Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

QUINCY

I 'm sitting at the Anacondas game with Layton, Ezra, Cheetah, and Blanche, who I invited to tag along. She and I have struck up a friendship. I walk Thor a few times a week, and she makes me a home-cooked meal a few times a month.

She likes to prod me about my love life. Assuming she'd never meet Ripley, I did confide in her about our time in Houston. I don't know if she's connected the dots just yet.

She and Cheetah are getting along well. He's flirting with her, and she's eating it up.

He winks at her. "Blanche, is it true that women only get better with age?"

She smiles. "There's only one way to find out. Did I ever tell you that my husband was Latino?" She wiggles her eyebrows. "I've always had a thing for Latino men. Especially those who talk dirty in Spanish. "

"He sido un chico malo. Necesito una nalgada." I've been a bad boy. I might need a spanking.

I have no idea what he just said, but Blanche lets out a loud laugh and says that she's game for whatever he said.

She loops her arm through mine. "Your friends are fun. Thanks for bringing me."

"I'm happy to. Stay away from Cheetah though. He's trouble. I don't want him breaking your heart."

She smiles. "I could use a little trouble. My neighbor won't put out."

I chuckle. "Blanche, you have a one-track mind."

"Umm hmm. That's what my husband always said." She leans over so the others can't hear her. "I'm guessing that adorable redheaded pitcher is the woman you once mentioned to me."

I raise an eyebrow. "Isn't memory supposed to fade with age?"

"I have a memory like an elephant."

I sigh. "Apparently. Yes, it's her. We've agreed to be friends."

"Is that what you want?"

I blow out a breath. "I can't give her what she needs, so a friendship will have to do."

She leans her head on my shoulder. "Things change. We'll see."

"Cotton-Eyed Joe" starts playing on the speakers between innings. Cheetah, who loves to make a spectacle of himself, pulls Blanche up by her hand and dances with her. She obliges with some impressive moves of her own. The cameras immediately find them, and they appear on the big screen, much to the delight of the fans.

I can't help but smile. Cheetah is a jokester, but he's a good guy underneath it all. He's gone out of his way tonight to give Blanche a good time.

The Anacondas take the field and my eye catches Layton simply staring at my sister. He wants her. I can tell. He promised me he wouldn't go there, but I know what a man in lust looks like.

What's worse is that I see her looking over at him every now and then. Something either has or is about to happen between them. It's driving me nuts. I don't want to see her get hurt again.

We're now a few innings into the game, and Ripley is throwing a no-hitter. She's so fucking good. So dominant in her sport. I'm mesmerized watching her play.

At some point I see Cheetah looking Ripley up and down. He leans over and mutters, "I wonder if she's a real redhead. Do you think the carpet matches the drapes?"

Without thinking, I picture her naked body, smile, and say, "It does."

Shit.

He stares at me with his mouth wide open. I quickly look around to see if anyone else heard me. Layton's gazing at my sister like a lost puppy. He didn't hear me. I don't think Ezra did either, though I catch Blanche trying to hide her smile. That old bat has bat ears.

Cheetah grabs my arm. "Q, why don't you and I go get a beer?"

He practically drags me up to the concourse. "Are you sneaky linking Ripley?"

"No, I'm not."

He crosses his arms and smirks. "How do you know about her carpet?"

"I've…umm…known her since she was a kid. She's alwa ys had red hair. I was simply stating that it's not fake."

I can physically see him thinking and then I see the moment it hits him. "Ho-lee-fuck. She's why you like bigger chicks. You want Ripley, so you find women who have similar figures to hers." His face lights up. "Now it all makes sense."

I roll my eyes. "That's not true. I've always been into bigger women."

"And you've always known Ripley."

"Unrelated."

"You're clapping cheeks with her, aren't you?"

"Nope."

"You two are playing hide the sausage, aren't you?"

"No."

"I know you're shaking the sheets with her."

"Stop it."

"Does Arizona know? Maybe I should chat with her about it."

I put my finger in his face. "Don't you fucking dare. She doesn't know anything."

He smiles. "Ah, but there's something there. I know I'm right. She's smokin' hot. What's the big deal?"

I blow out a breath. "I need you to keep this between us." I fix my hat and run my fingers through my hair nervously. "We used to hook up. It was casual. Always on the down-low. When she caught feelings, we ended things. It's been a long time since we were together. We've agreed to remain friends. That's the truth."

"Dude, a blind man can see that you're hung up on her. Have you hooked up with random chicks since she came to town?"

I reluctantly shake my head .

"You're still into her." He doesn't ask it as a question. He says it as a statement. "Is she still into you?"

"She used to be. She says she's over me."

"She's not. She's always staring at you when you're not looking. Same way you do with her. Why aren't you together? She's an awesome chick."

