Wednesday night I’m armed with my ten tickets. I decide to invite Jeff and Isabelle, Cody and Beth Anne, and the volleyball team. As we pow wow after our games, I announce my plan for the outing.
“It’s not the best game of the season. It’s the Phillies, but the seats are good.” Most of the teammates reply with a tentative yes, and I hand out the tickets. Liz approaches me. “I guess the Phillies may be your team, right?”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you kidding? My dad is a huge fan. He would kill me if I didn’t go to this game.”
“You’re in then?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Cool.”
I give them instructions on what gate and time to meetup. I’m glad it’s a Friday night so most of them can come. But really, I’m more excited about Liz than the rest of the team.
The next night, I’m back with Carlos and the rest of my guys.
“You bringing your friends to the game tomorrow?” Carlos asks as I tape his knee.
“Yep.” I nod.
“Here.” He sticks his hand in his bag and hands me several pre-game passes for the field.”
“Sweet, thanks.”
“That will impress the lady, eh?”
“I’m not showing off for anyone.”
“Oh, yeah, we’ll see tomorrow. Isn’t that right, guys?”
Juan, Mario, and Dave start in on the razzing. I act nonchalant, figuring if I react it will make it worse. Silently, I pray Carlos will be cool when he meets Liz.
Friday, I pick up a six-to-three shift, which leaves me plenty of time to get to the field. I arrive fifteen minutes before I’d instructed everyone to be there and hang out by a mister to stay cool.
My phone buzzes, and I look at it. I gave everyone my cell number in case there were issues. The message is from Beth Anne. CODY IS SICK, SO I GAVE OUR TICKETS TO JOSIE AND SAM. ONLY JOSIE CAN MAKE IT.
I roll my eyes, thinking she’s the last person I want there. Looking up, I see red hair through the crowd and roll on my heels, waiting for her to get to me.
“Hi, you made it.” I exhale. “Your hair looks amazing.” Wondering how those words came out of my mouth, I stuff my hands in my pockets.
She cocks her head. “Thanks.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen it down before.” I cover my perhaps random compliment.
“Oh, maybe not. Am I the first one here?”
“Yeah.” I check my phone for the time and messages. Seeing a new message from Jeff, I swipe open the text. WE HAVE TO BAIL. FRIDAY NIGHT AND EXHAUSTED.
BUMMER, I reply. I turn to Liz. “So, Beth Anne and Cody are out, as well as Isabelle and Jeff. But Josie’s coming, I guess.” I turn my phone over, checking the time again. “I say we wait another five minutes and go in. I don’t want to miss the pre-game stuff.”
Liz nods. “Sure. Have you been to a game yet?”
“No.” At least not from the stands, I think.
Growing anxious, I scan the crowd as the minutes pass. “We should go in. Let’s leave the field passes for the rest of the group at the window.” I point to the will-call window. As we approach the entrance, I stand back, waiting for her to enter ahead of me.
“Thanks.” She tucks her hair behind one ear and hands the worker her ticket.
It’s still early, and the crowd is sparse. “Do you want something to eat or drink?” I point at the concession stand.
“Maybe later. Oh”— she stops at the guy with the score books—“I do want one of these though. Do you score games?”
“I haven’t since I was a teenager. Why not!” I pay the guy for a booklet.
“Yeah, my”—her eyes cut to the book and back to me—“Dad taught me. We went to games together all the time.”
“Cool.” I motion to our aisle. “This way.”
I lead her down to our row, and she steps up to the railing. “The front row? We have front row seats.”
I pull the field passes from my pocket. “And field privileges.”
“You have got to be kidding!” She looks to the field and back to me. “My dad is going to freak. Do you think we can meet some of the players?”
“I think you can meet all of the players. Come on.” I almost hold out my hand to her but decide to motion to the stairway.
At the bottom, we show our passes to the security guard. “I know you.” He points at me.
