The Slider (Boys of Summer Book 5) Read online

  Noah shook his head. “Nah, I don’t.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” I told him. “You did really well today, keeping up with guys that do this every day for a living. That’s impressive. If you keep working and stay at this level or better, I expect to see you either playing with me or on an opposing team.”

  Noah mumbled under his breath and I watched as his cheeks turned redder and it wasn’t from the sunshine.

  “Just think about it and remember. You’re good enough.”

  By this point, we’d reached his family.

  “Good enough for what?” Dan asked.

  “Nothing, Pops,” Noah muttered.

  I cut my gaze to him. “Good enough to play with us.”

  Dan stared at me for a few moments while Zoe stared at Noah. Then Dan grinned. “You’re not shitting me?”

  I shook my head, and noticed Chase walking toward us from the corner of my eye. “Nope, not shitting you. He did really well, kept up, and that’s really great for someone his age. Some grown men struggle with what we do.”

  “I have to agree,” Chase said, coming to stand next to me. “I was impressed with what I saw. And if he was old enough, I’d be talking to the owner about getting him.”

  Noah stared wide-eyed at Chase with his mouth open.

  “I hope y’all enjoyed the tour,” Chase continued.

  They all nodded. “Vaughn is going to show you the locker room since it’s cleared out, then Emma will be waiting to escort you to your seats. But I was wondering if Noah might want to stay down here and be a batboy for the game? I realize you’re a little old for that, but I thought you might still be interested.”

  Noah’s gaze snapped to Dan and Zoe, a silent conversation passing between the three of them.

  “Yeah, I’d like to stay,” Noah eventually said.

  “Great. Come back with Vaughn once you’ve seen the locker room and we’ll get you kitted out.”

  “If you’ll follow me,” I said as Chase walked away.

  I led them back down the tunnel to the locker room, opening the door for them to enter before me. I followed Noah around the room, answering any questions he had about the different things in the room.

  But my mind wasn’t on the teenager I was hanging with. It was on his aunt who had a soft look on her face as she watched the two of us together. I knew it was directed at her nephew, but there was a part of me that wished it was directed toward me, too.

  As we finished touring the locker room, I paused and looked at Zoe and Dan. “I’m not sure if Emma is out here or not. I might need to take you upstairs.”

  “No problem,” Zoe said. “After the game, do we need to go somewhere special to wait for Noah?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’d ask Emma. She’s the best person for that.”

  They nodded, and I led them from the locker room, drawing up short when I saw Emma walking our way wearing a pair of jeans and a jersey—which likely had Chase’s number on the back—instead of the smart outfit she’d been wearing earlier.

  Seeing that made me wonder if her girl posse was here, too. And with that thought, I wondered if she would try to indoctrinate Zoe into it today or another day, if I could convince Zoe to give me a chance.

  If I wanted a chance, that was.

  Who was I kidding, though? I put this day together for Noah, but I did it mainly for Zoe, too. I wanted to see her and to make up for those comments I made.

  I wanted to impress her so that maybe, just maybe, I could convince her to give me a shot.

  By this point, I was convinced, all in. I just needed to make sure she was on the same wavelength.

  17

  Zoe

  I’m here for Noah.

  I’m here for Noah.

  I’m here for Noah.

  Maybe if I repeated that to myself enough for the rest of the evening, I’d be able to remember that the only reason I was at Spartan Stadium was for my nephew, Noah, who was having the time of his life.

  He’d been giddy since waking this morning, and I thought I’d have to get him to run around the block a few times to work the energy out before we got here.

  But he’d calmed once we arrived and were led below, where Jacob met us.

  I was surprised he was the one showing us around, though I probably shouldn’t have been considering he was the one that organized this entire excursion.

  So I followed along as he showed us the bowels of the stadium and then the field before taking Noah with him for warm-ups.

  And I didn’t for one second think about how hot he looked in his uniform.

  Or how great he was with Noah.

  Or how much I really wanted to hug him for what he was doing for Noah.

  Or any other salacious thoughts I definitely shouldn’t be having toward him considering I was here for Noah.

  “Noah’s never gonna stop talking about this,” Dad muttered.

  I snorted. “You’ve got that right. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t ask to print out some of the photos we’ve gotten today.”

  We were both silent as we watched Noah follow Jacob back toward the dugout, only glancing back toward us once.

  “Are y’all ready to head to your seats?” a woman asked from behind us.

  I turned to see the woman from earlier, I thought her name was Emma, standing behind us, smiling. She’d changed from earlier and was more dressed down and looked ready for the game, herself.

  “Sure.”

  She led us away from the field, and glanced over her shoulder at us.

  “How was everything?” Emma asked as she pressed a button to call an elevator.

  “Great,” I said, smiling. “Noah is having the time of his life. Thank you so much for letting him come.”

  Emma grinned at the two of us as the elevator doors opened. “Don’t thank me. It was all Vaughn. He asked Chase, then came to see me. I helped to smooth the way, is all.”

