Running Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 2)

by Christina Kirby

  Ann closed her eyes and shook her head.

  Sam’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

  Jenny giggled the way she sometimes did when things were too tense or sad. “It’s crazy, right? He was a coward. I should’ve been glad to be rid of him.”

  “But, you weren’t?” Sam’s tone was soft as she rested a hand on Jenny’s back.

  “Crushed was more like it.” Jenny tucked her hair behind her ears. “I loved Adam every minute of every day from the first time we touched in high school.” She dropped her gaze to her hands, remembering that day in the hallway as though it had just happened.

  “We made all these plans. He was going to try to move up to the minors and then we’d get married and I’d work and he’d continue to play until he reached the Major Leagues. We had a plan.” Jenny’s hand balled into a fist and she pounded her knee. “I guess it turns out he didn’t want me tagging along after all.”

  “That’s awful.” Sam shook her head in disbelief. “What did he say when you saw him? Did he apologize?”

  Jenny laughed. “No, not really. The whole thing was surreal. I mean, he’s supposed to be in Atlanta.” She stood and paced around the platform. “Who does he think he is, showing up here and asking me to be his real estate agent? As if there isn’t anyone else in the entire county who can help him? And, now that I think about it, he didn’t exactly ask me. He just showed up and expected me to jump at the chance.”

  Sam squeezed her arm. “Jenny, you shouldn’t let him get to you.”

  “I know, but you didn’t see him,” Jenny pleaded.

  “Oh, that good, huh?” Ann grimaced in understanding. “I’ve seen him on TV, but who can really tell under those hats and all that gear.”

  “He looked better than good.” Jenny sank onto the raised circle and buried her face in her hands.

  “How hot is this guy?” Sam looked to Ann for confirmation.

  “Georgia pavement in July hot.”

  Jenny groaned.

  “Oh, I see,” Sam fell back against the sofa seemingly as defeated as the rest of them.

  The clerk appeared beside Sam with two dark purple dresses draped over her arm. “Is everyone ready to try on their bridesmaid’s dresses?”

  Sam glanced at Ann and then at Jenny. “I think we’re going to need another minute.”

  Adam smiled when he heard the loud country music coming from the bar. He’d had his first legal beer at JR’s. That particular hole in the wall held a lot of memories and he’d missed it as much as the rest of the town. Warm air and the smell of stale beer and smoke hit him when he pulled the door open, a smell he’d come to associate with most of his weekend nights in college. With its laid back patrons and hometown band, it was a far cry from the fancy bars he’d come to know in Atlanta.

  “Son of a gun,” someone shouted over the music, “Hamilton’s here.”

  Adam tipped his ball cap down as he made his way to the bar, aware of the eyes following him. He hoped after he was in town a while the excitement over his presence would die down. He didn’t care about celebrity any more than he cared about reality TV.

  “How you doin’, Adam?” The bartender set a bowl of peanuts and a napkin in front of him. “It’s been awhile.”

  “Yes, sir. It has. How’re things with you, Dave?”

  “Can’t complain. What’cha drinkin’?”

  “Whatever you have on tap will be just fine.” Adam turned on his stool to check out one of the flat screen TVs that now hung on every wall. The channel was set on ESPN and they were talking about the upcoming season. He turned away before he heard anymore.

  “Adam, what the hell are you doing in town?”

  Adam stood and hugged his old high school teammate. “It’s good to see you, Spencer.”

  Spencer slid onto the stool beside him and motioned for a beer. “You should’ve called when you got in.”

  “Haven’t had time. Just got into town this morning.”

  “Here you go, boys.” Dave set their beer on the bar and then wiped his hands on the towel flung over his shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks, Dave,” Spencer turned his hat backward and rested his elbows on the bar. “So what’s up? How’s training?”

  Adam studied the bubbles in his drink. This was the part he wasn’t looking forward to, having to explain to people over and over again why he was back in town. Each time he said the words aloud it made it a little more real and he wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

  “I’m moving back.” He turned on the smile he gave reporters at press junkets. “Time to take a step back and let the rookies have a shot.”

  “Damn, man, I’m sorry to hear it. Jake and I always watch your games when we can.”

  Desperate, Adam grabbed onto the new topic. “How’s your brother doing?”

  “He’s good. Married to Ann, as you know, and he’s got two little ones now. Two boys.”

  Adam shook his head and laughed. “If they’re anything like you two were—”

  “Hey, now, you were always right there with us.”

  “That’s true enough.” He turned his glass around on the bar leaving a damp ring. “So, Jake’s spoken for, what about you? Still roaming, or . . .?”

  “Nah, not anymore. I’m getting married in a couple months.” Spencer’s grin spread, ear to ear. “Hey, you should come.”

  “I don’t want to impose,” Adam said, shaking his head.

  “Don’t be an idiot. We’re keeping things small, but there’s more than enough room for you. I would’ve invited you originally, but I figured you’d be too busy to get down here.”

  “I appreciate it. Who’s the girl?”

