Page 42 of The Perfect Game

I nodded, opening up one of the streaming services on the screen and flicking through. “Do you see anything?”

He shook his head, but it didn’t seem like he was really looking at anything. Why was he acting so weird? A flicker of sympathy ran through me, and I wondered if something else had happened between him and his dad.

“Hey,” I said, scooting closer and touching his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“My dad said I could go to the elite camp.” He opened his mouth like he was going to say something else and then clamped it shut.

“But?” Having met David Clark a couple of times, I knew there was probably a condition attached.

Ben blew out a breath. “I have to quit the clinic and work at his office as long as he does every day.”

I leaned back against the couch. “Seriously? You love your job. How are you going to have time to practice?”

“I’ll do what I can. He said I need to take time off from things, to refocus.”

“So making you work double shifts is the way to do that? That’s not right, Ben. You’re still in high school. Doesn’t he remember what that was like?”

Silence surrounded us as I watched the emotions play across his face. “I just don’t know if I can go against him on this. I really want to go to the camp, but working all the time seems like a steep price to pay for a week away.”

I waved my hands for emphasis as I said, “Yes! Why is he so worried about you anyway? You’re a really good kid who’s probably only been in trouble once in his whole life.” Not that I’d done anything terrible either, thanks to friends like Penny and Brynn.

Ben turned to look at me, his eyes searching my face for something before he decided to speak. “I think he’s worried I’ll be let down by baseball like he was as a teenager.”

“What are you going to do, then?”

“I mean, this camp always has some of the top college recruiters and if I can learn a few tips for pitching, or even strategy, it will be worth the cost moneywise. But once I get back from camp, I’ll have to work for him until graduation. If I don’t go, I’ll always wonder what chances for a scholarship I could’ve had, no matter what ones I get offered.”

I smiled. “I think you should go. But I don’t think it’s right to punish you for something you love.”

As Ben gave me a smile, I leaned against his shoulder, enjoying the silence between us. “Maybe he’ll let you off for my birthday, though.”

“When’s your birthday?” Ben asked, his words vibrating through my head as he turned so his chin was against the top of my head.

“The Friday at the end of your camp. So come celebrate with me. We can go do something fun, celebrate whatever you achieved during camp. Maybe I’ll have a job by then.”

“You can probably apply to take my spot at the clinic. John always asks how you are now that you’re done with therapy.”

With a laugh, I said, “I’d be lucky to get that job. I might apply, though, if I don’t hear back from anywhere else.”

Something else was bothering Ben, and as much as I wanted to force it out of him, I didn’t want to scare him into not wanting to talk to me about anything again.

In a softer voice, I asked, “Anything else you want to ask me or talk about?”

He took in a deep breath. “How many people have you kissed? Besides me, I mean.”

His question caught me off guard, and I shifted back in my seat. I tried to read his expression, but it changed from serious to nervous and then back again.

“Not including you, three.”

“Really?” A mixture of relief and surprise flashed across his face.

“Yes, really,” I said, my cheeks heating in record time. I wrapped my arms around my waist, staring at the coffee table in front of us. “A lot of the rumors around school aren’t true, but it’s easier to let them go unanswered than to have people wanting things from me because I’m Steve Gates’s daughter.” I paused again, trying to decide how much to tell him. But since he’d asked me directly, I wanted him to know. I didn’t need secrets between us.

“My first kiss was at a beginning-of-school party during freshman year on a dare. Actually my first two were dares. And then number three was James last winter, who I found kissing someone else a week later. All the other guys I dated were just guys I talked to in my classes. I’d be interested in them for a week or two, and then they’d just stop talking to me.” I finally looked in his direction, curious how he was taking all the information. He looked thoughtful but not like he was ready to run away. “What about you? How many girls have you kissed?”

His eyes went wide, and he let out a nervous laugh. “Umm, you’re my first kiss.”

“Wait, what? When I kissed you in the car, that was your first kiss?”

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