Spring Training.

Kam and I are in bed, breathing heavily after an amazing round of animalistic sex. I’m going to miss her.

The thoughts of hotel-room phone sex are running through my mind when she turns to me. “I guess that was our grand finale. It’s been a good run, kitten.”

She pats my legs in an almost condescending manner.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Our dance classes are over. You’ll be in Florida for over a month, and then your crazy season begins. I know there will be women all over you. Pussy on a platter. We’ve had fun this off-season, but things will change once you’re in season. At some point, my season will begin too.”

“It doesn’t mean we have to stop seeing each other.”

She shakes her head. “I know what hot, single professional baseball players do on the road, kitten. It’s cool. I have needs too. We can hook up now and then when we’re both around and feel like it. We can still be friends with benefits.”

Friends with benefits? We’re more than that. We’ve been in a real relationship for months, and she knows it. How can she be so cavalier, like what we’ve shared means nothing?

I look at her in disbelief. “Why are you doing this? We have a good thing going.”

“Doing what? It’s a flingationship, remember?”

It’s not like I don’t know that Kamryn Hart is damaged, but I thought we broke through some barriers. I thought she knew we were more than ordinary. On one hand, I knew this was coming, but on the other, I’m finding it hard to believe that she can be so fucking cold.

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