Page 154 of Chasing Headlines
Olivia POV
Ipaced outside the Silverado Senior Living Center, phone ringing as I tried to get ahold of Curt. I caught myself biting at my thumbnail and dropped my hand.Dammit.
“Milline.” Curt's gruff voice still managed to soothe at the churning acid occupying the space where my stomach should have been.
“You don’t have me programmed in your phone?”
“Liv, uh, yeah, just habit, sorry. You ok?”
“Sure. Just excited about the exhibition game. Finally. Some real baseball.” I cringed. I was sure he could tell how forced and terrible that sounded.
“The World Series ended two whole weeks ago.”
I scoffed. “I couldn’t stand to watch either team. That smug bastard—”that knocked you out of your last game.“You know. A whole team of them. Rotten birds.”
He chuckled. “They’re not my favorite either. Couldn’t cheer for the Mountaineers?”
“They have teal as a uniform color. And their coach stinks, literally stinks.” I sagged against the outside wall of the building. “He gets grabby with women, too.”
“Wait, what? Did you?—”
“I hear things, geez. Wasn’t me.” I grumbled. “One of these days, the three of us need to have a talk about this 'No baseball' rule. I’m an adult, already. Legally, even.”
“One of these days. But not today.”
I stuck my tongue out at the receiver.
“What are you really calling for?”
“Well, you know Schorr wants to see you. He’sspecial. And a half.” I tapped the back of the receiver.
“Crusty as they come.” He huffed an amused breath. “Yeah, I saw your text. Don’t have a date lined up yet, but I’m sure I’ll be down in the spring.”
“The earlier the better. He seems to have gotten nostalgic about yelling at Milline’s all of a sudden.”
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the stubborn youngest one causing trouble.”
“Doesn’t sound anything like me.”
“But that’s not why you called. Your jokes are a little too sharp, today, so what is it?”
“I have jokes? Who are you and what have you done with Curt? My real brother takes great delight in telling me how un-funny I am.” I rubbed a hand over my forehead.
“And you just proved my point. What's going on?”
I stared at the phone. Why had I called? Except out of habit. “You don't have to have a college degree to be a baseball scout, right?”
“It's too early to give up,” he said with a sigh. “I thought you were doing well. Hilda's there. I'm sure Dublin's haunting nearby.”
“She's not a ghost.”
“True. But you've never proven she's not a ghoul.” He chuckled at his own joke.Lame.
“Ugh. Moving on. Hilda and I aren't getting along too well. She thinks my baseball ambitions are a bad idea or something.”
“Finally, someone else agrees with me.”
I hung my head. “Yeah, I shouldn't have bothered. I'll let you go.”