  “Either way, it’s been great. Better than we hoped.”

  “Good.”

  We were quiet as we rode the elevator up. As we went, I briefly wondered where our seats were. I figured they’d be in the main stands, but with how much the elevator was going up, I was thinking we might have better tickets than the general stands.

  Sure enough, a few moments later, the elevator dinged and opened up to a lobby.

  “Your seats are for the Sky Box up here,” Emma said, leading us away from what looked like an office area and toward a short hallway with a door at the end. “Your drinks and food will be complimentary up here, courtesy of the team.”

  “Oh, wow,” I murmured as Emma pushed through the door, showing us into another lobby, this one more opulent than the other.

  My eyes widened as I stared. There was a wall mural directly across from a bank of elevators. Larger than life players stared back at me, and my eyes immediately zeroed in on Jacob’s likeness.

  “Right through here are your seats.” Emma pushed through a glass door and led us into a large, open space.

  There was a buffet to my right and a bar to my left. Right in front of us was a large bank of glass that showed the entire field.

  I was sure my eyes were as big as saucers as I took everything in.

  “I’ve never been up here,” Dad said, awe in his voice.

  I glanced at him and saw the same shock on his face that I was sure was reflected on mine.

  “Help yourselves. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  Dad immediately walked over to the buffet and grabbed a plate. I chuckled at the sight. Noah would do the same if he were with us. Those two could put away some food.

  I looked back at Emma and shook my head. “No, I think we’re set. Thank you so much, again, for everything.”

  She grinned. “It’s my pleasure. Especially…” She glanced around before stepping closer and lowering her voice. “Especially for someone special to Jacob.”

  My face heated, and I knew I had to look like a tomato. “
I’m not—there’s not—“ I sputtered, not sure what to say or do to dissuade Emma of whatever she was thinking.

  She laughed and shook her head. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.” She grinned. “I think it’s cute that you’re like this. I don’t know Jacob all that well, but you seem well matched.”

  My face burned hotter, which I didn’t think was possible.

  “You’re so cute!” Emma said with a tinkling laugh.

  She tilted her head to the side and studied me for a few moments before asking, “Would you be interested in sitting with me and my friends for the game instead of up here? I can make sure one of my staff members escorts your father down at the end of the game.”

  I looked back at my dad and saw him happily eating his spoils. I sucked on my bottom lip as I considered her offer.

  It would be nice to sit with some other women instead of my dad for the game. As much as I loved him, he loved to dissect every play as they happened, and I just didn’t have it in me to do the same.

  “Let me check with my dad first,” I told her before walking over to him.

  “You okay if I go sit below?” I asked him.

  He glanced at me, then slid his gaze to Emma before sliding back to me. “Sure.”

  Well. If I thought he’d put up a fight, then I was sorely disappointed.

  “Okay. Emma said a staff member would walk you down at the end.”

  Dad nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  I kissed him quickly on his cheek before rejoining Emma.

  “Right, let me tell you about my friends as we head back down,” Emma said, leading me from the room and back through the door we came through earlier.

  “Callie is a nut and will speak her mind no matter what. Be ready for that. Preston is more low-key, but she can gossip with the best of them. Charlotte is the quietest, but don’t let that fool you.”

  I waited to see if she’d say anything else, but she didn’t.

  Right. We had a nut, a gossiper, and a sleeping quiet person. I could handle four new women.

  Right? Right.

  I gulped as we rode the elevator down to the bowels of the stadium once again.

  Once we were off, Emma led me through a maze of hallways and pushed through a door that led us right to the main concourse.

  I blinked as I realized where we were.

  “You want a beer before we sit?” Emma asked, walking toward one of the vendors.

  “Sure.”

  We ordered our beers, and I followed Emma as she led me to the section right behind home plate.

  As we walked down the stairs, I looked around, immediately spotting three women sitting together, laughing loudly.

  Almost like they rehearsed it, they looked over their shoulders and waved to Emma before their gaze slid past to me.

  I froze briefly as I caught their gazes, but I forced myself to continue on.

  I could do this. I could meet some women and be friendly. Maybe I’d make some new friends. Who knew?

  Either way, I was woman enough to make it happen.

  18

  Zoe

  Emma introduced me to her friends, and I sat between her and Callie.

  The four of them chatted while I set my beer down and craned my neck to try and find Noah.

  “Didn’t I see you on the field earlier?” Preston asked. At least, I thought she was Preston.

  I nodded. “Yeah. They invited my nephew out to warm up with the team and he’s filling in for the bat boy today.”

  I looked at her and smiled before turning my attention back to the field. I glimpsed Noah’s head poking out of the dugout.

  I grinned as I looked at him. He had to be having the time of his life down there with those players.

  “Your nephew is a big fan?” Callie asked.

  I pulled my gaze from Noah and looked at the women around me, nodding as I grabbed my beer and took a sip.

  “Yeah. He and my dad come to a lot of the home games. I think they have season tickets, but I’m not sure, actually. I just know they come to a lot of games.”

