Page 61 of Wild Pitch
I think Garcia wrapping her legs around Kim and hugging him from behind as they zoom through the city would be too much for their first date.
Catcher Brat
How do you know about that?
Right. I didn’t tell him or Lucky about this stop first. Rather than fess up, I double down.
Me
Take your damn car, you prick
His three dots appear on the screen but that’s when the curtains swish and Garcia walks out.
The first thing I notice is that it’s funny that she’s still in her sneakers. But then I see the bare skin of her legs and they’re tanned, like maybe she runs in shorts everyday. How did I not know that?
I shake my head. Of course I wouldn’t.
I force my eyes up. And up some more. That’s a hell of a lot of leg. Finally I see the yellow dress she’s in, it’s tight around her torso but goes all the way to her neck and flares out down her waist.
She scratches the back of her neck and my eyes catch on her bulging bicep. “I really appreciate you for figuring out that yellow is my favorite color, but this is too short for my taste.”
“In my defense, I didn’t know it’d be too short,” I say, my voice thick. I guess that if I can see the inner curve of her thighs, a dress is considered too short. “Try the other options, then.”
“Ugh, we’re going to be late to this date,” she says at the same time as she turns around and gives me a heart attack.
The dress has no back. It’s all skin and no bra straps as far as the eye can see.
Of course, this is when the clerk returns with drinks. “Here you go, sir.” I don’t even know how I find it in me to accept the glass of tea without toppling it over. The woman heads over to Garcia saying. “Oh my gosh, you look stunning!”
“Thanks.” Garcia accepts the wine glass from the edge of the dressing room and leans forward in an exaggerated manner to make sure she can sip as far away from the dress as possible.
“Mr. Starr.” I freeze as the saleswoman addresses me. “You must be so happy to be taking this beautiful woman out on a date.”
Garcia and I choke at the same time.
The good news is that she does it gracefully without ruining the dress she’s not going to buy. The bad news is that I spew black tea on my shirt.
Garcia snorts, laughter dancing in her brown eyes. “Serves you right.” With that, she disappears back into the changing room.
“I’m so sorry! May I help you?” The poor clerk is the human version of Munch’s The Scream. It’s almost funny, except my stomach is cold from the spill.
Plucking the fabric between my fingers, I say, “I may need a new shirt.”
“Of course. I can help you select one. On the house,” she adds waving her hands.
It’s going to be easier if I don’t fight her on this, even though I fully intend to pay for it. “Thanks.” I set the tea on the table beside me and try to stand, but she stops me.
“Please, I will bring you some samples. Would you like one in a similar style to what you’re wearing?”
“Er, sure.” It’s a simple button up, so we can’t go wrong with this. “I’m usually a size M, sometimes L.”
“I think you’ll be L from our slim fit with your muscular frame.”
I try not to grimace because Garcia’s hearing all of this and I’m sure she’ll find some way to tease me about it. “Great, thanks.”
A minute goes by while the woman is hunting in the men’s section, but there are no signs of life from the dressing room. My phone is also quiet. Kim didn’t respond in the end.
“Hey, are you alive?” I ask.
