At my apartment, I light my grill and wash the veggies. Tossing them on the grate, I find my remote and plop down on the couch to watch the news. I have this meal down to a science. In fifteen minutes, the food is ready and I sit in front of the TV to eat. Afterwards, I double check my bag. Even though I’ve been with the team a month, I still get nervous, thinking I’ll forget something.
I brush my teeth and shoulder my bag, grabbing a water bottle on the way out. Within fifteen minutes, I pull into the employee lot. Clouds overhead threaten a rare shower, but it doesn’t matter because Phoenix has a dome. I enter the building and wind through the halls. When I open the door, a wall of women blocks my path.
“Zack!” Eva kisses me on each cheek and wraps one arm around me.
“What’s going on?”
“Just here to wish my man good luck.” She blows a kiss at Carlos. “Plus, my friend Mia didn’t get a tour yet.” Her other arm hugs the woman on her opposite side. “I met Mia at the gym. She’s from back east, like you.”
Eva’s other friends plant kisses on each of my cheeks. I greet them with hugs and then focus on Mia. “Hi, I’m Zack. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hi.” With a heavy Spanish accent, like Eva’s, Mia’s word spreads through our long handshake. “Not really back east. Detroit.”
“Mia’s in real estate.” Eva squeezes her shoulder.
“Well.” Mia shrugs out of the embrace. “I’m taking all the courses right now.”
“Cool, that’s awesome,” I offer.
Eva jumps and claps her hands. “And Mia will be at our party next weekend. Carlos said you were coming. No backing out.” She waves her long-nailed finger at me.
“Scout’s honor.” I hold up my palm.
Her eyes narrow. “Well, you’ll have to explain that one to me next week. Carlos doesn’t like me lingering.” She stands on her toes and waves at Carlos. “Right, Carlos? I love you, sweetie! Make a home run for me.”
“You know it, woman,” Carlos shouts from the back of the room.
Eva’s eyes land on me again. “I’ll see you next week.” She kisses me on each cheek and spins to go. The other friends litter my face with kisses again and follow Eva to the doorway.
“It was great to meet you.” I nod to Mia.
“You, too.” She smiles and follows the other women out.
Refocusing on my job, I make dodge around bodies to my station. All the trainers have a couple of players assigned to them. I pull out my list and set the bag on the floor.
Carlos settles on the bench in front of me. “You know Eva brought that broad Mia for you to meet. She thinks you’re perfect for each other—intellectual types, you know.”
“She seems nice.” I grab the tape from my bag and start to wrap his knee.
“Come on, man.” He slaps my arm. “Look how good she looks, all young and pretty, smart, a go-getter like you.”
“Yeah.” I nod my head. “I’ll have to talk to her next week.”
“There you go. That’s my man.” He rolls up his sleeve so I can tape his elbow.
Carlos’s parties are fun. Eva is a great host, and they spare no expense on food or alcohol. With a huge property overlooking the desert, a pool, hot tub, and large enough living room for a DJ and dance floor, the venue is amazing. Carlos and his friends are insane and hilarious, even sober. People watching alone had me entertained at the event I attended last month. Plus, since all the players are invited, there’s no shortage of beautiful women.
I move to Dave, Juan, and Mario, taping knees and elbows where needed. “Hey, make sure you get in a good warm up, no injuries,” I call as they head out to the field. Sometimes trainers get called up to the dugout, but most of the games we sit and watch. We study each player’s form looking for any sign of strain. When there’s an injury, we’ve seen what happened and know how to start treatment. This is my dream job, and I hope to move up through the ranks to become permanent staff. For now, I’m a sub. My assigned players are largely second stringers, except for Carlos, who starts outfield but has a decent batting average for being near the end of the roster.
The D-Backs take the win. I don’t have any hurt guys and make a quick job of unwrapping joints and then pitch in helping the other trainers ice players where needed.
“Carlos did good tonight, didn’t he?” I hear Eva’s voice behind me and spin to face her.
“He did.”
“Mia had to go home. But you’ll see her next week.” She points at me as she walks past.
I roll my eyes and start stowing gear, making sure all the stations are clear.
I wake to sun flooding through the cracks around the shade. Remembering I need blackout curtains, I get up and note it on my shopping list. With school loans, I keep a tight budget, but getting enough sleep is a high priority. It’s nine and there are several messages on my phone from Jeff about the volleyball meetup, Josie and Sam, about hiking at sunset, and a trainer buddy about a workout. I message Jeff that I’ll meet him at two, text Stu confirming for five, and then let Josie and Sam know I already have plans. I intend on being in bed at nine as I’ve got an early shift tomorrow. Starting the coffee pot, I get milk for cereal, and move to the patio. I have an eastern view, so it tends to get hot in the morning, but I appreciate that I can be in the shade at night.
