The Lies We Tell Read online

Eventually, Kris got called back to the dugout and Ethan went into the bullpen to help another pitcher who had been struggling. Becca and I were alone as I finished up jogging down the line a few times.

  “Wanna hang with me while I sign some autographs?” I asked. I knew her answer would be a big hell no. And for the record, I was not going to be signing close to the mean girls. Spring training was about fans, though, so I always tried to sign a few autographs when I wrapped up my day.

  “No, Pancake, you can handle that on your own. And I can manage my walk back to the dugout without my protection team.”

  Busted.

  But I just smiled. After we made a point to send a ‘you don’t get our attention by being ugly to Becca’ message, I figured mouths would be shut while she walked back.

  “You sure? I can arrange a new escort,” I half-joked.

  “Positive.”

  I gave her a quick wink and headed to the side rail to see some small kids asking for a picture. From the corner of my eye, though, I kept an eye on her.

  She had her clipboard up and a pen jotting notes down. She was always writing and walking but I assumed this time was strategic, to look busy and unaffected if the malice started again.

  And it did.

  Only this time, it escalated into something I never thought I would see from a fan.

  Once I heard the word “whore” yelled loudly, I looked up just in time to see a baseball being thrown directly at Becca. Maybe they were a good aim and hit the target, or maybe they were just trying to scare her. But either way, a baseball, thrown from a way too close proximity, hit Becca right in the side of the temple, causing her to fall.

  I dropped everything and ran as fast as I could, beating everyone else to her. I hovered over her as Gary ran out to check on her. The game had been halted, security was hauling the fan away, and I was having to be pulled away so medical staff could check on her properly.

  Guilt raced through me. Did I cause them to escalate? I started pacing and ran a hand down my face, anxiety racing through me, as Gary asked Becca to sit up.

  Ethan caught up to me and immediately knew I was blaming myself. “Showing them we had her back was never the wrong move,” he assured me.

  I nodded and was glad I could mask some of my concern over guilt because the better part of me was weak with worry over her well-being. Not as a coworker, but as someone I cared way too much for.

  Once Becca was standing again, I tried to saddle up next to her but couldn’t get through the throng of people crowding around her. She was shoving everyone away, telling them she was fine, but she missed a step, causing everyone to crowd in again.

  The biggest mystery of the whole scene, though, was Kace Jackson. Why was he here, all the way over from shortstop where he had been playing? Why was he pushing everyone away from her? Why did he grab her shoulders and lean into her? I had no doubt he didn’t want her being attacked any more than the rest of us did. But this was personal somehow.

  The only thing that kept my brain from wandering too far was that she pushed him away as well. He relented and held his hands up, backed off, and gave her space.

  I tried my hand at helping and approached her, leaning in and taking her hand. I started guiding her to the dugout, hoping she wouldn’t push me away.

  And she didn't. She didn’t fight or say she was ok. She just held on tight as we walked, and I gently told her that she was ok, that she was safe.

  I guided her through the tunnel, through the locker room, and into Gary’s office. I sat with her on the couch with both arms wrapped around her, holding her to my chest.

  At this point, it was just me, her, and Gary.

  “I got it from here, Turner,” Gary said.

  I looked up at him, ready to tell him to fuck off. But I remembered quickly that I wasn’t supposed to be attached to Becca. I wasn’t supposed to care or be too concerned. I loaned her a helping hand like a good human and now I was supposed to get lost.

  But I couldn’t do that. This was my Becca. I couldn’t leave her.

  “This is my fault,” I tried to explain, hoping it would show him why I needed to be here.

  “How?” Gary asked.

  Should I tell him the truth? Or lie?

  “She wouldn’t have been out there if I didn’t need her,” I reasoned.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Gary said.

  “Gary is right,” Becca finally said. “This isn’t your fault, Chase. I would have been out there no matter who needed me. It’s my job.”

  I could tell Becca wanted me to leave it at that, to not make this a thing. As far as Gary was concerned, this could have happened to any of the guys. A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  I looked to Becca, trying to read her mind while Gary turned and got some things from a cabinet.

  I’m ok, Becca mouthed.

  I lowered my eyes, guilt-ridden, and sad. I wasn’t ready to leave her, but she wanted me to go. She needed me to go.

  I looked to Gary, to make sure he was still distracted, and then brought my lips to the swelling on the side of her forehead. I kissed her there, as quietly and as quickly as possible. Then I pulled back and looked her in her eyes, hoping she could see how much I did not want to go.

  I stood and made a show of leaving. “Ok, well, hope you feel better. See ya.” The words felt forced but sounded just right. Nonchalant, like my work here, was done.

  “Later,” Gary said over his shoulder.

  Becca leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes as Gary took an ice pack over to her. I closed the door and walked to the locker room.

  I was done for the day; I could head back to the hotel as soon as I changed out of my uniform. But leaving, knowing Becca was still in there, didn’t sit well with me.

  Plus, I had something I needed to figure out.

  Chapter 14

  Chase

  “Hey Kace,” I hollered across the locker room as I entered. He was just coming off the field and out of the game for the day.