"Because she wants marriage and kids. I don't."

"Never?"

"Never."

"I think you're fucking nuts. She's hot, funny, nice, and has the exact kind of body you're into." He holds out his hands. "She has a huge rack."

I roll my eyes. "I'm well aware of her rack. She deserves better than me though."

He shrugs. "You may get what you want. When we were out the other night, I was sitting next to her. Some dude was texting her. They were making plans to go out."

"Are you fucking with me?"

"No, but your reaction tells me all I need to know."

RIPLEY

Thanks to Arizona and Layton's fake, I'm not sure it's that fake anymore, relationship, the Anacondas are getting so much attention in the press. And our team is truly putting on a show. We're the best team in the league. Our fanbase grows each and every day.

Several of us are now fielding calls for sponsorship opportunities. Unbelievably, I had an offer today to model plus-sized lingerie .

I'm mulling it over as I stand in front of the mirror looking at myself in a bra and panties. I turn to Arizona. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Why not? It's so much money. You won't have to work at all this off-season if you don't want to."

"I'll feel so...exposed."

"Rip, you're gorgeous. I thought you finally understood that. I love how much more confident you've become since college."

"There's a difference between feeling more confident around people you know and having millions of strangers seeing your body, judging you. I know the type of society we live in. The bodies we do and don't find appealing."

"Fuck society. Your body is society. Not everyone looks like Kam and Bailey. They're the ones who aren't normal."

They have ridiculously good figures.

She continues. "I'm not as skinny as them. I'm a professional catcher with huge thighs. You know what? I don't care. I'm gonna rock that Sports Illustrated shoot. I'm not a size zero, and I'm confident about it. Young girls need to see women like us, not reality stars with chefs and trainers, who have nothing else to do all day but work on being skinny. It's not real life."

"You're all muscle. You don't have fat like I do."

She rolls her eyes. "Rip, we all have insecurities about our own bodies. You're beautiful and perfect, both inside and out. Show those fuckers that not everyone eats lettuce and keto gummies all day. Not if you want to be the best damn pitcher in the world. When you win a gold medal in four years, you can shove those keto gummies up all the skinny bitches' asses."

I smile. "I wonder if they're as effective when you take them up the ass."

She laughs. "There's only one way to find out."

We're in a fit of giggles when we hear our door open and the ever-present bickering between Kam and Bailey. "Bay, you need to do this. It's so much money."

"No fucking way. I swore I'd never model again."

They walk into my bedroom. Kam's eyes light up when she looks at me. "Is that the lingerie they want you to wear?"

I nod. "They sent it over so I can check it out before I sign my contract."

She squeals with excitement. "You look so fucking hot. Your ass and tits are going to be the wet dreams of every man and woman in America. I might even Jill-off to you."

I pinch my eyebrows. "Jill off?"

She nods. "I'm not a dude. I don't jack off. I'm a woman. I Jill off."

I giggle while Bailey rolls her eyes. "You seriously make up words and assume all of us will know what you're talking about."

"Google it. I didn't even make this one up. I swear. It's as common a phrase for female masturbation as dialing the rotary phone or a ménage à moi."

I laugh again while Arizona gives me an I told you so look. "I've been telling her for an hour how hot she looks."

Bailey nods. "Oh, Rip, you look like a porcelain doll, babe. Don't doubt yourself."

I place my hands on my hips, offering a bit of attitude. "Why aren't you accepting the makeup company's offer?"

Kamryn accepted a deal to model in ads for a skincare line, but Bailey refuses to accept any modeling offers, including a lucrative offer from a makeup company.

"Kam and I did a ton of twin modeling as kids. It was excessive. I swore to myself I'd never do it again. It doesn't appeal to me. "

Kam sighs. "Bails, if we don't have to work this off-season, we can travel. We've always wanted to do that."

" You've always wanted to do that." Bailey shakes her head. "It's not happening. I like working with kids in the off-season. It makes me happy. I'll find a job along those lines."

Kamryn's face drops. Bailey touches her shoulder. "We're making more playing in Philly. I'll be able to travel with you a little, just not the whole time. It's not what I want. Modeling never made me happy. I need to do something I like. Working with kids feeds my soul."

I nod in agreement. "You should always do what makes you happy, Bails."

She smiles. She doesn't love the limelight like Kam does. Half the time I think she only plays softball because of Kam. I'm pretty sure that if it was up to Bailey, she'd be a kindergarten teacher.

Arizona looks at Bailey. "That reminds me. I met with Layton's agent today, Tanner Montgomery. His nanny quit. His seven-year-old daughter was with him at work. He's looking for help and I left him your number. I meant to tell you earlier."

Bailey's eyes light up. "Really? How many kids do they have?"

