Reaching First by Mindy Klasky Page A

impatiently for Tyler to step into the box.  
    He took his time digging in, planting first his right foot, then his left. He dipped the bat toward second base three times in rapid succession. He pulled it back, holding it nearly upright, like a giant exclamation point over his right shoulder.
    Emily leaned forward. She’d never been a huge baseball fan, but she’d watched plenty of games with Anna. Her eye had gotten better; she could see the difference between balls and strikes, read the different pitches by the time they reached the plate.  
    That fastball, for example. The one Tyler was just behind, for strike one. The ball that followed, intended to brush him back from the plate. Another fastball, one that Tyler just got a piece of, enough to send the ball flying into foul territory down the first base line. And that curveball, the one that didn’t break until the very last moment, leaving Tyler swinging like he was going for a grand slam, even though the bases were empty. Strike three. He stalked back to the dugout.
    Anna made a quick notation on her score sheet, tapping her purple pen against the paper as the next batter came up. Emily pretended there was nothing more fascinating than watching the left fielder strike out on three fastballs. Unless it was the second baseman, who worked his way to a full count before he struck out.
    By the time the inning was over, Anna was eyeing her with a look as sharp as the hash marks she’d made on her paper. Emily considered saying she needed to go to the bathroom, but she was pretty sure Anna would just follow her there. She was certain, in fact, when Anna said, “Spill. Tell me everything.”
    “There isn’t anything to tell!” Emily lowered her voice. “He came by after the team got back from Cincinnati. I was nervous about seeing him. I had a couple of drinks before he got there, on an empty stomach. In the end, nothing happened.”  
    Anna looked skeptical.  
    “Nothing!” Emily protested.
    A furrow of concern appeared between Anna’s eyebrows. “Seriously, Em. I’m surprised. He isn’t like any of the guys you’ve dated before.”
    “No. He isn’t.” Emily confirmed the words she’d already told herself a thousand times over.
    “Do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, with the community service and everything…”
    “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea!” Emily surprised herself by her vehemence. “I don’t think it’s a good idea at all! I’m pretty sure I drank half a bottle of Ketel One because I knew exactly how terrible an idea all of this is!”
    Anna sat back, obvious concern pulling her mouth into a frown.
    “You don’t have to do this, Emily. The team can find someplace else for Tyler to serve his sentence. It doesn’t have to be with you, if you really want to go ahead with this.”
    Someplace else . The words hovered there, like a gift. If Tyler served his sentence someplace else, then there wouldn’t be any ethical barrier to a relationship between them. If she didn’t need to track his hours, didn’t need to at least pretend to be an unbiased observer, then she’d be free to find out if there really was anything between them, if there ever could be.
    But Emily knew all of that was an elaborate lie. She’d already decided she didn’t care about the ethics of monitoring Tyler’s community service. She’d been willing to take the chance of messing that up. Her problem was something Anna couldn’t fix, even if she’d known the truth. Emily’s problem was figuring out what she wanted to do with her own body, when she was ready to let go of the Virgin Technicality.  
    But the thought of losing Tyler dismayed her. If he weren’t required to show up at her house for community service, he’d find other ways to use his time. He’d find other women who were more willing to follow through on what they promised.  
    She felt her cheeks heat. Her blush must have been visible, because Anna put a hand on her wrist. “Say the