  “Hey, can’t talk right now,” was all he said. He looked frantic and was grabbing his phone from his locker, not giving me much notice.

  “I just have a quick question,” I said. But then I hesitated. I didn’t want to ask him a quick question. I want to talk to him, feel him out, ask him why the fuck he ran all the way in from shortstop to see about Becca.

  A part of me figured I was overreacting. There were lots of players that ran out, worried. But he was the only one that looked like he was in physical pain and left his position on the field to help.

  Not her.

  Trust me.

  His words from the first day I saw Becca came back to me. He knew, before the rest of us, that Becca worked here, that she was off-limits.

  Something was off.

  But Kace never came back, he was gone. Full uniform, cleats, and dirt. I tried waiting for Becca to come out of Gary’s office, but she never came and after a while, I looked obvious. I needed to go to the hotel and act like all was well. I needed to do that for her.

  So I did.

  I went to my room and sat there, staring at a blank TV and hoping she would text me, call me, send me smoke signals. Anything. Something.

  But she never did.

  By 10 pm, I decided she had to be back, and I was headed to her room with a carrot cake.

  I exited the elevator on her floor and began making the turn toward her door when I saw the back of Kace’s head. His room was across from mine, on the twelfth floor. He had as much business being down here as I did.

  I backed off a bit and hid behind one of the big columns in the hallway that stood in between each set of doors. I felt like a goddamn kid spying on his sister. But my curiosity was bigger than my give-a-fucks over my immaturity at the moment.

  Kace stopped at Becca’s door and knocked.

  After a minute, and she still didn’t answer, he knocked again.

  “Becs, it is me. Open up.” Becs? It's me?

  Fina
lly, her door opened, and I heard her.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Relax, no one saw me, and no one knows I am here.”

  “Go away,” she demanded. At this point, it was obvious they knew each other outside of the locker room. By her tone, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  Was he an ex?

  Should I step in and help her?

  “You know I can’t do that, Becs, let me in,” Kace responded. He didn’t sound urgent or mad. He almost sounded tired. Bored.

  “For fuck’s sake,” she sighed and moved so he could enter.

  Once the door was shut, I was left in the hallway alone. In shock. Becca never mentioned knowing Kace, but after today, it was apparent that they not only knew each other but very, very well.

  Becs.

  I walked back down to my room, trying to ask myself why I cared. The reason was obvious, though. I was into Becca. I wanted Becca. She had a lot to lose by having a relationship of any kind with a player. If she was going to risk her career, I wanted to be the one she risked it with. And I had been doing my damnedest to respect that while also trying to navigate these feelings.

  OK, let’s face it, I was pissed.

  All this time I was being mindful of her relationship with me and she had a relationship, of some sort, with Kace.

  Fucking hell.

  When I got back to my room, I threw the cake across the room, making a mess all over the balcony sliding door. I paced the room and ran my hand through my hair seven hundred times—more or less.

  I was missing something, there had to be something else.

  But what?

  After a few more paces, it hit me. Like a ton of fucking bricks. The missing piece. The one thing that made this entire situation even stranger.

  Kace was in a committed relationship with Ali Hansen. Albeit he shared her with his best friend, Cam Nichols, but he loved her. I couldn’t imagine him stepping out on or ending things with Ali.

  But maybe I was wrong.

  Chapter 15

  Becca

  It had been a day from hell.

  By far my worst day on the job. Any job.

  I woke up that morning thinking it would be the best day ever. After the night I had, how could it not be?

  I guess this was my karma for getting too close to Chase the night before and that morning. For lowering my guard a little with him.

  Not that I blamed him for any of this. I actually couldn’t help but smile at his obvious effort to show the fangirls that being ugly to me wasn't going to be acceptable to them. He even got Ethan and Kris in on the display. I felt like the queen of the world with them surrounding me, making me laugh, walking me out to where I needed to be, safely.

  But I knew, in my gut, it probably instigated a strong reaction from the crazies. And can we just take a minute to “holy shit” the aim and strength of that throw? What a waste to be a mean girl in a fan’s seat. She should be putting that power to good use, not getting herself arrested.

  Anyway, I didn’t blame Chase. Or any of them. They had no idea that would happen. And a knot on my head wasn’t that big of a deal.

  Not to me anyway.

  To Kace and my brother, that was a different story. The game was not televised so Cam didn’t even know about it until Kace called him. I had 30 missed calls on my phone before I even got back to my room.

  I had stayed hidden in Gary’s office longer than was necessary—resting and finishing up paperwork. I knew Kace was freaking out. I knew he would call Cam. But I didn’t want their attention and concern.

  If I was being honest, I just wanted Chase. I didn’t want to call him, I wanted to see him. I wanted to show him I was ok and that it wasn’t his fault. I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me to have him, Ethan and Kris have my back earlier.

  None of that was possible, though, until I got Kace and Cam off my back. So, I reluctantly texted Cam when I got to my room. He threatened to fly in unless I let Kace around me long enough to determine whether I was ok. I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes long enough to even see straight.

  Kace showed up at my door at 10 pm, not long after I finally left Gary’s office. I didn’t want to let him in but what choice did I have? He and Cam were like the big brothers I didn’t have—they were younger than me. And they were even worse after what had happened to Ali last year, taking their whole overprotective brothering to a new level.