I force myself to sit in the sun to eat and then go inside to read the paper and drink coffee. My video chat app dings, and I see Mom is calling.
“Why don’t you have a shirt on?” Mom asks as I greet her.
“Because I live alone, and it’s before ten in the morning on Sunday.”
“Well, go get a shirt and call me back.”
Rolling my eyes, I end the call and retrieve a shirt. I shouldn’t say that I hate talking to Mom, but she mostly complains about other people. I clean as I talk so I’m not wasting time. This is sort of our Sunday thing. Half an hour in, I’ve done the bathroom and kitchen. She finally asks about me as I strip my sheets and throw them in the washer. I tell her about my weekend, the game, and my schedule for the upcoming week.
“Well, don’t work too hard, and make sure you put some social time in there. Did you make it to service Friday?”
“No, sorry. But don’t worry about me, Mom.”
“So driven. You’ll never meet a woman if you’re always working.”
I know this point of the conversation and avoid it like the plague. Now is where she starts in on me about getting married. “Hey, Mom, I have to vacuum and then get to the gym for a volleyball game.”
“Oh, okay, call me tomorrow.”
“Course, I love you.”
I tell her I’ll call, but I never do. I don’t have to. She calls me nearly every day.
Later, I meet up with Jeff and a couple of other volleyball folks and then work out with Stu. Stu and I usually end up working the same days, so our training schedule matches up. As I make my way to the parking lot, I get a text from Jeff.
BUNCH OF US GOING TO LOCAL PUB FOR DINNER. WANT TO COME?
SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. TEXT ME ADDRESS.
When I receive the information, I open the map app in my phone. Since I’d planned on stopping by the grocery store, I’d at least worn something decent and don’t have to double back to my apartment. Wondering if Josie and Sam will be at the restaurant, I pull into the parking lot. Perhaps I should have asked who had planned the meetup. But it’s too late now. I jog across the lot and duck into the cool, dark space. When my eyes adjust, I catch sight of Jeff waving from the back. They are huddling around a pool table, and I make my way to them.
“You’re still walking. That’s a good thing.” Jeff slaps me on the back. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, thanks for texting me. My workout was good, but I’m starving now.”
“Grab a beer.” He points to the bar.
I approach the bar and order a draft. When I return, Jeff ushers me over to the group gathered beyond the pool table. “You remember Cody and Beth Anne?”
“Yep.” I nod and shake each of their hands.
“And Celeste.” Jeff points to the tall brunette beside Isabelle.
“Of course.” She holds her bottle out, and I clink mine to it. “Good to see you.”
“You too.” She shoots me a wide smile.
I hug Isabelle. “Hi, Isabelle, how are you?”
“I’m good.” She pats my back. “Glad you could make it.”
“Me too.” I take a long draw of my beer and face the pool table.
“So, you guys played volleyball today?” Celeste asks.
“Yeah.” I bob my head as I finish a swallow. “How was your weekend? What did you do?”
“Work projects mostly. My job is crazy.”
I rebuke myself for not remembering what she does. “Remind me what you do again?”
“Marketing, and because I’m new, I’m the low guy on the totem pole.”
“Know how that is.” I take a swig of my beer.
Jeff and Cody finish their game, and Celeste and I team up against Isabelle and Beth Anne. Celeste isn’t bad, and her shots improve over the course of our game. We win easily, and the group moves to a table to order food.
“I actually play better pool buzzed than sober,” Celeste admits. “Without alcohol, I overthink the shots.”
“Alcohol can be beneficial sometimes.” I take a seat between her and Cody.
Cody and Beth Anne are from Wyoming. He told me his dad named him after the city. It’s a good way to remember his name. They hike with us, and Cody keeps talking about planning a Grand Canyon trip, which I want to be in on.
“So, you work a lot too?” Celeste catches my attention.
“Yeah, usually like six days a week. Today was my day off.” I tell her about my hacked-together schedule of picking up day shifts at various hospitals and working games for the baseball team.
She rests her chin on her hand. “So, I guess you don’t usually go see them play. There’s nothing better than sitting at a baseball game on a Sunday afternoon, eating a hot dog and drinking a beer.”
“The guys on the team keep telling me they can get me tickets. Maybe I’ll organize a meetup.”
“That would be cool.” Celeste takes a sip of her beer as the waiter approaches.
We order food, and the conversation drifts to plans for the Grand Canyon camping trip.