“That’s me, always making trouble.” I wink at him.
There are lines to get signatures of all the major players, and I point at Carlos. “Come meet this guy.”
As we reach him, Carlos grips my hand and pulls me into his chest. “My man.” He slaps me on the back and releases me. “This her?” He points to Liz. “The chick you saving yourself for?”
My face flames, and I know it’s beet red. I clear my throat, but before I have a chance to speak, Carlos reaches out to shake her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Carlos. Zack picked a pretty one.” He winks at her.
Now her face is blood red. She looks at me and back to Carlos. “We’re not… I’ve only spoken to him twice. But I know who you are.” She holds out her program. “Do you mind signing this?”
He takes the book. “Not at all.” Scribbling his name, he points to the other players. “Let’s go meet the other guys.”
Leading us up to the front of the lines, Carlos gets Liz signatures and pictures with all the players who are out signing.
“Hey, Carlos, Liz is sort of a Phillies fan, can you get us over there?” I ask.
Turning his wrist over, he checks his watch. “Yeah, I got time for that.”
We walk through the dugout and into their dressing room.
“You didn’t tell me you knew the players?” Liz whispers to me as we enter.
I shrug. “This is sort of my night gig.”
“You’re a trainer? That’s amazing!”
Carlos introduces us to a couple of the Phillies players, and Liz gets some more signatures and photos. Walking across the field to our seats, Liz sends some of the photos to her dad. “This is beyond dealy. He’s freaking out.”
“Dealy?”
“Oh!” She smacks her hand to her forehead. “I’m Irish. It comes out when I get excited. It means fantastic.”
“No, not a problem. So, that’s what your accent is?”
“And New Jersey.” She rolls her eyes.
“Well, if your family visits, I’ll be sure to get you guys tickets.”
“Why didn’t you mention you work for the team?”
“I don’t know. I don’t tell everyone.” I stop, letting her take the stairs in front of me.
“Not much for drawing attention to yourself?”
“I guess not.” I sit down beside her, hoping no one else will show. “Do you want a beer or some food?”
“Yes. You can’t come to a baseball game without a beer and a hot dog.”
I raise my hand to flag a beer guy. “Totally agree.” He comes quick, and I’m about to offer to pay for her drink when she pulls out cash. “Hey, can you flag a hot dog guy for us?” I ask as I hand him my money.
Sipping my drink, I take in the view. The stands are starting to fill. I thought the enclosed stadium wouldn’t feel the same as an open one. But, with panels to let in natural light and the size and height of the structure, it doesn’t feel like we’re inside.
“So, what’s it like working for the team? How does that work?” Liz asks as she sets her beer in the holder.
I tell her about Carlos and my regular guys and how we sit in the locker room watching the game. “It’s kind of my dream job, so I’m taking what I can get right now.”
“That’s really cool.”
“Hot dogs?” A guy stops in front of us.
Looking to Liz, I hold one finger up. “One, two?”
“Oh, only one.”
“Two dogs.” I tell the guy and hand him the money.
When we sit down with our food, she pulls out a five. I decide not to fight her on it, although every cell of my body is screaming for me to insist on treating her. “You know my grandmother is rolling over in her grave right now.” I take the bill and slide it in my pocket.
“Because I’m paying my share?”
“No, because I’m not being a proper gentleman.”
“This is the furthest thing from a date ever. We’ve spoken like twice. I’m pretty sure I got invited with the whole team.”
I guess she thought Carlos was giving me a hard time. I’m not sure whether to be glad or not, but I move on. “How about you? How’s the job going?”
She tells me about the cancer floor she’s on with Lydia and Rose, and how she’s not sure she could work with terminal patients forever. We talk a little more about my crazy schedule, and then the game starts. I need a refresher on the scoring, and she reviews it for me. We watch and record. I think the Phillies could hire her as a statistician based on how much she knows about their players, and I compliment her memory.
