Once he paired off everyone for warm-ups, he spotted Erma’s car again. Riley hadn’t gotten out of the vehicle yet, and Erma obviously hadn’t accompanied her. Hayden was glad for that. Erma needed rest, and she wouldn’t get it here on the ball field since she couldn’t stop herself from coaching, even to the point of Hayden having to remind her that he was in charge of the team.
He frowned as Riley remained in the car. Was she all right? Should he go check on her? Then again, he had vowed to keep his distance.
After a few minutes, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He yelled to Tanner, who was rolling grounders to Jesse Mathis, “Be back in a minute,” then jogged over to Erma’s Town Car. Sure enough, Riley was sitting in the driver’s seat, hands in her lap, staring straight ahead, the motor still running.
Hayden tapped on the window. She rolled it down and then turned off the engine.
“Hey,” he said. What to say next was eluding him. “Uh, did you come to watch the practice?”
She grimaced. “Yes. Sort of.” Then she blew out a breath. “Mimi wants me to help you coach.”
So, Erma had talked to her. “What did she say, exactly?”
“She wants me to take her place.”
“And you don’t want to.”
Her eyes lifted in his direction. “You don’t seem surprised about this.”
“She called me yesterday.” He put his hands over the top of the door and leaned forward but made sure he didn’t get too close to her. “Why didn’t you tell her no?”
“Did you tell her no?”
He grimaced and shook his head.
“Exactly.” Riley sighed. “I did point out that this was a mistake. I’ve never played softball before. Then she reminded me that I liked to watch baseball.”
Now that was an interesting tidbit of information. “You do?”
“I used to,” she said quickly. “That doesn’t mean I understand how to play the game.”
“You’re not the only one here who doesn’t. I had to teach Olivia the rules at the first practice. At least you’re familiar with them.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have a clue about coaching.” She put her hands on the steering wheel but didn’t turn on the car. “None of that changed her mind. She said this will be good for me.”
He wanted to ask why, then remembered his promise to himself. Riley’s business wasn’t his business, and he needed to stick to his word, especially since it appeared that she was going to be his assistant whether she liked it or not.
“It’s not that hard,” he said, hoping to encourage her. “I can teach you about coaching and whatever else you don’t know about softball.” He surveyed the ball field. Olivia and Harper had stopped practicing and were talking to Anita, who was barely paying attention when Eddie threw her the ball. He needed to get back to the team before this turned into social hour. “Why don’t you sit on the bench and watch practice? Then if you still think this is a bad idea, we’ll talk to Erma together.”
After a moment, she nodded, then got out of the car. As an afterthought, she reached through the window and grabbed the glove lying on the passenger seat. “Mimi’s,” she said.
He nodded, and they walked back to the field, neither saying anything. He gestured to the dugout. “You can hang out there.” She nodded a second time and trudged to the dugout, then sat down on the bench.
Before he gathered the team to start practice, he glanced at her again. She looked miserable, and that bothered him, probably more than knowing she didn’t want to be around him. But not by much. There was something else at play here other than her not wanting to coach, and he wondered what it could be.
* * *
Riley fidgeted on the bench inside the dugout, wishing she’d been able to stand up to Mimi and tell her she was the worst choice for Hayden’s assistant coach. She protested several times when her grandmother brought up the idea yesterday, but Mimi had been insistent.
After Riley returned from her disastrous run sweaty, sore, and still a bit out of breath, she walked into the kitchen to get some much-needed water. She was also just in time to see her grandmother turn off her cell phone.
“Mornin’, sugar. Where have you been off to?” Mimi placed the phone in her lap and wheeled to the kitchen table.
Before answering, Riley took a green glass tumbler out of the cabinet and filled it with water, then gulped it down. “Running,” she said. If she mentioned seeing Hayden, Mimi would pepper her endlessly with questions.
“Wonderful. Speaking of exercise, I came up with an excellent idea.” She folded her hands on the table and grinned.
