Double Play (33 page)

For the first time since he’d first met his tiny stalker, she wasn’t wearing his jersey. She wore a long siren red evening gown and actually looked quite amazing. He couldn’t even tell she was crazy as she smiled. “It’s not what you think,” she said immediately. “I came here tonight to break up with you.”

He blinked. “You did?”

Stepping close, she cupped his jaw. “Aw, Pace. It was beautiful while it lasted, but frankly, you’re a little skittish for me. I need more of a real man, someone not afraid to go after what he wants.” That said, she pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m moving on. Don’t mourn me, love, it just wasn’t meant to be.” And with a last smile, she walked away.

Pace watched her go, torn between relief and terror for whoever her next love was. “Tia?”

She turned back to face him. “Don’t try to sweet talk me back into your life, Pace. You can’t.”

“I’m just wondering who the real man is, the guy you’re leaving me for.”

She sent him a dreamy smile. “Wade O’Riley.”

He blinked, then grinned. “Excellent choice.” When she was gone, he headed back to his table, making a quick stop at Wade’s. “Watch out for the lady in red.”

Wade was running the five-card stud table, entertaining a packed crowd. “Is she hot?”

“Gorgeous but bat-in-the-cave crazy.”

Wade slid him a look. “Tia? You’re giving me Tia?”

“The one and only.” He slapped Wade on the shoulder and moved toward his table, craning his neck in search of Holly. Every once in a while, he caught a quick glimpse of her moving through the crowd in a black cocktail dress that revealed her shoulders and back, hair piled high, sparkling earrings brushing her shoulders, emphasizing that sweet spot that once upon a time he’d kissed just to hear her shaky inhale of breath, but he never got close enough, and his table was packed.

When the evening finally wound down, he once again went searching. He thought he saw her near the doors, but when he got there, she’d vanished. He ran out into the hot summer night, heading down the middle aisle of the parking lot, searching right and left.

“Fother mucker!”

He felt his heart lighten as he followed that voice down the second row of cars. There she was in that sexy little black dress, kicking her tire with her black, strappy heel.

“Problem?” he asked.

She whirled around so fast she nearly fell on her ass. Her hair, so carefully piled up on top of her head, bobbed, and some strands slipped into her face. “No.” She forced a smile as she swiped her forehead with her arm. “No problem.”

“It won’t start, will it?”

“Of course it’ll start.” She leaned back against the car and folded her arms in a casual pose that wasn’t casual at all, looking uncharacteristically rumpled. “ ’Night, Pace.”

She’d rather be alone in a parking lot than accept help from him. “Was the kiss that bad?”

“What? No.” She smiled again and shook her head. “I understand what you did, showing the guys your acceptance of me, and I appreciate it. But I don’t want you to feel obligated—”

“Okay, whoa.” He shook his head. “Damn, you think too much. That wasn’t obligation, Holly.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No.” He stepped closer. “It’s nearly two in the morning, and I realize you’re probably exhausted, but let me give you a ride.”

“Honestly, Pace. You don’t owe me anything, okay? I don’t need a pity friendship from you.”

He slipped his hands in his pocket and came up with his keys, which he dangled in her face. “How about a pity drive?”

She snatched the keys so fast his head spun. With a grin, he followed her to his car and got into the passenger seat, enjoying the flash of leg as she took the wheel.

“I want you to know, I’m not usually so easy,” she said as she whipped them out of the parking lot in an impressive exhibition.

He gripped the dash. “Furthest thing from my mind.”

She slid him a look, but he kept a straight face as she drove. At her condo, she turned off the engine, grabbed her purse, and turned to him, an inscrutable look on her usually wide-open face. “Thanks for the ride. Thanks for being there when I needed you tonight.”

Then she was gone so damn fast that he barely caught her at her front door, putting a hand on her waist as she fumbled with her purse. “I wasn’t always there when you needed me,” he said quietly. “But I’d like to be there for you now.”

“Thank you. But I don’t need anything at the moment.”

“Nothing?”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth and gave him a rush, but then she moved inside. He followed her, looking around as she flipped on the lights. “Interesting.”

