Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (22 page)

He adjusted his hat as he straightened, trying hard not to look so pleased over her display of affection because he was a tween and all now. “Love you too,” he returned quickly. It wouldn’t do for him to be overheard. Mushy stuff was for girls.

Witnessing that blossoming independence was bittersweet.

Through the shaded lenses of her sunglasses, Sonny watched the women approach and gave them a friendly smile. “Hello, ladies,” she said when they got within earshot.

Mark’s fiancée plopped down in an empty seat and said to Charlie, “Whew. It’s crowded here today.”

Her boy nodded. “It’s ’cause the Rush are doing so good this season.”

Lorelei tucked her drink under her seat and smiled prettily. “You’re spot on, Charlie. How you been, kid?”

He shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly, “Can’t complain.”

Sonny nearly choked on her drink. That was such a manly thing he’d just said. It really was happening overnight.

Leslie maneuvered past the two of them and took the empty seat next to Sonny. The blonde looked just as stunning as she had the last time they’d been together, even casual in jeans and a Ben Harper T-shirt. She had one of those bodies that was stacked in all the right places and toned, but not petite. The result was voluptuous pinup curves and a face that could break a man’s heart with one glance.

Sonny would feel frumpy and plain sitting next to her if she wasn’t so accepting of her own looks. Leslie was one of those women. “Hey y’all. Lorelei and I asked Mark to get us seats near you so we could chat during the game.”

Lorelei brushed her dark hair over a shoulder. “We thought it would be fun, and we could get to know each other better.”

Suspicion streaked across her brain, but she tried to ignore it. Still, why would they want to get to know her and Charlie better? He was done playing batboy.

Her eyes flew wide. Did they know about her and JP?

Leslie pointed down the field. “That’s John Crispin out there. He and I have been dating for a little over a year. And y’all know about Lorelei and Mark.” She turned to Sonny with an innocent smile that wasn’t innocent at all. “What about you, darling? Who are you dating?”

Put on the spot at the absolute worst time, Sonny rolled her eyes to the sky and prayed for patience. How was she supposed to answer that when Charlie was sitting right next to her, without him knowing?

Her mouth opened to answer and closed with a snap. Then it promptly fell open again. What was there to say?

Lorelei took pity on her. “Hey, Charlie. Do you see Mark over there?” Her son nodded. “Did you know that he started playing ball when he was in kindergarten?”

Charlie’s face lit up. “Me too!”

The pretty brunette feigned surprise. “Really? Are you going to be a ballplayer when you grow up?”

That sent her son into a rambling monologue about the game, and Sonny tuned out even as Lorelei listened avidly. Returning her attention to Leslie, she evaded the question. “How long have you been in Colorado?”

Shrewd, tawny-colored eyes regarded her with humor. She must have decided to let it be because she answered, “Just a few years.”

Peter Kowalskin was warming up on the pitcher’s mound and the blonde’s gaze lingered on him, making Sonny wonder, “How well do you know Peter?”

Leslie shrugged delicately, “As well as the next person, I suppose. Why do you ask?”

There was an edge to that question that had her backing off instinctively. “Just wondering, is all. He seems like a funny guy.”

The man under discussion rocketed off a practice pitch that had the crowd cheering. “He has his moments,” she said dismissively.

Just then JP crossed in front of them out on the diamond, his long legs eating up the ground. He looked so wonderfully male out there in his uniform that she couldn’t stop the appreciative smile that crept up her lips.

Leslie craned her neck to make sure Charlie was still engaged with Lorelei. Satisfied, she speared Sonny with a look. “You and the shortstop.”

That was all she said. Then she waited expectantly.

Fine.
So much for privacy. “It’s complicated.”

Leslie’s sharp gaze turned to one of sympathy. “It always is, sugar.”

Amen to that.

The curvy blonde said breezily, “He’s got some nice moves.” Sonny’s gaze flew to her face and she rushed to clarify, “On the field, y’all. He’s got nice moves on the field. I wouldn’t know anything about them off of it.”

