I couldn’t help feeling somewhat wary around Eric after listening to Chase’s story about Mo. Eric stopped me on my way into the stadium the next day. “Hey, Coach. I haven’t seen you outside of batting practice for almost a week. How is everything? Is cloud nine still a comfy place?”

I smiled weakly. “I’m doing okay. How are you?”

“I’ll be even better when the slump ends. Chase was avoiding me yesterday, or it felt that way. Is he okay? How did things go with Huggins? He never told me the details.”

I mused, “That was strange. It was a rookie player talking to the general manager. How often does that happen?”

Eric said, “It hasn’t ever happened to me. I suspect that could be either very good or very bad. I hope it isn’t the latter.”

I shrugged. “Chase said it was a pep talk. He didn’t get called into the office. They met in the locker room with other guys around.” I paused and then asked, “What’s been up for you, Eric? Have you had any interesting conversations with other people lately? Are the gossip channels busy?”

Eric’s eyes narrowed slightly. I saw the confusion on his face. “I don’t think I know what you’re talking about. I’m doing my thing. I played wingman for Javier the other night. He went for a blonde for a change. I thought he had her, but then the prettiest one in the bar got away.”

“How many women is that this season already? Maybe we should have a wager on how many girlfriends Javier has by the All-Star break.”

Eric chuckled. “Javier’s a good guy. I think he’s a complete gentleman to all of them. He just isn’t ready to settle down at all. He enjoys playing the field.”

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket before I could respond. I pulled it out and read the screen. “Damn, Eric, I’m sorry. I need to run. This is important.”

“Something up? I hope it’s not bad news.”

“Huggins wants me now. The message is from Eckert. He said that I should go directly to the office suite. He says it’s potentially big news.”

“Wow. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. They better not be sending you back to the minors. I don’t think Chase could handle that.” He smiled and said, “I’m not sure I could either. We’ve got a good team going right now.”

“Well, thanks, you’re a good friend, too.” I offered a quick hug, and I hoped I was right about Eric being a real friend. He waved at another player on the way in while I strolled into the stadium.

It only took me a few short minutes to find my way to the office suite. Huggins was waiting for me at the door.

I did my best to smile broadly and said, “It’s great to see you, Mr. Huggins. I heard from Ben Eckert that you wanted to see me. I did my best to get here as quickly as possible.” I didn’t know if my prompt response mattered, but I thought it would do no harm to point it out.

Huggins shook my hand, and he said, “I asked you up here because baseball is a game of opportunities. I assume that you would agree with me on that point, Beck.”

“Oh, yes. I completely agree on that point. Is there a specific opportunity that you have in mind? Maybe there’s another player on his way up that I can assist in pushing his batting success to the next level?”

“No, it’s more personal than that. I’ve heard that you are planning to be a field manager by age 40. That’s a lofty goal, but you’re not 30 yet are you?”

“No, I turn 29 later this season. I suppose you know a thing or two about advancement in baseball at an early age.”

Huggins grinned. He said, “Oh, yes, general manager at age 34. My predecessor here at the Yellowjackets did nothing for the team in that first season. I like to think that I’m helping push things forward. Charlotte has the potential to have one of the best teams in the league. After all, I encouraged the staff to bring Chase O’Rourke up to Charlotte quickly. I saw him in a game at Chattanooga, and I knew that he had greatness in him.”

With a nod, I said, “Oh, yes, Chase is a tremendous player.”

“So I have an opportunity to discuss with you, Beck.” Huggins gestured toward a chair. “Please, sit. Can I get you some coffee?”

I shook my head. “I don’t indulge in caffeine after 10:00 a.m. I started that rule when I was still a player. If I ignore the principle, I get the jitters, and then I don’t sleep well.”

After he poured himself a cup of coffee in the corner of the room, Huggins returned to me and said, “Maybe that’s why I’m not a player. Of course, I don’t have the build for it either, but I’m not careful enough with my personal habits. I’m sure that’s not your case.”

I watched him lower his well-muscled bulk into a chair opposite me. He was an attractive man, and he had a glowing smile on the rare occasions that he looked happy. I said, “I don’t want to sound impatient, but what is this opportunity?”

After sipping his coffee, he said, “I took a call from my counterpart in Philadelphia just a few days ago. He is in the process of working with his coaching staff to rebuild the team. One move that he made was the firing of his batting coach.

“Oh, I did hear about that. I must say that it made sense. The team was second from the bottom in batting average last season. I think the coaches take the brunt of the blame for a season like that.”

Huggins nodded in agreement. “He went on to ask me if I had any suggestions for a replacement.”

My eyes opened wider. I suddenly knew what Meyer Huggins was implying. He called me into the office to suggest that I move on from the Yellowjackets. Chase’s smiling face flashed before my eyes, and a shiver ran up my spine.

Huggins said, “I put in a good word for you, Beck. Don’t worry. I ignored any issues and only made positive comments.”

I asked, “Issues?” He was already climbing to his feet again.

“I won’t detain you any longer. I would expect batting practice might already be starting. I just wanted to share the news, so you aren’t blindsided. It’s not a good thing to be shocked by disruptive news.”

My knees felt weak when I stood, but I did my best to hide my response from Huggins. I shook his hand and said, “Thank you, Sir. I’ll make sure the front office knows if I have any important news to share.”

Chase was upbeat when we met on the field for batting practice. I couldn’t bring myself to share the news from Meyer Huggins. On the one hand, I got a severe lump in my throat when I thought of the possibility of leaving Charlotte without Chase. On the other hand, I knew that it could be the break we needed to be open about our relationship.

As Chase stood at the plate during practice with the bat on his shoulder, he glanced at me and said, “I’m going to pull a little Babe Ruth.”

“Babe Ruth?”

Chase pointed to the right-field stands. “The next ball is going there!”

His confidence was riding high. He was accurate, too. The next pitch landed ten rows back in the right-field seats. Eckert grumbled, “Concentration. This is baseball, not a…g…” His voice trailed off.

I grabbed Eckert’s shoulder and said, “What’s wrong, Ben? Did you forget that it’s a game? It might be serious, but baseball is always a game.”

Eckert growled and pulled his shoulder out from under my hand. He mumbled, “Are you nearly finished O’Rourke? I think it’s time to turn it over to one of your teammates.”

It was another excellent game for Chase. He was still toying with a .400 batting average, and we were all bracing for the announcement of the All-Star game lineups less than a week away. As we left the stadium, I said, “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted tonight.”

“Tomorrow night then?” asked Chase.

I smiled and said, “Tomorrow night. You can come to the hotel, and we’ll shut the rest of the world out. Maybe we can go to breakfast at that upscale cafe you’ve wanted to try.”

“Where I have to sign my autographs with my pinkie held up high?”

I gave him a quick hug, but I turned my head when he tried for a kiss. I didn’t want to provide a show for someone who might be lurking in the shadows. I said, “I’ll give you a call later tonight.”

Chase grinned at me. He said, “Maybe it can be a really long conversation, and it can have a happy ending.”

His smile was wicked, and I felt myself stiffen in my jeans when he mentioned the happy ending. I thought about the comments from Meyer Huggins again, and I couldn’t imagine a baseball season without Chase at my side.