Hotbox (13 page)

“And you
should
go get some food before it’s too late,” she said, pushing me toward the kitchen.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I already ate.
I test everything as I make it.”

“All right,” I replied, kissing her before I left.

Jesse c
ame out of the kitchen, eating some of the
barbecued
rib
s
as he
found a spot on the couch
. “This is
rad
!” he exclaimed with his mouth full.

I entered the kitchen as most of the guys had their plates filled.

“I guess we know who to call when
we need a caterer,” Jack said as h
e left the room with
Trent
right behind him.

Aaron was leaning up against the counter eating some of the potato salad
, eyeing me from a distance
. “Good stuff,” he told me as he chewed. “
She puts bacon in it.
Is she trying to win me over?
I think she’s just using you to get to me.
”

“You wish,” I
replied
, filling a plate.

He was quiet for a bit as he took another bite. It was kind of an awkward moment because I felt like he actually
thought about apologizing
for being such a jerk
, but at the same time, I knew he wouldn’t.

I left the kitchen and found Jayden sitting near Jesse, talking about music. He asked her about Shawn and how long they had been playing together.

After she answered his question
Trent
said
, “I heard you guys were a thing.”

Jayden lightly laughed. “
N
o, not
me and Shawn
. You’re probably thinking of Camryn. She also plays wi
th us a lot. She and Shawn were together for a while
.”

“So Ty doesn’t have competition then
?”

She looked my way
and smiled. “Oh, no way.”

The rest of the afternoon consisted of baseball. Megan did end up arriving around the third inning and she and Jayden got along really well.
Aaron didn’t seem to concern himself
with Jayden
since
he was too wrapped up in the game to bother, but I did hear him compliment her on the food. I was beginning to wonder if she really had planned on using it to mend things between us. I was pretty sure Cali told her what he said, and based on everything else I
’d
heard—either from Cali or Jayden herself—Jayden was really uncomfortable with being in the middle of
conflict
.

My pleasant day came to an end, however, when I received a call
that I really didn’t want.

“Hey son,” my father slurred.
He was completely wasted. “Got myself in a little jam, here. Could you come up and help your old man out?”

I silently groaned and gently moved Jayden
so I could stand. She
watched me walk into the other room
as I was imagining the sort
of trouble he could possibly be in
.

“What happened this time
?”
I asked quietly.

He laughed his usual drunken laugh. “Well, uh, funny thing…”

I begrudgingly listened to the story of how he “accidentally” broke more of
Lenny
’s glasses at the bar.
Lenny
took his keys from him
and
now he was stranded without even a dime for a cab.

“Can you call Sue?” I asked him.

“I
n Idaho for the weekend.”
             
“What about
Dave
?”

“W
on’t talk to me no more.”

I groaned. “Can’t you walk? It’s only two or three miles.”
But as soon as I said it I pictured him staggering into oncoming traffic. “I’m sure the
police can give you a ride home.
”

I heard the payphone demanding more coins.
Knowing
Lenny
, I assumed a quarter was his gift to my father as he
shoved
him out the door.

“Come on, son.
You’re not gonna leave me here, are ya?”

“Dad…” I sighed
.
I really didn’t want to see him, but I guess I was a little relieved that getting kicked out of a bar was his only trouble
. “Fine. But it’s goin
g to take me
two hours to get there.”

“Sure, sure. I’m just gonna sit under this big fir tree. You know, right?”

Yes, I knew exactly where
Lenny
sent him to get him out of his sight. I almost wished he would just have the police haul him away again.

The line disconnected.

I
took my hat off and
ran my hand
through my hair. Another ruined Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know how many times I could deal with this anymore. Three weeks ago he had gone home with some woman and forgot which bar he left his car at. It was towed
,
and I
ended up just paying
the f
ine so he could get to work two
day
s later
.

What was I going to say to Jayden?

I walked into the front room and she got up when she saw me
, meeting me near the kitchen
.

“What’s the matter?” she asked quietly.

“Uh… I need to help my dad out with something. I’m sorry.”

“Is he okay?” Her concern was so innocent; it almost hurt to think she was wasting it on my
father
.

“Yeah, he’s…fine. I’m sorry to cut our day short, but I’ll make it up to you.”

“Can’t I come with you? I’ll love
the drive if I get to be with you.” She put her arms around me and gave me a kiss. It was so
tough
for me…

“No, I’m sorry.
I should just…take care of this on my own. You should probably head o
ut. I don’t want you to be here
without me.”

Her face
held a frown
and I knew she didn’t understand. There was just no way
I wanted her to meet my father.