"It's just him. He's divorced. He only has Harper half the time. I thought that might work for you since we're still in season and you can't offer too much time just yet."

"Definitely. Thanks."

"And Harper is a huge softball fan. Apparently they come to a lot of games. Tanner knew who you were right away."

"This could be perfect." She turns to Kam. "See, things work out. I don't need to model again. Ever."

Kam sighs in resignation before looking at me. "What about you, Rip? You're gonna do it, right? "

I nod. "I think so. I've never had financial freedom in the off-season. It's kind of hard to pass up."

She pulls open the drawer in my nightstand and narrows her eyes. "Why is your vibrator so fucking long? Do you have a deep tunnel of love?"

I walk over and slam the small drawer shut. "You can't just walk into someone's room and check out their vibrator."

Arizona interrupts, "She likes it super deep. She has for years. Apparently she was fucking some guy in Houston with a long dong, and he ruined her for all other men."

Before I can dispute anything, Arizona's phone rings, as it has been all day. She's fielding modeling offers left and right. That was why she met with Tanner Montgomery, sports agent to the biggest stars. He's helping her negotiate the best deals. I'm so happy for my friend that she's getting the recognition she deserves. It's an added bonus that she's helping to get our team and our sport the attention needed to stay in business.

Kam gets a call and walks out too, leaving just Bailey and me.

I look at my friend. Something is clearly weighing on her.

"Bails, is everything okay?"

She plops down on my bed. "I suppose. Why do you ask?"

"Did something happen to you when you modeled as a kid?" Her being adamant about not modeling has me concerned.

"Not what you're thinking. I just need something away from my sister. I live in her shadow, and it's a big fucking shadow. She's the better ballplayer, she's the bigger personality, she's smarter, she's prettier—"

"Prettier? You two are identical."

She lets out a long breath. "Her outgoing, funny personality makes her prettier. Most people can tell the difference between us because they're just something extra about her. Only strangers can't tell the difference."

"I can't answer that because you two look different to me. Neither being better than the other, and both drop-dead gorgeous." I bite my lip. "Do you enjoy softball, Bails?"

"Honestly? Not like her. We both know I never would have been given a scholarship to play at a top softball school like UCLA if it wasn't for Kam telling coaches she wouldn't come without me. Don't get me wrong. I love my sister. She has always stood up for me and looked out for me, but she's the star."

I start to speak but she holds up her hands. "I know I'm a good softball player now. Maybe even a great one—"

"You are great."

She gives me a small smile in gratitude before that smile turns almost Kam-like. "Do you know what she sucks at?"

"What?"

"Being around kids. It's painful, yet equally amusing, to watch her struggle with little ones. You know what I'm really good at?"

"Being around kids?"

She nods. "Yep. I love it. I know it's my true calling. It's something I have that she doesn't. Maybe I'll stick things out with softball a little longer because being in the Olympics with you guys would be awesome, but I'm equally okay if that doesn't happen for me. The three of you practically live for it. It's your dream. It's not mine. Softball is something I do, it's not something I am."

I'm considering her words when my phone buzzes with a text notification. The phone is on my bed, closer to Bailey. I nod at it. "Can you hand that to me?"

"Sure." She briefly looks down at the phone as she hands it to me.

"It's Quincy."

Oh shit. I hope he didn't say anything incriminating. I look down.

Quincy: Can you help me with something tomorrow?

That's not so bad.

"Let me see what he needs. He's probably been trying to get in touch with Arizona. She's been on the phone all day."

I begin typing.

Me: Sure. What is it?

Quincy: Get your sexy ass here at ten tomorrow morning. I have to be at the ballpark for our game by about three.

Me: Can you give me some details?

Quincy: Wear shoes that can get dirty.

Me: Please define dirty.

Quincy: Your mind is always in the gutter. Actual dirt.

Me: What the hell are we doing?

Quincy: You'll see, Shortcake. Wear something tight.

Me: Why do I need to wear something tight if we're getting dirty?

Quincy: You don't. I just want to see you in it.

Me: You're a dick. See you at ten. I'll be in baggy clothes.

Quincy: You're no fun.

I can't help but smile as I place my phone down. Bailey is staring at me. "Is something going on between you and Quincy?"

"No. We've been friends for over twenty years."

She tilts her head to the side. "I see the way you look at him. I also see how protective he is over you."

"He's the same with Arizona."

"Yes, but she's his sister. You're not."

"Perhaps he sees me that way. Sisterly."

She lifts an eyebrow. "Your entire body is flushing just talking about him. You're practically naked right now. I can see it. It's not very sibling-like."

I brush her away with my hand. "You're overreading this situation." I head toward my bathroom to avoid any further inquisition. "I'm jumping in the shower. I'll see you later."