“I grew up in a house full of girls.” She looks down to her book. “My dad, kind of took me under his wing.”
Noticing she hesitates each time she mentions her dad, I wonder if there’s more of a story there. But I’m not going to ask, especially since this isn’t a date. Plus, she told Carlos we’d only spoken twice. I’ve talked to her at least four, probably five times, but I’m not mentioning that either.
Cold hands cover my eyes. “Guess who made it?” Josie’s husky voice travels to my ears.
Forcing a smile, I stand up to let her pass. “Hey, take a seat.”
“Hi, Liz.” She scoots past us and sits down. “That traffic was crazy.” Taking a long chug of the beer in her hand, she continues to talk about the congestion on the roads. I refocus on the game and score sheet, hoping she doesn’t monopolize the conversation.
In the third inning, Carlos comes up for his second at bat. He got walked and stranded in his earlier attempt. Their pitcher has been walking a number of players, and I wonder if he needs to come out. The first pitch is outside, and Carlos lets it whiz by. I watch as the second seems to be outside. Jumping to my feet, I see him try to duck, but the ball hits square on his helmet as he does. I fly to the steps and jump over the railing to the field. A security guard grabs me as I run towards Carlos. I flash the guard my badge, and he lets go. When I reach Carlos, the manager and his assigned trainer for the night are already there. Carlos is out cold, and they ease his helmet off. His face is drained of color, and Amanda’s pale face flashes through my memory. Blinking, I erase the image. A medic runs out with a stretcher, and I help roll Carlos onto the backboard. My phone rings, and I almost ignore it but then think it could be Eva. Glancing at the screen, I see it is. I answer the call.
“Hey, he’s going to be okay,” I say.
“Oh, God. You don’t know that.”
“His helmet is cracked. It took the brunt of the hit.”
“Man, that was some pitch.” I hear Carlos’s voice.
“See, he’s okay.” I pass the phone to Carlos. “It’s Eva.”
“Hey, woman, you get that on tape? That was something. Whoa, I thought I was going to heaven.”
They lift him and walk to the dugout and into the med room. He hands me the phone as they start the exam. “Stay on the line with her. She’s freaking out.”
“Hey, Eva. They’re checking him out. But he seems completely fine.”
“Okay, stay on the line with me.”
“I will.” I watch as they check his spine and test for a concussion.
“Looks like a minor contusion, but we’re getting you a CT scan just in case,” the doctor tells Carlos.
“What are they saying?” Eva asks.
“He’s going to have a CAT scan to be safe.”
“Is that at the hospital?”
“No, everything is here.”
I wait the five minutes till they bring him back to the exam room. Eva is praying her rosary, and I hold the phone away from my ear. The doctor pulls up the scan results and gives him an all clear.
“That mean I get my walk?” Carlos sits up.
“Go back, give a wave, and sit your butt on the bench.” The manager walks out.
“Whew, you looked more scared than me.” Carlos slaps me on the arm.
“Just call your wife.” I back out the door. I make my way into the fan area and down to our seats. “Wow, I could use another beer after that.” I slide into my seat beside Liz.
“What was that about?” Josie stands. “I had no clue what was going on. Liz says you work for the team? Why didn’t I know that?”
“Is Carlos okay?” Liz asks.
“Yeah, there he is.” I point to the field as he waves to the crowd. “His CT scan was clear.”
“He got lucky. They have a CT machine here?”
Josie steps around Liz, and I stand to let Josie by. “I need another drink. Want to come?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.” I sit down.
“Fine.” Josie rolls her eyes and starts up the stairs.
I turn my attention back to Liz. “He got really lucky. And they have everything down there. I could give you a tour sometime.” I lift my hand and flag the drinks guy. “Do you want anything?”
“No, I’m good.” Liz refocuses on the field.
I pay the attendant and spin the top off the water bottle. “Sorry I reacted like that.”
