Finally, she realized he wasn't going to quit first, so she dropped the ball she'd been about to pitch to him and wiped her sweaty palms together. "I'm starving,” she called over to where he was taking some practice swings at home plate.
He leaned against the bat and eyed her with concern. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. Just hungry."
He gathered the equipment together and they loaded it back in the Jeep. After washing their hands with bottled water, they sat down and ate in a shady spot beneath a large tree. The sun beat down overhead but the large leaves kept them from the worst of the heat and they enjoyed the turkey sandwiches Pops had made along with the chocolate-chip cookies Micki had added to their bag.
Full from food and exhausted from their workout, she raised her hands overhead and yawned.
"Lie down." He folded his legs beneath him and patted his thighs.
"You're a tough man to say no to." She did as he suggested, stretching out so her head lay in his lap and her body stretched out on their large blanket.
He massaged her temples with his fingertips and she relaxed, shutting her eyes and allowing herself to breathe easily.
They spent an entire day in each other's company doing nothing but just being together. She couldn't recall a time when she'd felt more at ease. She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more like herself. She couldn't remember a time when she'd been happier. Or one that had ended so quickly.
They returned to the house long after the sun had set Damian dropped his keys in the kitchen and, yawning, Micki waited as he hit Play on the answering machine.
First there was the usual litany of messages from his sisters and nieces, all of which she knew he'd return before they turned in for the night
Then she heard a vaguely familiar masculine voice break the peacefulness of their day. "Fuller, it's Coach. Since you're flying in tomorrow morning, I expect you in my office at four and suited up with the rest of the team tomorrow night."
Damian's guilt-ridden eyes met hers. She didn't have to ask why he hadn't mentioned leaving before. Because if he had, they probably wouldn't have shared the same kind of carefree day. She wouldn't have seen his field of dreams and she definitely wouldn't have let herself pretend their time together didn't have to end.
"You can stay as long as you want," he said.
She shook her head. "No thanks. It's way past time I head home, too." She put up a brave front, a pretense that this particular ending didn't bother her at all.
Ironic that she'd been coerced into coming to the island in the first place and now she didn' t want to leave.
DAMIAN AWOKE WITH MICKI in his arms. On the night-stand were two crinkled foil packets, evidence that they'd made love not once but twice last night. And not quickly or frantically either. Instead their joinings had been slow and leisurely, so neither one of them would be likely to forget this time on the island.
Now, Damian watched Micki sleep. Her blond curls were tousled around her face, much as they'd been after she collapsed on top of him. He liked when she was on top because he knew she was controlling the pace, sometimes squeezing her thighs together and milking him for all she was worth and other times releasing so her mound ground into him at just the right spot, all so she could make her climax and his that much stronger. In a few short days, he knew her that well.
She'd come to know him, too. Enough that when she'd heard the coach's voice, she hadn't condemned him for not leveling with her sooner. She hadn't complained about him having to leave. Not a single pout or whine, he thought. Micki didn't do any of the things that bothered him in other women and yet a part of him wished she would.
So he could find an excuse to walk away with no guilt? No regrets? No second thoughts? He'd have plenty of those, Damian knew because leaving her was the last thing he wanted to do.
And leaving her was exactly what he had to do in order to preserve what remained of his career. If this time had taught him anything, it was that he'd been right about his inability to split his focus. When he was with Micki, he didn't give the game a second thought. Not even with Carter belting home runs and breathing down his neck.
He had to return to New York and deal with his life. Beyond the recent injury, he had the ongoing issue of arthritis to deal with and a talk with Yank was overdue.
It was time he faced the painful fact that this season, or next if he wanted to push it, should be his last. He'd buried the truth as well as himself inside Micki's willing body last night, but the sun shining through the bedroom blinds was a wake-up call he couldn't miss. A wake-up regarding many things. His career was just one of them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ON THE PLANE RIDE HOME, Micki feigned sleep because it was easier than making small talk while looking at Damian’s handsome face. They'd had their fling and it had been more than she'd ever dreamed of.
Yet it was time she faced a few harsh realities. Yes, she and Damian had shared some amazing, special, magic moments. Intimate moments, and not all of them sexual, she thought recalling their time on his baseball field. Yet obviously nothing he'd experienced with Micki had distinguished her from any of the other women in his life. Otherwise they wouldn't be on the verge of saying goodbye, she thought as Damian walked her to the limo she'd arranged to pick her up from the airport. She didn't want him to feel responsible for her for a second longer than necessary.
The truth hurt because despite knowing the score going in, she'd hoped for more from Damian. She wasn't going to get it. Time to move on with some great memories and enough of a confidence boost to send her into the dating world with a new look, new image and new attitude. And maybe she had some swampland she could sell herself and call it paradise.
Standing by her car, Micki turned to Damian. The least she could do was hold her head high while she proved to him she'd meant it when she'd said all she wanted was a short affair and she was enough of a grown-up to walk away with her pride intact.
