The Practice Proposal (8 page)

“That wasn’t real.”

“Even so, that stunt with the reporters last night told me he’s pretty interested
in keeping you around. But then you two came in here today and I saw it for myself.
He’s crazy about you. And you’re crazy if you don’t see it.”

“Don’t see what?” Cole asked from behind them.

Liza’s stomach leaped into her throat. She turned so quickly that she almost wrenched
her neck. Paige was just a beat behind her.

Cole leaned against the doorjamb, casually folding the apron he’d taken off.

Liza looked at Paige, wide-eyed.
Don’t tell him…

Paige cocked her head Liza’s way. “That she’s got way more going on than any airhead
angel model you might have dated.” Paige smirked. “And that you’re crazy about her.”

Liza wanted to die. But first she wanted to kill Paige. She quickly popped her on
the butt with the damp dish towel.

“Ouch!”

“What kind of friend are you?” Liza tried not to laugh out of sheer embarrassment,
and she definitely didn’t look at Cole.

“The kind who knows her stuff.” He walked over to the sink with a lopsided smile on
his face.

Liza knew he’d charmed the pants off of who-knows-how-many women, yet she couldn’t
help but think he really might like her. Maybe Frank had been telling the truth. Though
that would make things way more complicated than she had hoped…

Cole ran his tongue across his bottom lip, mesmerizing Liza. “I wouldn’t wear an apron
for just any girl.”

“You should,” Paige said. “That hot chef look was really working for you.”

“Really?” Cole asked.

“For sure.”

He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows at Liza. “You think?”

She shrugged, even though he really was drool-worthy. “If you’re into that kind of
thing.”

He gave her a wounded look.

“She’s just pouting because she lost the pie war,” Paige said.

“That reminds me.” Cole gave Liza a lazy, sexy smile. “We need to finish up and get
out of here. We’ve got a bet to settle.”

Chapter Eight

Cole pulled his truck into the dimly lit parking lot across from Nats stadium where
Liza had left her car after that day’s game. There were only a few vehicles in the
dirt lot surrounded by a chain-link fence. He was always struck by how much energy
filled the area around game time, and how lifeless it would be just hours later.

“I bet that blue Acura is yours,” he said to Liza. She’d been much quieter since they
left the bakery and it was just the two of them. After all the fun they’d had today,
he didn’t get why she seemed so tense now that they were alone. Heck, he didn’t get
a lot of things about her, but he was glad Frank had picked her.

Maybe once they got that tense first kiss out of the way, she’d calm down—and the
Liza he’d known years ago would show up again. He’d gotten glimpses of that girl,
so he knew she was still there. She’d teased him with a kiss on the cheek, but she
wasn’t getting away tonight without making good on their bet.

“How do you know the Acura’s mine?” she asked as he pulled in next to it and shifted
into park.

“Let’s see. There’s a pickup and a minivan, two sedans, and a beater. And then there’s
that shiny little Acura.” He nodded and grinned confidently. “It’s yours.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Fooled you. It’s the beater.” She jumped out of the truck
before he had time to open the door for her, just as she’d done at the end of their
date last night.

He got out and hurried around before she had time to get in the Acura and dash off
again. She already had her keys in hand. “Then let me walk you to your car.” He gestured
across the lot to the worn-out Chevy.

She bunched her lips, looking sexy and playful, and he almost kissed her right there.
All of a sudden he was even more determined to do it. “Busted,” she said. “The Acura’s
mine.” She dangled her keys in front of him. He grabbed them as he would an off-line
throw to first base.

“Not so fast. I’ve got something to show you.”

She blinked several times. “That’s the best line a player like you can come up with?”
she teased, but he could tell she was working hard at it.

He dropped her keys into his pocket. “The only player I am tonight is a baseball
player.” He’d heard a lot of her conversation in the kitchen with Paige, confirming
again that she saw him that way. Everyone did, and he certainly acted like one. He
wouldn’t need Frank’s plan if he didn’t.

