Part 13 (2/2)

Jake paused as if struggling with the right words. ”f.u.c.kin' great,” he finally said.

He didn't look great, he looked like he was at stroke level, but Pru beamed at him and then patted his shoulder.

Jake blew out a heavy exhale. ”I'll get you back, Prudence.”

She gritted her teeth. ”We talked about this. You only use my whole name if you want to die. Horribly and slowly.”

”Prudence?” Finn repeated, amused by the death glare.

”I know, hard to believe, right?” Jake asked. ”It's an oxymoron,” Jake said. ”She's anything but prudent.”

Finn smiled. ”And the they're doing great' part?” he asked Prudence. ”Are we watching the same game?”

Jake did an impressive eyeroll, slid Pru a glare, and kept his silence, although it looked like it cost him.

”It's called encouragement,” Pru said. ”And Jake had to go dark, meaning he can't talk unless he's saying something positive, on account of how he used to lower our morale so badly we couldn't play worth anything.”

Finn bit back the comment that they couldn't play worth anything now but as the girl at bat stood there letting two perfect strikes go by without swinging and Jake's expression got darker and darker, he nearly laughed.

Nearly.

Because he had no idea how Jake was doing it, keeping his mouth shut. Compet.i.tion went to the bone with Finn and he was guessing Jake felt the same. ”Is she going to swing?” he asked. ”Or just keep the bat warm?”

A strangled snort came from Jake, which he turned into a cough when Pru glared at him.

”Abby is Jake's secretary,” Pru said. ”She's really great.”

Finn looked at Jake.

Jake gave a slow head shake.

”What,” Pru said, catching it. ”She's wonderful! She handles your entire office and she's always sweet, even when you're a total a.s.shole.”

”Yes,” Jake said. ”She's a sweetheart. She's great. In my office and also at handling me, even when I'm a total a.s.shole. What she isn't great at is softball.”

”She's learning,” Pru insisted.

Abby struck out.

The next batter was a lean and lanky kid, late teens, early twenties maybe.

”Nick,” Pru told Finn. ”He works in maintenance.”

”Pru got him the job,” Jake said and Pru shushed him. Nick strolled out of the dugout, winked at Pru and got a second base hit.

The next batter was a young kid who couldn't have been more than eighteen. She wore thick-rimmed gla.s.ses and squeaked at every pitch. She also swung at every ball that came her way and several that didn't.

What she didn't do was connect with a single one. Probably because she kept her eyes closed, which meant that her gla.s.ses weren't doing jack s.h.i.+t for her.

Finn tried not to care. It was just a softball game, and a bad one at that, but come on. He looked over at Coach Jake and pointed to their batter. ”Mind if I . . .?”

Jake gestured for him to go ahead, his expression saying good luck.

”Kid,” Finn called out.

The kid turned to face him.

”Finn,” Pru said warningly but he didn't care. He didn't know how she'd gotten Jake to ”go dark” but Finn hadn't made any such promise.

”What's your name?” Finn asked.

”Kasey,” the girl said. ”I work in accounts receivable.”

”You know how to hit, Kasey?”

”Yeah.” She paused. ”No.”

s.h.i.+t. ”Okay, it's easy,” Finn said. ”You just keep your eyes open, you got me?”

She bobbed her head.

”Make contact with the ball, Kasey. That's all you gotta do.”

Kasey nodded again but failed to swing at the next pitch. She turned to nervously eye Finn.

”That's okay,” Finn told her. ”That was a sucky pitch, you didn't want a piece of that one anyway. The next one's yours.” And he hoped that was true.

Pru watched Kasey swing at the next ball and connect.

Finn launched himself off the bench. ”Yes!” he yelled, pumping his fist. ”That's it, baby, that's it!”

He'd started off not wanting to be here, resenting the game, and yet now he was one hundred percent in it. Even, Pru suspected, having fun. Watching him gave her a whole bunch of feels, not the least of which was happy. She was really doing it, giving him something back.

After Kasey hit the ball, she dropped the bat like it was a hot potato and whipped around to flash a grin Finn's way, executing some sort of very white girl boogie while she was at it. ”I did it! Did you see? I hit the ball!”

”Yeah, you did. Now run, Kasey!” Finn yelled, pointing to first base. ”Run your little a.s.s off!”

With a squeak, she turned and started running.

Finn laughed. He laughed and turned that laughing face Pru's way and she nearly threw herself at him.

”Having fun?” she asked, unable to keep her smile to herself.

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