Page 34 of Chasing Headlines

“Uh. So, what, go death?” Cathy’s head with her auburn waves finally peeked over her open laptop screen.

“No!” I righted myself and stared. “No. That’s not what I—Just . . . he’s an amazing ball player.” And even hotter in person. Dammit. How can he hate me?

“Looking at his IG account. Talk about bare. Just a pic with some mongrel-looking dog. Wolf? You did say Oklahoma farm boy.” She shuddered. “Probably raised by wolves.”

“Coyote?” Cathy called out over the tap tap tap of her keyboard.

“How old is this pic?” Dublin held out her phone. I stood so I could look at the image. A younger version of Breslin Cooper knelt next to a hunting hound. One arm around the animal’s neck, hair naturally tousled over his forehead. Those dark midnight eyes gleamed.Gorgeous.

“Hm. I can see his incredible baseball player abilities tattoo on his left pec.”

A tattoo?I snagged her phone, eyes darting to the expanse of bare-chested wonderfulness, but not before noting the carefree grin on his face. “I don’t see a tattoo.”

A loud dramatic huff before the picture was rudely ripped away. “You’re clearly interested in his ‘baseball talent’.” Dublin's mouth pressed into a thin line.

“Yeah, I am. I think he’s a real opportunity—for our school. We haven't won a national championship since my brother played for the team.”I need to download that pic.

“You meanhasa real opportunity? Orisone?” Cathy's voice managed to hold some inflection, unlike her usual blunt tone.

I fidgeted. “Is one.”

“Yeah, you just like watching him ‘play ball’ in those tight baseball pants.”

I shrugged and looked away. I mean, it wasn't theprimaryreason I liked baseball. Just, a particular perk of the job. But my friends have never understood or fully appreciated my #baseballlove. “It's notwhyI love baseball. It's the family business. I spent time with Curt over the summer on the job with him. And I've decided that's what I want to do: I want to be a baseball scout.”

There. I'd officially said it.

“Oh no. No no no no.” Dublin's face screwed up into a scowl. “Are you kidding me, Liv?”

“Full support.” Cathy called from her corner of the room.

“See? Cat gets me.”

“Just fuck one or seven of them and get the whole lot out of your system.” Dublin held up her phone again. This time the picture was of Coop being led away, in handcuffs, by Oklahoma sheriffs. “But not this one.”

“I don’t want tosleepwith him.” Not now. I mean, maybe before. But definitely not until I could find a way to make him realize . . . I was on his side. And we should probably just start with kissing. Those lips looked like they were made for kissing.

“If there was something I could do that would help him, or anyone on the team, I would.”And that didn’t come out right.I pointed at Dubby. “That’snotmeant to be sexual—in any way.”

“That’s not actually what a baseball scout does.” Cathy tossed into the conversation. One earphone over her ear, one off. How does she do that?

“Not helping, Cat.” I called over my shoulder. “Dubby, Coopwas the best.”

“Heis. A nightmare. You don’t want a bad boy type. That’s not who you are, Liv. You are a badass. A sharp, ambitious badass and one of those disgustingly motivated entrepreneurial types. I see them all day, surrounding my dad. They exhaust me.” She sighed with her whole body as she flopped onto the couch.

Wait, was that a compliment? Or an insult?

“Oh, but not you, dear.” Dublin waved a hand as she stared at her phone.

“Right.” I glanced at Cathy, but her gaze was transfixed on her computer screen.Did I say that out loud?I ran a hand over my face. This was the experience that was Dublin. “What do you need this time?”

“Not finished. The bad boy alpha type?” She perched on the edge of the sofa. And it was like a different person took over: stick straight posture from her modeling days. Long fingernails wiggled in the air. “My GirlBoss Power women are sooverthem. The new hotness is cinnamon roll love. The kinda guy who’s a little happy-go-lucky and a lot high on cheering for his girl.” She lifted her eyes and gave me a pet smile.

“Uh-huh.”

“If one of them exists in tight little baseball pants, by all means, grab one and delight in his delicious gooey center. And that is meant to be sexual. Ineveryway. Oh!” Her eyes widened. “I should totally make a reel about this.”

I groaned, although this was a new record, I was fairly certain, before Dublin’s mind went back to her ‘full time job’ of being an Influencer.