Suddenly all the players moved off the field and a local Denver band came out to sing the national anthem. After the band was done the Rush took to the grass, JP jogging to his spot between second and third.

“I’m Sexy and I Know It” blared through the speakers as Kowalskin wound up for the first pitch. A young guy with a green foam Rush finger two rows down let out an ear-piercing whistle, making her wince. The scent of popcorn and peanuts competed with the scent of the ball field, blending to create a heady mix.

The first pitch came and the batter for the Astros swung hard, connecting solidly. Dropping the bat, he sprinted toward first base. But he was too late. The ball made a line drive down the middle between second and third, straight toward the hotshot shortstop. Positioning himself with a shuffle, JP snagged the ball in midair and relayed it back to Drake, gaining the first out of the game.

Flashing a cocky grin that punched her in the stomach with potency even from across the field, JP pulled off his glove and adjusted the bill of his cap. Then he put it back on, smacked the inside with a bare fist, and crouched back into position, palms on knees.

Leslie tapped her on the shoulder just as the next Astro came up to bat. “Like I said, he’s got some nice moves. Don’t y’all agree?”

The smile she shot Sonny was full of camaraderie. Giving in to the good-natured probing, she ducked her head and looked at the blonde over the rim of her sunglasses. She could tell Leslie wanted the gossip bad.

Sonny caved and threw her a bone. “Totally.”

Chapter Twenty

JP
TOOK THEM
to Red Robin per Charlie’s request after the game. After walking into the restaurant he got a good look at the décor, and his eyes crossed and went a little blurry. Sonny couldn’t resist teasing him and asked him what his problem was—all the primary colors or the posters taking up every square inch of wall space?

JP got into it though after he looked at the menu and saw the Towering Onion Rings. Then he got caught up trying to decide between that and the Buzzard Wings. Charlie bailed him out by convincing him to order both and then tell him which was better after he was done.

The kid already knew how to get a guy’s back.

Sonny spent most of the dinner sitting back and watching the two of them interact. On and on they went about baseball and stats and the best ways to execute this play and that one. Their heads were together like they were conspiring on something.

And every time someone came by asking for JP’s autograph, Charlie’s chest got all puffed up with pride. It was obvious to anyone looking that her son was starting to fall for the ballplayer in a big way. Because it made her uncomfortable and kind of panicky, she desperately people-watched to distract herself from her feelings.

How could she live with herself if JP broke her boy’s heart?

Her heart could be pieced back together, given enough time. But Charlie’s? She refused to even think about it.

Instead she became obsessed with the geometric pattern on the bench seats and the framed posters on the wall. The one next to her was a black-and-white photograph of an observatory. She got real interested in the subtle play of light. Though she did usually try to be honest with herself, she was darn good at denial when she wanted to be.

There was a moment during dinner when she’d looked across the booth at JP and their eyes had locked and held. In that moment, emotions had churned in her like a hurricane. He made her feel so many things that she couldn’t keep them all straight. And that was a hard feeling to have if you were the kind of person who always needed to be in control of them.

The shortstop had fixed those steady eyes on her and smiled like they were sharing the best secret. It hit her in the solar plexus like a punch. She was so in love with JP, but she just kept worrying over things.

How could she date him if it wasn’t okay with Charlie? Even if it was okay, how could she date a celebrity knowing that her life would always be available for public scrutiny? That her son’s would be too?

A part of her wanted to follow her heart and do it anyway—to take her happiness. Regardless of the problems. And it scared her because she knew that voice only too well. It was her mother’s genetic legacy, that wild flighty side of Sonny she tried so desperately to keep under control.

But if she gave in and listened to that voice then she’d be no different than her mother. She’d be choosing a man over her child and she’d made a vow to never let that happen. But she’d never counted on falling for someone like JP.

Sonny’s heart sank and she shook her head.

Was she really no different from her mother, after all?

When dinner was wrapping up and the check was getting settled, JP reached a large hand across the table and began playing with her fingers. “Is everything okay tonight, Sonny? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Not knowing how to share what she was feeling, she evaded. “I’m fine.” His eyes narrowed with disbelief so she changed the subject quickly. “You looked good out there this afternoon. That muscle pull must not have hurt much.”