Damian met her gaze, a serious expression on his face. "Micki-"
She shook her head. She didn't want to hear him belittle their time together. It was a turning point in her life and she'd never regret it.
“Thanks for kidnapping me." She didn't have to force a smile. Around Damian, it came easily.
"My pleasure." His voice held a sincerity that took her off guard.
"Don't be too hard on Carter," Micki said, covering a subject she knew was important. "He's young and stupid. He'll defeat himself. People like him always do."
Admiration filled his gaze. "You're smart."
"Yeah, well it doesn't mean I won't kick his ass first chance I get," she said, laughing. "I just don't need you to do it for me."
"And you're a tough lady, too."
She swallowed hard. "Sometimes I have to be." She placed a hand on top of the open car door, ready to escape inside.
He held her gaze as if willing her not to go.
"When can you play?" she asked although they'd discussed it already.
His expression tightened, his jaw clenched. "Another nine or ten days."
"Don't push it and try to be a hero," she warned him. "Ten days isn't so bad."
He leaned closer. "Between us?"
She nodded.
"It's that bad."
Micki understood he wasn't just talking about the ten more days on the DL. His career was near the end and he was trusting her with that information. She'd never felt more connected to another human being but there was little she could offer that he'd accept.
"If you ever need me-you know, to help you spin a situation or just to vent-you know where to find me." It was the best she could do.
A sad smile took hold of his lips. "You're special, Micki."
"Oh please."
"Stop doing that" He'd reached out and placed a finger over her lips. "Stop questioning yourself and how people look at you."
She shook her head. "That's not what I'm doing."
"That's exactly what you're doing."
"Well, next time you get the urge to fight a compliment, remember our weekend together, will you?"
She had a hunch she'd be remembering him a lot sooner and more often than that.
He reached out and hooked his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close and sealed their lips in a kiss. One that was too fast and too brief-all too reminiscent of their time together.
'I’ll do that." Micki forced a nod. She turned away before he could read the emotion on her face and slipped into the back of the car.
He shut the door for her and waved. "Take care." She was able to read his parting words on his lips.
Once again, she couldn't help but smile.
AN HOUR AFTER LEAVING DAMIAN, Micki reached her apartment. She showered, changed and, since Sophie wasn't in her place across the hall, Micki took a cab over to Uncle Yank's. The doorman let her in and the elevator carried her to his penthouse apartment.
She rang the bell and a set of chimes went off that were so loud they scared her to death and had her heart racing like mad. His dog, Noodle, a Labradoodle he'd purchased because of the breed's intelligence and training in helping the blind, began a high-pitched bark that would wake the dead. A normal person would have bought a trained Lab, but not her uncle.
Without warning, the door from the apartment across the hall swung open wide and an old woman in a brightly colored, decades-old sweatsuit strode outside, hands on her frail hips. "You tell that old man to muzzle the mutt and put a normal doorbell back on or I'm reporting him to the condo board, and don't think I won't." She patted her set hair and slammed the door shut behind her.
"And a good evening to you, Mrs. Murdoch," Micki called to her uncle's neighbor who'd lived there for years and was as likely to report her uncle as Micki was.
The same door swung open wide again. "He was much more reasonable when Lola came around," Mrs. Murdoch said.
"We all agree with you." Micki smiled at the older woman and eyed her uncle's closed door. He knew she was coming, so where was he?
"Well either he gets laid or he moves out. I'm not sure I can take much more of his obnoxious behavior. You tell him I said so, you hear?"
Micki wondered if the older woman was actually offering her services and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "Oh, I'll tell him all right."
"Got to go. Jeopardy!’s on." Mrs.Murdoch slammed the door shut again.
Micki raised her hand to knock this time, when her uncle opened the door. "Sorry. I was in the John"
She rolled her eyes. “Too much information," she said, greeting him with a kiss.
"I can't believe you're back already. Is Damian that much of a dud?"
She raised an eyebrow, staring at her uncle. "You sent me off with him hoping we'd hook up?"
"Damn straight. So did you?"
Micki stepped around Yank and into his large apartment. They'd always been close and she didn't see any point in hiding the truth from him now. "Whatever we had was temporary and now it's over. So how did your doctor's appointment go?"
"Nothing's changed, nothing will. Are you telling me Fuller screwed you and took off?" Her uncle squared his shoulders, ready to fight on her behalf.
She shook her head. "Damian's a lot better than that and you know it or you wouldn't have sent me off to be alone with him "
"I-"
"You're caught red handed. Now I'm going to forgive you for disregarding my feelings because I love you. And I'll tell you what you need to know about Damian. He's not capable of putting anyone or anything above the game, at least not at this point in his life, and he was honest about that. Okay? And now that I've bared my soul, I need you to do the same." She hugged him tight. "Are you saying the specialist couldn't help you?"
"It's a degenerative disease. My stage isn't early enough to change things and don't go yelling at me that I should've gone to him sooner because your sister already yelled enough for all three of you."