“You’re coming, right, Celeste?” Isabelle asks.
“Maybe. I haven’t done much hiking, I’ll have to come on a few outings with you guys.” Her nose scrunches up. She’s from New York City, and I wonder if she’s ever even been backpacking. But she looks fit and plays tennis, so I figure she can handle it.
“This is the oddest mismatched group,” Beth Anne comments. “Cody and I grew up in rural Wyoming, Celeste is from New York, and Zack, Milwaukee.”
“We’re the only locals.” Isabelle squeezes Jeff’s hand and smiles at him.
Isabelle knows Celeste from work. Isabelle is in accounting, which seems like a geeky thing, but she’s not like that at all. Maybe it’s her southwestern laid-back attitude. Isabelle and Jeff met in college and have been together since. They have a house together, and I figure Jeff will pop the question any day. Cody and Beth Anne married after college and moved to Phoenix soon last year. Cody got a transfer with his bank, and Beth Anne teaches school.
“Celeste.” Beth Anne scoots closer to her. “Tell me about New York, Cody and I want to go there this fall.”
Celeste starts to outline the major highlights, and I imagine Cody on the subway with his hat and cowboy boots.
“Are you going back, like to visit your family? Maybe you could show us around.” Beth Ann continues to Celeste.
“Probably for Thanksgiving. I could write out an itinerary for you. You could visit my folks in China Town. It’s really nice there in the fall.”
My beer has made me sleepy, and my legs start to twitch. My phone reads nine, and I stretch. “I think I’m outta here, guys.” I stand and survey the table, waving at everyone.
“We’ll see you next Saturday at our place, right?” Isabelle points at me.
“That’s the plan.” I back away and spin towards the exit.
I’m beat Wednesday when I exit the hospital, and my feet feel like lead weights on the hot asphalt. Pulling an energy drink from my bag, I chug it. Three twelve-hour shifts make for a rough start to the week, and every muscle craves sleep. But I don’t want to miss volleyball. I’m going to go nuts if I don’t talk to someone under the age of sixty, I think as I weave through traffic. Most of the patients are nice, but twenty-something company is needed, stat. I pull into the JCC parking lot and grab my duffle. As soon as I hoist my door open, I hear my name.
“Zack, look!” Liz points to her car.
I jog over to her. “Sweet, nice windows.”
“It’s so much cooler inside.”
“And you’re still alive.”
She lifts her bag to her shoulder. “I told you Brad had my back.”
“And you talked to me of your own free will, so that’s progress.”
“What? Nobody was holding a gun to my head before. Cut me some slack. I’m excited about my windows.”
As we approach the door, I stride ahead of her to open it.
“Hey.” She stops mid-stride. I release the door and rejoin her. “Do you think you could get me on another team? Delilah is a serious ball monger. She didn’t let me get one shot in.”
“Oh, I get it. You talked to me because you wanted something.”
“No.”
“I’m just messing with you.” I tap her on the bicep. “You don’t know me yet, but I’m a pretty funny guy.”
“Are self-proclaimed funny people ever really funny?”
“Excellent point. I’ve got to stop saying that. But I’ll talk to John, no problem.” I swing the door open and wave her in.
“Good, because I’m seriously kind of scared of him. He seems really intense.”
“Rabbi John? He’s harmless as a flea.” I spin the volleyball on my index finger.
She snatches my ball. “Do you seriously have to be good at everything? You know Rabbi could be a child molester.”
I swipe the ball back. “That Brad dude could be a serial killer.”
Stopping, she tosses the ball back to me. “Are you looking out for me? I’m a grown woman. I don’t need protecting.”
“Sorry, instinct.” I shrug.
As we approach John, she points to the court and heads there to warm up. I wait for John to finish talking to another player. “Hey, do you think you can switch Liz to my team? Say something about her being new and I invited her.”
He elbows me and winks. “She’s cute, right?”
I ignore his comment. “Thanks.” I jog to the stands and let my bag drop to the floor beside Liz. “Problem solved. Just watch your space.”
“New girl safety talk?” Jeff asks.
“Don’t hound me about it.” I take my ball and head to the court.
“Hey, I was just razzing you,” Jeff says as he and Liz catch up with me.
“Is there something I should know?” Liz’s eyes dart between Jeff and me.
“My”—I swallow hard—“friend, crashed into another player and fractured her skull on the floor.” I glance over to gauge Liz’s reaction, and her eyes are wide as saucers. “Won’t get that memory out of my head ever.”
We warm up and start our first game. Liz has good timing, and the team falls into sync in no time. Tonight is tournament night, and I start to think we might have a pretty good shot. Three hours later finds us in the number two seat in the final match.
