He cleared his throat and forced himself to look at the entire team. Why was it he could talk freely behind a microphone, but put him in front of people and he almost forgot his own name?
“Um, yes. My name is Lucas. Lucas Landry,” he said, pausing to glance at Caleb again. “I started withKRVH News and Sports Radio yesterday. And, well, I was actually hired for news, not sports.” He surveyed the room, and it seemed they were all listening. “I…I wasn’t expecting this. When I arrivedat the office yesterday, I was informed that the previous announcer was leaving and they needed someoneright away.”
“What happened to Al?” a player asked.
Before Lucas could answer, another guy in the back raised his hand.
“Hi,” he hollered as he rose from his chair. “I’m Jamie Vance. The Mascot.”
“You might have seen him hopping around out there, looking like Peter Rabbit,” another guy called. Snickers and laughter followed.
“Hey, I don’t mind being the rabbit,” Jamie announced, smiling. “Gives me a chance to work on my hip-hop moves.”
Lucas smiled as the other guys groaned. The kid was funny.
“Oh, God, Jamie. That was bad.”
“Lame.”
“Whatever.” Jamie smiled and gazed at the players. “You’re all just jealous of my moves and my…great hare.” He ran his long fingers through his shaggy brown hair before retaking his seat.
Silence fell over the room as his words sunk in, then one by one, men began laughing. The guy next to Jamie tousled the kid’s hair, eliciting a yelp from him.
Lucas glanced at Caleb and his breath caught in his throat when he caught sight of the blinding smile. He froze for a moment and could only smile back, not even caring everyone could see him.
Laughter filled the room again, and Lucas realized that the stress and bad mood from the game had mostlyrun its course. His gazed stayed glued on Caleb as the merriment finally began to die.
“What about it?” Caleb asked quietly, his icy blue eyes boring into him.
Lucas furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what Caleb was asking.
“About Al?” Caleb reminded him.
“Oh, what happened to Al?” He swept his gaze over the team again, noting all eyes were once again on him. He cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, well apparently, Al met some woman online and gave notice. He’s moving to Utah.”
Everyone seemed a little shocked.
“You telling us that Al left us for some pussy?” Frank asked.
“Shut up, Frank,” someone called. “Even old guys can get it up sometimes.”
“Yeah, just ask Coach Ibarra!”
More snickers and laughter filled the room.
“I mean, according to my boss, that’s what happened,” Lucas confirmed. “Anyway, they asked me to fill in for now.” He felt the blush creep up his neck. What he had to say next was embarrassing and he was pretty sure they would be less than kind about it. “So, um, yeah. You might have noticed today that I…I know very little about baseball. I was lucky to have some help in the press box today, but I need a crash course in the game.”
Silence blanketed the room. For about ten seconds.
“What the hell, man?”
“How are you going to report a freakin’ game?”
“Are you shitting us?”
Lucas felt his face redden and he stared at the ground.
“I’ll do it,” a husky voice offered.
His head whipped up. Caleb was staring directly at him, making him feel exposed as the man’s gaze deliberately dropped to his lips, then back up to his eyes. What the hell? Was Caleb teasing him? Great.All he needed was some straight jock to start messing with him.
Lucas bit his lower lip. Think, he yelled inside his head. You can’t spend time with him. He’s too hot. And he’s a jock. Historically, he and jocks had never gotten along too well. But they were all jocks and he had to learn from someone.
“Thanks, Dodson,” Coach Newberry said, breaking into Lucas’ thoughts. “Touch base with Lucas and then go home. That last goes for everyone. Go home, get some rest. Be ready for the game tomorrow evening. I want you all here ready to work hard with a good attitude. We’re not off to the best start inour series with the Lions.”
The manager stepped in front again. “I expect my players to follow curfew, stay away from alcohol, and get rested. Now go!”
Lucas watched as the men began talking and standing at the same time, pure chaos. His eyes scanned for Caleb, surely somewhere in the crowd, but he couldn’t find him. He sighed. Looked like he’d have to try and talk with him tomorrow.