  “You familiar with them at all?” Charlotte asked.

  I shook my head and took another sip of beer. “I know they’re our hometown team and that’s it.” I shrugged. “Growing up, we came here on a field trip. And I think I’ve been to two games since. Otherwise…” I trailed off.

  “Wow,” Callie said, eyeing me. “So how’d you meet Jacob?”

  “I went to The Splinter with a friend and he saved me from a gross dude that was hitting on me.”

  The women stared at me, then at each other. They seemed to be having a conversation with just their eyes and I shifted in my seat, feeling awkward just sitting there.

  “You go to The Splinter a lot?” Callie asked.

  I shook my head, sipped my beer, and wondered why they were asking me all these questions. “That was my first time.”

  Another eye conversation happened.

  “So… are you and Jacob dating?” Preston asked me.

  I stared at her for a few beats before looking at the other women. “Is this an inquisition or something?” I asked. “I thought I was just coming to hang, but if you don’t want me here, that’s not a problem. I’ll head up and sit with my dad.”

  “Guys, lay off,” Emma said from right behind me. “She’s not like what you’re thinking.”

  The other three looked at Emma, and yet another eye conversation happened. I was sick of feeling left out, and this definitely wasn’t what I signed up for when I agreed to come down.

  “You know, it’s fine. I’ll just head up and sit with my dad. I shouldn’t have bothered—“ I muttered, gathering my things together.

  A hand on my arm had me pausing. I looked down at it, then at the person who it belonged to. I expected it to be Emma, but it was Charlotte.

  “Sit, stay. I’m sorry if it seemed like we were grilling you. We just wanted to be… sure you weren’t like some other people we know.”

  I arched my brow, but didn’t sit down again. I wasn’t sold on staying yet.

  “What do you mean?” I asked her.

  It was Callie who answered. “Jacob’s ex-wife is a raging bitch. We wanted to make sure you weren’t like her.”

  I cleared my throat and swallowed thickly. “You’re not the first person to say that,” I said. I hoped I never met her based on what I was hearing.

  “And we might have heard that you were a ball bunny.”

  My spine stiffened, and I glared at Callie. “A ball bunny?”

  She winced as she caught my gaze. “We all realize you’re not.”

  I huffed. “What is it with people saying I’m a ball bunny? First, who gives a shit if I am or I’m not? I mean, really? So what?”

  My voice was rising, and I knew I needed to rein it in before I drew attention to myself that I didn’t want.

  “I’m just going to head upstairs.”

  I shook my head and went to pass Emma, but she placed a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would go like this. Please, stay. I think their questions are done and they realize they shouldn’t have been so judgmental.”

  Emma looked at her friends and I winced at the glare she sent them.

  “Sorry,” Callie muttered from behind me. Charlotte and Preston echoed her. “We didn’t mean to be rude. We just wanted to make sure you weren’t cuckoo or anything like that.”

  I stood there for a few more moments debating what to do, but after a quick glance at the dugout toward Noah, I realized I could see him better from down here than up top.

  So I grudgingly sank back down into the seat and put my things back down.

  We all sat in silence for several very awkward minutes. I wouldn’t break it. I still wasn’t sure about my decision to stay down here, so I wasn’t going to try to make it easier on them.

  “So, what do you do?” Charlotte asked.

  A few hours later, I was much more relaxed and had forgiven the trio for their qu
estions.

  Mostly. I was still wary, but by the time I’d finished my first beer, I’d let my guard down because Callie was damn funny and the others were pretty great.

  “So you work at the credit union?” Charlotte asked me later.

  We’d played musical seats a few times throughout the night, and I was currently sitting between her and Callie.

  I nodded and sipped my second beer. “Yeah. I started working there about six months ago.”

  Charlotte made a noise low in her throat. I glanced at her and caught the look on her face, but she said nothing.

  “What?” I asked.

  She shook her head and looked back at the game. “I want to ask you something, but don’t know how.”

  I studied her for several moments before I said, “Just ask.”

  She pursed her lips and looked back at me for a beat before asking, “Are you and Jacob anything?”

  My face flushed, and I shook my head. “No. He said some… mean things about me that Noah overheard. Today is part of his apology.”

  “But you’re not anything?”

  I shook my head.

  She said nothing for a moment. “But you want to be something?”

  I shrugged.

  Charlotte turned to face me more fully. “What’s the shrug for?”

  I looked down at my beer and I considered if I wanted to say anything to Charlotte about this. I didn’t know her, but she was so easy to talk to and I wanted to talk to someone that might be unbiased about it, but familiar with the situation.

  As much as I loved Cass, she wasn’t that person.

  “I’m interested,” I slowly said, glancing back at her. “But I’m… I don’t know what I am. But I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  “Why wouldn’t you be ready?”

  I glanced at the field in time to see Noah jog out to grab the bat that was tossed to the side before quickly disappearing back into the dugout.

  “I have to think about Noah.”

  “But he’s your nephew,” Charlotte said.

  “I’m his guardian.”