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."Will you stop?" She playfully slaps my arm."I’m talking about star quality.Terry Bloom’s no dummy.He felt it the moment you walked through his door.He knew what you were capable of.""Too bad star quality isn’t enough to win a World Series," I mumble, lowering my gaze."So you lost last night? Big deal.Put it behind you and move on.It’s anyone’s game now." Lenore scrutinizes me some more, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind my ear."Ain’t that the truth.Game sevens are do or die." I bat away her hand, sick of her fussing all over me.She appraises me with a shrug."Which means you gotta win.""He’s not good, Lenore." I feel the tears starting, but I furiously blink them back, determined not to ruin her hard work."I know, sweetie," she says, bending down to give me a squeeze."I don’t know how you’re coping with all of this.I really don’t.""I’m kind of afraid that it’s all going to be over after tonight because I don’t know what I’m going to focus on after this." I bite my lip, careful not to smudge my carefully applied lip color."That tall drink of water from Oklahoma isn’t enough for you?" She jibes me."I’ll be more than happy to take him off your hands, free of charge."I giggle, knowing how much she adores Brooks."He’s been my rock through all of this.You know that." I swivel around in my chair to face her."But if we lose Kyle…" I take a shuddering breath and close my eyes, willing myself to say what I fear the most."It’s not going to be the same between us, Lenore.Every time he looks at me, he’s going to be reminded of him.It’s going to get to the point where it’ll become too painful for him to be around me.""Is that what you think?" She tips up my chin, her eyes brimming with kindness."Honey, that boy loves you—really and truly loves you.Do you think he’ll be able to survive losing you too?"I shake my head, knowing she’s right."He’s not going anywhere," Lenore proclaims, dabbing an errant tear away before it rolls through my mascara-coated lashes."Brooks is—""Brooks is what?""Speak of the devil!" Lenore whirls around, shaking her finger at Brooks, who is standing in the doorway."You shouldn’t be in here trespassing.These are Miss Sasha’s private quarters—no boys allowed.""I think I’m an exception to the rule, wouldn’t you say?" He pats Lenore on the back while looking down at me, concern etched across his handsome face."At least, just this once.""Hmmm.I guess since it’s your last game and all, with the entire season on the line, I suppose I can give you two a minute." She rolls her eyes at him."No pressure or anything," he retorts.She takes the opportunity to swat his butt as she walks by, making him jump."You could bounce a quarter off that ass.My Lord, I think I’m having a hot flash." She starts to fan herself before closing the door behind her, giving us some privacy."She’s full of sass that one." Brooks smiles down at me, hoping to draw me out of my funk."Yeah, she’s one of a kind," I respond robotically, my mind miles away."You’re wearing your grandma’s pink Kings cap." He gently touches the brim."Yeah.She couldn’t make it now that she’s in a wheelchair, but I thought we could use all the luck we could get." Deep down, I’m scared that not having her in the stands means that we’re doomed.She’s always been there for all of our big games, and now she couldn’t even get out here to see Kyle."Believe it or not, I ran it by Terry and he said that I could wear it as my own personal salute to Kyle." I can’t let Brooks see how upset I am, so I just keep blabbering on until he stops me."So are you ready for this or what?" He eyes me skeptically."You don’t look like an athlete who’s about to lay it all on the line.""I’m just tired I guess." As if on cue, I start to yawn."That doesn’t sound like the Sasha Roberts I know." He stands back, crossing his arms in front of his chest, his biceps straining against the sleeves of his uniform.He looks so good in his pinstripes and navy cap, the very essence of what a ballplayer is supposed to be.Tall.Good-looking.Clean-cut.He’s the complete package, the quintessential all-American guy."Maybe the Sasha Roberts you know doesn’t exist anymore," I whisper quietly."Oh, I think she does." He kneels before me, drawing my hands into his."She’s just had a lot to contend with.That’s all.""I’m sorry for making this even harder on you than it has to be." I lower my head, tightening my grip on his hands."I know that we couldn’t help falling in love and that things between us were set in motion a long time ago.But I know how much Kyle means to you, and I don’t want to be a constant reminder of how much you stand to lose by having me be a part of your life.""Sasha," he says softly, drawing out my name in that sweet drawl of his."You’ve always known me as your brother’s friend.That’s how we were introduced, so don’t you think that I feel exactly the same way? That you might not be able to be around me should something happen to Kyle?""Don’t be ridiculous," I protest, meeting his troubled gaze."I don’t know what I’d do without you.""Same here." He raises one of my hands in his, resting it atop his heart."He’d want us to go on and be happy.You know deep down that’s the honest-to-God truth."I nod silently, unable to deny it."Just know that, whatever happens, I’m here for you." His voice deepens with emotion as he lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it."Sandy, I don’t know if I can go out there and do this.Everyone’s expecting so much out of me.I don’t want to let anybody down, but I feel like I’m running on empty, like I hit the wall." I sink down farther in the chair, finally feeling comfortable enough to tell him what’s bothering me."You just do what you can—nuthin’ more, nuthin’ less," he advises, quieting the fears that are growing inside me."And if Tony asks me to hit a home run?" I peer into his eyes, pleading with him for an honest answer."Then you rely on your training and allow your reflexes and the muscle memory you’ve developed to take it from there." His words are solid.They’re what I need to hear."Aren’t you nervous?" I question him, wondering how he can remain so collected in the face of so much stress."This is your chance to finally earn that ring that’s alluded you and achieve what you’ve always wanted.""If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather put a ring on your finger." He slides his thumb over the fourth finger on my left hand.I don’t press him because I don’t want to break the spell he’s put me under.He could mean that he wants to win a World Series ring for me more than for himself, or he could be talking about another kind of ring entirely.If he is, I can’t fathom it in my current state of mind.As much as I want that, it’s too much to hope for right now."I’d like that." I watch his eyes light up, and I feel that flutter in the pit of my stomach."Then are you ready?" He gets to his feet, ready to pull me up with him."As long as we don’t have to play by that creepy arch anymore," I moan, causing him to chuckle."Don’t you like the Gateway to the West? It’s one of our most cherished national monuments." He laughs when I vehemently shake my head."I guess it does sort of look like an alien spacecraft, especially at night when it’s not lit up and it’s just hovering out there.I have to admit it kind of freaked me out a little.""See? I knew I wasn’t the only one." I lean in toward him, savoring the crisp, clean scent of his freshly laundered uniform, sure to be smeared with infield dirt and grass stains before the night is over.But that’s just how Brooks is.He works hard, and he plays hard, no in-betweens.That’s why he’s the man for me
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