That sounded fair.
“Would you ever date a pro baseball player?” she asked.
Wow, I thought, trying not to read into that question but failing miserably.
“Not sure,” I said slowly. “Why would you ask me that?”
Mrs. O’Brien shrugged, but her eyes seemed tighter than they were a second ago. “Just curious. A lot of girls would love to date a pro baller or even a college starter with a lot of prospects. They have a lot going for them: fame, good looks, potentially a great salary.”
“Well,” I said, tapping my chin, “in that case, I might date one. But it would depend.”
“On what?” she asked.
“Are they a Yankees fan?” I said. “Because I’ve heard those can be trouble.”
There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly she smiled.
“Good answer,” she said.
“I thought so,” I said back. “But seriously, what was that all about? I’m not secretly some baseball bunny who’s searching for her ticket to fame and fortune. I’m just a reporter looking for a good story.”
“I get that,” she said. “I just wanted to be sure. You’d be surprised how many young ladies with less than honorable intentions come around here looking to get to my team.”
“Okay…but why did you doubt me in the first place?”
Mrs. O’Brien sighed. “Honestly, I heard about you before this meeting.”
I blinked at that. “Oh?”
“Yes,” she said. “Apparently, you caught the eye of my son, Archer. He asked you for a date, and you turned him down. Is that right?”
“I did.” I swallowed, only now realizing she’d asked me more questions than I’d asked her during the time we’d spent together. And no wonder. I was being interviewed as well. I just hadn’t known it. “And Archer…he told you all this?”
She scoffed. “As if. He never tells me anything about his love life. Good Lord, girl, no. I got the info from my daughter Emmy. My son Baylor may have mentioned something, too.”
I closed my eyes.
“It was just a surprise. Archer’s usually so guarded, doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve,” she added. “He’s nearly as bad as Dex in that way. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before, but I wanted to get to know you for myself.”
Opening my eyes, I met her steady gaze. “I understand. You’re just being a good mom.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what do you think? Are my intentions honorable?”
She tilted her head as I waited.
“I think so,” she said. “Though we’ll have to do something about the whole not-a-baseball-fan thing. You still need to interview my sons, correct?”
“Yes, I was hoping to come to practice again, and—”
“Why not come to a game?”
Startled, I looked up. “What?”
She shrugged. “For that matter, why not travel with us a bit this season? You’re obviously not a… What did you call it again? Oh yeah, a baseball bunny. That’s a good one. I’ll have to use it sometime.”
She threw me a smile, and I smiled back.
“If you come on the road with us, you’d get to see what baseball is all about, get to spend more time with the team, get to know my boys better and question them at your leisure.”
“Sounds good,” I said carefully. “But are you sure you’re okay with that? Me, traveling with the team?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she said. “Students from the physical therapy track travel with us sometimes. I want the stories you write about us to be the best that they can be.”
“Well, thanks,” I said. “I’ll definitely think about it.”
“Great.” She stood and came around her desk to meet me on the other side. “In the meantime, I’ll send you the game schedule. Look it over and let me know.”
“Awesome, thanks again for the interview, Mrs. O’Brien. It was so nice meeting you.”
As we stopped at the door, she turned to me and said, “It was nice meeting you, too, Honor. I look forward to seeing more of you.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Shoot,” she said.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself to ask the question that had been on my mind. “You never asked why I said no to Archer, but you invited me to travel with you guys. No offense, Mrs. O’Brien, but you’re not trying to play matchmaker. Are you?”
“Honor, I’m a coach and a mom,” she said. “Not a matchmaker.”
“Oh my gosh, I know.” Embarrassment washed over me like a wave. I felt like a fool for even asking. “I’m so sorry. Please just forget it.”
She nodded graciously. “That’s okay,” she said. “My reason for inviting you is simple. I just want you to be able to experience the romance of baseball.”
As she shut her door, I walked away in a daze. Her last words played on repeat in my head, the implications anything but simple—and was I dreaming or had there been a twinkle in her eye when she’d said romance? The whole interview was interesting to say the least. It hadn’t taken long, lasted only about 45 minutes, but all together, her answers would make one heck of an article.
Looking through my notes, my mind was so caught up that I wasn’t even looking where I was going.
That’s probably why, just as I turned the corner, I ran headfirst into a solid wall of muscle.
Or to be accurate, it ran into me.
Surprised, I stumbled backward, losing my balance, and the wall grunted. Strong arms banded around my waist a second later, pulling me in before I could fall. My trajectory suddenly changed, and the next thing I knew I was pressed up against a warm body.
A very big, fit body.
Looking up slowly, my eyes traveled over a broad chest…a very nice neck…an angular chin…paused briefly on a familiar frown…and finally met a pair of gorgeous gray eyes.
“Archer,” I said, my voice far more breathy than I’d intended.
“Honor.” He nodded then groaned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, still wearing a frown. “Just hit my head on the wall when I saved you.”
