“Yes. You were mopey and unsure about pitching a couple of months ago.”
“I’ve healed since then. And done a lot more therapy,” Garrett said, throwing a glance at Alicia.
“And he’s thrown a pitch or two. Now, he’s anxious to get out there with his team,” Alicia said, feeling a little more comfortable now that the topic of conversation had moved away from her and Garrett, and onto baseball and Garrett’s recovery.
“Do you think he’s ready for that?” Victoria asked.
Alicia shifted her gaze to Garrett, who looked as hopeful and expectant as Victoria.
“I think he’s ready to start working out with the team.”
Victoria stood. “That’s the best news I’ve heard today.”
“You’re worried about my contract,” Garrett said. “Or the continuation of my contract.”
“That’s what you pay me for, isn’t it?”
Garrett shrugged. “Yup.”
“Well, don’t you worry. First, your contract isn’t up for a while. And second, I have every faith in you—and Alicia, here—that you’ll be pitching this season, so your contract isn’t going to be an issue.”
Alicia liked Victoria. She put Garrett at ease about his contract and gave him confidence. The one thing he didn’t need was something else to muck up his head.
“Thanks, Tori. You’re right. I don’t want to be worrying about that shit.”
“That’s why you have me. And why you pay me so much of your hard-earned money.”
Garrett laughed. “You’re right there.”
“And now I have to get going so I can check on my other guys.”
“Already?” Alicia frowned. “You sure you don’t want to stay and have dinner with us?”
“That’s so sweet of you, but I can’t.”
“You sure we can’t convince you to stay?” Garrett asked. “I can throw some steaks on the grill. It’s not gourmet cuisine, but it won’t suck.”
“You’re so sweet. You’ve cooked for me before,” Victoria said. “It was burgers on the grill as I recall, and I don’t remember you poisoning me. Sadly, I can’t stay. We’ll catch up when you’re back in town for the home opener.” She laid her hand on his arm. “And I’ll be expecting you to pitch.”
Garrett gave her a grin. “I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sure you will.”
They walked her to the door. Victoria turned to Alicia. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, Victoria.”
“Work his ass off, okay?”
“I’m doing my best at that every day.”
Victoria gave her the once-over. “You know, somehow I believe you really are. And I think he needs someone like you—in more ways than just the rehab.”
Alicia had no idea what Victoria meant by that, but she didn’t elaborate, just waved and headed out the door.
“Well. She’s interesting,” Alicia said after Victoria left.
“She’s a kick-ass agent. She wasn’t kidding when she said she plucked me out of obscurity. She got me my chance with the Rivers when I was just a kid. I owe her a lot. She’s a good friend.”
Alicia shut the door and leaned against it. “Your good friend almost caught us having sex in the workout room.”
Garrett grinned. “Yeah, she did. And she’ll be discreet about it, so you don’t have to worry about her saying anything to Manny or Max or Phil.”
He was like a mind reader. She pushed off the door and followed him back to the workout room. “I’m thinking she was probably concerned I was paying more attention to your cock than I was to your shoulder.”
“Believe me, if Victoria had a concern about that, she’d have voiced it. She knows I’m in a much better place now than the last time she saw me. And if she wasn’t relieved about how well I was doing, she would have stayed instead of making this a short visit. Then she would have grilled me—and you—for hours about every aspect of my therapy, which would have included conference calls with Max and Phil.”
Alicia stopped what she was doing to look up at him. “Is that true?”
“It is. She’s thorough as hell where her players are concerned, and she has no problem butting in if she thinks shit isn’t getting done. So trust me when I tell you, she has confidence in your abilities, and she doesn’t care what’s going on personally between us.”
She relaxed. “Okay, then.”
“Okay, then,” he reiterated. “Now, let me ask you a question.”
She paused at the pulleys. “All right.”
“Am I really ready to start working out with the team?”
She was expecting that question. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, Garrett. I would have never said something like that otherwise. When the team’s back in town tomorrow, we’ll start integrating your workouts with them.”
She saw the light flash in his eyes, the excitement on his face. She laid her hand on his arm. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up too fast, though. You’re not ready to pitch a game just yet. This will be just warm-ups and workouts.”