Page 15 of Wild Pitch
He and I shake our hands, complete with fist bumps to our backs, and he turns to her. “But what do you need a dating coach for? Like, no offense but estás dura.” I’ve heard him say this expression to women enough times to know it’s a compliment.
If anything, it seems to make her more sour. “Can you please pretend like you heard nothing?”
We both know that’s not gonna happen, though.
Lucky confirms this. “No can do, this sounds like way too much fun to pass up.”
“Should I pretend I heard nothing?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. “Because I have questions yet honestly don’t need the answers.”
Garcia ignores me. “Rivera, I feel like it’s very pertinent for you to know that I worked part time at a steakhouse for a while when I was in college.”
“What does that have to do with you wanting a dating coach?” He frowns.
“That I know how to use a knife on meat very well, and you’ll discover that firsthand if anyone finds out about this.”
Silence.
Slowly, he raises his hands and starts backing away. “I guess this conversation never happened, then?”
“That’s right.” She folds her arms and jerks her head, conveying that he should go awayor else. And sure enough, dude backs the hell off to the treadmill on the opposite end.Her attention turns back to me and I kind of wonder if maybe I should’ve just put up with the stalker instead.
I spread my feet wide and stand straight. “No.”
“Why not?” she whines.
“Why yes?” I run my hand through my damp hair.
“Because you got the dating thing down pat?—”
I cut her off before she continues. “When have you seen me with a girlfriend?”
Garcia waves that away with her hand. “You’re a smooth talker and women flock to you without even making an effort, which is exactly what I need.”
“Oh, so you want women to flock to you? I didn’t know you batted that way.”
“I do not.” Her brow darkens even further. “What I want is the equivalent. Men flocking to me without me having to suffer so much for bread crumbs of attention.”
I hum from deep in my throat, considering all this random information that I didn’t have on my bingo card. “I still don’t think I’m the right person for the job, especially because I don’t want to.”
“Yes, you are! You just said noncommittal things to Rose and that video has gone viral. Thousands of women on the internet want your babies.” Her hand closes in a tiny but powerful fist and she adds, “I need some of that.”
My little jock brain puts two and two. This must be why I’ve suddenly earned a stalker.
I scrunch up my face. “Wait, what? Women want my babies and you want some of that?”
“No!” The horror in her face almost makes me laugh. I have to stuff my hand against my mouth to stop myself. “What I want is some of your easy charm.”
“So I have charm,” I repeat, cocking an eyebrow.
“Do not make me find my steak knife.”
“Still no.” I sidestep her, swinging my towel around my neck and holding onto the ends, heading to the mats to start some lunges.
“I’ll pay you,” she says, following right behind.
“The Orlando Wild organization pays me a pretty fair compensation already,” I toss over my shoulder.
The hardheaded woman persists. “I’ll do your laundry.”