“Are you kidding? Your friend got hurt. I would be worried if you didn’t respond that way. A healthy respect for mortality is a good thing. It beats being narcissistic.”
I’m guessing she’s talking about Josie and wonder what else she said to Liz. “No, psychology major joke for me?” I turn to face her.
“Your friend that got hurt playing volleyball, was he or she okay?”
“Yeah, she was.” I take another long sip of water.
“I guess seeing Carlos down there like that would bring it all back.”
I don’t want to think about Amanda. “Carlos will be okay.”
“Whoa, the lines were super long back there.” Josie appears beside me, and I stand for her to pass to her seat.
Play continues, and I get back into the scoring thing. Josie teases us about it, and I start to feel like she’s resenting that we have this mutual interest. The seventh-inning stretch comes, and we all retreat to the restrooms. Josie grabs another mixed drink, and I wonder if I should cut her off.
“Hey, did you drive?” I ask her as we take our seats again.
“Yeah, we’re going out after this, right?”
“I was thinking not. Are you going to be okay to drive home?”
“You can give me a ride, right?”
“I guess.” I open my tally sheet again.
Josie rolls her eyes and takes a long sip from her cup. “Guess I’m calling some friends. Do you want to hang out, Liz? Meet some new peeps?”
Liz looks to Josie. “Wow, that’s nice of you to invite me. It sounds like fun. But, I’m coming off a string of long shifts and don’t want to be in too much pain tomorrow. Another time?”
“Sure.” Josie lifts her phone and starts texting.
It isn’t much of a game as the D-backs are up by seven. Josie wants to get some pictures and slides between me and Liz for a group selfie. When we spin to sit down, she takes the seat beside me.
“No one wants to go out. I think I have to leave my car here. Can you drive me home?”
“Sure. Don’t want anyone drinking and driving,” I tell her. Of course, because I’m that guy. Anybody else would have asked her to get a taxi or something.
“It’s getting late. I’m going to head out.” Liz stands and stretches.
“Really, well, are you ready to go, Josie?” I ask.
“Sure, I guess I can finish my drink on the walk.”
“Great, we can all walk out together.” I step into the walkway, waiting for them to file out in front of me. Outside, it’s still warm, but the sun has set, making it bearable. “Where are you parked, Liz?”
“I took the train.”
“Well, you’re near me, so why don’t you ride with me too?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.” She points at the train station and turns back to me. “Thanks for the tickets. It was a great time.”
“No problem. See you tomorrow.” I wave to her as she walks away.
“Well, that was weird.” Josie finishes the last of her drink.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, like a threesome, but so not.”
“Eh.” I take a step away from her.
“Well, now I’m officially offended.”
“No, I didn’t mean that.” Not wanting to know her train of thought, I don’t say more.
Her place is not too much out of the way. At least it’s on the north side. She goes on about the Grand Canyon trip and how amazing it will be. “Hey.” She turns to me as I pull up in the drive. “Are you working nights next week?”
“Not sure yet.”
“We should hang out one night.”
“I’ll have to look at my schedule. Nights are tough with volleyball and working twelve-hour shifts.” I think I might have to pick up some night shifts to get out of a meetup with her.
“Well, I’ll text the group then.” She heaves open the door when I pull into her parking lot. “Goodnight, and thanks for the tickets.”
“Yep, see you tomorrow.”
The next morning at the hike meetup, Josie is absent.
Sam approaches me. “Josie come to the game last night?”
“Yeah, she got a few drinks in her. Might not be feeling so great this morning.”
“Well, that’s a bummer.”
I nod. “Yeah, well, we all got to let loose every once in a while.”
“I don’t know. You seem like a pretty controlled guy.” She taps her fist to my bicep.
“I spent college having fun. Got to pay the bills now.”
“I guess.” She shrugs.
I wander over to where Liz is, happy for the respite from Josie. “How are you?”
“Still fielding questions from my”—her head bobs and she shakes her phone—“Dad about last night.”
