Colby (Season Two: The Ninth Inning #6) by Lindsay Paige, Mary Smith Page A

outplayed.
    Of all days for us to suck, it had to be one with Ariella watching. As a fan, she’s probably seen it plenty of times before, but that’s beside the point. Hell, she’s probably wincing right now as Roman makes a throw to Hector who misses, and the runner makes it to second. It wouldn’t sound quite so bad if there hadn’t been a runner on third, who made it home thanks to that mistake.
    We were already down by three.
    Even Hector is affected. His usual smile and fun attitude disappeared during the last inning. This game can’t end soon enough. When it is over, the locker room is quiet. We definitely could have won, but we botched it. I go over all the mistakes in my head, think of what I should have done differently or should do better, and start making declarations of improvement for the next game. When I walk out of the room and over to where Ariella is waiting for me, I don’t want to have that mood affecting us.
    I want to leave it all in the locker room.
    “Hey, you want to grab dinner with us?” Jordan asks as we dress, losing the towels from our showers. “It’ll be Trent, Scarlett, Heidi, and me.”
    “Thanks, but I’m going out with Ariella.”
    “She can come.”
    I almost agree, but then I think about how little time I’ve actually had with Ariella by myself. “Maybe next time.” I put my shoes on, grab my things, and throw up a hand to wave goodbye.
    Ariella is sitting on the couch with Scarlett and Heidi. She smiles and stands when she sees me. “Hey.”
    “Hey, beautiful.” I kiss her quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Hey, Scarlett, Heidi.”
    “We were just telling Ariella that y’all are more than welcome to join us for dinner,” Heidi explains.
    “Thanks, but I already turned down Jordan when he asked me.”
    “Next time, for sure,” Ariella hurries to add.
    “Fantastic,” Scarlett exclaims.
    “All right, well, we’ll see y’all later.” I usher Ariella out of the room and toward the parking lot.
    “How come you didn’t want to go with them?”
    “Because I didn’t want to share you. There will be plenty of opportunities to hang with them in the future.” My answer seems to satisfy her and we walk to my vehicle. Duke was kind enough to bring her to the stadium. Now, we don’t have to worry about her vehicle or driving separately, and I can just take her home. Hopefully, I’ll spend some time with her there as well.
    About halfway to the restaurant, Ariella comments, “So, this is Colby Wilson after a disappointing loss.”
    I glance over at her. “What do you mean?”
    “You’re quieter than usual, your left leg is bouncing, and your grip is tight on the steering wheel. After a win, you’re pretty much the same, except you smile a little more. I guess I never thought about how you might be different.”
    As she says it, my leg stops and my grip loosens. I didn’t realize I was doing it. “Sorry.”
    Ariella laughs. “What for?”
    “For being quiet and not leaving it on the field.”
    “It’s okay; it’s just interesting to see this side of you.”
    If she says so. To get us back to normal, I ask, “How was your day?”
    “Good. I made some progress on the case we’re working on. Not much, but progress is progress. Oh! I’ve heard of this place. I’ve wanted to come for forever. This is where we’re eating?”
    My grin can’t be helped. “Yes, this is where we’re eating,” I confirm as I park. The restaurant is a relatively new high-end place that has been raved about since the day it opened less than a year ago. The last time I was here was during the offseason when my family came down to visit. “You’ll love it,” I add when we get out of the car and meet around the front.
    “You’ve been here before?” She takes my hand.
    “Yes, just once. My family was visiting.”
    Once we’re inside and I give the hostess my name, she leads us to a table. A reservation isn’t needed, but it’s helpful. I called ahead and for