Bringing Down Sam

by Leslie Kelly

  "Well, gee, I don't know. I'd sure hate to break a nail."

  Eve lifted one hand to glance at her brightly painted red nails, and the players on Sam's team all groaned in unison.

  But Sam slowly smiled. Because, suddenly, he had a sneaking suspicion Eve was playing the team just as she'd played him the first time they'd met. He remained quiet and watched.

  "Okay, sweetheart, I'll be gentle with you," the pitcher said, his tone as deliberately suggestive as his words.

  "You’re so sweet," she called back in that butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth voice. This time, Sam saw the glint of determination in her narrowed eyes as she slung the bat back across her shoulder and hunkered down over home plate. The instant before the pitcher let the ball fly, perhaps a bit gentler than he would have if one of the guys had been batting, Sam knew what would happen.

  Crack!

  "Holy shit!" one of the players on the bench said. They all leaped up, watching, open-mouthed, as Eve blasted the ball right back at the pitcher, coming so close to the guy's ear he probably heard the whistle of the wind as it passed. The players in the outfield, who'd moved closer in arrogant skepticism, were caught with their proverbial pants down. One of them had to run clear out of the field, across the sidewalk and down into the kiddie sandbox to retrieve the ball.

  "Did you see that?" someone muttered, and Sam just grinned.

  Eve Barret could play ball.

  Eve did not run so much as do a little jog around the bases. The guys on the other team still stared, but this time, there was suspicion in their eyes, rather than tolerant admiration. The players on her team, however, cheered wildly as she cruised across home plate. She paused, cocking her head to the side, and stared at Sam. "Who's up next?"

  By the time the game ended, nearly two hours later, Sam's team led by five runs. And the guys on the team treated Eve and Tina as if they were old locker room pals. "Where'd ya learn to fast-pitch like that, Eve?" one of the players asked.

  "This lady's full of surprises," Sam said as he walked with Eve to the picnic tables.

  Before she could reply, Eve heard the loud rumble of a well-tuned, powerful motorcycle. In the parking lot, a large bike slid between two cars, making a space of the solid yellow line. One of the cars was Sam's, and the biker came close to taking off Sam's rear-view mirror.

  Wondering how he would react, she quickly glanced at Sam and was surprised to see a look of resignation on his face.

  "Someone you know?"

  "We’ve met," he replied, his tone dry.

  They reached the picnic tables and Eve helped herself to a bottle of cold water. The wives and girlfriends, who'd become Eve and Tina's biggest cheering section during the game, immediately started planning for the following week, when they swore they'd all play. All except Carla, of course, who promised she'd be there to cheer them on...as long as she wasn't in labor.

  Gradually, most of the women quieted. Eve, who sat at the picnic table with her back to the parking lot, didn't understand why. The women kept looking past Eve, then darting quick glances to Sam, sitting on her left. Sam seemed completely oblivious as he munched on a fried chicken leg.

  "Did I miss the game?"

  Hearing a deep, unfamiliar voice, Eve glanced over her shoulder and saw a man carrying a motorcycle helmet standing a few steps away. He stared at them, a mocking smile curling his lips, as if amused by the Sunday afternoon picnic scene.

  He was dressed all in black, from his tight-as-sin jeans, to his sleeveless muscle shirt. The color suited him. His hair was the same shade, thick, long, pulled into a ponytail at the back of his neck. His skin was deeply tanned, or possibly naturally dark. As he stepped closer, Eve noticed his eyes were a startling light green. All in all, the guy looked like a hood, or like the star of a biker flick. But he was definitely hot.

  Next to her, Sam slowly wiped his mouth on a napkin, and slid around to sit backward on the bench. He leaned back, indolently resting his elbows on the table, and stared up at the newcomer, saying nothing. But beneath the casual pose, she noticed his tension. Sam had the same guarded demeanor he'd worn the previous night when confronting his father.

  "When have you ever not missed the game?" Sam finally asked.

  "That's me. Always a day late, and a dollar short."

