Blake (Season One: The Ninth Inning #2)
Read Blake (Season One: The Ninth Inning #2) Online
Authors: Lindsay Paige,Mary Smith
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Blake
Season 1 of
The Ninth Inning Series
Copyright © 2015 by Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
License Notes
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Table of Contents
MY LEGS ARE shaking as I walk back out to my car. Did that happen? Did that really just happen? I fall into the leather seat of the Audi my dad bought me and try to calm myself. This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. I quickly rifle through my Prada bag and find my cell phone. I call the one person who can bring me back to reality.
“Sofia, how did it go?” my mother’s soft voice comes over the line.
“They told me that I got it. Right there on the spot. They said, ‘you have the job.’”
“Sweetheart, isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Yes, I really wanted it, but I’m in shock. Please promise me that Dad had nothing to do with this.”
Mom giggles. “Oh, I promise you that he didn’t have anything to do with it. He knew you wanted to do it on your own and you did.”
“I did. I did it on my own.” I sigh in relief as my new title hits me. Sofia Gardner, Massage Therapist for the Memphis Angels. It might not sound like a lot to some, but to me, it’s everything.
“Are you coming for dinner tonight?”
“No, Mom, I’m going to head home and relax. I have to go in tomorrow, do my paperwork, and get my badge. Can you believe it?
A badge
.” I’m giddy as a schoolgirl.
“We’re very proud of you and love you so much.”
“Aw, I love you, too.” I couldn’t have picked two better parents.
Vivian and Art Gardner have to be two of the kindest souls in the world, and they taught me to be the same way. Mom and Dad constantly told me that there’s always good in someone, you just have to find it, and do so with kindness. I think it’s one reason why Dad has been so successful in his business ventures: he’s true to his word and gives everyone a fair shake. No matter who it is.
I drive home with my music blasting and the air conditioning on high. Damn, this humidity is going to kill me and my hair. When I reach the small two story house I share with my sister, I see that she’s home.
Oh no
, I think as I walk up to the door and unlock it as loudly as I can.
“Harmony, are you here?” I almost scream.
“Good grief, what are you yelling for?” My older sister comes around the corner. She’s in a pressed light gray business suit. Her dyed blonde hair is on top of her head in a tight bun. When we stand next to each other, people always think we’re twins. We’re exactly ten months apart. We’re the same height, weight, and build. We even have the exact same shade of crystal gray eyes like our mother. The only difference is that I don’t dye my naturally red hair.
“I didn’t want to walk in on you having sex on the kitchen counter again. I still can’t get that image out of my head.” I shudder, thinking of that day.
“I said I was sorry a million times.” She shakes her head, and I follow her into the kitchen.
“Why are you home?” I ask, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“I came home to see how the interview went.”
“I got it.”
We both squeal and jump up and down. It’s ridiculous, but it’s something that we do; we have since we were kids.
“That’s awesome. When do you start? And when can you start introducing me to the baseball players?”
“Never,” I tell her firmly. I love my sister more than my shoe collection, but there’s no way I’m going to take her anywhere near the team. Harmony would be climbing on them like honey if I let her loose.
“That’s hurts, Sofia.”
“You know it’s true.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but stops and nods. “It is. So, tell me everything that happened.”
I go into great detail about the interview, the small tour they gave me, and how they’d told me on the spot that I’d gotten it. I even tell her how I felt like I was going to pass out as I walked to the car.
“I’m so excited for you. Listen, let’s celebrate tonight when I get home. I have to go back before Dad realizes I’m gone and not working on the Crest Street Development.”
I gasp. “Harmony, you can’t lie to Dad.”
“I didn’t. I told him I was running out to do some research. Well, okay, that is a lie, but he won’t know.” She kisses my cheek and races out the door.
I clean up her sandwich crumbs and half a glass of milk and load the dishwasher. Harmony is the messy one of us, but it’s who she is. I slip off my heels and walk up to my bedroom. The house is perfect for us and Dad has owned it for a long time. He lets us stay here, but we have to pay the bills. We may be spoiled, but Dad does tell us no from time-to-time.
I gently put my shoes back into their original box and place them carefully on my closet shelf. I unzip my DKNY light green dress and toss it into the dry clean pile. I find a pair of jean shorts and a purple tank top, put those on, and then twist my hair into a messy ponytail. I scrub off all the makeup that I hate to wear and finally fall onto my bed.
This has been an exhausting day. I roll over on my side, and on my pink painted wall, I see all of my diplomas, degrees, and certificates. I wanted to be a doctor originally, but the first time I saw a film of an autopsy, I almost passed out. Then I decided being a nurse would be better, but after one hour into my clinical and someone puking on me, I left. I decided to work for Dad and got my real estate license, but I wasn’t very good at selling or negotiating, and Dad told me it wasn’t for me.
One day at a spa retreat with Mom and Harmony, I talked to the woman who was doing my massage. One thing lead to another and I decided to do that. It wasn’t until my very first client—a large, hairy male—that I almost quit again. However, I didn’t. I knew that there were going to be things I didn’t like about any job, and I couldn’t keep quitting and changing my mind. That day, I powered through.
Now, look at me. The official Massage Therapist for the Memphis Angels.
This is going to be a great career.
I HAVE A slight headache as I walk into the HR offices of the Angels’ Headquarters. Harmony and I shouldn’t have finished that bottle of wine, but you can’t say no when you’re watching the ever-so-hot Chris Pine. I decided on pants today for the meeting with HR, but regretted it almost immediately with the heat index.
Damn you, Tennessee and your Hades temperatures.
“This way, Ms. Gardner.”
I smile and follow the older lady down the hall. I get fingerprinted, sign my name a thousand times, have all my IDs photocopied, and even have my picture taken before finally being able to see the locker room and Angels Quarters.
I meet the medical staff and the trainers, but I won’t meet the players until later. I’m not nervous since everyone here is new. Last season, the Angels went through the biggest scandal in baseball history due to drugs and doping. The whole team was either suspended, traded, retired, or arrested. They replaced the medical staff as well. Now, the season is about to start and we are all on the same page.
I go into my workroom and I’m underwhelmed. The red and blue of the team’s colors are a bit gaudy on the walls, cabinets,
and
floor. I have two large massage tables and a massage chair. There’s a desk, a computer, and supplies that I will need for the players. This room really needs a female touch and badly.
I take out my phone and open my notepad, typing down things I need. My boss told me to send my requests in and I would get what I needed, but I don’t mind picking up a few extra items. Air freshener is first on the list. This room smells like sweat and bad 1980s cologne; it’s making me gag. I take a few pictures, and with Harmony’s help, we can make this place shine.
I swipe my shiny new badge and unlock the door to the head out toward the exit when I slam into something hard. A hard, hairless chest. I look up to see a pair of hazel eyes looking back at me.