“Okay,” she nodded. “I’m sorry for…whatever’s wrong, Ty.
” She gave me a
long, loving
hug
,
and
then
grabbed her purse to leave.

“You’re heading out?” Jesse asked
, realizing she was leaving
. “How come?”

I was thankful
Kemp
hit a homerun because it made the perfect distraction for the awkward moment. I walked her out to her car and kissed her goodbye. She didn’t press the issue any further and I was surprised, but she told me to call her when I could.

Sometimes I hated my life.

Chapter Eight

“Hey
Dad
, wake up.”

He was either passed out or asleep. Maybe he was dead.
But he moved, groaning as he sat up tryi
ng to see me clearly
.

“Ty
ler
?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Come on, let’s go.” I pulled him up into a standing position and held onto him while he
swayed
. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, sure, sure.”

“Okay, get in the truck.” I led him to my rig and stuffed him inside. “Sit there for a minute. I’m gonna go talk to
Lenny
to
see if he’ll give me your keys and not haul your car away.” I didn’t know why I was explaining to him what I was doing; he didn’t comprehend any of it
anyway
.

I made my way into the bar and found
Lenny
at the counter. He looked surprised to see me.

“Ty?
Hey, kid! What’re you—
?
Oh,
” he remembered, thinking of the drunk he had thrown out of his bar for the tenth time. He frowned and handed me the keys.

“How much?” I asked him.

Lenny
sighed. “Including the glass he broke? About
fifty
.”

I shook my head and opened my wallet. I handed him
sixty
and turned to leave.

“Hey, Ty?”

I spun around to face him.

“I don’t want him back,” he said softly.

I paused, tightened my jaw and said, “I can’t make you a
ny promises. If he comes back…j
ust have him hauled away.”

Lenny
nodded
sullenly
and I left.

I got in my truck and slammed the door. My dad was already passed out again so I was glad for the silence as I drove him home. I patted his face to liven him up
when we got there
and helped him inside, tossing him on his bed.

The
house smelled like garbage. I cleaned up a little bit and threw out two bags of trash. His outside garbage can was full to the max and I could tell he hadn’t put it out to be picked up for at least two weeks.
I was lucky to find a bottle of disinfectant spray to wipe down some of the grime a
ll over the kitchen counters
. The sink was piled with dishes and I practically held my breath just to get them into the dishwasher. I opened the fridge and almost keeled over. Holding my breath again, I went through it and tossed most of the things
that were
in it. I washed it out and then hauled another sack of garbage outside, shoving it all down as much as I could so it would fit.

My father lived like an animal.

I was so glad that Jayden hadn’t come with me. I could only imagine what she would think if she saw the house I grew up in and my father living in his own garbage. I knew she wouldn’t judge, but just the thought of her seeing this made me sick.

I headed to the store and bought him some groceries. He wouldn’
t eat anything
that
took
more than just opening up a can, so I had to be very selective about what I got. I put everything away and sat on a kitchen chair
, trying to massage away the headache that had formed
. I had no idea what to do for him anymore.
Every time I saw him I always promised myself it was the last time.

Somehow I always got sucked back in.

My phone rang and I assumed it was Jayden, but the voice on the other end was another very recognizable voice
instead
, and I was not happy to hear it
.

“Hello, Tyler. I see you’re once again cleaning up your father’s mess.”

I looked out the window and groaned to myself.

“Come out and have a chat,” he instructed, hanging up the phone.

I
reluctantly
made my way to the dark
sedan
parked behind my truck
in the driveway
,
and slid into the back seat.

“It i
s good to see you,” he said with a smile, his accent
ed voice quiet and collect. “It ha
s been…a month or two?” When I didn’t say anything he nodded to the house. “Did your father giv
e you a call to help him out? I a
m glad that he did. It
gives
us a chance to get together
.”

“What do you want?” I finally asked.

He smiled. “I just wanted to check on you. See how things were going. How is baseball? I heard your team is ranked
second
right now. N
ice job. I can still make that call if you are interested in
playing with
a professio
nal team.
I hear you ha
ve already had them knocking at your door, so to speak, but I could assure that it happens.
”
             
“I’m not interested
.
” I could only imagine what it would be like to have the Russian
mafia
controlling my life when the stakes were so high.

No
, professional ball wasn’t even an option.
I would have too much to lose.
My life was already like being constantly stuck in a hotbox during a game. Do I steal the base to better my chances for a win, or do I return to the safety of the one I was on? Am I good enough to out-maneuver the opponent to advance myself?