“Let me know when he’s coming, and I’ll get some tickets.”
Jeff calls the group to order and gives me a hard time about not being late. There are some laughs, and we hit the trail. I file in behind Liz, but she doesn’t say anything, so I respect her silence.
The more I’m around her, the more time I want to spend with her. She joins us for brunch, but it’s a big group, and Sam nabs a chair beside me. Get a life, I tell myself. Maybe Liz isn’t attracted to you. Perhaps she’s not feeling it like you are. I wonder if I should make a move, ask for her number or something. But I let that window of opportunity pass. Afterwards, I follow my normal Saturday routine with a workout, short nap, and dash to the stadium.
“So, how did last night go with the girl?” Carlos asks as I find him at my station.
“Are you kidding? You were nearly sidelined for the season and you’re asking about a girl?”
“Nah, it’s not that bad.”
“How is Eva?” I ask.
“Oh, you know her, always overreacting.”
I tape him up, even though I know he’s not in the lineup. They have him on one-hundred percent bench, not even allowed to warm up with the team.
“So, nothing about the girl?” Carlos hops off the table.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not sure why I’m attracted to her. It’s not like she’s hotter than Mia or this girl Celeste, who are definitely interested.”
“It’s like that sometimes. Love doesn’t follow any formula. You got to go with it.” He slaps me on the back. “Ask her out.”
The dreaded L word. I’m not falling for Liz or anyone else for a long time, that I know. I wonder why I’m not out having tons of sex. Isn’t that what you do when someone breaks your heart? Compensate with meaningless hookups. Certainly, Doug is handling his breakup that way. His social media profile is littered with pictures of him and amazing-looking broads. But he’s more prone to extremes than I am.
I move to the next task, and the night passes. Waking at seven the next morning, I check for meetups later in the day. I sign up for a sunset bike ride when I see Jeff’s name on the roster. Mom phones, and I clean my place and then head to the gym. After the gym, I find a bike shop, buy a pair of shoes and a helmet, get an hour lesson, and rent a demo bike. I figure I’ll get to the trail early and ride before everyone gets there. Mitchell and I play some basketball, and then I grab some dinner at my apartment. It feels like I’ve become a weekend warrior, but when weekends are one-day long, I must cram everything in.
I’m happy about the bike meetup, as I’ve been wanting to start mountain biking. This is the kick I needed to do it. An hour before the scheduled time, I pull into the dirt lot. It’s full, but I snag a spot at the end. A quick look at the map tells me there’s an easy loop, and I head out. The sales guy talked me into shorts and some gloves, and after a few minutes on the trail, I’m grateful. Before long, I’m zipping over the landscape like I’d been doing this all my life. I switch to a more technical single-track loop, which works my muscles more. By the time the group ride is supposed to start, I’m soaked with sweat but having so much fun.
“Hey,” Jeff greets me as I approach. “I saw your name on the list. Decided to take the biking plunge? Is there anything you can’t do?”
“This is a blast.”
“That’s a sweet bike.”
“Yeah, it’s rented, but I like it.”
I chat with him and Isabelle while we wait for the rest of the group. Seeing a silver SUV pull into the lot, I crane my neck to see if it’s Liz. Like there aren’t thousands of silver SUVs in Phoenix. When the door opens, I catch a glimpse of red hair and smile. Then, I spot Josie’s Subaru pull in the lot and sigh. I swear the girl is stalking me.
The meetup organizer puts us into groups based on our skill level. Jeff and Isabelle are in the middle group along with Josie.
“Looks like you got skills,” I say to her as I head to the back of the group. I shouldn’t be so happy to be away from her, but I am. Her negative vibe is wearing on me. Approaching Liz, I take a swig of water. “Looks like we had the same idea today.”
“Yeah, you ever ride before?”
“You mean before this afternoon when I got a lesson at the bike shop?”
“Hopefully, my hour lesson today pays off.” Liz slides on a helmet and buckles it under her chin.
