“Don’t let her fool you,” Gavin said. “She’s a hell of a cook. Garrett, want to grab your beer and come outside with me while I turn these steaks?”
Oh, shit. It was time for the inquisition. “Sure.”
The night was clear and warm, every star visible in the moonless sky. Garrett followed Gavin down the steps and over to the side of the patio where the grill was located. He took a long swallow of beer and contemplated his life as it stood right now.
What if he never pitched again? What would he do? He’d never much thought about life after baseball, but he wasn’t going to do this forever. And if he didn’t get his arm working, he’d have to figure out something to do. Maybe he should start planning that sooner rather than later and get a strategy in order.
“Been missing you on the team, man,” Gavin said.
“Been missing being there. How’s it going?”
Gavin shrugged. “Typical preseason. Ups and downs. Sure could use you.”
Garrett took a long swallow of beer. “Working my ass off to get back.”
“How’s your shoulder?”
“It feels a hell of a lot better, but I haven’t had the chance to pitch in a game situation yet, so there’s a lot up in the air.”
Gavin leaned against the deck. “Scary shit, man. I think all of us who play know what you’re going through, how you’re feeling. We’re all one injury away from that big ‘what if.’”
“Yeah. It’s definitely got me thinking about what I’m going to do if I can’t pitch anymore. I’ve pushed it to the far corner of my mind for a long time now, but I have to face reality and come up with a backup plan.”
“None of us ever want to think about life after baseball.” Gavin looked at him. “Do you even have a backup plan?”
Garrett laughed. “Not yet. I guess it’s time to figure that out.”
“You’ll pitch again. My cousin is damn good at her job. She’s dedicated and fierce. She’ll have you on that mound, good as new.”
He loved that Gavin believed in Alicia. “She is good at her job. She’s pushed me harder than anyone—hell, harder than I ever thought about pushing myself.”
Gavin smiled as he tipped the beer to his lips. “That sounds like Alicia. The words no and I can’t aren’t in her vocabulary. When she got hired on to the team, I knew if I ever got hurt, I’d want her in charge of my recovery.”
“Seriously?”
“Hell yeah. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s wanted to help people. In high school she knew she wanted to go into sports medicine, even bullied the high school football coach into letting her apprentice with the team athletic director, just so she could get some on-the-job practice before she went off to college. This is her life’s dream. She’s so goddamn dedicated to making sure athletes stay healthy, recover, and play at the top of their game. It’s more than just a paycheck to her, you know.”
“I can see that. I’ve seen it in action. She puts a lot of heart into what she does. And I’m really grateful for what she’s done for me. I think very highly of her.”
Gavin paused while he flipped the steaks then turned to Garrett. “I know this is really tricky territory, because you and I are friends, and she’s my cousin. I don’t want to butt in because it’s none of my business. The only thing I’ll say about it is, I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
He knew Gavin would say something. The responsibility of looking after family and all. Not that he had much experience in that department since he rarely saw his own. But from what he’d heard about Alicia and her family dynamics, he knew they were close, so he’d expected this. “I don’t want her to get hurt, either. I’ll do everything not to let that happen.”
Gavin stared at him for a minute then nodded. “I believe you. You’re not one of those assholes.”
Garrett laughed. “Uh, no. I’m not. I won’t hurt her, Gavin. That’s not what this is about.”
“Okay. Good talk. Let’s move on to how we’re going to kick Baltimore’s ass tomorrow.”
*
ALICIA TRIED TO PEER OUT INTO THE DARKNESS, SO she could get a read on what was going on between Gavin and Garrett. She couldn’t see them, though. And she also couldn’t hear them, which was a good sign there was no arguing going on.
“What are you looking at?” Liz asked her as they sat at the bar drinking wine.
She pulled her gaze toward Liz. “Trying to figure out if they’ve come to blows yet.”
Liz snorted. “Gavin isn’t going to punch Garrett just because the two of you are having wild monkey sex.”
Alicia’s eyes widened. She thought about denying it, but this was Liz, who would poke and pry until she got the truth out of Alicia. “How did you know?”
“Please. I know that nervous look. Besides, Gavin told me. You’re afraid Gavin is going to go all protective cousin on Garrett.”
“Maybe.”
Liz waved her hand. “Not going to happen. Believe me, the last thing Gavin wants to talk about is your sex life.”
She relaxed her shoulders. “You’re probably right about that.”