For the Win (Playing for Keeps Book 1) Read Free

this, but I had no idea who London hung out with.
    “Like my hat?” Calista purred, touching my arm.
    “Well, it is mine,” I teased. “So I think you know I like it.”
    She giggled. “I know, silly. But do you like it on me?”
    “You know I do.” I smiled, not wishing to be a jerk. I was going to have to have a tough talk with her, but not here. Not in front of a reporter for the school paper and a group of Calista’s friends.
    Calista’s eyes flicked over to London, and she curled her nose. “What’s she doing here? Is she like your tutor or something?”
    London lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her pad of paper. Calista knew I didn’t need a tutor. I got straight A’s. She was just trying to get under London’s skin. And for some reason that irritated me. What had London ever done to her?
    “She’s interviewing me for the paper,” I said, reaching up and adjusting the bill of my cap.
    “Oh.” A relieved smile spread across her face. Had she been worried when she saw me with London? Surely she didn’t think anything was going on between the two of us. London seemed like a nice girl, but she was not my type at all. “Well, I better leave you to it.” She leaned over and pecked me on the cheek. “Call me later.”
    “Okay.” I nodded as she scurried back over to her friends.
    “Girlfriend?” London asked once the girls had taken off.
    “No.” I shook my head. “Just a friend.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “You always kiss your friends?”
    “I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me. Not that it’s any of your business.”
    This seemed to sober her. She sat up straight. “Right. Sorry. Let’s just finish up this interview.” Gone was the friendly girl from earlier. This one was all business.
    I wondered about her shift in behavior. Had seeing me with Calista really bothered her that much? And if so, why?
    “You mentioned that you practice every spare moment you get. What are some ways you practice from home?” She pinned me with a stare.
    “I run sometimes in the evenings. And I have a pitching net in my backyard that I throw into.”
    After scribbling something quickly on her paper, she bit her lip. A few strands of dark blond hair slipped over her shoulder as she scanned her notepad wearing a pensive look. None of the girls I dated ever acted this serious. A few more seconds of silence and then her head bobbed up. “You said that your mom jokes about how you were born playing baseball. Would you say that your parents always encouraged your love of the game?”
    I nodded, the familiar sick feeling sinking into the pit of my stomach.
    She smiled. “That’s awesome. I bet they’re really proud of you.”
    “Yeah,” I forced the word out, feeling like I might hurl. By the look on her face, I could tell she was going to continue asking more questions about my family. So I hurried to change the subject. “Do you know much about baseball, London?”
    Her head snapped up in surprise. “Truthfully, no.” Pink spots emerged on her cheeks.
    “Come out to the game this Saturday. It’s right here at ten a.m.”
    “What?”
    Her flustered behavior made me chuckle. “So you can learn about the game,” I explained. “I think it would help with your article.”
    “Oh. Right. The article. Of course.” With a shaky hand, she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear revealing a tiny stud that glistened in the sunlight. It looked like the kind of earring a little girl would wear. Not the large hoops or dangly ones like Calista wore. I only recalled that because I kept getting my fingers caught in her damn earrings the other night as we made out.
    Had London thought I was inviting her for a different reason? This girl was so hard to read. One minute she acted like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and the next minute she seemed to want my attention. “And if you have more questions after the game, I’ll be happy to answer them.”
    “Okay. That sounds good.” She picked up