Page 14 of Chasing Headlines
“Sure, I'll be here.” I stared at the blank space behind the long, mahogany counter. This place was an odd mix of expensive and basic. Tan walls met maroon tile, edged with stacked baseboards, but flat and painted white. Real, stainless-steel fixtures hung over the administrative desk. “Just,” I said with a sigh, “waiting for Ted.”
I scrolled through the scouting report I'd PDF'd and emailed myself during the tail end of my summer internship.Height, height. . . I'd been living with a six-foot-three giant, and this guy was pretty close—at least six two. And built. Those shoulders?Mmmm.And then there were the bulging extensors in his forearms.So nice.
I shivered. When he'd grabbed me, my skin had tingled, everywhere—like itcravedhis. My entire body ached during those few seconds. He’d been so close. Ahem. Right.
Tanner Meyers was the closest at six-one, and he wore his sandy brown hair shoulder-length. There was an Antonio Jimenez from the Dominican Republic I'd never seen. He was a little over six foot, but I highly doubted that smirky sunglasses guy with the backwards baseball hat was Dominican.
He had the same jawline as the infamous and drool-worthy Breslin Cooper, but Coop was listed as five eleven, and had always kept his face scruff-free. Maybe this guy was a walk-on?
“Right, I'm back.” Curt’s voice buzzed in my ear. “Sorry. You were saying?”
“The burgeoning metropolis of Vanquer, this place is like going back in history. Will they make me trade in my car for a horse and buggy when I go to get my Texas license?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Feels like it sometimes. The residents of the county were all about their Strikers sports teams—not just football. Baseball, too.” His voice softened. “We were practically legends on that campus.”
“Tough life.”
“Was surprised you chose it. Doesn't seem like you. No malls, no big tech stores. Probably bad for your complexion.”
“Ha ha.” I rolled my eyes.Jerk.“Trying to follow in big brother's footsteps. Minus the detour into pitching. Seriously. Who'd want to do something lame like that?” I held onto the giggle that bubbled in my chest.
“Someone damned good at it. And don'tyouforget it,” he said with a laugh.
“So humble. Iwill beinvesting in some serious sunscreen asap. Or the next time you see me, I'll be a leathery old lady.”
“Yeah, you're practically ancient at eighteen.”
“The sun is a murder machine! Anyway, you're the one who mentioned that five of the top twenty prospects are incoming freshmen this year.”
“Go Cattle Tech.”
“The name's fitting. Won't lie.”
“Still can't believe they brought the old guy outta retirement. Be exciting to see how he puts together this new team. We won two state championships while I was there.”
“Yeah! Can hardly wait. And guess who's got a tryout as the baseball beat reporter for the Van Weekly?” I returned to pacing the small waiting room. No sign of Ted the administrator dude responsible for doing . . . whatever for my reporter credentials.
“What's a van weekly?”
“Newspaper and sports journal?”
“Huh. They called it the Cattle Tech Headline when I was there.”
“It's now The Vanquished.” I couldn't help but say the name with a bit of pizazz. A hand gesture may have happened. “Someone must love the Dallas music scene. Or something. I liked a couple of their songs back when.”
He let out a loud breath. “OK, well. Glad you’re settling in OK.”
“Yeah. I've got some article pitches I've already been assigned: a Founders’ Day special edition thing and I'm currently hanging out in the fieldhouse administration office waiting on my reporter creds. I have a story to do on some of my new classmates.”
He grunted. “Of the baseball variety, I’m guessing? Jesus, you have a one-track mind.”
“Life of a beat reporter,” I sing-songed at him. “Can't beat it.”
“So bad,” he groaned. “That’s why you went for journalism? Should've known.”
“Best I could do to keep on track. My skills as a reporter should keep me sharp for my scouting internship next summer. And vice versa. It's perfect, right?” I couldn't help but grin.
A long exhale. “Liv, I love you, but you are the single most difficult, stubborn, er, tenacious person I know. And there arepieces of granitethat seem soft compared to you.”