  “Kace, I swear if anyone saw you come in here and "brother" me, I will slice your fingers off.”

  “No one saw me, Becs. But you and I both know Cam, and Ali for that matter, are freaking out. Let’s just Facetime them together really quickly.”

  I huffed but let him dial Cam up. Once he answered, I showed him my bump. I explained what happened. I told them it could have happened to anyone.

  “What would have possessed a fan to throw something at you?” Cam asked.

  “Honestly, Cam, I think it was just random,” I lied. Telling him I was targeted for my gender and role with the team was a huge no-no. Telling him Chase, Ethan, and Kris may have caused her to go off the rails was an even bigger no-no.

  “I wish I hadn’t been on the field, I would have seen something more,” Kace said.

  “Cam and I are flying in to see Kace next week, Becca,” Ali interjected. “You going to hang with us?”

  “I would like that,” I said, thankful she changed the subject. “Just not at the stadium. Remember? I can’t know you.”

  “How about dinner, downtown, after the game one night?”

  “Yes!” I was excited to see her. “I usually finish up around 7:30.”

  “Why so late?” Kace and his nosy ass asked.

  “I um, am always swamped with paperwork for Gary,” I lied again. I was getting good at this.

  Too good.

  I wasn’t sure Kace believed me, but he didn’t argue either. He usually left right after his innings were done, so he didn’t know what I did and when.

  We hung up with my brother, and Kace gave me one last look over, hugged me, and then vowed to go back to ignoring my existence.

  I waited about 10 more minutes before I opened my door again. This time making sure Kace was long gone. I slipped out, wearing my nighty shorts, an oversized King's t-shirt and slippers, and made my way up to Chase’s room.

  He didn’t know I was coming. I wasn’t even sure he was there. He may have even been asleep.

  But I knew he would be happy to see me.

  So when he opened his door, in nothing but sweatpants hung low on his tapered waist, I didn’t expect his eyes to be so stony.

  “Uh, hey.”

  “Hey,” he replied coolly.

  “Um, you ok?” I asked.

  “Yep.” His arm was holding the door open, but he didn’t invite me in. I wasn’t deterred though. I thought he may have been upset I hadn’t called him and told him anything yet. I was here to fix that. But I didn’t want to do that in the hall.

  “Can I come in?” I asked.

  He stared at me for a minute. A long minute. I started looking around the hallway, knowing Kace’s room was across the hall. I looked directly at his door and then back to Chase.

  “He got back 10 minutes ago,” he said.

  “Who?”

  “You know who, Becs,” he said.

  Becs? No one called me Becs except….

  My eyes widened and I looked back at Kace’s door. When I looked back to Chase, he was closing his door on me, not giving me a chance to explain.

  “Wait!” I yelled. I slipped in under his arm and finished shutting the door with me on the inside.

  “What are you doing?” He asked.

  “Explaining.” Although, I wasn’t sure how much I had to explain. Or did I even owe him an explanation?

  Chase stood there, his arms crossed, and waited on me to talk. But words didn’t come. I needed another minute to collect my thoughts. I sidestepped Chase and let myself into the larger par
t of his room.

  I walked four steps and stopped, gasping at the broken plate and carrot cake all over the window and floors.

  “What happened?” I asked, turning to look back at him.

  Chase shrugged, “Guess I was a little frustrated.”

  “Why?” I started to approach him, but he never uncrossed his arms.

  “Well, Becs, why don’t you tell me how you know Kace Jackson?”

  My eyes widened. I knew when he called me Becs that he must have found out, but this confirmed it.

  “He is just a player on your team,” I said, gauging how much he knew.

  “Stop lying,” he warned. “I was headed to your room with that carrot cake when he stopped by himself.”

  I knew Kace coming to my room would blow my cover. I knew it. Damn him.

  “He is friends with my family. He was just worried about me earlier.”

  “Why have you never mentioned that?” He asked.

  “Same reason I didn’t tell him that you and I went to Disney World,” I said louder, upset that he was upset. Ok, I was mad. Partly because he knew, and partly because he shouldn’t have cared. “What does it matter to you?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Princess, you know why!”

  “I have told you a million times, that this job is hard, especially for a woman. The ball to the head was proof of that! I didn’t want to be associated with anyone here, Chase. He didn’t help me get this job; he didn’t even know I applied. I asked him before we came to pretend he didn’t know me. If everyone knew that I knew him, they would think I got this job because of him, and not on my own merit. And if I got the long-term job, they would think it was because of him, too. So I had to lie.”

  Chase took in what I was saying, but still seemed annoyed. He shook his head silently a few times, looking off at the wall beside him. “I get that. And I have no right to be upset, and I have no right to care. But I can't help it.”

  “I know,” I said softly. It was true. We were becoming attached. But we shouldn’t have been. It was a line we had been walking on for several days, both afraid to cross it completely.

  “How’s the bump?” He asked with a grimace. He was simultaneously ending the argument and switching to guilt mode. I could see it all over his face. "I should have asked that first, I'm sorry."