Earning A Ring. Kristina Mathews

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СКАЧАТЬ the pressure of keeping a secret of this kind. She didn’t think he’d rat her out. No, Carl had always had her back. But she got the feeling he was disappointed in her. They both knew she should know better than to get involved with a player. Especially a guy with Bryce’s reputation and one failed marriage behind him.

      Not that she was looking to get married. She wasn’t that big of a fool.

      So what did she want from Bryce? Besides great sex? Really great sex.

      She wanted to forget him. To be able to do her job, and not have to hold her breath every time he stepped into the batter’s box. She wanted to be able to interview him after the game and not secretly hope for, yet dread, an invitation back to his place once the camera stopped rolling.

      “Defending a title is different than just trying to make the playoffs,” Steve was saying. “Expectations are higher. Fans are less patient.”

      Rachel could only nod, and hold her breath while waiting for the hammer to come down. She started mentally putting her résumé together.

      “I know it’s been tough these first few weeks.” Steve exhaled with the frustration they were all feeling. “But I need you to focus on the positive. Stay upbeat. Your job is to keep the hope alive.”

      She concentrated on the word “is.” She still had a job. For now.

      “Positive. Upbeat.” She gave him her best camera-ready smile. “Always. We’re behind our guys one hundred percent.”

      “Good. I knew I could count on you.” He clapped her on the shoulder. “It’s funny. We did such a good job at making the fans feel a part of last year’s victory, that now they feel like they’re owed back-to-back championships.”

      He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

      “But I know you’ll do your part to keep it going.” He gave her an encouraging nod. “Seek out the first timers, the bachelorette parties. Find soldiers on leave taking in a ballgame before they head back to their mission overseas. Focus on the ballpark experience. Make them want to be here even if the team isn’t winning.”

      “Keep them happy until the team gets back on track. I can do that.” She wasn’t getting fired. Just a pep talk.

      “Exactly.”

      “So I’ll interview the guys who are performing well, like Nathan Cooper or Marco Santiago.”

      “Sounds like a good plan. Just stay away from Bryce Baxter.” He shook his head. Oh God. He knew. He knew and he was disappointed in her. Time to update her résumé, after all.

      She’d been contacted by an up-and-coming network about doing a sports talk show “for women who love sports, by women who love sports.” But Jock Talk was nothing more than a gossip show that focused more on the players’ private lives than what occurred on the field of play. What they drove, where they ate—and most importantly—who they were sleeping with got more attention than anything the athletes accomplished on the field. They would have loved the story about Johnny “The Monk” Scottsdale and his child with his college sweetheart. It would have made headlines, but not the kind she wanted her name associated with.

      Could she do it if it were her only option? If it was the only way she could support herself and her unborn child? It would be a lot easier if the studio wasn’t located in New Jersey.

      “I only interview the players who help the team.” She held her voice steady. She wasn’t going to give him any reason to doubt her. “If a guy contributes on the field, the fans will want to hear from him after the game.”

      “Right now Baxter looks about as lost as he can get.” He continued to shake his head. Almost as though he was disappointed in Baxter, too. “When he’s hot, he’s golden. He’s got that Midas touch.”

      He had no idea.

      “Let’s hope he gets it back. We need him.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, a touch of familiarity she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. “And the on-screen chemistry between you two is something else. The fans love it.”

      Breathe in. Breathe out. The last thing she needed was to faint. Or throw up.

      “It’s all on him.” She willed her stomach to stay calm, for five more minutes. “He’s one of the players who gets it. He understands that his job isn’t just between the foul lines. He knows how to play to the crowd.”

      And she was only making things worse. She should stop talking, before Steve realized that Bryce had also been playing her.

      “Everybody loves Bryce Baxter.” He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. “But they love him even more when the Goliaths are winning.”

      “We all look better when the Goliaths are winning.”

      Rachel watched her boss walk away, leaving her feeling like a pitcher who’d somehow gotten out of a bases-loaded jam. Her stomach was starting to settle, but she felt as though she could go lie down in the clubhouse and sleep for three days.

      Still, she’d have to be very careful around Bryce. She couldn’t let their relationship, or lack of one, get in the way of her job. She wondered how her boss would react when he found out the chemistry between her and Bryce had developed into biology. She’d have to explain that although they were having a baby together, they weren’t a couple. And sure, she would be able to maintain a professional relationship with the player who’d knocked her up.

      She couldn’t think about all of this right now. Not when she had a job to do. Nathan Cooper was expecting an interview.

      Carl stood with his camera ready as Rachel seated herself next to Cooper in the dugout.

      “In twelve appearances, you’ve given up only two hits and no walks, with seven strikeouts. I guess it’s safe to say your shoulder’s feeling pretty good.” She kept her tone upbeat, her expression friendly.

      “Yeah, the shoulder feels great. The surgery was a success, and I spent the offseason building strength and flexibility.” He offered a warm smile for the camera. “I’m healthy and ready to go the distance.”

      “Keep pitching like you have been, and you’ll have a chance at going all the way.” No, that didn’t sound cheesy at all. But her job was to stay positive, upbeat, like the t-baller’s mom who smiles and praises effort, and win or lose, takes them all out for ice cream.

      “Thank you. I really hope I can contribute down the stretch. The Goliaths organization has faith in me, and I don’t want to let them down ever again.” Cooper nodded and headed out to the field of play to join his teammates.

      She signed off, relieved that the subject of Cooper’s suspension last year did not come up.

      “Hard to believe that’s the same guy,” Carl said after the camera stopped rolling. “He used to think he was hot shit. He was hot shit. But was it because he was juiced or because he was that talented?”

      “He’s got talent. Always has. But you’re right. He’s definitely humbled.” She’d been doing this job for four years. She’d dealt with some pretty big egos, and Nathan Cooper had been one of the biggest. Had he really changed? Or СКАЧАТЬ