Micki swallowed hard. Twice in two days. Twice she had to face men she cared about and not show any pity no matter how much she wanted to. Damn men and their pride, she thought, taking a minute to compose herself before stepping back and facing her uncle.
"Well, you'll just have to carry on as you taught us to once we realized Mom and Dad weren't coming back, won't you?"
As if she understood, Noodle barked in agreement.
"You see? With Noodle by your side, you won't have any problems." Micki would see to it.
Her uncle grabbed her in a bear hug that expressed everything he couldn't say.
When they finally broke apart, she smiled at him. "So what can I make you for dinner?"
ALL THREE JORDAN SISTERS and Lola met at Annabelle's home in Greenlawn. They all sat surrounding Annie,who remained with her feet up on the couch, surrounded by her pets and plants. Some things never changed, Micki thought and a warm feeling filled her chest.
They'd chosen the location because it gave them privacy from Yank's prying and allowed Annabelle to remain off her feet as per doctor's orders. It had been a while since they'd all been together this way and they talked to each other, over each other and across one another. A true girls' meeting. Getting together with them reminded Micki of how much she'd missed their bonding time.
Annie clapped her hands, demanding their attention. "As much as we need to catch up, we're here for a reason."
They all nodded.
"I've tried to keep everyone up to date on Uncle Yank's condition. Does everyone understand the details?" Sophie, the sister who'd taken charge of the doctors and of the gruff man himself, asked.
"I'm confused," Micki admitted. "He lies and fudges the truth. One day he says he's fine and the next day he's wearing that talking clock like he can't read the dial on his wristwatch. I'd like an explanation I can understand."
"As you know, Uncle Yank has the wet form of macular degeneration," Sophie said. "Statistically, wet is less common than the dry form and accounts for ninety percent of all cases of legal blindness in people with the disease. It isn't curable and since Uncle Yank ignored symptoms for quite a while, the disease has progressed too much for any of the newer treatments."
"What exactly can he see or not see?" Annabelle asked.
Obviously Micki wasn't the only one who didn't understand their uncle's condition.
"It's hard to say. Maybe the explanation of what the disease involves will help."
This was Sophie in her element, Micki thought fondly.
"In clinical terms, macular degeneration is a physical disturbance in the center of the retina, which is called the macula." Sophie gestured as she spoke, pointing to her own eyes as an example. "The macula makes us capable of our most detailed vision-reading, driving, recognizing faces, watching TV, etc."
"Wow," Micki said aloud. Her throat grew tight at the thought of her independent uncle being deprived of the most basic tasks most people took for granted.
Since Uncle Yank had ignored his problems over the past year, Micki had as well. It was easier to push the truth away when not faced with it directly, but the time had come to cope head-on with all the repercussions.
Over the past few days, she and her sisters had spoken and agreed on a course of action. They just needed to bring Lola on board. The other woman was key as she had the ability to sway the important parties to their plan.
"I thought or rather I hoped that the specialist would tell him that surgery to remove scarring was an option to improve vision, but the disease progressed too far." Sophie's voice dropped low. "It's not going to get any better. It's going to get worse."
They all understood the implications.
Annabelle rubbed the slight bulge in her belly and sighed. "Can we suggest he move to some place with assisted living before it progresses to the point where he can't see at all?"
Micki shook her head, shuddering at the though
t of their uncle's reaction. “Not if we want to live to tell the tale. That's a point he'll have to reach on his own"
"But the business affects us all, which is why I suggested we meet here to talk." Sophie's gaze swept over the group. "We need to think about the future today."
All three sisters turned to Lola.
"I am not coming back to work for him." Lola folded her arms across her silk blouse.
Though her outfit and overall look was still on the conservative side, she'd made many changes since leaving Uncle Yank's employ. Some of the alterations had been done in the hopes of enticing Yank to notice her before she left and those Lola had ditched fast, like too-youthful clothes. Other parts of her transformation remained, like her hair. She'd always kept the color a natural brown and the style pulled back into a bun.
These days she had golden highlights and a chic shoulder-length bob that accentuated her graceful features. These days she not only worked for Spencer Atkins, she dated him as well. Together they attended industry events and were seen at the chicest restaurants.
Her uncle was a stubborn old coot, Micki thought in frustration. He needed this woman now more than ever before.
All three sisters understood how hard it had been for Lola to leave Yank and none of them would be angry at her for refusing to come back. After thirty or more years with their stubborn uncle, nobody considered Lola selfish. In fact there was nobody more loving. The time had come when she'd needed some of that emotion returned.
"Nobody wants you to compromise the stand you've taken," Annabelle assured Lola. "But when he was first diagnosed, you mentioned a potential merger with Atkins Associates, remember?"
Lola winced.
Micki figured she'd probably recalled Uncle Yank's reaction to that suggestion.
"Why do you ask?" Lola's gaze narrowed.
Shifting positions on the couch, Annabelle sat up straighter as she explained. "Because the three of us have talked and we think that over time, a merger is the only way to save the sports agency part of the Hot Zone."
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