Stealing Home

Celebrating the First Win

“Wow, what a great game that was, huh?” Celeste comments and Adam rolls his eyes.

“Were you even paying attention?” Adam teases his wife and Celeste laughs. “Exactly.”

“Oh, please. I always watch,” Celeste blows a kiss to Adam who catches it like a true husband would, then he proceeds to eat the kiss which makes Celeste laugh more.

“They’re a bit strange, aren’t they?” Carter leans into me as we sip our new concoctions. They’re extra fruity tonight, but it’s not bad.

“I don’t know, I think they're cute,” I say in response and Carter clears his throat.

“Well, of course,” Carter tries to back peddler and I laugh.

“But yeah, strange too,” I admit and Celeste shoots me a look but it’s accompanied by a smile.

Celeste pulls Adam behind the bar and puts him to work. Even though he complains, groaning and whining that he had a long game and just wants to sit with his friends. Celeste “tsks” at him but then she gives him a kiss on the cheek, he rolls his eyes but joins her in pouring drinks.

“Come on, let’s join the team,” Carter steps away from the bar and holds his arm out to let me go first. I side off the stool and follow him over to the team. My previous seat is taken quickly since the bar is quite crowded.

We make our way over to the team’s table, pushing through the crowd of people congratulating the boys and also giving them pointers. Carter chuckles when a customer tries to give him advice on his swing. He winks at me over the guy's head and I have to stifle a laugh. This little, 5’2”, portly gentleman should not be giving advice to a professional. Although, who knows, he might be some sort of professional too.

“Thank you for that advice, man. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” Carter says to try to be polite. He reaches around the man to get to me and I laugh but take his hand and pull him away. We finally reach the team's table, a few of the guys have already left and I know there are some that never showed up. Other guys had their own plans for tonight too.

“Hey, Scar!” The guys that know me, greet me while the others look on. I can feel eyes on me and I look over to see Nolan’s brooding eyes staring at me. I turn to face him and give him a little wave, knowing it won’t be returned. I turn back to Carter who slides onto the booth side of the table, he gestures to the place beside him and I slide in. I’m quickly trapped in the middle of him and Miles.

“Hiya, kiddo. So, how was your first major league game?” Miles asks and I raise my eyebrow. “How was your first day working a major league game?” He corrects himself and a few of the guys quiet down to hear and to join the conversation. I’m used to all the attention since I’m usually one of the only females that gets to spend a lot of time in the players' personal spaces.

“It was great,” I gush, admitting how much I enjoyed the experience. “I’m sure eventually the rush will fade but wow, today was incredible. The fans were great, the stadium was so into it.”

“Eh-hm,” Carter clears his throat and nudges my arm.

“And yes,” I say with a laugh, “you all were amazing too! Overall, it was just a great experience. I’m sure it would have been great even if you all lost but let’s be honest, winning definitely added to the awesomeness.” I chuckle and the guys laugh with me.

“Awesomeness?” Nolan’s voice pops up and I can see his smirk when he laughs at my choice of words.

“Yes,” I say and look him dead in the eyes. The table watches our interaction, seemingly breathless to see if I can hold my own with Nolan. “I know you are probably unfamiliar with that term. I doubt anybody has used it when speaking about you, right?” I say and admittedly it’s not my best comeback but it does elicit a good reaction from the rest of the guys.

Nolan leans over the table and a smirk takes over his face. The guys go silent awaiting his answer.

“Usually,” Nolan starts, “they’re too exhausted to say anything.” This response is appreciated by the team

Carter opens his mouth to say something, probably in my defense, but I burst out laughing. Nolan’s eyebrows raise and he looks confused by my laughter.

“Yeah, exhausted from interacting with a monotonous, egotistical oaf like you,” I say before I can stop myself. I’ve had too much to drink and Nolan has never been polite to me but it’s still not an excuse for what I said. I quickly slap my hand over my mouth, incredibly embarrassed. Nolan’s smirk wavers and quickly turns into a glower. I am about to apologize but then the table starts shaking and my ears are bombarded with the laughter of the men surrounding me. A lot of them seem to agree with me.

Carter looks like he is trying to stifle a laugh behind his hand. I shoot him a look and he just shakes his head and pats my leg. He chugs the rest of the pitcher in front of us then shoots me a look.

“Let’s get out of here,” Carter says and I nod my head immediately, wanting to get out of this uncomfortable staring contest with Nolan that I don’t seem to be winning. I slide out of the booth, breaking eye contact. Carter shuffles out after me and places his hand on my back to lead me away, and I suspect for some support. He seems a bit unsteady on his feet. I look back and see Nolan watching us. He stands up when he sees Carter’s hand on me. His eyes narrow and he stalks toward us.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Nolan practically growls.

“Ah, Nolan, not this s**t again. I’m fine. I’m not driving. Scar is driving and she’s not even drunk. So, chill,” Carter is blinking a little more frequently now and I can tell he’s getting tired. Carter turns and starts to maneuver me to the door but Nolan grabs my arm to stop us. He grips too hard and I wince. I see Nolan’s face and he instantly regrets grabbing me but before he can say anything, or release me, Carter shoves him away from me. “What the f**k, man?”

“s**t,” Nolan mumbles. He ignored Carter and looks at me but Carter has stepped between us. “Scarlett,” Nolan tries again but Carter won’t let him near me.

“Don’t f*****g touch her,” Carter raises his voice.

Carter pushes Nolan again and pulls back his fist to hit him. Unfortunately, Carter is way too drunk to aim correctly and he swings sloppily. Nolan knocks his arm away easily and Carter ends up with his arm twisted behind his back. Carter breaks free, unsteady on his feet but he is able to get Nolan off balance as well. The two stumble back into the bar, knocking over a stool that was recently vacated. I see the two exchange punches to the other’s stomachs and sides, wherever they can reach.

“Hey, hey, guys, come on. Not here,” Celeste appears and gets between the two. She has her hands braced on each of their chests, keeping them apart. Nolan’s eyes look like flames and I feel my heart racing. “Nolan, knock it off, let me get you another drink. Carter, go home, sleep this off. Both of y’all are going to hurt tomorrow.”

The guys stand and stare at each other, both breathing heavily. Nolan breaks first and looks over at me one last time before turning and going to an empty seat on the opposite side of the bar. Celeste watches him walk away and then she turns to me.

“You got this one?” Celeste asks and I nod. I can handle him.

“Come on,” I say to Carter and I feel Nolan’s eyes on us, watching as we walk out the door with Carter draped over me.