Chapter 37

"We're on with the one and only Monster Girl," the disc jockey said in his best announcer voice. Tami reached forward and turned up the volume on the radio. We were driving home after she'd picked me up at the club after I'd worked all morning. It was the first Saturday since the baseball season started that I didn't have a double header.

"An undefeated season so far. That's got to feel good." the announcer prompted.

"It feels great."

"Tuesday you play Lake again, and if you win... ?"

"If we win, we sew up the district championship."

"And if you lose?"

"We won't, but we'd still be in good shape. Lake has the best win-loss record in the district next to us. If they win and then win their next three games and we lose to Lake and our last three games we'd be tied and there'd be a playoff game. If they lose even one of their last four games or we win, then we can't be caught."

"Last year you won district and then lost in the first round of the state play-offs," he reminded her.

"That's not going to happen this year." I knew it was radio, but I couldn't help feeling that she was staring straight at me.

"What's the outlook for the Lake game?"

"Lake and North Lincoln are probably the toughest teams in our league, and we've already beat them both once. This time, when we play Lake we have home field advantage, too. But this is baseball, anything can happen. As my friend Tony likes to say, 'Any team can beat any other team on a given day.' A ball takes a bad hop, the wind catches a fly ball, anything can happen. We should be able to beat Lake, but we'll still have to work for it."

"Should be a great game, I'm looking forward to it. On a final note, what about football next year?"

"All the way."

"Your girl sounded good."

"My girl?" We'd gotten home and were walking toward the front of the park to get the mail.

"Isn't she your protégée?"

"Pretty much, since the day we met, I've been wondering who was protogeeing who."

"Is protogeeing a word?"

"It is now."

Tami grinned, slipped her hand in my back pocket, and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Put your head on my shoulder," I crooned.

"I could get used to this."

I grinned. "I thought you already were."

We got to the mail boxes and each opened our own. I was curious when Tami pulled out a large official looking envelope with her name on it. Tami looked guilty and put the envelope under her mother's copy of Cosmo. She saw me looking at her and turned red. "It's nothing," she mumbled.

I nodded and decided she'd tell me when she was ready. "I was thinking lunch."

Tami nodded looking relieved.

"What are you going to make me?"

Tami looked startled since I usually cooked. "How about a grilled cheese?"

I grinned. "Your kitchen or mine?"

"What's up, Brat?"

"Going to a movie. Have you seen my jean jacket?" Traci asked, getting down on her knees to look under the sofa.