But for some reason, he wanted Liza to see him differently. Maybe it was because she’d
liked him when he was a nobody-teenager or because her parents had felt like family
back then. Seeing John and Sylvia tonight had brought all that rushing back to him
and made him a little confused.

Liza scanned the bleak parking lot and the nondescript buildings close by, then narrowed
her eyes. In the background, a long arch of blue lights stretched along the bridge
across the Anacostia River. Wisps of her hair fluttered in the breeze off the water.
“So what do you want to show me?”

Cole took her hand, enticed by the delicateness of her slender fingers. He led her
out of the parking lot, along the sidewalk on N Street, and to the center-field gate
at Nationals Park. There was no one else around, and it was eerily quiet this time
of night.

They stopped in the hazy light right in front of the center gate. “I wanted to show
you this.”

The empty park was alight beyond the promenade and the blue wrought-iron gates with
rows of curly Ws down their centers. The beautiful ballpark sat empty and quiet beneath
the starry sky. It was a spectacular sight, but intimate, too, since he and Liza stood
there alone where thousands of people regularly gathered. Cole loved this view of
the park. He’d been with the Nationals since the franchise came to DC, and this place
was like home to him.

He glanced at Liza, squeezed her hand, and smiled. She fit in the picture perfectly,
looking incredible in the half light with her Nats colors on. “Wow,” she said. “This
is…”

Cole understood that the words were hard to find—especially if you were a baseball
fan. Something about the setting made you all reverent about it.

“I love it,” she said with a little awe.

He was happier than he thought he would be that she felt that way about “his” place.
He’d figured she would get it, when so many other girls wouldn’t. “You make the scene
just perfect.” He thought he saw her blush, but it was hard to tell in the hazy light.

She gave him a shy smile and quietly said, “Thanks…for showing me this.”

“Wanna come back tomorrow? We have an afternoon game, then we leave on a weeklong
road trip.”

“Really?” She sounded disappointed, and relief coursed through him.

“We’ve got three with the Fish, Thursday off, and a weekend with the Phillies.” He
might be a little disappointed, too. He didn’t want to wait that long to see her again.

She stared into the ballpark and kept him waiting for her answer.

Please say yes.

Frank wouldn’t like it if she said no again. But Cole would hate it even more.

…

Liza gazed at the view of Nats Park, thinking how awesome it was, and how different
it felt than Camden Yards, where the Orioles played. They had a game tomorrow afternoon,
too, and she’d have to choose which one to go to.

No shenanigans,
Frank had said. She guessed that included saying no when Cole asked her on a date—even
though a game wasn’t a date.

But she didn’t
want
to say no. After tomorrow he’d be gone for a week, and she kind of liked having him
around. Today had been fun and easy, and now he’d brought her here tonight to share
this rare and incredible view of Nats Park. She could tell he was proud of it—like
it was part of who he was. Maybe, after all this time, he’d found a place he belonged.

He squeezed her hand, reminding her he was waiting for her answer. His hand was warm
and strong and a little calloused, and it felt comfortable in hers, as if she’d been
holding it for years, yet it still felt new and exciting. She figured he was going
to kiss her soon—this was a perfect setting for it—and her heart raced at the thought
of his lips on hers. How many times had she imagined kissing Cole?

Sorry, Wes.
She begged herself not to think about him, then felt guilty for willing him out of
her mind.

“I’ll come to your game,” she said tentatively, facing him and grasping his other
hand.

His mouth quirked up at one corner. “I hear a ‘but.’”

“It’s an ‘and.’” She looked at him coyly. “You have to hit a triple for me.”

He drew his head back, his eyebrows lowered. “Not a home run? A triple is kind of
a strange thing to ask for. No guaranteed payoff there.”

“Hit a triple,” she said, “then steal home.”

The stunned look on his face made her smile. His jaw clenched as he thought about
it. “That’s the hardest play in baseball.”

