Playing for Keeps

by LuAnn McLane

  “I’ve seen your work, Jason. How are you doing?”

  He took a swallow of Coke and then shrugged. “I’m doin’ all right. I just hope things turn around here this summer.” As they approached the bleachers he said, “Wow, it’s really packed today. But then, we’ve always loved our baseball here, as you well know.”

  “You got that right,” Noah agreed. When his cell phone rang he recognized the ringtone and frowned. “Hey, Jason, will you take this food to Olivia? I’ve got to return this call.”

  “Sure thing,” Jason replied and took the tray.

  “Thanks. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he promised and headed over to the edge of the parking lot to redial the missed call from his agent. He pushed CALL BACK and waited.

  “Falcon!” boomed the voice of Vince Bell. “Man, do I have good news for you.”

  “Shoot,” Noah said, anxious to get back to the game.

  “Since they killed you off, the ratings for Love in the Afternoon have fallen off sharply.”

  “Because of me?”

  “Apparently, but regardless, that’s the angle that I’ve been pushing hard. And since afternoon soaps are struggling anyway, this is big for you. They need ratings bad. They want you back.”

  Noah fell into shocked silence.

  “Uh, I worked my ass off on this. You can thank me anytime now.”

  “I appreciate your efforts.”

  “Wow, that sure was heartfelt. I’m touched. Wait. Let me wipe away a tear. Falcon, don’t you get it? They’re talking about a media blitz—tags at the end of the show, promo ads. Your part will be expanded with a kick-ass story line.”

  “For real? But I was blown to bits.”

  “Falcon, it’s a soap opera. Leave that to the writers. And of course this means you can leave that poky little hometown of yours and head on back to New York.”

  Noah felt a flash of annoyance. “Vince, I’ve been rehearsing for weeks. This play means a lot to the economy of Cricket Creek. I can’t just leave them high and dry.”

  “You’re not under any real contract. I made sure you had an out.”

  Noah gripped the phone tighter. “That’s not the point. They need me.”

  “Really? Well they need you on Love in the Afternoon , and the pay is a helluva lot better.”

  “I’m doing this for free.”

  “Exactly.”

  “The play can’t go on without me.”

  “What, no understudy?”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “Falcon, seriously, have you lost your mind? The reason you headed to Cricket Creek was to hone your acting skills in order to land a part. Dude, you’ve just done that and then some. Come on, it’s community theater for a few weeks, not a run on Broadway. What the hell’s holding you there?”

  “I told you. They need me,” Noah insisted. He stared out into a parking lot full of pickup trucks and oldermodel cars. These hardworking people were depending upon him. Olivia would never forgive him …

  “Wait—is this about a chick?”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “In my experience things are always about money or a chick. Sometimes both.”

  Noah looked up at the blue sky and shook his head at the puffy clouds. Most of the time he found Vince amusing. Not today. “It’s about doing the right thing.”

  “Falcon, come on! This opportunity won’t last long. Don’t be stupid. Your parents are gone from Cricket Creek. After the play ends you’re not likely to ever go back there again. You’ve done enough already. Get your ass back here to New York, where you belong.”

  Noah closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He wasn’t sure he belonged in New York anymore. “I won’t do it.”

  Vince sighed at the other end of the line. “Listen, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can. I hope you’ll come to your senses. Don’t throw away this opportunity. You’ll regret it later.”

  “Just tell them I’ll return for the fall schedule.”

  “That won’t fly. They want to beef up the ratings for the summer.”

  “Okay, I’ll get back to you,” Noah answered, simply for the sake of no more arguing. He did feel a little guilty that Vince had worked so hard on getting exactly what he had wanted and then some. By rights he should be over the moon. But he wasn’t. The thought of disappointing Olivia, Madison, and his hometown made his stomach sink. Why in the world did life have to be so complicated? He hated letting anyone down, Vince included.

  Noah stood there for a moment longer, allowing the cool spring breeze to clear his head. But then the scent of popcorn and hot dogs drifted his way, reminding him that the game was about to begin. With a sigh he started to walk in the direction of the field just as his phone rang again. He didn’t recognize the ringtone and squinted at the screen to see who was calling.

  “No way!” Noah had to grin when he read the name Ty McKenna. “What’s up, Triple Threat?” he answered, using the nickname the famous center fielder had earned during his major-league career. If Ty didn’t hurt the opposing team with his bat, he would rob them of hits with diving catches or gun down a runner with his cannon of an arm.

  Ty laughed at the other end of the line. “About the only threat I am these days is to myself.”

  Noah leaned against a big oak tree and braced his foot against the trunk. “What do you mean?” he asked with a measure of concern. Ty was about the most upbeat guy he knew.

