The Other Game (The Perfect Game 4)

“Yeah, you too.” I smiled. He seemed pretty cool. “What position do you play?”

“I catch. Nick here’s our first baseman, and Spencer’s a pitcher.”

“Nice,” I said with a nod.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Tyler said. “After you get settled in, come meet us out back by the pool.”

“You have a pool?”

I couldn’t help but be a little jealous. I’d always wanted a pool growing up, but Gran said there wasn’t enough room. As a little kid, I believed whatever she told me, not knowing any better. I knew now, though, that there was plenty of room in the backyard for a pool, but they most likely couldn’t afford the upkeep and maintenance, let alone the cost of putting one in.

Gran always hated telling us that they couldn’t afford to buy us things, so she made up creative reasons as to why we couldn’t have them. I loved her and Gramps for it, and for all the sacrifices they made in order to raise us. It had never hit me until this moment just how much they’d had to give up when Jack and I moved in. They never went away on vacations together, and the only ones who got new things in the house were me and Jack.

Jack slapped a hand on my shoulder. “You okay? You look weird all of a sudden.”

“I’m fine,” I said, ducking out of his grasp. “Just thinking, is all.”

“Come on. Grab your shit,” he said before following Tyler up the cobblestone walkway.

I pulled my duffel from the Bronco before hustling to catch up. When we walked through the front door, I was awed by the house’s features—vaulted ceilings, wide crown molding, and hardwood floors. No four guys should be living in a house this nice.

“This house is ridiculous,” I said, and Tyler laughed.

“No shit. We got super lucky. Jack, your room’s upstairs, first door on the right. I’m gonna hit the pool. Come down when you’re ready. There’s beer in the fridge.”

Jack took the stairs two at a time, and I unconsciously mimicked him the way I used to when we were little kids. He pushed open the door to a simple guest room with a pair of twin beds, a dresser, and a nightstand.

“You’re so lucky you didn’t have to furnish this.” I couldn’t imagine what a pain in the ass that would have been, moving every single thing he owned. Then I shuddered at the thought of his room at home being empty.

“I know.” He tossed his bags on the bed closest to him and unzipped one to pull out two framed photos that I recognized from his room. One was of Gran, Gramps, Jack, and me under the big oak tree, and the other was of Jack and Cassie that Gramps had taken.

He placed the two pictures on his nightstand and turned to me. “I can unpack the rest later. Want to go out back and look around?”

“Definitely.” I dropped my bag on the other bed and followed him down the stairs to the kitchen, which looked like it should have been featured in a magazine.

Jack opened the fridge, pulled out two beers, and handed me one. “After a long hot car ride, we deserve this,” he said before twisting off the top and clanking his bottle against mine.

We stepped outside into the yard and were hit with giant nonstop streams of water to our chests without warning. I looked down at my now soaked shirt as Spencer sat floating on a green alligator raft, clutching a Super Soaker while he laughed hysterically.

Jack and I glanced at each other with a silent promise that we’d get him back, and then continued our self-guided tour. The yard was ridiculous. Expensive stonework and lush vegetation lined the pool area. Everything was perfectly manicured and super nice, much like the rest of the house.

Even though it felt like a thousand degrees outside, we found Tyler sitting alone in the hot tub.

“Are you cold or something?” I asked, wondering what the hell he was doing.

He downed the rest of his beer before opening up the one sitting next to it. “My muscles are sore as hell. The heat helps.”

I nodded in understanding, remembering that Tyler was the catcher on the team. In the same way that pitching could be hard on your shoulder and arm, catching was hard on your knees and legs.

I took a swig of my ice-cold beer. Damn, it tasted good. A yell yanked my attention back toward the pool, where I assumed that I was about to get shot with the damn water gun again. Instead, Nick came flying down backward on the built-in slide that I hadn’t noticed before. This pool was freaking insane, and I was definitely jealous.

“Can I move in? Just for the summer,” I asked Jack, and he laughed. “I’m not kidding. I want to live here. In this backyard.”

“I don’t care.” Jack clapped my shoulder. “But then who will keep an eye on my girl? And who will make sure Funsize doesn’t have

a summer fling if you’re not there to stop her?”

I practically growled, torn between my dream summer and my dream girl. “Fine. But can I come visit?”