Riley had turned around to face her grandmother and forced herself not to frown. She was familiar with that smile, and when it appeared it usually meant trouble for her. “You have?”
“Yes. The church softball team needs an assistant coach.”
“And you’re volunteering? Mimi, that’s a terrible idea.”
Her smile dimmed. “Excuse me, but I am the current assistant coach.”
“Oh.” Riley filled her glass again and sat at the table, her pulse finally dropping to a normal rhythm. “You can’t do that now.”
“Correct. Which is why I thought of the perfect replacement.” She beamed. “You.”
“Oh no,” Riley held up her hand. “Not me.”
“Why not you?”
An argument ensued, and of course Riley lost. Out of guilt over the condition of her grandmother, the house, and Knots and Tangles, she dropped the subject, hoping Mimi would come to her senses. After working all morning and most of the afternoon at the yarn shop, taking inventory and marveling at how one person could possibly collect so much yarn over the years, she was optimistic that Mimi would see her progress and tell her to stay the rest of the day. However, at three o’clock sharp Mimi ordered Riley to head over to the ball field.
Now that she was here, she felt more uncomfortable than ever—and not because her overworked muscles were still trying to recover from her run. She wasn’t surprised that Hayden was taking it all in stride. At least Mimi had the grace to ask him first—or rather, give him advance warning. The fact that she didn’t trust her feelings when she was around him was another issue, and now her grandmother was forcing them to work together, under the guise of exercise and fresh air. Riley glanced down at the slight pudge of her stomach, barely camouflaged within her plain, navy-blue T-shirt, and felt the ache in her legs from taking another run this morning. The one thing she couldn’t argue with Mimi about was that she needed to exercise more. The fresh air was a bonus.
She stared out in front of her, peering through the chain-link fence surrounding the ball field as the team settled into practice. She had to admit the players were good. Tanner, whom she remembered from high school but never had any classes with, was an excellent shortstop, and the blond woman at second base, whom she did not recognize, was decent too. Even Olivia, who, according to Hayden, still needed to learn how to hold her bat correctly, had a competitive spirit. The petite woman had been Riley’s class valedictorian, and she had more guts than Riley did. At least she wasn’t hiding in the dugout.
Almost an hour later, Hayden told the players to take a break, and everyone headed toward the dugout and a large upright cooler she’d seen the Mathis boys carry over. Riley jumped up and started filling the paper cups beside it with water and handing them to everyone, glad for something to do. When she handed a cup to the blond woman, Riley realized who she was.
The tall, sophisticated woman looked her over. “Mother said you were back in town.” Harper took a sip of water. Even though everyone else was sweating, she was fresh and unbothered. Her muted red lipstick didn’t leave a trace of color on the edge of the white paper cup.
Harper Wilson. Riley didn’t know her well, but she was all too familiar with her type. Her mother, Madge, was a Bosom Buddy, and there was a strong resemblance between mother and daughter. Harper had a perfect figure, wore perfect clothes, and based on the car she drove, s
he obviously had money. Tracey always told Riley that women like her were to be avoided.
“They think they’re better than us,” she’d said after one of the few times she showed up to a parent-teacher conference at Riley’s second elementary school in three months. The teacher had been pretty and nice, but Tracey said beautiful women were rotten on the inside. “She’s as phony as the day is long. All them kind of women are. Don’t you forget it, Riley Jean.”
Riley never did. Two days later, Tracey pulled her out of that school, and they moved to another apartment in another city with another one of Tracey’s endless string of boyfriends.
“Welcome back to Maple Falls.”
Harper’s kind tone tugged Riley out of her reverie. “Thanks,” she mumbled, handing Eddie a drink, which he instantly downed, then held out his cup for more.
“Appreciate it.” The large man went to the edge of the bench and sat, a smile on his ruddy face as he joked with Jesse and Jackie. Everyone was enjoying themselves, while she was strung up tighter than a fiddle bow. She poured herself a cup of water and drained it quickly.
