Home Plate (Easton U Pirates 2)

Matter settled for now, I checked social media, then talked to a couple of teammates until boarding began. I looked out the window at the fluffy clouds most of the flight, lost in my thoughts, but Fischer didn’t seem to mind.

Because of the time difference, it was early when we arrived at the hotel. We had games the next three days, but today we were on our own. Well, sort of. After putting our bags away in our rooms, we went down to the lobby to meet the coaches. We’d be exploring the city in a touristy way, which was fine by me because San Diego was awesome, at least what I’d seen on the shuttle ride from the airport. And because Coach Adams had friends in town, he knew all the places to go.

After eating an awesome lunch in Little Italy, we walked to a gelato place, then headed to an afternoon Padres game at one of the coolest stadiums I’d ever been in.

We took up two rows of seats and filled up on hot dogs and soda—fountain soda that Maclain seemed grateful I pointed out—and watched a close game that was tied in the sixth and that the Padres pulled out in the end. When I felt someone pelt my head with popcorn, I had a feeling I knew who it was, though Kellan was known for throwing stuff, too, if usually at Donovan. When I turned my head to look behind me, both Kellan and Maclain looked sheepish, so they could’ve ganged up on me for all I knew. But when Maclain rewarded me with a megawatt smile that warmed me to my core, I decided I was completely charmed by this mischievous-in-a-flirty-way side of him.

It didn’t last very long because as soon as he catalogued his surroundings and realized he’d tiptoed out of his tightly wound façade, his eyes were back on the mound, the smile already tucked away. Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted.

After the game, the team walked along the harbor before boarding a ferry. Coach Adams pointed out a place across the way called Coronado Island, as well as some cool military ships docked inland. It felt good to relax after such a full afternoon and the ocean air provided a warm breeze. Some of the guys discussed getting souvenirs at the harbor-front shops, while others would be heading back to the hotel to chill out and get some rest.

It ended up being only a small group of us who stayed behind, and we walked along the shops and enjoyed the scenery a bit longer. Donovan and Kellan were waiting on a bench when I came out of one of the stores, having purchased a couple of items, including a key chain for Gemma, who liked to collect them. A couple of minutes later, Maclain joined me after Sinclair, Devers, and Fischer decided to go to yet another shop on a souvenir hunt for their younger siblings.

Maclain hadn’t purchased anything, which made sense, I guessed, but also made me feel glad that I’d grabbed something at the counter for him.

“What’s this?” he asked in a strangled whisper when I placed the bag on his lap.

“No big deal. Check it out,” I replied, then averted my eyes.

He chuckled when he pulled out the small package of Bit-O-Honey.

“See, not so much of a dickhead now, am I?”

He rolled his eyes as he tore into the bag, retrieved a piece, then offered me one. I could feel our thighs pressing together as we sat there and chewed, but we didn’t dare make eye contact. The smile on his face said everything, though, but I made sure not to point it out and embarrass him—or piss him off. He was so cagey in public, especially around our teammates.

“Okay, I’m beat.” I blew out a breath and stared out at the water, which had an instant calming effect.

“Same,” he replied, stretching out his legs.

“See?” Kellan motioned to us with a sly grin. “You guys actually like each other. So there’s no need to keep giving me shit for suggesting you should become friends.”

Maclain narrowed his eyes. “Eh, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Kellan said. “Maybe I’m right, or maybe you’ll stop giving me the evil eye?”

“I only put up with Girard for the sake of the team,” he deadpanned.

“Please.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “Admit I have a good effect on you. You’re even pitching more consistently.”

“Right, because I can’t possibly get through a game without you,” he countered.

“You finally get it!” I teased as I unwrapped another candy.

When our teammates motioned for us to keep moving down the boardwalk, we hopped up and trailed behind them to the next souvenir shop.

Donovan surprised me by reaching for Kellan’s hand, and I could tell that Maclain noticed as well. It was a brave thing to do in public, and I couldn’t help wondering how that might feel.