“Saved me? Guess that’s one way to put it.” Smiling, I reached up to run my hand along the back of his head. I was very gentle, watching for even the slightest sign of discomfort, but he seemed to relax at my touch. “You’re the one who came tearing around the corner at a hundred miles per hour. Why were you running anyway?”
“Hmm,” he said, closing his eyes. “Had somewhere I needed to be.”
“Ah,” I said, “and you literally sprinted to get there. Must be pretty important.”
“It was,” he said. “Plus, I gotta keep in shape somehow.”
I had to laugh at that. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about there.”
Eyes opening slowly, he captured my gaze with a look so intense I nearly lost my breath. My fingers stilled in his hair.
“Was that a compliment?” he said.
“It…I—”
“Because it sure sounded like one.”
I shrugged, trying to get past my lack of flirtation skills and just talk like a normal human being. “You can take it any way you’d like.”
The corner of his lip turned up. “Really? Take it…any way I’d like?”
“Seriously, do you have to make it sound so dirty?”
“Hey, I’m just repeating what you said.”
His eyes were smiling even if his lips were not, which let me know that he knew exactly what he was doing. “In a sexy low voice with tons of innuendo,” I accused. “That makes the meaning of the words completely different.”
“Oh,” he said, “I see.”
“I know you do,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You’re just teasing. Which is strange because I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one, Archer.”
“I am responsible,” he said and then leaned closer, speaking directly into my ear. “But that doesn’t mean
I’m immune to hearing you say certain things”—His hands tightened around my waist, making me gasp—”or feeling you pressed up against me like this.”
It was at that moment I realized several things. Since we collided, we had been standing like this: Me, draped across his chest, while his back was leaned up against the wall. Archer’s arms were wrapped around me, his hands splayed on my lower back. Our legs were tangled together and my hand, that treacherous hand, was still buried in his hair while the other rested near his heart. The position couldn’t have been more intimate. If anyone saw us, they’d definitely assume there was some hanky-panky going on.
My body warmed, aware now of everywhere we touched.
“And just so we’re clear,” he said, still speaking low, “I wasn’t teasing.”
His cheek brushed against mine as he leaned back, so he could meet my eyes.
“I would love to take you—any way, anywhere, anytime.”
I tried to speak but couldn’t; my throat was too dry. It was probably a good thing, since I had no idea what to say back. Yes, please. I’d love to be taken. Is right now good for you? That was just asking for trouble—again, not that I could say it anyway. Archer O’Brien literally left me speechless.
As I stood there unable to respond, Archer’s frown came back full force.
“Honor?” he said after a beat. “You all right?”
Before I could respond, another voice spoke over me.
“Archer,” Mrs. O’Brien called out. “Is that you?”
Eyes wide, I scrambled away as fast as I could, putting a safe distance between me and her son, worried she’d catch us in such a compromising pose. That would definitely put me smack dab in the “baseball bunny” category in her mind. But she never came around the corner. With a sigh, Archer pushed off the wall and stepped out into the main hall.
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me,” he said.
“Well, what are you doing over there, talking to yourself? Come into the office. I was hoping to speak to you about something.”
“Sure, be there in a second.”
“Okay,” she said, and I heard her footsteps disappear.
Archer looked at me again, pushed his hands into his pockets.
“Guess I’ll see you around,” he said.
“Yeah, sure,” was my brilliant reply. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I gave him a thumbs-up, and added, “You bet.”
I saw his lips twitch again, thought he might’ve wanted to laugh, but instead he walked away, moving toward his mother’s office while shaking his head.
For my part, I left the building in a daze. How did he do that? How was it that Archer could talk to me and just make the whole world disappear? More importantly: How was I supposed to profile Archer and not fall for him? This was going to be an absolute disaster.
My day had gone from bad to worse.
After next to no sleep, I’d woken up to the sound of my phone alarm, followed by a text alert. My neck and back ached. The couch in the Omega Beta house wasn’t exactly comfortable, but when Baylor had company, it was understood that I would bow out and let him have the room. I’d spent way too many nights on that lumpy couch.
I’d also spent way too many mornings getting him out of this exact predicament.
Checking my phone, I saw an S.O.S text from Bay. Apparently, the girl from last night was refusing to leave. Baylor had gotten himself another clinger.
What a surprise.
Sighing, I made my way up the stairs and opened the door to our room. There was a girl draped over Bay, who sat at his desk, looking very uncomfortable as she ran her fingers through his hair. They were both dressed, thankfully, though her hair was a mess, and his shirt looked like it was missing the top two buttons. When Baylor saw me, his eyes lit up.
“Archer,” he said, sounding relieved. “Great to see you, brother. Did you need something?”
I was used to this, too. It was an act we’d perfected over the years.
“Yeah,” I said, “I need to get dressed.”
“Oh shoot,” Baylor said, disentangling himself from the girl. “Sorry, sweetheart. Now that my brother’s back, I guess you’ll have to leave.”
She looked over her shoulder, eyes roving over my body as if she hadn’t just had her hands all over Bay. “I don’t mind. If you want to get dressed, you’re more than welcome.” Her eyes met mine as she smiled. “I’m not shy or anything.”
