Dreidel Date by Eliana West

Author:Eliana West [West, Eliana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64108-699-8
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2023-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

BALANCE. THIS wasn’t what Zach had in mind when Becca’s speech about needing someone to push him out of his shell replayed in his head. Thwack, thump, thwack. The muffled thump of the pitching machine, mixed with the sharp crack of balls being hit. He eyed the batting cage anxiously.

“You know I’m not good at sports ball.”

Garrett put his hand on Zach’s lower back and gently pushed him into the batting cage. “Sports ball? Really?”

“I’m more of a ‘stand on the sidelines and cheer’ kind of guy.”

“That’s only because you haven’t had the right coach.”

The warmth from Garrett’s hand through his long-sleeve T-shirt made his legs wobble. This didn’t feel like balance, more like being back on that crazy roller-coaster ride. He tripped on a seam in the artificial turf. Garrett grabbed his arm, pulling him close to his side.

“It won’t be so bad, and I promise I’ll go along with whatever you’ve picked for our date tomorrow night without any complaints.”

Under any other circumstances, Zach would have been in a sheer panic at the idea of playing a sport with a date. But this was Garrett, standing at his side with his arm wrapped loosely around his waist. He knew he could trust him. Garrett wouldn’t mock him, and he wouldn’t put him in any kind of situation where he wouldn’t feel safe.

“Okay.” He nodded and then poked his finger in the center of Garrett’s chest. “But if I accidentally hit you with a bat, I can’t be held responsible.”

Garrett grabbed his finger and pressed it to his lips for a quick kiss before he said, “I promise no one is going to the emergency room tonight.”

He stepped back and dropped the batting bag from his shoulder into a corner of the batting cage. The only positive thing about this date was how amazing Garrett looked in those tight baseball pants and athletic tee. Zach’s fingers itched for a pen and paper to capture the image.

Garrett turned and caught him ogling. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Next time you’ll wear the baseball pants.”

Zach dropped his head, hiding his smile and the heat he could feel spreading over his cheeks.

“Ready?” Garrett asked.

“No.”

Garrett handed him a bat and pointed to the batter’s box. “I set the pitching machine to the slowest setting. Come on, you can do this.”

Zach made his way into the batter’s box and lifted the aluminum bat over his shoulder. Thump. With a hiss of air, the batting machine released a ball that came flying in his direction. If that was the slowest speed, he was definitely going to die, he thought as he arched back away from the ball and fell flat on his ass. He looked toward Garrett, expecting to see him laughing. Instead, he rushed forward and pulled Zach to his feet.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands running up and down Zach’s arms.

“I told you this was a bad idea.”

“And I told you that’s because you didn’t have me as a coach. Come here.

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