“I do have a real problem. His girlfriend just dumped him. And she happens to be a swimsuit model, with a drop-dead figure and a gorgeous face.” Her nose crinkled at the thought. “And, he’s a baseball player.”

“Ah. The whole Zachery thing. I get it. Forbidden sex. That’s hot.” He leaned forward, reaching for the bottle and refilling both glasses. “Damn. If that doesn’t make for a steam session, I don’t know what does. So where do things stand?”

“He’s away this week in Boston with the team. I was able to make sure he continues his workout.”

“I don’t mean that shit,” he said, looking at her as if she were crazy. “I mean the sex. How far did it go?”

Mentally she debated how much to tell him. “Let’s just say you are right. Girlfriend, it’s hot.”

Terrell chuckled. “I’d high-five you, but it doesn’t sound like that happy a situation. You don’t think you should go for it anyway? Just for the…za-za-zu?”

“I can’t.” Jessica sighed. “Zach was here, and he upset me. Gavin meant just to comfort me and…things got out of hand.”

“Wow!” Terrell’s eyes widened. “And you don’t think—”

“No. Right now he’s hurt and vulnerable. It’s frustrating to him to be on the sidelines, and his girlfriend just dumped him. But once he gets through rehab, and gets back to where he was, he’s going to want the kind of girl he had before. I can’t risk that.”

“Well, that’s a damn shame. I don’t know what to tell you on this one. Except to do what you’re already doing.”

“What’s that?” She looked at him quizzically.

He refilled her glass. “Drink heavily.”

—

Gavin’s phone was ringing as soon as he walked in the door. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was his parents’ residence.

“Yeah,” he said as he tossed his keys on the kitchen countertop.

“Gavin. Haven’t talked to you in a while. How are you doing?”

“As well as could be expected,” Gavin replied, grabbing a cold one out of the fridge. “I’m heading to Boston tomorrow with the team for a series of interleague games. The manager wants me involved, to watch the Sonics play.”

“What about your rehab?” his father interrupted. “It’s really important that you stay on schedule, and get well as quickly as possible. Once you get back in the game, show them you can still hit, then a decent team will pick you up again.”

His neck prickled with irritation, and he felt that sense of pressure he’d known all of his life. “The therapist I’ve been working with took care of that. She called ahead to make sure I can continue my program while out of town.”

“That’s good. You can’t slack off; your only chance of proving yourself is to play this season.”

“I know.” Bitterly he realized his father never asked how he was feeling, how he was doing. It was all about his performance.

And tonight he didn’t feel like dealing with it. “Listen, I just walked in the door. I need to do a couple things before going to bed. How’s Mom?”

“She’s fine. In fact, that’s the reason I called. I looked at the schedule and saw that the Sonics are playing here next month. Are you coming out?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to Boston partly because of the arrangements my therapist made. And like you said, it’s really important for me to move forward and make progress.”

“Right. Well, let us know.”

“Will do.” He hung up the phone, more annoyed than ever. Maybe it was the distance, or maybe it was the result of being around the Sonics, a team that just didn’t take themselves so seriously, but he felt like a racehorse that had been whipped one too many times. He had a moment of wishing his knee would give out so that his father would leave him alone.

He quickly dismissed the thought, yet his anger didn’t fade. He would remain in the East given his injury when the team traveled next month. He discovered he was losing his affinity for everything California.

To his surprise, the idea didn’t make him at all unhappy.

Chapter 20

Boston was a hell of a lot colder than New Jersey in May.

Gavin zipped up the fleece jacket he wore, shivering as he sat on the bench. When their plane had landed at Logan Airport, it was barely forty degrees.

The Sonics didn’t seem to overly mind the weather. In fact, they were playing a little better today, capitalizing on the fact that Boston’s leadoff pitcher was having a problem with location. They’d managed to string together a couple of runs and were leading 2–0.

But even though the Red Sox were having a bad year so far, Gavin knew they could turn this around in no time. Once a team began winning, it helped build momentum and confidence.

Both of which the Sonics sorely needed.

He’d gone to therapy that morning and met Stan. He was not surprised that Jessica had transferred all of his information to the clinic manager, including his rehab routine. So it was as if he were still in New Jersey, and able to continue his exercises without missing a beat.

As he went through his cooldown, he glanced at the manager and had to suppress a grin as he recalled Jessica’s words, that it wasn’t a good idea to kiss him. Not that he had any inclination that way, but he enjoyed the way she used humor as a device to break the tension between them. It was something he liked about the Sonics as well, the way they pranked each other relentlessly.

Even now he could see Cody behind the benches with a can of shaving cream and a couple of paper plates. He wasn’t sure if the cream pies were intended for the Sonics in case of a win, or the Red Sox.

Either way it was bound to be fun.

The crowd applauded and Gavin glanced up to see Pete heading out to the mound to take Chase out of the game. He turned to the scoreboard and saw that the pitcher had thrown over a hundred pitches, which was about right. Chase didn’t want to leave; that much was clear by the look in his eyes and his defiant stance. But silently, Gavin agreed with the manager’s strategy. Chase was simply too valuable to risk a strain for a game that wasn’t critical to the season.

Reluctantly, the pitcher handed the ball to the manager and walked toward the dugout. Even though he was playing for an opposing team, the Boston crowd acknowledged his professionalism. It was amazing, Gavin thought as Chase took a seat at the end of the benches amid thunderous applause, obviously disappointed. The New Jersey crowd wouldn’t be caught dead cheering for a Red Sox ace.

But Boston, he knew, was just as rabid when it came to New York.

Antonio came out of the bullpen, where he had been warming up. The reliever had gotten hurt last year and had spent the winter rehabbing. Although he was back in the game, he was having a tough time.

Gavin watched intently. Antonio gave up a leadoff double, and the next batter drove a single past the shortstop into the hole. As the next guy came to the plate, he nailed a fastball over the wall, sending everyone home.

And no outs.

“Shit,” Pete said, snapping his gum in agitation.

Gavin’s eyes shifted to the scoreboard. Rory Hart was the guy who’d gotten the home run. Jessica’s brother. He remembered her mentioning that he was playing in Boston. And now as he jogged around the bases, Gavin could see the resemblance, though Rory’s hair was more of a chestnut red and he had a stockier build than Jessica. He was undoubtedly a first-class player, and the crowd went wild when he came home.

It was over after that. Antonio never recovered, and although Pete replaced him with their closer in the ninth, the damage was done. Gavin got his answer shortly after the game when Cody greeted Rory with a shaving-cream pie in the face.