“What?”

“I just realized. You said I was all baseball, but you know what? I don’t see evidence of a full life here in your place either.”

“Yeah.” She looked around. “I realized that, too.” She gestured to the kitchen table, to the plant there, and a picture of them nearly two months ago now. He looked at the smile on her face and knew he wanted to see her look that happy again.

“I’m making some changes,” she said with a lift of her shoulder. “Making a few moves.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Me, too.” Slowly he tugged her in, loving the way her breath caught. He skimmed a hand up her back, nudging her closer, and—

And his phone beeped. “Ignore it,” he whispered against her lips. “Whoever it is can take a flying leap.”

She put a hand on his chest. “It’s two in the morning. It’s got to be important.”

True. Dammit. Still holding her close, he pulled out his cell, only to have his gut tighten as he answered. “Chipper?”

“Come to the park, Pace,” the boy said, sounding harried. “Quick!”

“Are you all right?”

“No. Hurry!”

When the kid hung up, Pace immediately turned to the door. “Something’s wrong. He’s at the park. Come on.”

They got to the park in seven minutes flat, and as they got out of the car, Pace saw the three shadows standing at the park’s entrance, which was blocked off by a chain-link fence.

“It’s locked,” the tallest shadow said in disbelief. It was Chipper.

The other two shadows—River and Danny—nodded glumly.

On top of that, the For Sale sign had been nailed back up, and there was a new sign that read, Stay Off, Private Property.

“Can you believe it?” Chipper kicked the dirt in a perfect imitation of Pace on the mound. “Now we’ll have to give up playing. And we were getting good, too.”

Pace took in the three dejected kids. “No one’s giving up playing. What the hell are you doing here this late?”

“It’s too hot to sleep,” River said.

“So open a window. Do not sneak out, ever,” Pace told them. “It’s not safe. As for the rest . . .” He looked at the new sign. “I’ll fix this. Somehow.”

“How?”

“I’ll figure it out. Come on, I’ll take you all home.”

He and Holly loaded the three kids into the back of the Mustang, and Pace eyed them in the rearview mirror. “Who’s first?”

The guys looked at each other guiltily.

“What?” Pace said, twisting around to face them. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“My mom thinks I’m at his house.” River pointed to Chipper.

“And my mom thinks I’m at his house.” Chipper pointed to Danny.

“We can’t go back this late,” Danny said. “We’ll get busted.”

“Well, prepare to get busted.” Pace turned to the woman he’d hoped to have in his bed tonight. “Holly—”

“I know,” she said, her lips curved in understanding. “You have to take them to your house.”

The gang erupted with cheers.

“Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “Except . . . I’m going to need you to come, too.”

She arched a brow.

“For propriety’s sake. I—”

“I understand,” she said. “Public image and all. I’ll stay, Pace.”

“A sleepover at Pace’s!” Chipper said, and grinned. “Fun.”

“No,” Pace said. “Not fun. It’s nearly . . .” He looked at his phone. “Shit, it’s three and I have a six o’clock flight with the Heat.” He sighed. “We’re all going straight to sleep.” He slid a frustrated look to Holly. He’d had other plans for those few hours. “I’ll be gone when you wake up, I’ll have a driver take you home whenever you’re ready. The boys, too.”

“Ah, man,” River grumbled.

“After each of you call your parents.”

“Ah, man,” River repeated.

Exactly how Pace felt as he drove to his house with Holly in that hot dress that was not going to be coming off for him tonight. In his driveway, he turned off his car just as Chipper thrust his head between the front bucket seats. “So are you two back together?”

Holly shook her head as they all got out of the car.

Chipper looked at Pace as he unlocked the door. “Why not? You have someone else on deck? Is that it?”

“No.” Jesus. “Look, Holly and I—”

“You balk?” Chipper asked right over him as they entered the house. “Or quick pitch?”

Pace didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed that the kid was using pitching terms to ask how he’d managed to screw up a sure thing. He grabbed blankets and pillows and tossed them to the boys, pointing to the huge U-shaped couch in his den that would comfortably sleep them all. “Call your mothers while I walk Holly to her room.”

