Well, he grew up in DC, so that made sense, even if they currently weren’t very good. “Iguesswe can still be friends,” Ty said heavily.
Theo giggled. “What’s yours?”
“Cubs,” he said ruefully. Ty’s team wasn’t doing any better than Theo’s. That was good—it would give them plenty of practice with disappointment for the upcoming high school baseball season. “We can suffer together.”
A trio of girls with red hair passed by, and one of them waved to Theo. Ty had her and the next tallest in his classes, but he didn’t recognize the oldest, except that she was obviously related to the other two. “Friend of yours?”
“Yeah. She’s really cool. She likes baseballalmostas much as me.”
“Only almost?”
“Nobody likes baseball as much as me.”
Ty led the way into the dugout, which already held Henry, Danny, Peter, and a few of the other players. “Hey, guys. This is Theo Kent. He’s going to be my assistant today.”
Henry’s side-eye gave a monologue on Ty’s life choices.
“I didn’t know you had a kid, Coach.” Danny held out his hand for a fist bump from Theo. “I’m Danny.”
Theo bumped it seriously.
“Sadly, I’m only borrowing him.” Ty studiously avoided Henry’s gaze as Theo went down the line fist-bumping the rest of the team. When he finished, Ty set him up with a clipboard and a score sheet. “You know how to use one of these?”
He didn’t, so Ty gave him a quick tutorial and then called Henry over. They were doing a mock game today as practice, with the team divided into two groups. He and Henry set the batting order, and then Ty gave the sheet back to Theo, who studied it like there might be a test later.
The team had just finished arriving and Ty and Theo were in the process of decamping to the visitors’ dugout when a woman said, “Theo? Is that you?”
For a moment Theo froze. Then he looked around. Ty guided him out of the teenagers’ way but didn’t let him out of arm’s reach.
The woman who’d spoken was in her late fifties, with curly dark hair and a familiar jawline. Ty could’ve picked her out of a lineup as Ollie’s mother, but Ollie had clearly been right that Theo didn’t know what to do with grandparents, because he half hid himself behind Ty rather than step forward to say hello.
Ty turned to Theo. “Hey, buddy, can you do me a big favor?”
Theo looked up and met his eyes, clutching the clipboard to his chest.
“Can you go into the dugout and let everybody know the batting order? We need to get started with practice.” Henry’s kids were already trickling onto the field to take up their positions.
“Really?”
“Big, loud voice,” Ty told him. He caught Danny’s eye in the dugout and nodded at Theo. Danny would have the kid’s back. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Theo—” the woman began again, but Theo was already in the dugout. Danny helped him up onto the bench so the team could see and hear him. Once it became clear she wasn’t going to get what she wanted, she frowned at Ty. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. I’m his grandmother. I’m not going to hurt him.”
“Kinda figured,” he said. “But it looks like he doesn’t know you very well, and I don’t know you at all, and you’re not on the list of approved adults to pick him up.” Which Ty happened to know since Theo was in one of his classes. Ty didn’t normally have to contend with parental pickup, because he didn’t have last-period class, but he’d peeked at Theo’s file in case. “It’s not personal.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but her better angels prevailed. “No, of course not. I’m sorry. You’re just doing your job. I’d better go pick up his cousin.”
Ty waved her off, unsure how he felt about the victory. Either way, Ollie needed to know about it, but that could wait until they were home.
No, Ty reminded himself, nothome. Home was his rooftop Chicago apartment with his herb garden, a short walk from his favorite gastropuband his station in Rogers Park. Home was Ty’s spot on the beat-up couch that Stacey, the fire station captain, refused to get rid of. It was an ambulance with Ty’s initials written on the underside of the back bumper in metal Sharpie. It was a crew of people who got him.
“Hey, Morris! Are you gonna get this show on the road anytime this century?”
Thanks for the reality check, Mr. Chiu, Ty thought darkly. He turned back to the diamond and clapped his hands. “All right, let’s play ball!”
Chapter 8