“We’re on fire. I can’t believe this.” Jeff gives me a high five. “She is good.” He points at Liz.
“She is.” I nod and down a gulp of water.
As we start, I notice Isabelle on the sidelines. We usually go for drinks after the game, and I wonder if Liz will join in. An hour later, we’re beat and sweaty and lose the match by two.
“You’re hired.” Jeff points at Liz. “Hey, wanna come out with us?”
Liz looks at her phone. “I have to be at work at six. Maybe another time.”
Jeff glances at me and back to Liz. “Are you hiking with us Saturday?”
I divert my gaze and pretend to be packing my stuff.
“I think so,” she answers.
“Okay, we’ll see you then.” Jeff waves at her.
“Bye.” She grabs her bags and heads to the door.
“Dude, what’s wrong? Don’t you like her?” Jeff hits me on the back.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, you gotta be fast. She’s not going to be single for long.”
“She may not be single now.” I zip my bag and shoulder it, following him and Isabelle across the gym.
“You don’t move across the country if you’re dating someone.”
“Maybe.”
He hits me on the chest. “Hey, maybe she’ll come on the Grand Canyon trip.”
“Do you have to make such a big deal of this? We don’t even know if she’s nice.”
Isabelle wraps her arm around Jeff. “She seems cool.”
“Can we just get some food?” Entering the locker room, I slap the door frame.
After showers, we decide on a restaurant and meet at the tables on the outside deck. The food is not amazing, but the hours work for us. I enjoy being outside as there aren’t many opportunities during the day, unless I want to be char-broiled.
The next day, I sleep in and get in a long workout before heading to the stadium. I arrive early to study what I’ve missed the past four days. A hand lands on my back, and I spin to see Carlos standing in front of me.
“You ready for the big party? Got a date lined up?
“I didn’t think a date was required.”
“No, it’s not, man.” He straddles the bench in front of me. “Eva’s got her eye on Mia for you. If you don’t think that’s gonna work, you might want to bring option B.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. Let’s get you started.”
I only have two shifts with the team this week, Thursday night and a Saturday afternoon game, so I pick up twelve hours on Friday. I get bored with too much time to kill anyway. Days off during the week when everyone else is working aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Liz’s car isn’t in the parking lot at Mayo. I admit to being a little interested in her, and wonder if it’s because we’re both new. A fresh slate with no other ties makes things cleaner. Grabbing a bagel in the cafeteria, I run into Lydia and Rose.
“Hey there, Zack. How’ve you been? Haven’t seen you in a while.” Lydia bats her eyes at me.
“Yeah, I don’t work this hospital that much. The PTs don’t take many days off.”
“Why don’t you get a more permanent position?”
“You see one open?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Hey.” Sidling up to me, she looks down to the floor and then back to my face. “Everything good with us?”
“Course, why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you don’t work here on purpose.”
“Are you kidding? Gotta make my paycheck.” I hand the attendant my card for the bagel and coffee.
“I hear that. You know, maybe we came on kind of strong before. You want to hang out sometime? We’re going to happy hour tonight.”
“Man.” I fake being disappointed. “I have a game tomorrow I have to be sharp for.”
“That’s right.” Rose points at me. “When are you going to invite us to a game?”
“When I get a night off. I’ve got to get to work.” I smile and point to the therapy department, hoping I don’t have to make good on the promise.
“That will be sweet,” Rose calls from behind me.
I wonder if Liz said something to them because that is the first time they’d spoken to me since I turned them down the last time.
“Hey, long time no see.” Mitchell greets me as I enter the PT room. “Saw Lydia and Rose already caught you.”
“Yeah, they were nice. Not sure if I should be scared.” Throwing my bag under the desk, I log in to the patient system.
“They came by here a couple days ago asking about you. I thought I texted you. Said something about getting off on the wrong foot.” He shakes his head. “Never seen them give second chances.”
“You see them with the new redhead?”
“Yeah, at lunch sometimes.”
I look up from my computer monitor. “That’s Liz, she’s cool.”
“So, are you and Liz hooking up?”
“No, she just showed up at my hiking meetup.” I propel myself back on the roller chair. “I think I promised them some game tickets, would you be in?”
“Sure, can I bring a date?”
“I’ll have to see how many I can get.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He lifts an electronic tablet from the desk and strides from the room.
I do the same, reading through the doctor’s notes as I walk to my first patient’s room.
Friday night, I turn in early for my marathon day Saturday. With our hike meetup, the early game, and two parties to attend, rest is imperative. I can’t believe my weekend got stacked with two parties on the same night. At least I won’t have to stay at either too long. I wonder if Jeff or Isabelle invited Liz. Only time will tell, I think as I pull into the gravel lot at ten till six for the hike.