“Are you staying with Erma permanently, or will you be looking for a place of your own?”
She turned to Harper again. “Once my grandmother is back on her feet, I’m returning to New York.”
“It must be so exciting to live in New York City. I’ve only been there to see Broadway shows, and of course to shop. They have the most amazing stores, don’t they?”
“Uh, I’m usually busy with work.”
“You’re an artist, right? Mother mentioned that, I think.” She laughed and leaned forward. “My mother loves to talk. Sometimes I just tune her out. Then again, I suppose everyone stops listening to their mothers from time to time.”
Riley’s fingers tightened around the cup. Did Harper know anything about Tracey? Did anyone here know the truth about her mother?
“Maybe we can get coffee sometime while you’re here.” Harper picked up her large red handbag from the bench and fished out a business card. “My personal number is on the back. Give me a call and let me know when is good for you.”
As Harper walked over to Hayden, Riley looked at the card. Wilson Real Estate. Harper Wilson, Broker. Riley tucked the card into Mimi’s glove. She didn’t have any intention of calling or having coffee with Harper. She was here to help her grandmother, not to make friends.
The players had left the dugout and were off in small groups talking and joking with one another. Riley sat on the bench, trying not to notice how close Harper was standing to Hayden. Although Madge was a Bosom Buddy, she had joined the group after Riley left Maple Falls, so all she knew about Harper was that her family was rich, she’d attended private schools, and now, that she owned her own real estate company. Riley had nothing in common with her.
Tracey’s words came to mind again. “They think they’re better than us.”
Harper hadn’t acted like she thought she was superior to Riley. In fact, she was nice. Friendly. Or maybe she was just interested in advertising her business.
She glanced at Harper still talking to Hayden, and she couldn’t help but notice what a striking pair they made. Both had blond hair, although Harper’s blond-on-blond highlights, while well done, clearly weren’t natural. Both were lean, tan, and gorgeous. A surge of envy shot through Riley, and she hated herself for it. What did it matter to her if Harper and Hayden made a good-looking couple? Even their names were obnoxiously cute together. Yuck.
A short time later, Hayden sent everyone out on the field again, and when they were all involved with batting practice, he entered the dugout and sat next to Riley. “Thanks for getting everyone a drink,” he said, grinning at her. “You’re settling in fine as assistant coach.”
“Are you thirsty?” she asked, getting up and ignoring his comment about her being his assistant. She also struggled to ignore the electricity she felt when he sat next to her. This coaching thing wasn’t going to work. It didn’t matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she didn’t find him attractive. Her heart and brain weren’t listening. He was hot, kind, athletic—the perfect guy. End of story. After today, she’d end the job as assistant coach, no matter what Mimi said.
“I’m fine, Riley.” He motioned for her to stay put.
She listened as he began identifying who was on the field. Who played what position, who was their best batter, who still needed lots of improvement, and how Riley would be expected to keep the stats during games.
“Did Mimi do that?” she asked, getting caught up in Hayden’s tutoring. She couldn’t fathom her grandmother keeping decent records of anything, especially considering the state of her books at the yarn shop. When Riley worked there as a teen, she stayed out of the bookkeeping and finances. Maybe she should have paid more attention.
He shook his head. “Erma was the team cheerleader more than anything,” he said. “She appointed herself assistant coach.”
“And you couldn’t tell her no,” Riley said while offering a knowing smile.
“You got it. I didn’t mind, though. Team spirit is a key part of the game, and Erma sure did bring the spirit. Olivia was doing stats before, but now she has to play since we’re down two members. Hang on a minute.” He got up from the bench and walked outside the dugout.
“Anita, put your glove on the ground before the ball comes to you. Right, like that.” Then he went back and sat next to Riley again. “I can go over all the duties with you tonight if you want. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat too.”