  The other women sitting at the table, and the players who'd finished clearing away the equipment and approached the picnic area, all remained quiet. Eve sensed they knew what was going on here, though she did not. Curious, she turned around as well so she faced the newly arrived man.

  "I see you found a cheerleader," the dark-haired man said as he slowly turned his attention to Eve. He stared at her, head to foot, giving no indication by expression or manner that he approved or disapproved of what he saw.

  "Teammate. Eve outscored most of the men on the field."

  "But not you, Sam," Jake said, a silky tone in his voice. "I'm sure she didn't outscore you. Are you gonna introduce us?"

  Sam slid closer to her on the bench, a matter of no more than inches, but the gesture was telling. He must have sensed her discomfort under the unwavering scrutiny of the other man.

  "Eve, this is Jake."

  "Well, well, Eve," Jake said, "if I'd known the team was becoming so...talented...I might have shown up earlier."

  Jake's words were suggestive, as if he was attempting to flirt with her. She was used to men flirting with her, but this one made her uneasy. Though he continued to study her, she knew his real attention was on Sam. Every move he'd made, every step he'd taken since he'd arrived was directed at Sam. She couldn't understand why. They certainly couldn't be friends. No, Sam was all breezy charm and wicked smile, while this guy appeared moody and dangerous. They were total opposites.

  Eve didn't say a word. She absolutely did not want to provide any more fodder for the private war going on between the two men. Finally, as if sensing she wasn't going to reply, Jake shrugged and looked back at Sam. "Double header?"

  Sam shook his head. "Nope.

  "Guess I'll just head back out then," the other man said.

  "It's a wonder you keep showing up."

  Carla, who'd remained quietly serving food at the table, said, "You're welcome to join us, Jake. Stay for lunch."

  Eve saw Sam's jaw clench and knew he was hoping the other man would decline. But, to his credit, he managed to paste on a bland smile. "Sure, Jake. Stay. You know most of the guys."

  Jake slowly glanced at the others, nodding acknowledgement, but saying nothing. A few of the other players mumbled hellos, but certainly no one was begging the guy to stick around. Eve could understand Carla’s offer, the woman was a born peacemaker, but she didn't get why Sam had seconded the invitation.

  "Thanks anyway. Maybe next time. Good meeting you, Eve."

  She nodded, watching him turn his back and walk away from them without second glance. He pulled his helmet onto his head, slid into the seat, and started the bike. He gave Sam a cocky wave as he sped out of the parking lot. Sam turned around and calmly began eating his picnic lunch again.

  "He sure does know how to make an exit," Tina said.

  Eve noticed several of the women still looking toward the parking lot.

  “And an entrance,” said another woman.

  Carla snorted. “And everything in-between.”

  No question about it, Jake had a raw appeal some women would like and he was incredibly good-looking. But tough, bad-tempered men had never appealed to Eve. Sexy, laid-back charmers like Sam did. A lot.

  Within ninety seconds, the other couples were all laughing and chattering again, digging in to the mountain of food. "So, if you didn't want that guy here, why'd you ask him to stay for lunch?" Eve asked Sam as she helped herself to an apple.

  "If I'd told him to go, he would have stayed to annoy me."

  "Oh? Was that why he showed up?"

  Sam nodded, resigned. "He just does it to try to get a rise out of me. He's friendly with Mike, who brought him along to a game a f
ew months ago. He turns up once in a while."

  "But not to play."

  "No. Just to piss me off. Or to try to."

  Eve couldn’t understand why the other man would go to such trouble just to annoy Sam. "So I take it he's not your friend.”

  Sam responded with a quick bark of laughter. "Friend? Hell, no, Jake's not my friend. He's just my brother."

  Chapter 7

  “Don’t be too good a lover. Make her feel too good and she’ll never want to leave.”—from 101 Ways To Avoid Commitment

  A couple of hours later, after they left the park, Eve was still wondering about Sam's announcement regarding Jake. She had trouble believing the surly, dark-haired stranger was Sam's brother. They were opposites, physically and in personality.