“There he is.” Jeff greets me with a handshake. “You’re a madman. I can’t believe you’re out here, have a game at one, and still plan on coming to our shindig. You are coming, right?”
“I said yes. I do have this other thing I have to be at later, so I’ll probably head out by ten.”
“What happened to you?” Jeff steps back. “Where’s my I’m-not-social man?”
“All work and no play, you know.” I take a swig of my water and survey the crowd. Sam and Josie are chatting with Cody and Beth Anne. Celeste stands beside Isabelle yawning, and I approach them.
“Hi, you made it.” I address Celeste.
“Yeah, not sure this is for me. College try and all.”
“It’s a great group. You’ll love it. The view from the top does not disappoint,” Isabelle says to Celeste.
“I still want to do it at sunset,” I tell Isabelle.
“We should plan that. Hey, Jeff is going to get a list for the Grand Canyon trip at the end of this hike.”
I rock on my heels. “I’m definitely in for that. It’s going to be epic.”
The sound of tires crunching on the gravel catches my attention, and I turn to see Liz’s vehicle pulling into a spot. I’m dying to know whether she talked to Lydia and Rose about me but figure I shouldn’t abandon Celeste yet. I have a suspicion Celeste may be here because of me. I’m not sure know how I feel about that.
Jeff calls the group together, and we start the hike. It’s a long ascent, and I fall in behind Celeste and Isabelle. Josie and Sam position themselves behind me and start a conversation. I’m there for the scenery and try to let their chatter become background noise. Eventually they grow winded or run out of things to talk about, and there is silence, save the scraping of our feet on the rock.
In front of me, Celeste stops and moves off the trail. “Don’t worry about me.” She waves me on. “Keep going. I’m taking a short breather.” Sucking a long breath in, she glances up the trail.
“We’re almost to the summit. It’s not far.” I point to the top.
“That’s okay, you should go ahead.”
“I’ll hang back with her.” I hear Isabelle behind me.
I catch up with Jeff who usually takes the back position to corral stragglers.
“Not sure hiking is going to be Celeste’s thing,” Jeff comments as I fall in step with him.
We reach the summit, and the desert stretches out in front of us. As I take a gulp of water, I scan the group to find Liz. Dodging around the others, I make my way to her.
“Hi.”
She jumps and spins to face me. “Oh, hi. Great view. This is amazing.”
“Yeah, this is the second time I’ve done this hike. The landscape still impresses me. I hear it’s great at sunset too.”
“That would be something.” Liz nods.
I clear my throat. “Hey, did you say something to Lydia about me?”
Her eyes cut to me. “Maybe. You see her?”
“Yeah, I worked a twelve yesterday.”
A smile forms on her lips. “I may have checked your story out.”
“Trying to find redeeming qualities in them or me?”
She looks to the ground and then back to my face. “Neither. Maybe both. I told them I’d run into you a couple of times and you didn’t seem that bad. They started with the same line as before.”
“How I was the devil incarnate?”
She starts to laugh and covers her mouth. “Yeah, you know, being all negative, and saying how you acted too good to be around them. So, I pushed them, and they had to admit that you hadn’t really done anything wrong.”
“That was nice of you. Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I don’t like people getting a bad rap for no reason.”
“I appreciate it.”
On the descent, I follow her. But Josie and Sam trail me, and not wanting to be rude, I get sucked into their conversation. When we reach the bottom, Jeff calls the group together for announcements about the brunch location and meetup to plan the Grand Canyon trip.
He asks for a show of hands of people who are tentatively in, and Liz raises hers. I’m happy she’s going and steal a look at her. When she catches me, I smile and then cut my eyes to the ground.
“And who needs gear?” Jeff asks.
Liz’s hand shoots up.
“Who has extra gear?” Jeff continues.
I inch my hand up, hoping I’m the only one, and thanking the stars I’d planned my brother’s bachelor camping trip last month.
“Okay, Zack and Liz, get together. The rest of you I’ll see at brunch or Tuesday for the canyon planning meeting.”
“I can’t go to brunch. I have work,” I tell Liz as she approaches. “What gear do you need?”
“Everything.”
“Okay, well, why don’t I bring my stuff to the meeting, and we’ll go from there?”
“That would be nice. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Okay, see you.” She spins towards her car.
Walking to mine, I wonder again if she’d been invited to Jeff’s party. Then I realize I’d ignored Celeste for the last half of the hike. Not your problem, dude, I think.