Play Along

Play Along is the fourth book in contemporary romance writer Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series. The story follows Kennedy Kay, the Windy City Warriors’ ambitious female trainer, and Isaiah Rhodes, the team’s fun-loving, handsome shortstop, who has had a crush on Kennedy since the day he met her. When they wake up unexpectedly married in Las Vegas, they must figure out how to deal with their drunken decision while preserving their jobs. As Kennedy navigates a challenging workplace and personal struggles with intimacy, Isaiah offers her a safe space to heal and grow. By examining themes such as Gender Dynamics in the Workplace, Overcoming the Pain of the Past, and Embracing Self-Discovery Through Vulnerability, Play Along illustrates that love can help people confront fears and gain a fresh start in life. The novel was nominated for a 2024 Goodreads Choice Award for favorite romance. Play Along is the fourth installment in the Windy City series, following Mile High, The Right Move, and Caught Up. The fifth installment, Rewind It Back, is slated to be released in April 2025. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Golden Boy Publishing e-book edition.

Content Warning: Both the source material and this guide include descriptions of death, misogyny, and mental health challenges such as anxiety and panic attacks.

Plot Summary

Isaiah Rhodes plays shortstop for Chicago’s Windy City Warriors major league baseball team. It is the anniversary of his mother’s death, the worst day of every year. Because his workplace is heavily male-dominated, he knows that the women’s restroom makes a good hiding place, so he goes there to gather his thoughts. While there, he overhears a conversation between Dr. Frederick, the team doctor, and Kennedy Kay. Kennedy applied for the job under the name of Kenny, and when Dr. Frederick hired her, he assumed that she was a man. Now, Dr. Frederick demotes her to the position of athletic trainer. Kennedy and Isaiah encounter each other in the bathroom, and now he knows her secret: She is really a doctor but accepted a demotion based on her gender. Isaiah agrees to keep her secret and promises to ensure that the team respects her. Later, Isaiah tells his teammates that he will marry Kennedy one day, but she is already wearing an engagement ring.

Two years later, Kennedy is no longer engaged. Her wealthy family arranged the marriage, and her former fiancé, Connor, is now marrying her step-sister, Mallory. While in Las Vegas for Mallory’s bachelorette party, Kennedy runs into Isaiah, who is traveling with his teammates on a pre-season bonding trip. Isaiah has maintained a crush on Kennedy since the day they met, and ever since she stopped wearing her engagement ring, he hasn’t even looked at another woman. Now, he convinces her to have one drink with him, and this turns into a night of partying in Vegas, during which they spontaneously get married. 

The following day, they agree that they will annul the marriage and move on, but the media catches wind of the story. Mr. Remington, the team owner, calls them into a meeting and threatens to fire Kennedy for breach of contract. However, Isaiah insists that their marriage was planned, and Mr. Remington agrees to keep her on as long as she and Isaiah remain professional. At first, Kennedy refuses to go along with Isaiah’s plan, but because she is desperate to keep her job and hopes to become the first female head doctor in the MLB, Kennedy relents. She and Isaiah will remain married for the time being, then end the marriage at the end of the season, when Kennedy intends to apply for a head doctor position in San Francisco. When the season begins, Kennedy and Isaiah must share a hotel room, but Isaiah respects her boundaries and sleeps on the floor. Whenever they appear in public, they hold hands to convince the management that their marriage is real, though Isaiah’s brother Kai, the pitcher, and his closest friends Cody and Travis know the truth.

Maintaining the façade of being happily married is easy for Isaiah, but physical intimacy is difficult for Kennedy, because her parents never showed her love or affection. She asks Isaiah to help her get over her aversion to touch. He gives her “lessons,” which begin with hugs, hand-holding, and flirtatious massages. Soon, Kennedy realizes that she likes being touched, especially by Isaiah, and they share their first kiss, which leads to physical intimacy, and Isaiah helps her to explore pleasure. Beyond becoming physically intimate, Kennedy and Isaiah grow psychologically closer as they share their histories. Isaiah reveals that his mother was tragically killed in a car accident when he was 13, after which his brother Kai became the family caretaker. Kennedy describes her cold, uncaring family and their lack of concern for her happiness. 

As time goes on, Kennedy becomes happily entangled in Isaiah’s found family, which comprises his teammates, their partners, and their children. When the job opportunity for head doctor becomes available earlier than expected, Kennedy must decide whether to leave what she has built in Chicago and chase her dream or stay and pursue a future with Isaiah. Isaiah declares his love for her but supports her decision to leave.

Feeling guilty that Kennedy is considering trading away her dream for his sake, Isaiah gives Kennedy divorce papers. She turns down the San Francisco job and intends to quit her position at Windy City and find another job in Chicago. Meanwhile, Mr. Remington retires and hands the team ownership to his granddaughter, Reese, who has noticed Dr. Frederick’s sexist behavior. After every team member files a complaint against the doctor, Reese fires him and offers Kennedy the job. Kennedy became the first female head doctor of a major league baseball team, and two years later, she and Isaiah renew their wedding vows in the same white chapel in Vegas where they married the first time.