  “You wouldn’t know her. She moved here last year from up north. Her name’s Samantha Parker, or Sam as she’s known around here. But, I guess if you’re moving back, you’ll get a chance to meet her.”

  “Guess so.” He figured she must be quite a girl to have turned Spencer’s head. In all the years he’d been with Jenny, Spencer had never been with anyone more than a few months at a time.

  Adam finished off his beer and half turned to look at the TV again. Thankfully, they’d moved on to hockey. “What’s new with everybody else around here?”

  “Ah, not much. Same ole, same ole. Oh, except Coach Pritchard’s retiring at the end of the year. Can you believe it?”

  “Man, I can’t picture baseball without him.”

  Spencer eyed him over the top of his glass and grinned. “Why don’t you ask me about the one person you actually want to know about?”

  Adam smirked. It wasn’t a surprise Spencer knew what he was fishing for. Back before he’d left, they’d hung out all the time, even after he’d started college in LaGrange and Spencer had started working, but after the draft, he’d fallen out of touch with the Malloys. It would’ve been impossible to keep a relationship with the guys and not one with Jenny. That was the thing with small towns; everyone was connected for better or worse.

  “I saw Jenny this morning. She looked good.”

  “Yeah, she’s always been pretty, no doubting that. But, you ought to see the prick she’s dating.” Spencer minutely shook his head at the same time he took a pull from his beer. “He’s an athletic scout and he’s all show. It’s worse than being forced to hang out with a car salesman.”

  Adam raised an eyebrow at Spencer, but tried not to sound overly interested. “I take it you’ve had the pleasure.”

  “Every time he’s in town.” Spencer signaled Dave and ordered them another round. “See, Jenny and Sam are friends, which means, I don’t have a choice.”

  “Is it serious?”

  Spencer raised his shoulders and let them drop in an ‘I don’t
know’ shrug. “Sam thinks so. She told me she thinks he’s going to propose soon.”

  Adam’s body jerked on his stool like Spencer shot him in the chest with his nail gun. Assuming of course it was possible for a nail gun to shoot out a rusty nail big enough to rip him in half. He hadn’t been expecting that response, he wasn’t sure why, and his knee-jerk reaction was obvious. It might make sense if they’d been dating awhile, but still . . . He couldn’t picture her with another man. Not married to one, anyway. She was his.

  Sure, they’d gone separate ways for a while, but he’d truly believed, in the end, it would be the two of them, together—after they’d both had a chance to live a little and make something of themselves.

  “You know, Jenny’s going to be in our wedding.”

  Adam turned toward Spencer. “Do me a favor. Don’t tell her I’m coming.”

  Spencer’s face broke into a familiar grin that, when they were kids, usually appeared before they’d plotted to do something that was sure to get them in trouble. “No problem.”

  Chapter 4

  Jenny tore another piece of bread off the dinner roll sitting on the plate in front of her and added it to the pile. Adam had looked better than good. He’d lost the boyishness and traded it in for a man’s ruggedly handsome features: a chiseled jawline, broader shoulders, and a light beard, which she hated to admit, was sexy as hell. The lights in the restaurant were dim and soft piano music was playing in the background.

  “Hello, Jenny? Did you hear what I said?”

  Jenny tore her gaze away from the bread she was tearing into a hundred tiny pieces and focused on James. Her boyfriend. The guy she should’ve been paying attention to. The one who actually cared about her.

  “I’m sorry.” She pushed the plate to the side. “I’m not very good company tonight.”

  “Still haven’t heard about the award?”

  She smiled and leaned forward, refusing to give thoughts about Adam any more of her attention. “Still nothing. But, it’s silly to worry about it. What’s going on with you? How’d the new recruit look that you saw on your trip to North Carolina?”

  James smiled, clearly glad to have the focus back on him. “He was better than we even realized. Speed like I haven’t seen in, I don’t know, ever maybe. I feel a big payout coming on with this one.” He took a sip of the wine he’d chosen for the table. “I may have to head out again Thursday.”

  “Again? So soon?”

  “I’m afraid so, but I’ll be back.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “It should only be for a few days and then I was thinking maybe we could take a long weekend and get out of town, just the two of us?”

  Jenny studied their hands, noting how his was as polished and smooth as the rest of him. “I might be able to do that. I’ll have to see what wedding functions are coming up.”

  “Won’t you be glad when all this wedding crap is over?” He released her hand and pulled his arm back across the table and away from her. “Your life isn’t your own anymore.”

  Jenny didn’t contradict him, even though Sam and Spencer’s wedding was hardly an inconvenience to her, it always seemed to put James in a mood. The way anything did that interfered with his time with her. He loved her that much.

  Over James’ shoulder, near the door, a tall figure entered and created a stir. People seated at tables within eye range of the door whispered excitedly. The flustered hostess dropped a menu and chattered incessantly, punctuating her words with exaggerated gestures. Then the manager bustled by their table and bumped James’ arm as he took a drink of his water, causing some to spill over the side and down James’ shirt, but he didn’t stop to apologize.