And even though I can’t wait, kissing you will be one of the hardest things I’ve done.
Liza had unrealistically imagined she’d never kiss another man after she’d lost Wes,
and here she was looking forward to it. She’d dreamed about Cole being her first kiss
when she was a girl, and in a way, now it was going to come true.

“You’re an All-Star.” She skimmed her finger down the top buttons of his shirt and
poked him lightly between his pecs. “You can do it.”

He clutched her hand and pressed it to his chest. She could feel the rhythm of his
heart pounding nearly as fast as hers. “I’m a victorious pie warrior, too.” The lights
sparkled in his eyes and caught his perfect profile in silhouette.

Liza swallowed hard. He was talking about winning the pie war, so the kiss was coming
soon. “Everyone liked my pie,” she said. “They just liked yours
a little
more.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “C’mon now. It was a total smackdown.” He threaded his
fingers through her hair and cradled the nape of her neck, sending butterflies flitting
down her spine.

Oh, God…

“But this might make you feel better about it.” He pulled her toward him gently and
kissed her—tenderly…tentatively.

Adrenaline and awareness shot through her. She’d forgotten the sensation of smooth
lips on hers, the masculine brush of stubble at their edges. He cupped her face in
his hands and took the kiss from tentative to tantalizing, his velvety tongue coaxing
her to respond.

Lost in the moment, Liza couldn’t stop herself. She’d been so lonely, it had been
so long, and she was kissing
Cole
. Just like her hand in his, it felt so familiar and comfortable, yet fresh and exhilarating,
simmering with passion and promise. Tingling heat swirled through her. She instinctively
wrapped her arms around him, clutching the taut muscles of his back and pulling him
closer. He felt so sturdy and strong, so sexy and alive. How had she thought she could
live the rest of her life without this?

A siren blared in the near distance, and Cole pulled back. But he stayed forehead-to-forehead
with her, his eyes a kaleidoscope of emotions. Desire, surprise…fear? Liza wasn’t
sure, but she imagined hers looked the same.

“Wow,” he said breathlessly.

She gazed into his eyes, feeling as if she were falling. Then reality gripped her
by the heart and she stepped back.

“You okay?” Cole gently squeezed her shoulder.

What had she just done? She’d kissed Cole because of an auction date, Frank’s deal,
and a
bet
. Not because she was in love or even hoping to be. Her breath hitched as she inhaled,
the weight of guilt smothering her. Her eyes welled and she blinked quickly, willing
herself not to cry. “I need to go home now.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly
swiped it away.

It was all so fake and confusing. Because that kiss had felt so
real
.

Chapter Nine

Liza went into her parents’ house through the back door, just as she did almost every
Sunday morning the Orioles were in town and during the off-season. The smoky sweet
smell of bacon and French toast filled the air. She inhaled deeply, thinking that
no scented candle could ever match the real thing, and that Dorothy had been right
in
The Wizard of Oz
…there’s no place like home. The feeling of a sure thing was comforting after she’d
been so confused and emotional last night.

“French toast today?” she asked, rounding the corner into the large country kitchen.
Her mom stood at the stove, and her dad sat at the round kitchen table with newspapers
spread all over it, a cup of coffee in his hand.

She kissed her dad on the cheek, feeling like a little girl again when she did.

“Mornin’, Slugger.” He’d given her the nickname years ago when they’d signed her up
for softball and found she couldn’t hit.

She crossed the kitchen and hugged her mom.

“We didn’t know whether to expect you this morning or not.” Sylvia winked, a glimmer
in her eyes. “You and Cole looked pretty cozy last night.”

“Mom!” Liza shook her head quickly, blushing. “It’s not like that. Besides, I remember
a time when you discouraged
that kind
of behavior.”

Liza couldn’t help but think about kissing Cole last night—she hadn’t thought about
much else since—and what a wreck she’d been afterward. He’d walked her back to her
car and hadn’t even made a game of giving her back her keys.

