Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 168

The Wrong Girls

Caleb’s POV

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The silence hanging over the dining room was so heavy you could hear the faint crackle of the wood in the fireplace across the hall.

Lexi stood beside me, shifting her weight from foot to foot, her fingers nervously pulling at the strap of her designer duffel bag.

She looked smaller somehow, stripped of the unshakeable confidence she used to carry everywhere. The awkwardness rolling off her was practically tangible.

I cleared my throat, the sound carrying through the still room, and reached for Lexi’s hand.

Her fingers were cold.

The moment I laced mine through hers, she held on tightly. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and gently guided her a little closer to my side.

I looked around the room.

“Morning, everyone,” I said, keeping my voice even. “This is Lexi Grayson. She’s joining us for the rest of the trip.”

Lexi managed a small, uncertain smile.

“Hi… it’s nice to see you all again.”

Nothing.

No one said a word.

The room stayed painfully quiet.

My eyes moved from face to face.

Victoria wasn’t even trying to hide her disappointment.

Beside her, Elijah sat perfectly still, one hand resting on Victoria’s knee, his expression impossible to read.

A little farther down the table, Leo watched me with a look that made it clear exactly what he thought of this.

Then my gaze found Nova.

She never looked up.

Her attention stayed fixed on the untouched food in front of her, as though meeting my eyes would hurt more than avoiding them.

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For a moment, guilt pressed heavily against my chest.

Then I pushed it down.

I didn’t owe anyone here an explanation.

This was my life.

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Coach had assigned Lexi and me to share a room when he planned the cabin weeks ago. She had every right to be here.

If no one else liked it…

That wasn’t on me.

Fortunately, Natasha broke the ice before the room completely suffocated. Being Natasha–and completely oblivious to the messy history between us–she put down her coffee mug and offered Lexi a warm, polite smile.

“Well, welcome, Lexi,” Natasha said warmly, gesturing toward the breakfast spread. “Come on in, grab a plate. We were just talking about the plans for this afternoon.”

Lexi let out a small breath, some of the tension easing from her shoulders.

“Thank you…

She hesitated, an apologetic smile crossing her face.

“I’m sorry–I didn’t catch your name.”

“Natasha,” she supplied with a friendly smile.

“Right. Natasha.” Lexi smiled back. “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”

A few seconds later, the front door swung open again, and Maya walked in carrying a second suitcase.

Unlike Lexi, Maya looked entirely unbothered, practically bouncing on her heels with an easy, bubbly grin as she set her bag down near the entryway.

“Hey, everyone! Sorry to intrude, the fog on the mountain pass was unbelievable,” Maya announced cheerfully.

Coach Miller paused, his coffee cup hovering near his mouth as he looked from Maya to Natasha.

“Oh. An extra body.” He scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. “Nat, do we have space for another guest? How are we setting up the rooms?”

Natasha tapped her chin, her eyes scanning the table as she mentally mapped out the cabin layout.

“Well… Elijah and Victoria have their own room. Miles and Leo are sharing. Adele and Nova are in the second double…” She paused, her eyes landing on the end of the table. “Actually, Nate doesn’t have a roommate right

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Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

now.”

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A collective groan immediately rippled down the table.

“Really? Nate?” Jace immediately scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re going to put a fresh girl in the wolf’s den?”

Nate looked around in exaggerated disbelief, throwing both hands into the air.

“What? Why’s everybody looking at me like I’m some kind of criminal? I’m not that bad!”

“Not that bad? Nate, you’re actively competing with King Solomon’s body count from the Bible,” Miles chimed in, flicking a grape across the table that caught Nate square in the chest.

“Coach, putting any female guest within five feet of Nate’s door is a public safety hazard.”

The table erupted into laughter.

Even I let out a small snort.

While everyone piled on with fresh jokes about Nate’s complete inability to stay single for more than five minutes, Nate suddenly turned toward Maya, who was still standing near the doorway, watching the whole exchange with an amused smile.

“Look,” Nate said, adjusting his collar and offering Maya his most charming, dimpled smile. “I promise I am on my absolute best behavior these days. Changed man. Truly. But we should ask the person who’s actually going to be staying in the room if she’s okay with it.”

Maya looked at Nate, her gaze sweeping over his broad shoulders, his messy hair, and that ridiculous, confident grin.

Instead of looking intimidated, she bit her lower lip, a subtle, knowing smile touching her mouth.

The guys around the table groaned in unison.

“Oh, man,” Leo muttered, slapping his forehead. “She’s already falling for it.”

“It’s over,” Miles sighed, shaking his head. “We tried, Maya. We really tried to save you.”

“I think I’ll survive,” Maya chuckled, nodding toward Nate. “I’m totally fine with sharing the room. As long as he doesn’t snore.”

“I sleep like a quiet baby,” Nate promised, crossing his heart dramatically. “Cross my heart.”

“Then it’s settled,” Coach Miller declared, taking another sip of his coffee and returning to his breakfast. “Nate, show her where to put her bags after we finish eating.”

Breakfast resumed, the noise of silverware and light banter gradually filling the space again, but the heavy undercurrent never truly left the room.

I could feel the invisible lines of tension stretching across the table–between Victoria, Nova, Lexi, and me.

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14:45 Tue, Aug 18

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

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I pulled out a chair for Lexi, and she slipped into it with a quiet “thank you,” setting her purse on the floor beside her.

I took the seat next to her and started filling a plate for her.

Even so, my eyes kept drifting to the other end of the table.

Nova hadn’t touched a single bite of her food. She just sat there, staring blankly at her toast.

Suddenly, Nova pushed her chair back. The wooden legs scraped loudly against the floorboards, cutting through the low chatter.

“I’m going to head upstairs,” Nova said softly, her voice barely carrying over the table. “I’m full.”

Natasha frowned, looking down at Nova’s plate, which was still stacked high with untouched eggs and toast.

“Oh, sweetie, your plate is still completely full. Are you feeling sick?”

Nova offered a quick, tight smile, her eyes darting everywhere except in my direction.

“Oh… well, maybe you could cover it for me? I might gain an appetite in a few hours. I just… I need some fresh air.”

Without waiting for another response, she turned and scurried off toward the hallway, her footsteps fading quickly up the stairs.

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