Page 43 of Out of Left Field

“I’m good. I find my own dates, thank you.”

“Tell us about him!” Ryan clapped, her long blonde ponytail dancing. Annalise Ryan was a striker for the Tangerines. Her teammates all called her Ryan, which worked out for the best when Anna Sanchez joined the team this year.

I threw myself dramatically on the couch. “What is this? A musical? Is this the part where I spill all the juicy details and you make it into a song?”

“Tell me more! Tell me more!” Ryan chanted.

I wasn’t surprised. Ryan could run circles around just about anybody, but she also loved musicals, romance novels, and rom coms. On an obsessive level.

“First of all. This is a secret. I don’t need anyone spreading rumors about the new manager of the Mantas.”

They all made a chanting noise and clapped their hands. It must be some sort of team thing.

“But yeah…we met that night at The Red Tourist and we’ve been getting to know each other.”

“You like him.” Jeri grinned.

“I do. Which is why it’s all very delicate.”

“He adores you,” Ryan said with a nod. Then she picked up a phone and replayed the footage of us outside.

I really should have remembered they had a doorbell camera. But then again, it was fascinating to watch us come to a stop. To see the way Isaac looked at me when I wasn’t watching. Even the way we moved together…we were two people very into each other, there was no denying that.

“So what’s the plan?” Mei finally settled into an armchair.

“We don’t have one, other than keeping things quiet.” Although we did have another date planned for Thursday night. They had an afternoon game. Afterward I was going to introduce him to Gruber’s amazing seafood. “Actually, can I ask for some advice?”

“From us?” Nan, one of Jeri’s roommates, asked.

“His life looks more like yours than mine.” I waited while they all nodded. “What should I know? About being a good,” I couldn’t say girlfriend because that wasn’t what I was, “person he’s dating.”

“Don’t ever make him feel guilty for his schedule. That’s the life,” Jeri said first, like it was a personal problem she had.

“Yeah,” Phoebe agreed. “I hate the guilt trips. And the jealousy. Don’t be jealous. The fans are just fans. The fame is fleeting and comes with a ton of pressure.”

“I would never be jealous of that.”

Ryan snorted. “Fans can be intense. And if you’re ever in a moment of weakness, it’s real easy to wonder if your significant other is enjoying the attention of others.”

Oh…I didn’t like that.

“Don’t let him suck you into his life,” Nan said quietly. She sat on the floor and tucked her knees up under her chin as she spoke. “Trust me on this one. He’s in the spotlight, in a different city all the time. Next thing you know you’re changing your travel plans, your days off, or your sleep schedule.”

Ryan wrinkled her nose. “I mean, if you get serious, things will change. You’ll both have to compromise. That’s how all relationships work. What Nan means is that it’s easy to get caught up in the exciting lives of athletes and let yours fall by the wayside.”

“Kate would never do that,” Mei said firmly. “She’s too much of a work ho.”

Everyone giggled. And while I was a little embarrassed, Mei was also right. “I’ve graduated to work ho? Are we really using that kind of terminology now?”

She shrugged. “Fine. Stick with workaholic instead. Maybe I’m feeling a little jealous.”

I moved to sit in her lap and threw my arms around her neck. “Don’t worry, Boo. You’re still my first love.” And then I planted a big wet kiss on her cheek.

I was nervous. Everyone was. The air buzzed with it. I was nervous for every player on the team, every coach, all the staff that worked so hard to get opening day just right, even Eli. But I was most nervous for Isaac, mostly because under that calm exterior, way deep down, I knew how much he really wanted this.

I didn’t want to distract him on his big day, so I sent him a short, sweet, encouraging voice message this morning. He texted back a quick thank you with a heart emoji. Other than that, the only glimpses of his day came from news cameras and reporters.

“Oh, Kate.” Eli rubbed his palms together as we looked down on the field from his owner’s suite. “I’m so excited.”