“I don’t understand,” he’d said as she swept more tears from her face.

She’d shrugged. “I’m not sure I do, either.”

Before she’d even gotten back to Baltimore, he tweeted.

Cole Collins
@ColeCollins

@LizaSutherland Best bet I ever won. #piewar See you tomorrow…

She had no idea what she was going to do about the mess she’d gotten herself into.
But after today, he’d be gone for a week. She could use that time to try to figure
it out.

“You two made the
Post
and the
Sun
today.” Her dad held up two sections of newspaper.

Liza joined him at the table and had a look. The
Washington Post
had a picture of her kissing Cole on the cheek. The mostly eaten Nationals pie still
looked like a pastry chef’s creation sitting on the cart in the foreground. The headline
read, “Collins Hits Home Run with Nationals Pie.
”

Liza thought about that literally and smiled, kind of liking the idea of Cole’s pie
being smacked to smithereens with a baseball bat.

The
Baltimore Sun
had a picture of Cole taking a bite of Orioles pie, with Liza playfully looking on.
They’d gone with the headline, “Orioles Pie Tasty, but Not a Hit with Nationals’ Collins
.”

Both articles detailed some of the funnier moments of the pie war, and gave Sweet
Bee’s a shout-out, along with information on how people could order the pies.

“Paige will be thrilled,” Liza said, happy that she’d gotten some good publicity.

Her mom brought three plates to the table piled with sizzling bacon and golden-brown
French toast. “It was a nice thing for Cole to do for her.”

Cole’s nice… Cole’s crazy about you… Cole rocked your world with that kiss.
Liza was inundated with reasons to take a chance with him. But memories of Wes filled
her heart, and she couldn’t shake her guilt over the deal she’d made with Frank. Cole
had probably trusted her to be genuine, and look what she’d done to him.

Her mom brought over the warm maple syrup and joined them at the table. Liza quickly
took a bite of crispy bacon. The smoky, spicy flavor always reminded her of home.
“This is delicious.”

“We certainly enjoyed the pie war last night.” Her mom looked pleased that she’d used
some hip lingo.

“Even though you didn’t vote for the Orioles one?” Liza joked.

“Fortunately,” her dad said, smiling and gesturing toward the newspapers, “they left
that little detail out of those articles.”

“It was nice to meet Mack and Brenda,” her mom said. “Frank has always been all business
with us, so I had no idea how lively he could be. And Mack is so quiet. It’s hard
to believe they’re brothers.”

Liza stopped chewing a buttery-sweet morsel of French toast. “They’re brothers?” she
asked, covering her mouth.

Sylvia nodded. “That’s what Brenda said.”

Cole hadn’t mentioned that to Liza, although she couldn’t think of a reason he would
have. She supposed it didn’t really make a difference that the two men were related,
although she couldn’t help but wonder if Mack knew about her deal with Frank. Mack
seemed like a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy who would never go for that kind of thing,
and he wouldn’t think much of Liza for going along with it, either.
And Mack just might tell Cole.

Liza swallowed hard. Guilt came at her from everywhere. She was leading Cole on, lying
to Paige and her parents, and not being true to herself. Her intentions had been good—hadn’t
they? Frank’s donation to BADD would help a lot of kids.

“You missed a tight one yesterday, Slugger,” her dad said, referring to the Orioles
game. “But we’ll take a win any way we can get it, even on an error.” He drank some
coffee, looking lost in thought and shaking his head. “The Blue Jays are tougher than
they were early in the season, though. Wait till you see their lineup today.”

Liza hated to tell him and her mom she wasn’t going to the Orioles game. She was sure
they’d understand, but the games were part of their family routine and they looked
forward to going together.

Liza glanced at her mom, who gave her a knowing look, seeming to suspect what Liza
was about to say. “Um, Cole asked me to go to the Nats game this afternoon.”

Her dad lowered his eyebrows a bit. “Is that what you’d rather do?”