“I came ahead of time and rode some trails.”
“That was a good idea. The whole clip thing was sort of tough to learn.”
We fall in line behind the other riders. “After you.” I motion for her to take the spot in front of me.
“Nope, you go ahead of me. Something tells me I’m going to be painfully slow. Bike legs are not the same as running legs.”
I clip in and follow the guy in front of me, looking back to make sure she’s okay.
“You don’t have to check on me.”
“Sorry. Instinct.” I refocus on the trail.
The first several miles are a slow climb, and my legs start to wear out. Then, we come to a steep incline, and I switch to a lower gear. At the top, my muscles are searing, and I’m happy to start the descent. When I check to make sure Liz is behind me, I see she’s stopped below the summit. I make a U-turn and cycle back to her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, my heart rate got the best of me.”
“The downhill will probably lower it faster than sitting.” I step aside as a biker passes.
“Sorry?”
“You’ll be coasting, and the motion will relax you.”
Her nose scrunches up. “Really? Are you sure? Cause my heart’s pretty important to me.”
“Exercise physiology major here. That is as long as you’re not scared you’re going to crash or something.”
“No, I’m pretty comfortable on the bike. Okay, I’m going to trust you.” She turns her wrist over to look at her watch. I assume she has a heart monitor on it. “Let’s ride.”
“After you.”
“No, you—”
“I insist.” I wave her on. If she has concerns, I’m making sure she’s okay.
Her pace is a little slower than what I would have picked, but it’s still a fun downhill. As we reach the group, the sun is setting over the mesa.
“Did it work?” I ask Liz as I get off my bike.
She spins her wrist and taps the device on her arm. “Yeah, went down faster than it usually does. You were right.”
“See. Trust the expert.”
“When it comes to exercise physiology, yes.” Her lips form a small smile, and I guess trust doesn’t come easily for her. If I want it, I’m going to have to work for it. Is that what you’ve decided? I wonder. That she’s the one you’re interested in? You see anyone else? I think to myself and give her a broad smile.
We join Jeff, Isabelle, and Josie to watch the sun drop behind the mountain. The group is quiet, and it’s nice to sit there in silence. As we get ready to head back, I maintain my position behind Liz. She rolls her eyes and pedals off at a fast pace. My legs are tired, and I take my time on the climb, giving her room to slow up if she needs to. This time she doesn’t stop at the top. She descends faster than before, and I decrease the distance between us.
“That was fun,” I say as we stop in the lot.
She slides off her helmet. “That was awesome.” Now, the smile spreads across her face.
Josie approach us. “So, what’d you think? Making this a regular gig?”
“Definitely,” Liz answers even though Josie is looking straight at me.
“It was fun,” I agree.
“So, we were talking about getting a beer. Want to join in?” Josie asks, eyes still on mine.
Turning my wrist over, I see it’s after eight. “I’m going to have to say no. For one, I smell, and second, I have to be out of the house by five fifteen in the morning.”
“Same for me.” Liz puts in. “Maybe another time.”
“Sure.” Josie’s face forms a tight smile.
I say my goodbyes and start to walk to my truck.
“Zack.” I hear Liz’s voice behind me. “Hey, thanks for the tip on the heart thing earlier. I appreciate it.”
“Yeah, no problem. Will I see you Wednesday?”
“Of course. We have a good volleyball team. Are you working at Mayo this week?”
I check my elation over her asking about my work schedule. “Not right now, but I only know my schedule through Wednesday.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then, I guess.” She detaches the tire from her bike.
I help her lift the bike onto her rack. “Did you rent the bike or buy it?”
“Bought it. Spent four hours at the bike shop trying them out.”
“You went all in, didn’t you?”
“I figure if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.”
“Totally agree.” I nod. “Well, I’ll see you Wednesday.”
“Yip,” she says. I think it’s a yep, but her Irish lilt comes through.