I cocked a brow. “But I am. Sorry, you’ll have to go.”
She harrumphed and pouted. “You’re no fun, Archer O’Brien.”
Wasn’t the first time I’d heard that, so I took it in stride.
“You’re right. He isn’t,” Baylor said, ushering her to the door. “But last night was fun. Thanks for that, sweetheart.”
“No, thank you.” She turned at the door, planted a kiss on his lips then pulled away slowly. “You’re a good time, Baylor. Don’t lose my number, okay?”
“Hmm,” he said, watching as she sashayed out the door.
I couldn’t contain my eyeroll. “Her number? Do you even remember her name?”
Baylor grinned. “Course, I do. It’s sweetheart. That’s all their names.”
“Don’t be a jerk,” I said.
“Oh come on, Archer.” Baylor closed the door and plopped down onto his bed. “She knew the score. And did you or did you not notice how she checked you out right in front of me? That was classy.”
He had a point, but…
“Just be careful,” I said, pulling off my old shirt and grabbing a towel. “You need to tone it down with all the girls and the drinking. Bear’s worried, and so am I.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it,” he said dismissively.
“Well, maybe you need to hear it again. Some of these girls might want to get you into trouble. Did you ever think of that? You’re smarter than this. Hell, you’re better than this, Bay.”
“Actually, I’m not,” he said, putting his hands behind his head, “but I’m glad you think so.”
Shaking my head, I went to the door.
“Rest easy, Arch. I’ve got it under control.”
“Do you?” I asked. “Because it sure doesn’t look like it.”
Baylor lifted his shoulders. “A little fun never hurt anyone. It’s all good.”
“Whatever you say. But you are better than this. I hope you know that.”
Baylor just scoffed.
I went to my classes. The exam in Principles of Physiology was no cakewalk, but I’d studied hard last night, probably pulled at least a B, maybe an A minus. Either way, my GPA was solid. Management of Sports Organizations was usually my favorite class because everything about it interested me. But during today’s lecture, my mind was still on Bay, thinking about what I could do to help him. If Dad was here, he would’ve known exactly what to say. He always did. My siblings and I had an unspoken agreement not to involve Mom in any of our crap. She’d already gone through so much. Dad’s death devastated her. Though she smiled and was still the kindest soul ever, she’d never fully recovered from his loss. As the oldest, I’d tried to fill his shoes as best I could, be there for her and my younger brothers and sister …but it was never enough.
Speaking of which…
I got a call later that night around 9:00 pm from Garret, the bartender at Shake & Pour, asking me to come get Dex. He’d been fighting again. Wonderful.
I drove to the bar as fast as I could without getting pulled over. I’d only taken a few steps inside when I spotted them. Garret was sitting on a stool next to my brother, who had an ice pack pressed against his face. Dex had his elbow propped up on the bar, lips set in a sneer, but from where I stood, he didn’t look the worse for wear. It was only as I got closer and saw his eye that I blanched.
“What the hell happened?” I asked and gave a thank-you nod to Garret as he left to go serve his customers.
Dex shook his head. “This guy challenged me Archer, said a few choice words about our mother, too. What was I supposed to
do? Let that slide?”
“Yes,” I said, pulling the ice pack away. Seeing all that black and blue near his left eye made me nauseous. “That’s exactly what you do. Walk the heck away. Why can’t you ever just walk away?”
Dex didn’t answer, just cocked his head.
“You look like hell,” I said after a moment.
He grinned at that, the idiot. “You should see the other guy. He was such a poser. Couldn’t take a punch for nothing. Didn’t last five minutes.”
I sighed, helping him up, looking sharply as he winced.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, “lucky shot to the ribs. That’s all.”
“Dex. You’ve got to stop doing this.”
Dex frowned as we made our way to the door. “Stop what? Sticking up for my family? Never gonna happen.”
I understood where he was coming from. Really, I did. If someone had been badmouthing Mom in front of me, I didn’t know how I would’ve reacted. But this fighting shit had to end.
“Mom would never want you to get hurt over her,” I said.
Dex grunted.
“Maybe instead of accepting the challenge, just try to talk it out next time.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” he said, and I looked to him in surprise. “Then maybe, we could braid each other’s hair and go out for ice cream after.”
The grin he threw me was pure defiance, and I knew he hadn’t heard a word I’d just said.
I dropped him off at home, but I needed something to lift my mood after this crappy day, something just for me. And as I spied the copy of Jane Eyre on my nightstand, I knew exactly what I wanted.
“Arch, I don’t know what you’re thinking. But this isn’t going to go well.”
Chase was probably right, but heck, what did I have to lose? She’d already turned me down once. It wasn’t like I expected anything different—though I hoped for it. Seeing Honor would be a boon after everything that’d gone down this morning. After our little meeting in the hall and what Mom had told me, it looked like we’d be seeing more of each other. Plus…
“I told you, Chase,” I said and held up Honor’s book. “I’m just here to return this to her. Might need it for a class or something.”
The Best Mistake Page 9