Riley’s pulse jumped and her resolve started to weaken. “Oh, um, I don’t know about that,” she said, staring at her sandals.
“Guess I should have asked if you were free first.”
She looked at him this time, the friendly smile gone from his face. She didn’t like that her moodiness had erased it. She had to steel her resolve, though, even if she hated herself for doing it.
“I am busy,” she explained, telling the truth. “There’s so much work to do at the shop and the house.”
“Erma’s house?” When Riley nodded, he said, “What’s wrong with her house?”
“You were there the other night. It’s a mess.”
“It’s a bit untidy—”
“You’re being kind.” As usual. “The yard needs work and the house could really use a few repairs.”
“I didn’t realize that. Why hasn’t she said she needed help?”
“Because she doesn’t think she does,” Riley explained. “You know my grandmother.”
“I certainly do, and you’re right, she wouldn’t ask for help unless the roof was caving in on her.” He rubbed his chin. “I know a good home repair guy I can recommend.”
“Really?” Riley hadn’t relished the thought of trying to replace the three splintering boards on the front porch or getting the mold off the bricks on the back of the house. “Who?”
Hayden grinned again. “Me.”
Tanner ran to the dugout. “We’ve gone through the batting order, Coach. Twice. If you’re not too busy, can you tell us what to do next?” Riley didn’t miss the smirk on Tanner’s face.
“Already?” Hayden shot up from the bench. “Sorry, guess I lost track of time. Uh, bring everyone in. I’ll give them the details for the game on Tuesday.” He jogged to the infield, and the players gathered around him.
Riley couldn’t help watching his every movement. Then she stilled. Hayden had offered to work on Mimi’s house. And while she knew it was a bad idea to accept his offer, she wasn’t a fool. If he could take care of the outside repairs, she could focus on the inside and on getting Knots and Tangles back in order. Then the image of Harper’s business card popped into her mind. While she wasn’t interested in becoming friends with her, maybe Riley could enlist her help in convincing Mimi to sell the store. Then, once her grandmother’s leg was healed, Riley would be free and clear to go back to New York—that was always her plan. She hadn’t imagined having to recruit help, but she’d be an idiot not
to.
Feeling a little more relaxed, Riley tidied up the dugout, gathering the used cups and throwing them in the trash barrel near the bleachers, then putting the extra bats in the large canvas bag. Hayden was still talking to the team when she finished getting everything back in order, giving her time to compose what to say to him about working on the house. She had to keep things strictly professional between them. No personal interactions.
Her cheeks heated as several very personal interactions with Hayden slid through her mind. Stop it! This was why she needed to treat his offer as a business transaction—she couldn’t trust herself when she was around him.
When he dismissed the players and everyone except Tanner had gone to their cars, she walked up to Hayden and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned around. “Hey.” Then he shifted his eyes to Tanner and angled his head toward the parking lot.
“I, uh, forgot to tell Eddie something. Be right back.”
After Tanner dashed off, Hayden turned to her. “Did you think about my offer?”
“I did. And I accept.” Professional . . . Keep it professional. “We can meet sometime this week to discuss terms.”
His brow lifted. “Terms?”
“For the contract.”
His expression switched to confusion. “Contract?”
“I’ll call you at work on Monday and we can schedule a time.” She began to walk away when he called after her.
“What about the game on Tuesday? You in?”
She paused and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find someone else to help you.” With Mimi’s glove tucked under her arm, she hurried off to her car, needing to end the conversation with Hayden on that note. She quickly threw open the driver’s side door, tossed the glove on the passenger seat as she plopped in, then started the car and sped out of the parking lot.
Only when she had put a decent distance between her and Hayden did she let herself breathe. Having a business relationship with him was something she could handle. It was clear that when she was around Hayden Price, she was weak. She knew from experience that people took advantage of weakness, and that was something she could never allow in her life. Trusting him with anything other than Mimi’s house was out of the question.
Hooked on You Page 7
