Page 16 of Nailed at Home Plate

Today was more for getting my aggressions out before I was tempted to use Jamie’s pretty face as a punching bag. But there was also the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to be anywhere near him. It was as if my feet were trained to have this strict distance between us.

The odd part about it was, aside from my feet, everything else on my body was screaming to be close to him. He had this aura about him that made me want to be near him. He probably gave the best hugs. But most of all, I wanted a front-row seat to one of his very rare, but genuine smiles.

Some days had been better than others. Some days he gave me a reason to hope. And then there were the days that I wanted to high-kick his face. Lately, most of the days were the latter.

The guys liked him. Of course, they’d also like a raccoon they found in the trash who was eating one of their old socks. They all had big, fat, goofy hearts.Taking Jamie under their wing was just another day at the office. Maybe he didn’t act that way around them, only I was blessed with that aspect of him. Or maybe they just ignored his grating behavior.

It wasn’t just Jamie’s poor attitude that had me dancing this morning. It was the fact that his success, his future, rode onmyshoulders. Topper had it easy with the baseball stuff. All Jamie had to do was the same old stuff. Er, well, improve upon it. Maybe the baseball veteran could see something that the major league coaches didn’t.

But me? I had to teach the major league heartthrob how to dance. He had to look like this demotion didn’t affect him. Fans were going to come and see him. They didn’t want to see a stick in the mud. And Jamie was a very muscular, firmly stuck stick in the mud of his attitude.

The odds were not stacked in my favor.

I wondered if I could get the guys to help. Jamie seemed more receptive to their feedback. Maybe I could coerce the guys into convincing Jamie to do something that could unlock his hidden dancing talent. But what? Maybe I could somehow ask them on the sly later. As for now, I needed to dance my frustrations out.

Catching Feelings

IÑIGO PASCUAL & MOOPHS

Iarrived at practice earlier than normal. I couldn’t sleep. Again. Most of the night was spent tossing and turning, the other long hours were spent thinking. I couldn’t get my mind off my upcoming debut with the Sillys. It was looming like the breath of death along the back of my neck. And then there was also the endless deluge of thoughts of Cadence. For whatever reason.

Ever since the interaction in the locker room, Cadence had piqued my curiosity. Well, piqued it more than she already had. The guys had inadvertently alluded to the fact that she wasn’talwaysthis off-putting. I didn’t mean to make the poor woman’s life a living hell on purpose. But maybe I unknowingly had. As much as I didn’t want to be here, it wasn’t fair to take it all out on her. The guys noticed it. And if they noticed it, then Cadence for sure had. The thought made me feel like shit for letting my attitude be my personality of late. It was my fault that I was in this mess.

She was a woman with brains and two tons of attitude. Not to mention the humor to match. Cadence was nothing like anyone I’d ever met. She was a woman who loved baseball. Loved her team. Almostas if she was one of the guys out on the ballfield. The guys said that she didn’t have to go to all the games, especially ones where they rehashed some of the older routines. Game after game, she was a constant presence at home games. As much as I hated to admit it, it was her dedication to the team that attracted me to her. Like, to an unnerving level.

Even with her keeping her distance around me, it only fueled my curiosity and the intrigue about her. What made her tick? What made her laugh? What inspired her to be part of the Sillys organization?

Maybe I was going about this all the wrong way.

As much as I hated the fact that I was demoted away from my beloved team, I had to be here. Ideservedto be here. I wasn’t playing the caliber of baseball that was needed in the majors. Maybe I needed to pull my head out of my ass and stop being in denial. To grit my teeth and focus on the here and now. This was a cold, hard, slap to the face to get my shit together. Would being stuck with the Sillys be such a bad thing? Probably not. Except for the teeny, little fact that I still couldn’t fucking dance.

After watching a few of the ball games, I knew I’d be the one who looked like an idiot on the ballfield if I was theonlyone not shaking his ass in some form or fashion. Either way, I didn’t have much longer to get my shit together before my slated start. Topper let me have a bit more time to acclimate to the team, which I was grateful for. It was just alotto acclimate to.

With the long hours of reflection during my restless night, I concluded that I needed to make a change. Today. Even if I had to hire a private dance tutor. I didn’t want to lose my baseball career becauseI couldn’t get my head out of my ass long enough to learn how to dance. If I didn’t do everything possible to keep my career afloat, I’d hate myself if I just gave up. That wasn’t Jamie Rheems.

The overall Sillys experience was interesting. Maybe, just maybe, a bit…fun. Not just the dancing part, but the game part. It would be nice to play for fun again. To play for the love of the game instead of constantly worrying about stats and numbers and being nominated for awards or the All-Star team. It would be the first time in my life that I wouldn’t be living every day just to strive for something greater.

With my sleepless night of clarity, I settled on resetting my attitude. Sometimes you just had to be a bigger man and admit that you were at fault. Even if it meant shaking your ass around like a jackass.

The southern gentleman part of me pulled at my good conscience to take the time to apologize to Cadence for my appalling behavior of late. Maybe that would thaw out her icy attitude towards me. Maybe just–

At the top of the stairs of the dugout, movement in the outfield stopped me in my tracks. She was an utter vision of grace and beauty floating in the outfield. The woman who’d been the bane of my existence, the subject matter of my thoughts at an alarming frequency, was dancing as if she was the last being on earth and had no fucks left to give.

Cadence was certifiably stunning. As awkward as it was to admit that about someone who was my coach. Stunning in a carefree sort of way. Here she was, in a ballpark, my favorite place on earth, dancing with effortless ease. She glided from foot to foot, twirling through the grass in the outfield as ifshe were one of those ballerinas in the old wind-up music box.

No music could be heard, which made the spectacle almost eerie. The vision of her took my breath away. It was wild, unbridled. Something I’d never seen before.

Her eyes were closed. Even with the size of the outfield, it was rather brave of her. What if someone saw her? What if the grounds crew was lurking about? The last thought made me ball my hand into a tight fist. No one should be staring at what was seemingly a private moment. Yet here I was, doing the one thing I was pissed about any other man doing.

Her fingers and toes came to delicate tips, extending the lines of her mesmerizing body as they expressed the emotion of whatever music she was listening to. Typically, she wore her hair up in a ponytail, but today it was loose and untamed in coppery gold waves. With each twirl, the strands surrounded her like a heavenly halo.

My brain was thinking anything but angelic things as I watched the talent my coach had. I had no idea that she was thisincredible. The dance moves she taught us were usually comical or whatever was hot on social media. But this? This was something I could see on a big stage somewhere. She could be so much more than stuck in Philly dealing with my untalented ass. The strength and flexibility of her body had me imagining just what it would feel like to have her all tangled up in my arms. With legs like hers, she could wrap around me tight enough to go hands-free…

Fuck.

No.

Holy fuck I was literally an HR complaint waiting to happen.

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