Behind in the Count: A Portland Pioneers Novel by Micah K. Chaplin

Author:Micah K. Chaplin [Chaplin, Micah K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-06-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

In his major league debut, young lefty Cord Finnegan took the mound in Derek’s place on Tuesday. Derek respected Cord and was excited for him, but it was still a tough day. As he watched the game, Derek could not stop thinking about how he should be out on there for his first start of the season. Instead, he sat on the bench in his hoodie, feeling useless. And a bit sorry for himself. His excitement for the season had waned once he was injured. After such a promising spring, he’d been looking forward to being in games that counted. It was hard to feel like part of the team while sitting on the bench. He wanted to be out there, baseball in hand, facing down batter after batter. He wanted to contribute, but at the moment, all he could do was high-five guys after big hits and chat with the other pitchers about the approach to each batter. He wanted to do more than just talk. He wanted to pitch.

He ran a hand along his arm as if trying to slide the pain out. Not that there was much of it now. The ache was gone, but the coaching staff still didn’t want him throwing. He hadn’t tossed a single baseball since he was pulled from that spring training game. He missed it. Longed for it. His body didn’t really know what to do if he wasn’t throwing a baseball with regularity.

The layoff also gave him way too much time to think.

About Zella.

Something had shifted that night they had dinner together after his doctor’s appointment. He could no longer say she didn’t know him, but now he was definitely thinking he didn’t know her. At least not as well as he wanted to. Spending time with her and her family had only intrigued him more. They were nice people, and he felt comfortable with them, although her dad seemed a bit guarded. He didn’t understand that, but it didn’t matter. He had enjoyed having lunch with them and giving them a tour of the ballpark. He liked them.

And he liked Zella. A lot.

The teasing from Carson and Reid was starting to come back to haunt him. He wasn’t about to let them know they were right, but they’d both caught him looking at Zella a few times in the last few days. Neither had said a word about it, but their silence was almost worse. It was if they were waiting and storing up the ammunition to hit him hard later. He wasn’t looking forward to the moment they decided to let loose.

He also saw a hint of amusement on the face of Kate Marks when he asked her about Zella going to the doctor with him. She didn’t seem at all surprised, and there was something in her smile that made him suspicious. She agreed immediately, even saying Zella could have the morning off for the appointment. He wondered what was going through Ms. Marks’ head. Did she know something? Had Reid said something to her? He wouldn’t be surprised.

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