Confusion clouded his eyes. “Pulled muscle?”

There was a lone strawberry at the bottom of her lemonade and she rooted it out with a fork. “Yeah.” Then she shot him a pointed look and inclined her head toward her son. “You know,
that one
you had the other day.”

Understanding replaced the confusion and he choked back a laugh. “Right. No, yeah, it was fine.” He retrieved his wallet and threw some bills down on the table.

Something didn’t seem quite right with that response and Sonny paused in the middle of retrieving the strawberry. “Am I missing something?”

“Not at all. Hey, I have something for the slugger here back at my place. I was hoping I could convince you to swing by before you headed back up to Longmont.”

Charlie lit up like a Christmas tree. “You got me a present?”

If there was one thing that boy loved more than baseball, it was gifts. JP was scoring major points tonight.

“Sort of. You’ll just have to wait and see.” He shoved his wallet back into his butt pocket. “I’m ready when you are.”

That’s when what he said earlier registered and she got all giddy inside. JP’s place. She’d been wondering what it looked like.

The one piece of advice worth its weight in salt that her grandmother had given her was “A man’s place will tell you a lot about him. If he can’t even scrub the damn toilet, dump his sorry butt.”

Her Grams had been the kind and compassionate sort.

Sonny grabbed her purse and stood from the table. “I think we can manage the detour.”

He rose, too, and glanced down at Charlie. “Who’re you riding with, me or your mom?”

Her son looked from her to JP, a funny expression on his face. It took her a minute but she finally recognized what it meant. Charlie wasn’t used to having adults to choose from. When he glanced at her again, she could tell which way he was leaning and helped him out. “You’re not going to hurt my feelings, sweetie, if you want to ride with JP.”

He scrunched his nose and asked hesitantly, “You sure?”

She nodded. “Totally sure.”

Her boy whipped his head around to look up at JP and said real fast, “I want to ride with you.”

“Cool.” He ruffled his hair and pointed to the plastic kid’s cup with the giant red bird on the side still sitting on the table. “Better not forget your drink.”

Her boy snatched up the drink and the two of them headed toward the front of the restaurant, leaving Sonny to follow. Charlie had fused to JP and he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they looked just like two of a kind. And that gave her all kinds of mixed feelings.

Shaking her head, she fell into step behind them, feeling bemused until she noticed a man standing by a large carousel horse aiming a camera at them. When she passed he lowered it, gave her a greasy grin, and said, “Hello, Sonny.”

She stopped dead and stared him down. “Excuse me? Do I know you?”

“I know
you
.” He tipped his weak chin at her son and smiled like they were sharing secrets. “Must be a dream come true for you, finally finding Charlie a daddy.”

Her stomach lurched and her blood went cold.

Now she wasn’t bemused at all.

JP
’S APARTMENT WAS
pitch black when he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Ducking his head back into the hall, he looked at his guests and said, “Give me a second and I’ll be right back.” The entry light bulb had burned out a few weeks ago and he hadn’t found the time to fix it, so he had to turn on the lamp by the sofa.

Once the living room was lit with a warm glow, he headed back to the door and opened it wide. “Come on in.”

Sonny ducked under his arm and he was surprised to find that he was nervous having her in his home. All the times they’d been together had been everywhere else but here. What if she didn’t like it?

Charlie charged into his apartment and stopped, eyes huge. “Whoa.”

JP gave his apartment a quick once-over. He supposed it was pretty cool. At least he’d thought so when he’d been traded to Denver last year. The place was in a renovated warehouse downtown and had hardwood floors and exposed brick. Duct work was exposed and left its original copper color. To his right were wood and metal stairs that led to his master bedroom and the kitchen was through the swinging door straight ahead of him on the other side of the huge living room.

The apartment was rustic and industrial and had tons of character. He especially liked all the storage space for his toys. If it weren’t for that frigging neighbor cat it would be terrific.