Page 102 of Irresistibly Risky

“Asher!” they yell in unison, immediately running over to me and getting right up in my face. “Have you heard from Saline since you walked out on her at the restaurant? Rumor has it she’s now dating Derek Sandibal of the Yankees. Any comments on that?”

I give the customary smile and wave and start off, keeping my head tucked down as I hot-foot it down the sidewalk.

“How do you feel about Leo Dodd leading the team?” one continues, persistent as hell. “Do you think there’s room for both of you on the Rebels? Care to comment on LA’s interest in you?”

LA? That’s news to me.

Then again, these guys throw shit around hoping something will stick and make me react.

They give up the chase after half a block, and by the time I make it to the pharmacy, I’m positive I’m alone. Only I’m in a pharmacy looking for children’s medicine with zero disguise on. I’m not even wearing a hat. And it gets worse from there when I reach the children’s cold medicine aisle and find about ten thousand different options.

Brand name, off-brand name, store brand, grape, cherry, bubble gum.

I stare at the shelves of boxes and start to panic myself into a sweat. So I do what any brilliant man in my position would do. I phone a friend.

“What’s going on, brother?”

“Callan, I need my second favorite doctor to help me out.”

“You call me your second favorite and expect my help after that?”

“My lady love fixed my shoulder, dude. Sorry, but you’ve been demoted. For real though, Mason has a fever, and I guess Fallon told Wynter that he needs acetaminophen in addition to ibuprofen?”

“Is it just a fever or something else?”

I shake my head in frustration. Like I have real answers to these questions. Doesn’t he know I’m on the clock here? “I don’t know, man. She told me Fallon told her it’s likely a virus. He threw up before, but I don’t know about now. What do I do about the meds?”

“If his fever is high, then you might need to alternate the meds, so he gets better fever coverage.”

“Right. Whatever.” I roll my eyes at his doctor language. “But I’m in the pharmacy and there are about ten thousand options, and I don’t want to bother Wynter when she’s with Mason, and if I call Fallon, I look like a man who can’t handle the assignment.”

“True. Smart to call me. Never let them know all the ways we struggle. He’ll be a year old next week, so you want infant acetaminophen, not children’s.”

My eyes widen, and I take a step to the left where it looks like the infant stuff is. “I totally would have fucked that up. Next.”

“There really is no difference between brand and off-brand, but who are we kidding here? You’re obviously buying name brand, so go with that.”

“Truth. She mentioned dye-free. How can I tell if it is?”

“It’ll say it on the box. Dye-free means it won’t have artificial dyes in it. It’ll be a milky, semi-translucent whiteish color instead.” He starts cracking up. “Actually, it sort of looks like cum.”

My face scrunches up in disgust. “That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He’s laughing his ass off now. “I know, but it does. I will never look at that the same way again.”

“Me either. What do I do about flavor?”

“Kids usually do well with grape or berry flavor.”

I pick up a box of each, read over the packaging to make sure it says dye-free and infant formulation, and then tuck them under my arm. “Got ’em. Thanks, brother. I owe you one. Or maybe not for the cum comment. You do know I’m about to give this to my son, right?”

“Yeah. My bad. I shouldn’t have gone there. Text me later to tell me how he’s doing.”

“Will do. Later.”

I disconnect the call and slide my phone back into the pocket of my track pants. Tugging the two boxes out from beneath my arm, I turn toward the register when I stop short. Joe Cardone is standing at the end of the aisle, staring at me as if I’m a convicted felon. He takes a few steps in my direction, and part of me is reveling in this.

A showdown with him away from the field.

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