Page 41 of Curve Ball

Harper left a few hours ago, leaving me to make my own breakfast. As I’m taking the eggs out of the fridge, a knock sounds at my door and I know who it is before I even open the door.

“Hey, man,” Will says, coming in and shutting the door behind him. I wave at him as I head back toward the kitchen. He drops his bag on the floor next to the island, watching.

“What are you doing up so early?” I ask, knowing my boy loves to sleep in on night-game days.

“I couldn’t sleep.” He sits down at the island and watches as I scramble eggs and pour them into the heated pan. “This series is a must win for us. You know that.” We all know that. “Just keep thinking about ways everything can go wrong.”

“Trust me, I of all people know about the pressure,” I mumble as I cook the eggs and put some toast in the toaster. Once the eggs are cooked and the toast is ready, I plate them, pouring the eggs on top. I hand one plate to Will as I sit next to him.

“What did Coach say when he took you aside? I know it wasn’t pretty from the look on his face.”

I grin because he’s not wrong. Coach has never been able to hide when he’s disappointed in us. I always found that comforting when it was directed at others, but when it was me? Not so much.

“He wasn’t happy. He just told me that if I don’t get my act together there would be consequences.”

Will chokes on his breakfast and just stares at me.

“Seriously? Are they that worried?” I know he means well, and it’s nice to have someone in your corner, when it seems like they shouldn’t be.

“Harris, have you watched my play lately? If I was management, I’d be worried too. I’ve been looking like a rookie out there, it’s pitiful.”

“But you’ve been getting better.”

He’s not wrong. I’ve done everything in my power to get back to top form and I’ve spent so much time at the field with Will trying to make sure I don’t repeat these last few games… ever.

“I have been. But they still want to give T.J. a shot… so I have no choice.” I was never one to look too much into what people in this business say, because most of the time it’s bullshit, but there was something about the way the coach talked to me that makes me panic.

“I feel like you’re just being paranoid, I mean, you were fucking MVP last year. The team would be idiots to fuck you over now.”

I laugh because it does sound ridiculous, but it’s happened before, and I remind him of that.

“True, but I still think you’re overthinking this. You just need to concentrate on your game and let the rest go.”

He’s right. I know that.

“So, how’s Harper? I was half expecting her to be here.” He’s teasing me but I know he likes her, it’s hard not to.

“She’s good. She had to go into work early today.”

He wags his eyebrows and I throw a piece of toast at him that he catches in his mouth and chews while grinning. Bastard.

“So things are going good?”

I roll my eyes. This guy is worse than a chick when it comes to gossip. I swear.

“What do you want me to say. That the sex is off the charts? That she’s funny, smart and sexy as fuck and I can’t stop thinking about her?” I take our empty plates and place them in the sink.

Will chuckles behind me as I turn to see a shit-eating grin on his face. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” he says, rounding the island and clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thanks,” I mutter, pushing away from him and going into my room and getting my bag to take to the stadium. When I come back out, Will is waiting by the door. “So what’s up between you and Mel?” I ask, knowing I’m not going to get an answer but wanting to push his buttons anyway.

“What about her?” He acts all coy, but I can see the hint of a smile on his lips when I mention her name.

I shrug. “Nothing, really. I just saw you guys getting cozy. I thought there was something there.”

He shakes his head, picking up his own bag off the floor that he dropped.

“Nah. We were just goofing around. Plus, we’re just helping with her studio. Which is gonna look sick when it’s done, by the way.”

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