Champagne & Baseball

"Yeah" I snapped up my phone. It was my sister again. Why couldn't she learn to text? "I can't do it." She said her voice exasperated. "What do you mean you can't do it? You told me you had my back on this." "I just got your email." She said, I heard the clicks of a keyboard in the background, I had sent her his bio with his picture an hour earlier. "I can't do it" "What he's not good looking enough for you?" I asked, balancing my phone between my shoulder and ear, I lifted a box into my arms. I had been moving all morning and this was the third time she had called me. I was losing my patience. "No, that's not it at all. It's - I've been with him, alright?" I walked out my door and kicked it close with my foot for the last time. "Been with him how?" I replied, suddenly interested in the conversation. "We slept together, okay? He's not staying at my place." "Are you sure you don't want to sleep with him again?" I said it, not loving that I was thinking about pimping out my own sister. "Danny!" she scolded me. "Fine" I unlocked my car and pushed the box into trunk. Then I took the phone back into my hand, "I'm almost finished packing, it's a three-hour drive. I'll figure something out." "Just not him." "Not him" I repeated and then ended the call. I sighed, taking a look to examine my overpacked car. Did I really need all the stuff? I opened the box I just put in, it was full of lotions and creams. No way was I giving that up. I closed it back up. Brooke appeared behind me, letting herself out the building. Two boxes precariously balanced in her arms blocking her vision entirely. I took the top one from her. "That's it." She said, "We officially do not live together." I frowned, Brooke and I have been roommates since sophomore year and in the past summer since we graduated we had gotten even closer than we did through college. I had thought about commuting to work but - three hours? Too long. She couldn't come with me, her job in the heart of the city. I handed her my key, "If your new roommate is better than me. I'm moving right back up here." "Well in that case, she's awesome." Dropping our boxes, she pulled me into a big hug. "I love you," she said, voice muffled against my hair, "It's only three hours, we're going to see each other all the time." I squeezed her tight and nodded. We both knew we were being optimistic. My hometown was only three hours away and I visited it all of twice over the past four years. I would be lucky to see Brooke again within the year. My phone started ringing again and we separated. "Look at you Miss Big Shot. Phone ringing off the hook." I couldn't stop my smile. I did feel like a big shot. I was going to be managing a minor-league baseball team, just me, no one micromanaging me. It was a big deal, a huge responsibility and I was super nervous. I had more to say, more things to tell Brooke but my phone rang again. She waved at me to answer, "Duty calls" she smiled, giving me another quick hug before I slid into my car. "You've got Danny." I said into the receiver, trying to make my voice sound older and wiser than I was. "Danny -" I recognized the voice immediately, Coach Matthew and I had been on an insane number of phone calls this past month. Between getting the town ready for the team and the team ready for the season, we had gotten close. "Is it too optimistic for me to see if you're on your way?" "I am in the car." I said through tight teeth, not a total lie, I just hadn't started it yet. "That's great news." He replied, "I'm going to send some of the boys over to help you unpack when you get here. Let me know when you're close." "Thanks, Coach." Short and sweet like most of our conversations I moved to hang up before he continued. "Danny?" "Yes?" "We're excited to have you here." "Go Falcons" I smiled into the phone before hanging up. The drive, to my detriment, was spent calling host family after host family. In the minor leagues, players stayed with locals during the season and then went back home when it ended. The host families were paid by the team, but it was still a huge favor to house a player for five months. As team manager, I had spent the last month placing each boy with a good host. Delilah had been doing me a favor by taking in a player. I was coming up short one home and she agreed after some hard negotiation - she wouldn't take benchwarmers. And now she wanted to a different player. I called family after family but most of the boys had already settled in and didn't want to leave. An hour out still, I ignored a call from Delilah and called the Eastons. Miss Easton cut me off before I could finish my pitch to change players. "We just don't click." she told me "He doesn't like the cat, Frank won't stop complaining about him. We can't keep him here." I ended the call straining to keep a polite tone in my voice. I threw my phone onto the passenger seat. "f**k!" I shouted to myself in the car, I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. "f**k. f**k. Fuck." Now I had two boys who needed homes. I sent a copy of the Easton's player's biography and headshot to Delilah for approval. There was no way I could find another host family in the next thirty minutes. I shot Delilah's rejected boarder a quick email. Brady, There's been a last-minute change of plans to where you will be staying. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am extending you an invitation to my home until we can figure something out. Danny Richards I left my address and phone number and sent it off hoping he would get it before he showed up at Delilah's doorstep. I sped up, not wanting him to be at mine before even I was there. I had yet to even see it. I just knew that it came furnished and under budget. It was all I could ask for. My heart contorted as I passed the town's welcome sign. Springfield, Massachusetts. Visiting was always bittersweet. My parents had a messy divorced when I was in high school and the minute Delilah and I turned 18 they left for opposite sides of the country. This place held a lot of those heartbreaking memories. I never understood why Delilah stayed. I pulled into my apartment's allotted parking spot. Not a minute later Delilah called, Jason was already at her house and she liked him. "Thanks for getting rid of Brady," She told me before hanging up. I pulled my purse over my shoulder and grabbed a small box, excited to finally see my new place. Sitting outside the building were three young men, all held equally bored expressions. I smiled at them. "Danny?" One of them asked, standing up from the step he was lounging one. He flashed a boyish smile, wiping blonde curls out of his eyes. "Coach Matthew send you?" I asked and they all nodded. He took the box out of my hands. I recognized him but still let him introduce himself. "Garrett." He said. Then pointing to each of his sides he said, "Brandon and Seth." "It's nice finally being face to face." I said, shaking hands with each of them. Six hands were certainly faster than two and we had filled my apartment with boxes in under an hour. I told them I owed them a drink then looked over Garrett's young face. "Maybe a soda." I amended. The minor-league had a range of ages, most of them around 20 though Garrett looked about 16. "Have any of you talked to Brady?" I asked as I looked through the apartment, figuring out what the set up was. The advertisement had said two bedroom, but one was small, probably a kid's bedroom, it held only a twin bed. It would have to do. Before anyone could answer me, a buzzing came from the wall by my door. I clicked for the main door downstairs to open without bothering to see who it was. Springfield was a safe place, and even in New York, I barely checked the buzzer. Garrett answered the knock at the door and there he was in all his gorgeous glory. He was tall for a baseball player, looked more like a swimmer, muscles peeking out from a well fitted T-shirt. He had huge duffel bags hanging from each shoulder and a full backpack in his hand. They looked heavy though he didn't seem eager to drop them. He had an easy smile. Not perfect but that was its appeal, approachably handsome. Brown hair that was too long for his haircut, it fell into his face and he brushed it out of the way with his empty hand. He did not look like this in his headshot. He looked older here, straight out of bed - tousled and sexy. "Brady." I greeted him from the kitchen. The apartment had an open floor plan, dining, kitchen and living room all crowded into one main room. I took a moment to look away from the thermostat. I had been trying to figure out the air conditioning for the last ten minutes. "You lucky duck. You scored the twin bed. Down the hall, to the right" I smiled at him trying to make him comfortable. His teammates laughed at his misfortune. The group bumped fists and Garrett even gave Brady a half hug. Without a word, he went down the hallway and I heard his bags drop on the floor with the thud before coming back to us. "Thanks for taking me in," he said, southern twang falling off his every word, "Ma, got you this." I smiled at the hat he held out to me it read Miami, Florida in bright orange letters. I could vaguely remember that was his hometown. I thanked him and fitted it on my head. I knew it wasn't meant for me but felt touched regardless. I'd encouraged all the boys to get their host families a gift considering what they were doing for them. No doubt he thought he would be putting this on Delilah's head. I looked into the living room, the boys all collapsed on the couch, eyes on their phones. "Unless you're going to help me unpack, get out. Don't forget team dinner tonight at Rachel's." They raced to the door, desperate have some free time before the busy season started, practices and games never ending. "So-" Brady said leaning back on the counter next to me as I continued to fiddle with the adjustments on the thermostat. Was 70 the lowest it went? "You're Delilah's sister, yeah?"