“You two had a shutout going,” Chipper said. “I saw it. Everyone saw it.”

Pace reached for Holly’s hand and offered a smile. “Yeah.”

She didn’t return the smile, but she did entwine her fingers in his. She was confused, he knew. She didn’t know how he felt about her. He was reading that loud and clear, but until now, until this very moment, so close he could see her heart and soul reflected in her eyes, he honestly hadn’t known.

“Holly,” Chipper said earnestly. “Pace is the best guy I know. Whatever he’s done, maybe you could give him another chance. Heck, even fly ball pitchers get another chance.”

That made her smile, but it was a sober one. “It wasn’t him, Chipper,” she said with quiet grace. “It was me. I screwed up. I . . .” She searched for a term. “Threw a quick pitch.”

Watching her try to explain to the kid what had happened in terms he’d understand, without going into more detail than he needed, cemented it for Pace. She was truly one of a kind, the most amazing, caring, passionate woman he’d ever met.

She started down the hall.

“Dude, don’t let her go to bed sad,” Chipper whispered.

“Working on that,” Pace said, pointing at him. “Call your moms. I mean it.”

“If it’s a homer, I get credit for the assist, right?”

Holly choked out a laugh. “Yeah,” she said over her shoulder as she left the living room. “You’ll get the point.”

“Sweet.” He glanced at Pace with something close to hero worship, which made Pace damned uncomfortable.

And just a little bit proud. Holly had also looked at him as if maybe he was worth something, something more than what he brought to the diamond, and between her and these kids, he felt more alive than he had for a damned long time.

“Night,” Holly called back.

“Dude,” River said in a conspirator’s whisper. “She’s walking away.”

“You’re supposed to walk her to the door and kiss her,” Chipper said in the same ear-shattering whisper. “Hurry.”

Pace caught up with her in the hallway at the door to the spare bedroom and took her hand. “Ever notice that we meet in a lot of doorways?”

“The looks on their faces about the park,” Holly murmured.

She’d set aside everything—including whatever emotions were putting those shadows in her eyes—in order to worry about the kids. If he hadn’t already been half in love with her, that would have sealed the deal.

“There’s got to be something we can do,” she said. “They need that park, Pace. And they need it fixed up.”

“I’ve got an idea for it.”

She cocked her head and studied him. “You’re in the middle of a recovery
and
a baseball season.”

“I have time and room for more.”

“Since when?”

“Since . . .” You. “Holly, I—”

“Pace!” Chipper yelled.

Pace ground his back teeth together. “Yeah?”

“Can we have ice cream?”

“If you call home,” he said, not taking his eyes off Holly. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “About this.”

“No worries.” She reached for the door handle.

“Wait.” He slid his fingers into her hair, tracing her jaw line with his thumb. God, he’d missed the feel of her. “You know that up until now my entire life has been nothing but one hard fastball.”

She gave a faint smile. “Now you sound like Chipper.”

“Yeah.” He let out a small smile, liking that. “What I’m saying is that I’ve rushed through my life. I’ve rushed through everything, just to play ball. I still love it, I do, I just . . .” His smile faded and he shook his head again. “After my surgery, after Red and Ty, after everything, I felt . . . a little empty. It’s made me realize how much I needed something else in my life. Something substantial.” Like her. She was substance to him. “Holly—”

“Pace!” This time it was River. “Ask Holly if she wants ice cream!”

Pace closed his eyes, then opened them to look into Holly’s laughing ones.

“I’m good,” she called back to them. “But thank you.”

Pace leaned past her to open the door, gently nudging her inside, then followed her in and pressed her back against the wall to kiss her.

She melted into him, and the next thing he knew their arms were wrapped around each other and he was oblivious to anything else except her sweet tongue tangling with his, lost to everything.

But her.

What seemed like hours later, she pulled back and opened her eyes. “Interesting that that’s still there.”

He’d known it would be.

“You have to go,” she whispered. “The boys.”

He stroked a strand of hair from her face. “They can wait another minute.”