“It’s actually saves us from having to suggest it. We want all of you to have a good holiday season, focus on spending time with your families and then prioritize getting ready for Spring Training. You’ll all be at big league camp and obviously it’ll be up to you to show us that you’re ready.”
“Fuck,” Archie blurts out.
“Dude,” Xander shoots at him.
Cole is silent, his mouth open, blinking in clear stupefaction before he gives himself a little shake and says, “I’m sorry, could you . . . could you repeat that?”
“You’ll be in the big-league camp this spring and, if we see what we think we’ll see, I’d say you three have a shot at coming north with us.”
He takes one final swig from his beer and then nods. “Excuse me for a second,” he says, pushing away from the table, standing and weaving his way through the restaurant back toward the bathroom.
Xander stands to follow him, while Archie just looks confused, but I shake my head. “I’ll go.”
I find him in the bathroom, splashing water on his face, getting a little down the front of his shirt in the process, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
“You okay, kid?”
“Were you okay, when they told you?”
“Nearly shit myself.”
“Yeah, that’s . . . I might do that later.”
“Fair enough.”
“You mean it, though? That I . . . we . . .”
“Yeah, we mean it. Well, she does. She’s the one calling the shots when it comes to this stuff, at least until we get out on the field.”
He nods and then takes a deep steadying breath. “Fuck, I must seem like such a dickhead right now. It’s just . . . I gave up a lot to sign out of high school. We all did. Scholarships and shit. My parents arestillpissed about it.”
“Well, give it a couple of months, work your ass off, stay healthy and you’ll be having one hell of aI told you soconversation with them.”
“Claudia’s gonna freak out when I tell her.”
Ah, there’s a girl. Of course there is.
“How long have you been with her?”
“Oh, I’m not, we’re not, she’s my best friend, other than the boys. She’s Archie’s sister.”
I don’t quite believe him about thenotpart of it, but don’t push it. “Good, that’s good. She’s from before . . . what’s about to happen.”
He nods and then a question appears in his eyes and I wonder if he’s ballsy enough to ask it. I know I would have been when I was twenty-one.
“What about you and . . .” he trails off for a beat, and then gathers his courage, “you and her.” He motions with his chin back behind me through the door where we left Frankie with his buddies.
“What about us?”
“We were watching you the whole game, wondering what the fuck you guys were doing here, but I have eyes, Skip, and you two seemed . . . cozy.”
“Kid, I’m gonna teach you your first big league lesson right now.”
“Mind my own fucking business?” His smile is wide and entirely shit eating.
I snort. “Yeah, you’re gonna be fine. C’mon, let’s go back there before Esposito faints if she smiles at him too big.”
He’s clearly holding back another comment and I add it to the list of captain-like qualities: knowing when to shut the hell up in front of the grown-ups.