Crap.
Had she hurt his feelings? She debated telling them the truth right now and ending
all this stress. But then she wouldn’t get the donation
or
see Cole again after Frank told him about their deal. “I think so.”

A bright smile lit her dad’s face. “You really like him, don’t you?”

Her parents gazed at her eagerly, thinking she’d reached some meaningful crossroad.
She hoped her conflicted emotions didn’t show on her face. She might be approaching
that crossroad—but right now she was completely lost.

“I like him a little,” she said, relieved to tell the truth for a change.

“We do, too.” Her mom reached over and squeezed Liza’s hand. “We always have, even
though we’ve drifted apart.” She gave Liza’s dad a sidelong glance.

“Because he got drafted by the Nationals?” Liza asked. “I missed the details on that.”
She shrugged. “I was too busy with my own drama right about then—with college, and
other crushes that didn’t turn out so well.” She scrunched her face. “But I remember
you guys heading down to Chapel Hill a lot during baseball season.”

“We bought into the Orioles right before he graduated, and he was busy with the Nationals
after he got drafted. It’s a shame we lost touch.” Her dad frowned ruefully. “Maybe
we can make up for some of that lost time with you two hitting it off like you are.”
They ate in silence for a few moments.

Liza took a deep breath. “The Nats go on a road trip tomorrow, so I’ll be back at
Camden Yards after work.”

“We’ll always be there,” her dad said. “And we’d always love to have you. Before the
end of the season, maybe we can get Cole out to an Orioles game.”

“If both teams make the World Series, he’ll come to at least a couple of games.” Liza
said what they were all probably thinking. “But he’ll be playing, and we’ll have to
root against him.”

No one said anything as Liza took a swallow of orange juice. She shrugged, then grinned
wickedly. “But it’s our turn this time, right? He already won the pie war.”

…

Cole’s phone chirped as he stood at his locker in the Nats clubhouse, getting ready
to head out for batting practice. He pushed his hair back from his forehead, put on
his cap, and checked for a tweet. Liza had never responded to the one he’d sent last
night, so he hoped it was from her.

Paige Ellerbee
@SweetBees

@ColeCollins crushes in #piewar. Sorry @LizaSutherland. Rematch?

She’d attached a photo of the article and picture in the paper today. Cole had been
glad she’d gotten some good publicity for her bakery, but he hadn’t been as happy
to see a picture of himself wearing an apron on the
Washington Post
’s home page. His teammates had ragged on him about his and Liza’s picture on their
hayride and his practice proposal stunt, but they had absolutely
tortured
him about the apron and the pie war—even though he’d won.

He looked up from his phone to see Frank across the room, quickly shaking hands with
the shortstop. He turned and headed Cole’s way.

Frank gave Cole a hearty pat on the back and a smile that showed most of his teeth.
“It’s working, son,” he said beneath the din of noise in the locker room. He glanced
around to see if anyone was within earshot. “Two days in the
Post
, one in the
Sun
. Hayrides and pies. Liza sitting in the stands. Meeting the parents.” He gestured
toward the heart-shaped collage of Cole and Liza’s pictures on the locker room wall.
The same smart-ass teammate had blown up a copy of the picture of Cole in an apron
and written “Whipped” in big black letters across the bottom. “Word’s getting around
that you’re serious about her. They’re going to be waving that contract like an SOS
flag.”

“I already knew her parents,” Cole said defensively. He was eyeball-deep in this charade
that Frank was deftly managing, but he wasn’t managing it so well himself. Seeing
John and Sylvia yesterday had stirred him up enough. Then there was that kiss with
Liza last night.

That mind-blowing, heart-pounding, game-changing kiss.

He couldn’t get it out of his head, and he couldn’t afford the distraction. Today’s
game was a must-win, and he needed to be focused on baseball. Why had she cried and
practically run away afterward? All Liza, all the time was starting to get to him.
Or maybe
she
was starting to get to him.

It was definitely time for a road trip.