  Eve hadn't had a chance to question him about the incident because of the rest of the people at the picnic. Just after Jake left, Sam's easy smile returned and she sensed he didn't want to talk about it, anyway. After lunch, they'd put together another impromptu softball game, in which most of the other wives and girlfriends had participated.

  Later in the afternoon, though, when they left the park, Eve started wondering again about Jake. In Sam's car, she voiced her thoughts. "I find it hard to believe that Neanderthal is your brother. He can't possibly be the son of the conservative, dripping-with-money Jacob Kenneman I met last night."

  Sam nodded. "He is. I know it's hard to believe. Took me a long time to accept it, myself, especially since I didn't know the guy existed for the first few decades of my life."

  More and more confused, Eve could only shake her head.

  Sam seemed to notice her bewilderment. "Same father. Different mothers. My father was...involved...with Jake's mother early in my parents' marriage. Jake was born two days before I was. The old man must have been real potent in those days."

  His sarcasm could not hide Sam's obvious discomfort over the situation. His hands held tightly to the steering wheel. From where she sat in the passenger seat, Eve could easily see the clenching and unclenching of his jaw.

  "Jake's mother married someone else and left town when he was a little kid. We never knew anything about him. Not until the night of my twenty-sixth birthday party."

  "Happy birthday to you," she said softly.

  "Yeah," he said with a humorless laugh. "He came in just as they wheeled up the cake and about two hundred of my father's rich, pretentious friends sang the birthday song. I have to hand it to the s.o.b. He knows how to make an entrance. He strolled right up and blew out the candles right in front of me. Then he introduced himself to everyone."

  "I can't imagine how you must have felt.”

  “Furious. Devastated. Betrayed. All my illusions about my life were blown away as easily as blowing-out a candle.”

  She couldn’t help reaching out a hand and putting it on his arm, feeling the flex of the tense muscles beneath his sweat-slickened skin. “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. “Water under the bridge.”

  “Even for your parents? I can’t imagine how your father must have reacted. Or your mother. I assume she didn't know?"

  She caught the sorrowful look in his eye as he glanced at her. "My father was shocked, having his lies and dishonesty walk into the middle of his carefully orchestrated life. My mother was devastated. I think the worst thing for her was when she found out Jake's name. She told me later she could never understand why my father suddenly decided he didn't want a son named after him. Right up until the day I was born, she'd planned to name me Jacob. But how could he let her? I mean, two sons with the same name? It might work for a boxer...but not for Jacob Kenneman!"

  He fell silent. Eve remained still, wondering if he would go on, but he said nothing. She didn't want to pry. If he wanted to talk more about his brother, he would, without any prompting from her.

  Finally, he continued.

  "Actually, my mother is much happier now, since the divorce. I think she needed something to make her strike out on her own, to stop being my father's hostess."

  "She left him?"

  "Oh, yeah. And she took several million little friends along with her. Started her own import business and is thriving. More power to her, I say."

  Eve heard the note of admiration in his voice when he spoke of his mother. She'd like to meet her sometime...though, she doubted that would happen. "No chance of a reconciliation?"

  "She might have been able to forgive the infidelity," Sam explained. "It was the lies, the deceit that went on for years and years. That's what she couldn't take."

  Eve heard the note of disgust in Sam's voice when he mentioned the words 'lies' and 'deceit'. She swallowed hard. It was no wonder Sam had been so vehement the night before about learning what she was hiding.

  "And, of course, there was also her belief that my father married her because of her family's money and prestige, when it was Jake's mother he loved. Who would want to be pursued for what they can provide financially, rather than genuine feelings? She felt my father had deceived her from the day they met."

  “Do you think it was true?”

  He hesitated, then sighed and shook his head. “No, I really don’t. I think he loved her and made a terrible mistake. If he’d been honest years ago, they probably could have worked it out. But his lies were something she could never live with. The dishonesty poisoned them. It was the deal-breaker, for her…for all of us.”