  “Jesus, what’s gotten into everyone tonight?”

  Jenny reached for her napkin to offer it to James and froze when she saw who’d walked in. No longer hidden by the large plant and led by the hostess, Adam strode through the restaurant while speaking with the manager like the local celebrity he was.

  “Jenny, are you okay?” James asked.

  Before she could respond, Adam spotted her, nodded to the manager and hostess, and started walking their way. Jenny dragged her shaking hands from the table and set them in her lap. What was he doing there?

  “Hello, Jennifer.” Adam’s eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her insides quiver.

  With the way he stared, like she was the only one in the room, she forgot James was sitting at the table until he cleared his throat.

  Adam was the first to look away. “Hi, I’m Adam Hamilton, an old friend of Jenny’s.” He stuck out his hand and seemed to stand taller when James stood.

  “James Conners,” he took Adam’s hand. “I’m her boyfriend.”

  “I see.”

  As her past and future collided, Jenny tried her best not to compare the two men. It wouldn’t have been fair to James.

  “I didn’t realize Jenny knew the great Adam Hamilton. It’s an honor.” James gestured to the empty chair. “Would you like to join us?”

  The invitation snapped her out of her trance. “Oh, no. James, I’m sure Adam has plans.”

  “On the contrary,” Adam pulled out the chair that was to her left and sat down.

  Jenny shot evil-eye daggers in his general direction and felt the heat rise in her cheeks when he laughed. “I can’t believe you were going to eat alone.” She spoke out of the corner of her mouth as the waitress placed another set of silverware on the table. “What, couldn’t find a date?”

  “Actually, my date cancelled at the last minute and since I still have to eat . . .” He picked up a menu and began reading it, leaving her to fume.

  Of all the conceited, arrogant, ex-boyfriends in the world, he had to be hers. And, he had to be here. In her town. At her restaurant.

  “Jenny, would you like some more wine?” When she nodded, James used the bottle on the table to refill her glass. To get through this meal, she was going to need more than a little wine. She took a large gulp and listened as the two men talked sports for a while. The pro athlete and the scout, bonding. Discussing a world she wasn’t part of. Adam had made sure of that. She took another sip of wine.

  “So, what brings you to town, Adam? Are you visiting family in the area?”

  James’ question was harmless enough, but Jenny found herself shifting in her seat.

  “I’m retiring and looking to move back.” Adam set his menu to the side and relaxed in his chair. “Actually, Jenny’s helping me find a place.”

  Both men turned their attention toward her.

  “Oh, I didn’t know.” James stared at her. “She hadn’t mentioned it.”

  Jenny didn’t miss the surprise that flickered over Adam’s face. Was he annoyed she hadn’t mentioned him? Seriously? She wanted to shout at him. Not everyone holds you at the center of their universe, Adam.

  “It just hadn’t come up. We were talking about you.” She smiled lovingly at James causing Adam’s frown to deepen.

  Food arrived and derailed the conversation briefly, allowing her to finish off her wine. Like the good boyfriend he was, James refilled it. She immediately took another sip.

  “Thirsty?” Adam asked.

  “It’s the company,” she said too sweetly.

  “So, Adam,” James cut in. “Why here? Surely, someone like you would be happier in a city that has more to offer?” He speared another piece of steak, popped it in his mouth, and chewed while he kept talking. “There isn’t much around here. Just a bunch of woods and shops with a bunch of old junk in them that no one in their right mind would want to buy.”

  Jenny kept her eyes on the small floral arrangement at the center of the table and tried to ignore Adam’s intense stare. Table manners weren’t everything, were they?

  With another mouthful of food, James continued. “I’m h
oping one day soon I can get Jenny out of here. You know, take her somewhere that has a little more culture.”

  Jenny set her fork down, no longer hungry. She cared for James and knew all too well what he thought of Warm Springs, but it always annoyed her when he spoke ill of her home town. But, considering the company, she kept her mouth shut to avoid an argument.

  Instead, she opted for more wine, the effects finally starting to take hold. Hopefully, they’d also help blur the way Adam looked in his sport coat and button-down white shirt with the top button opened just enough to show the well-defined V at the base of his throat.

  Adam set his silverware down, propped his elbows on the table, and steepled his fingers together. “Well, to be honest, James, I like to hunt so all the trees don’t bother me. And, you have to remember, I grew up here and started playing ball here, so while it isn’t for everyone, I missed it.”

  He leaned forward like he was about to take James into his confidence. “And, between you and me, I’ve found that there seem to be fewer assholes here than in the city, unless they visit of course. Can’t do much about that, but they usually find their way home, eventually.”

  Jenny didn’t miss the pointed look Adam gave James and let out a giggle. Shocked, she clamped a hand over her mouth.

  James’ eye’s darkened and he set his napkin aside. “If you will excuse me one moment, I need to step into the restroom.” He stood and left the table, his back ramrod straight.