The Rookie (Part 5 of 5)
“Boyer!”
Oh crap. Brent and it sounded like he had one beer too many. Beth braced herself for another bone rattling butt slap.
None came. Mike slid in behind her, forming a protective barrier between her and her team captain. He also gave her a heart warming wink while continuing to talk with that giant pitcher on his team.
“Got another game next Thursday,” Brent boomed. “Need a girl for that one too.”
“I…I…I…” would rather die than play again. Beth searched for an excuse. She couldn’t find one. She wasn’t good at lying.
“She’ll be at the other diamond.” Mike put a hand on her hip. “Where our team’s playing.”
“You stealing my employees?” Brent turned an ugly shade of red.
Her unhappy-at-work friend Dave gave Brent a frightened look and scurried away from the human resources manager he was buttering up.
“She may be your employee but she’s not your player.” Mike’s voice was scary soft. “We all heard you make that clear. Multiple times.” The men at the bar nodded.
Beth wiggled with embarrassment. Brent had been harsh and loud in his evaluation of her abilities.
Brent’s skin was now scarlet. “Is that right?”
“Yes.” Mike’s body pressed against hers. His men crowded around him.
Because he, unlike Brent, inspired loyalty in his teammates. “Boyer, we’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Brent must have realized he was outnumbered. He turned away with a huff.
Tomorrow, she could handle Brent. When he was sober. “Thank you.” She smiled at Mike.
He kept his hand on her hip. She liked it there. “I wasn’t lying, you know.”
“But…” She thought he knew how she felt about baseball.
Mike almost laughed at the dismay written on Beth’s face. His sweetheart was so easy to read. “Many of the girlfriends attend the games,” he took the chance in informing her, watching her reaction.
Those big brown eyes widened with wonder. “Am I your girlfriend?”
He wanted to kiss her, right here, at the bar. “Yes.” The more time he spent with her, the more he knew for certain. She was and always would be his. A member of his permanent team.
“I don’t have to play baseball?”
Clarification meant acceptance. He grinned. “No baseball playing required.”