  “You haven’t forgiven him?” she whispered.

  “He hasn’t asked for my forgiveness.” Sam shrugged. “Guess he figures he doesn’t owe me an explanation, I’m not the one he cheated on.”

  Having a mysterious, never-before-heard-of older brother sounded like cheating in Eve’s book. And keeping that brother a secret was definitely lying. Deceitful.

  “We’ve been talking again,” Sam admitted. “And we see each other once in a while. But it’s still tenuous.”

  “What about Jake? No chance of a relationship there?” she asked, wondering how she would have reacted in his situation. Never having had siblings, and always desperately wishing for one, she had the feeling she’d have responded differently. Then again, she’d known her father for what he was. Something like hearing about an adulterous relationship wouldn’t have been as shocking to her as it must have been to Sam, who apparently had never realized his father was capable of cheating.

  “I was pretty angry at first, mainly because of the way he chose to come out from under the wrong-side-of-the-blanket.”

  “Because it was at your birthday party?”

  “Nah, I didn’t care about that. I was furious that he did it so publicly, in a way that really hurt my mother. Not sure I’m ever going to get over it.” He sighed. “That said, I’ve reached out once or twice, but he sure doesn’t make it easy.”

  She could have guessed that. “I sense he’s got a lot of built-up emotions and wouldn’t be surprised if he regretted the way he handled things. Maybe that’s why he keeps coming around, without ever actually extending the olive branch. Getting under your skin is better than being ignored, or something like that? Like he’s just looking for the right opening to put your relationship on a different footing?”

  Sam eyed her from the other side of the car, his brow furrowing as he thought about her words. Then, his voice low, he admitted, “Maybe.”

  Something for him to think about, anyway. And she hoped he would.

  “I guess we’re both holding grudges for the sins-of-our-father.”

  “That’s a shame,” she murmured. “Since it seems to me that your father’s the only really guilty one in this whole mess.”

  “Yeah, if they handed out indictments for deceit, he’d be at the mercy of the court.”

  Eve closed her eyes briefly. Sam's explanation had helped her see him better, understand him more. But it also effectively trapped her. How could she now tell him she'd been lying to him since the moment they met? He hated deceit, his body practically shook when he spat out the word. So how could she admit she'd
pursued him because of his book? Even if he could forgive the fact that she'd lied, she didn't think he'd be able to get past her plot to go after him because of who he was. Talk about the ultimate deception—she’d intended to play with his feelings and emotions.

  She honestly had never felt worse about herself than she did at that moment.

  "I guess it’s possible I can put it in the past, at least as far as Jake goes,” Sam finally said, his voice losing that lost, dead tone she hadn’t liked hearing over the course of this conversation. “Honestly, I've gotten to the point where he just distracts me, when he used to really get under my skin. I tend to ignore him now."

  "If he thinks he’s not getting through at all, he might stop trying."

  Sam shook his head and a grin crossed his lips. "Nah, he's too much like my father to ever retreat!"

  “So maybe you should think about inviting him to advance.”

  He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Born peacemaker, aren’t you?”

  “Let’s just say I’d like to see you happy.”

  “Then take a picture, gorgeous,” he replied with that sexy, adorable Sam grin.

  She melted a little, right there in the seat, utterly captivated by that smile, by the twinkle in his eyes. Oh, God, was this man getting under her skin, moment by moment, smile by smile, word by word. He was working his way around all her emotional defenses and while part of her wanted to order him to stop the car so she could flee, another part wanted to keep riding the crazy merry-go-round and delight in the pure, utter happiness of being in his company.

  Glad for his lightened mood, Eve decided to change the subject. "So, where exactly are you taking me? This isn't the way back to the condo."

  “Thought you didn't live in the city."

  "That doesn't mean I don't know my way around Philadelphia," she retorted. "Where are we going?"

  Sam glanced at the dashboard clock. "It’s after four. Let’s go back to my place so I can clean up—it’s close, and on the way toward the condo. After that, we can go there and you can get changed, then we’ll go out for dinner.”