Free Getting Wound Up: A Sapphire Falls/Love Between the Bases Novel-- PART TWO by Erin Nicholas Page B

easy.”
    “That’s how we like it, right Bry?” Ty said as he strolled into the room with two coffee cups. He gestured with his elbow toward Eli, who was right on his heels with a cardboard tray with more cups, stirrers and sugar packets. “I found Eli going out of his mind in the lobby. Took pity on the poor guy.”
    “Hey dude. Thanks for being here.” Bryan accepted a cup of coffee, then exchanged fist bumps with Eli. Eli distributed the rest of the cups while Caitlyn blinked back tears.
    Was it just an hour ago that she and Eli had been kissing at Scoop? That he’d said, “we have forever now”? In that short amount of time, everything had changed. He looked so big and solid and like everything she’d ever wanted. She wanted to rush to him and bury herself deep in his arms, pretend none of this had ever happened.
    But that would be a fantasy-land move, and someone had to face reality.
    “Bryan needs surgery,” she told Eli, keeping a safe distance from him. “He needs to get back home.”
    Eli nodded, clearly not hearing all the other things she was trying to communicate between the lines. I have to go with him. This will never work. I can’t go back and forth. We have to end this now. I’m so sorry.
    “Can we talk about hiring an ambulance service to get him home?” Ty asked the doctor.
    “Over that distance?” Dr. Perkins asked. “Possibly. It will take some time. And money.”
    “We’ve got both,” Ty said.
    Dr. Perkins told them he’d make some calls and be back with news soon.
    Eli, Ty and Bryan huddled together, making plans, completely leaving Caitlyn out of the conversation.
    “Hey,” she finally said. “What about me?”
    Eli looked over his shoulder at her, suddenly wary.
    “We got this,” Ty said. “Word is you have some big plans in the works.”
    “What are you talking about? Where did you hear that?”
    “One of the nurses was talking to Eli when we got the coffee. She’s friends with Donna McIntyre who works with the Catfish. The team’s all excited that you might be working with Scoop. Something about bacon.”
    “ What ?” Caitlyn stared at him. “Seriously?”
    “That’s what she said. Not true? The bacon part did seem strange.” Ty asked.
    “It’s not that, it’s just… Nothing’s for sure yet.” Caitlyn could feel Eli watching her. “The ice cream shop owner is interested in my Cracker Jacks and some other things. Bacon cupcakes. But we haven’t worked out the details yet.”
    Under Eli’s searching look, her face was turning a million shades of red.
    Ty glanced between the two of them. “Ah, got it. Well, that’s cool. Your Cracker Jacks are amazing.”
    She gave him a smile she hoped looked genuine. “Thanks. Now can we get back to the main topic here? Bryan needs to get home.”
    “I’m going to go see about that ambulance,” Ty said.
    “No. No ambulance,” Bryan said. “Jesus. My mother would have a heart attack if we show up in Sapphire Falls in an ambulance.”
    “Well, I really think you’re going to hate everyone by about an hour in if we just put you in the backseat,” Ty said.
    “They can just give me something to knock me out,” Bryan said. “And maybe one of the nurses wants to come on a road trip to take care of me.” He grinned at the two other guys.
    Eli laughed, but Ty nodded as if it was the most logical thing in the world. “I’ll go talk to them.”
    “You’re not serious,” Caitlyn said, though she knew even as she said it that they were.
    “We take her with us to make sure he’s okay on the trip home, then put her on a plane back to Kilby. She gets paid for her time, to see the sights between here and Sapphire Falls, and time with us. She’s coming out way ahead here,” Ty said. “Eli, help me out here.”
    “He’s making some solid points, Caitlyn.” Eli grinned, and for a moment Caitlyn imagined him in the back seat with the nurse. Flirting. Smiling. Laughing. Not that it would be her business, not