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“Maybe that’s why you have a crush—it’s all about the challenge of the chase,” Adrian says, still chuckling.

“If you stick around after camp is over tomorrow, you can meet her for yourself,” Sam says with an impish smile.

“Do not encourage him,” I chide her. “Wait, what do you mean after camp tomorrow?”

Sam shrugs. “Danae is a teacher, and they have a professional day tomorrow with a staff meeting that won’t end until three-thirty. I told her Jason could hang here with me until she can pick him up.”

Adrian rubs his hands together, eyes full of mischievous sparkle. “I’ll clear my calendar.”

“You’re uninvited from participating in camp tomorrow,” I deadpan.

“And I reinvite you,” Sam adds. The devilish looks shared between them do not bode well for me.

“No way!” Jason’s awed voice matches the starstruck expression on his face. “I can’t believe you got to meet the GOAT!”

Adrian’s face screws into mock offense. “Hold on, hold on—I thoughtIwas the greatest third baseman of all time?”

Jason’s face pales, accentuating his plentiful freckles. “Oh, I mean, yeah, you’re definitely one of the greats, but, you know, he had over fifteen hundred runs scored and even more runs batted in. Not to mention his fielding run value—”

I cut Jason off by ruffling his hair. “He’s just messing with you, Fireball.”

Adrian holds his fist out to bump Jason’s. “That’s some impressive stat memorization there.”

Jason grins shyly at the compliment. Sam nudges his shoulder. “You keep pulling out those GOAT stats to keep these knuckleheads in their place, my guy.” Jason covers his mouth to stifle a laugh.

At that moment, the front door opens, and a flustered Danae steps into the lobby.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” she says, rushing over to join us. “We were going over some new district safety protocols, and the meeting ran over time. Then there was an accident on the highway, of course, so traffic was at a standstill. I’m so sorry to be a bother!”

Jason races over to practically tackle her. He wraps his arms around her waist with the enthusiasm of a nine-year-old hyped up on adrenaline and sugar (courtesy of Sam’s snacks). “I had so much fun, Miss Danae!” he says as he squeezes her tightly.

The emotion that plays out on Danae’s face in response to his greeting is truly a thing of beauty to behold. It’s the kind of look that reveals the fullness of her heart—that she doesn’t take this display of affection for granted. That it hasn’t become commonplace to her. That it’s something she deeply cherishes.

I almost feel like the three of us are intruding by even being here to witness her tender expression. But I’m not about to walk away from the magic of it.

Sam is quick to dissuade Danae’s guilt. “Don’t worry about it! Jason was entertaining us with his knowledge of baseball stats and reminding these two that they’re not the greatest in the league quite yet.”

I reach an arm out to gently shove Sam as Adrian spouts off something in Spanish with an exaggerated sad face. Jason releases Danae to turn back to us, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I got to hang out with Miss Sammi and Mr. WestandMr. Ortiz!”

“Hey Fireball, I thought I told you to call me Griffin,” I remind him, smiling. I look up to Danae. “This is our third baseman, Adrian Ortiz.”

She holds her hand out and introduces herself. “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks so much for hanging with Jason. Or should I call you Fireball now?” she asks Jason, mouth quirked.

“No, you still call me Jason. That’s my baseball camp nickname,” Jason says, voice serious.

“He earned that on day one with his strong throwing arm,” I explain. “The fire-red hair didn’t hurt either. He’s an impressive little man.” Jason’s chest puffs up with pride, and he glances up to gauge Danae’s reaction to the praise.

After giving Jason an open-mouthed excited response, Danae smiles at me, a look of pure gratitude on her face. Something roars to life in my chest. Because that smile didn’t have anything to do with gaining access to who I am as a ball player or any of my athletic skills. That smile was just a mom appreciating someone caring for her son.

I want to see her smile like that again.

Sam clears her throat, and I glance over to see Adrian’s Cheshire Cat grin. I turn to grab a large bag from the table.

“We’ve got a bunch of autographed gear in here for Jason to take home,” I say, holding the bag out to Danae.

“Can we hang up the posters in my room?” Jason pleads, and Danae nods.

Sam snaps. “Hold on—I told Jason we’d let him take home a Crowns t-shirt for you too, Danae.” She raises her eyebrows at Jason. “You want to come with me to pick one out?”