  “Falcon, I miss the damned game. Spring training always brings me down,” his friend answered glumly.

  “I hear ya.”

  “You too? I thought you had moved on to acting.”

  “Didn’t you hear? I was killed off of Love in the Afternoon.”

  Ty snorted. “Falcon, do ya think I watch soap operas? But seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “So, you gonna be on another show?”

  “Um, apparently my lack of real acting skills is an issue.”

  Ty laughed. “Kinda like your curveball?”

  “Hey, I’ll pitch to your sorry ass anytime you want. See if you can hit my curve or my fastball.”

  “Bring it on. Hey, where are you again?”

  “You’re not gonna believe it.” Noah gazed out into the parking lot and grinned. “I’m in my hometown of Cricket Creek, Kentucky, starring in a community-theater production and boning up on my acting skills with the leading lady. Crazy, huh?”

  “Not at all. Is she hot?”

  “What?”

  “Didn’t you just say you were boning the leading lady?”

  Noah shook his head. “Ty, will you ever change?”

  “Funny you should ask. My girlfriend just screamed that at me last night.”

  “And what was your answer?”

  “Hell, no.”

  Noah had to chuckle. “And will you be seeing her again?”

  “I asked her the same question.”

  “Let me guess—she said ‘Hell, no.’ ”

  Ty sighed. “Screamed it, actually. Threw a valuable baseball at me and smacked me in the damned head.”

  “You don’t seem too upset.”

  “Didn’t really hurt all that much. She threw like a girl. Kinda like you.”

  Noah rolled his eyes. “Ty, I meant about breaking up with her.”

  “Easy come, easy go,” Ty replied lightly, but this time Noah failed to chuckle and instead felt a touch of sadness. Now that he had someone special in his life, he realized what he had been missing all these years. Getting back to Olivia was his priority, not watching the game. That pretty much said it all …

  Noah asked, “What’s going on besides your love life?” Ty never called just for idle chitchat.

  “I ran into Mitch Monroe over at Chicago Blue Bistro the other night.”

  “One of your favorite haunts, as I recall.”

  “Used to be. Since that hot little chef left, the food isn’t the same.”

  Noah chuckled.

  “What?”

&nbs
p; “That hot little chef is Jessica Robinson, and you’re not going to believe it, but she’s from Cricket Creek and came back here to update her aunt’s diner.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I kid you not. And her daughter wrote the play I’m in. Small world.”

  “And a smaller town,” Ty said.

  “It’s a nice place to live, McKenna,” Noah said a bit defensively.

  “Wait. Hold the phone. You’re not thinking of settling down there, are you?”

  Noah inhaled deeply and hesitated. The smells of fresh country air laced with the scent of a charcoal grill filled his head. Two little boys ran by him laughing as they chased each other, and he could hear the chatter of the excited crowd in the background. A sense of peace unlike anything he had felt in a long time washed over him. “I don’t know,” he finally answered.

  “Wow,” Ty said. “I don’t think I could leave the city for a one-horse town. But hey, man, who says you can’t go home again? Anyway, the reason for my call was to tell you that Mitch Monroe is thinking about investing in a baseball team. He was picking my brain, but he got me sort of wound up about the whole idea and wanted to know if I knew anybody else who might want in. I didn’t say anything, but I thought of you.”

  Noah felt a spark of interest. “Major league?”

  “He wasn’t sure. He’s just in the thinking stages. But like I said, I sure as hell miss the game, don’t you?”

  As if on cue, Noah heard the crack of the bat hitting the ball, followed by the roar of the crowd. “Hell, yeah,” he admitted. “Listen, I do have some interest.”

  “Awesome,” Ty said, sounding more like his old self. They had played minor-league ball together and had been friends ever since.

  “Listen, I’ll give you a shout when I have some time and we can discuss it further. Right now I’ve got a Cricket Creek game to watch. Catch ya later?”

  “Sure. Have fun.”

  Noah smiled after he ended the call. New York might be calling him back, but baseball was calling him home.

  17

  Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

  “I just told Jason that I was going to eat your hot dog,” Olivia informed Noah as he squeezed in next to her on the bleachers. She handed him the silver-wrapped package. “You got back just in the nick of time.”

  “You know what they say,” Noah said as he took the hot dog. “Timing is everything.”

  “I told her not to eat it,” Jason said from the other side of Olivia.

  “Thanks for lookin’ out for me, Jason,” Noah replied and then turned to Olivia. “Sorry—I got a phone call I had to take,” he explained while unwrapping his hot dog. “Hey, there’s a bite taken out of it!” He narrowed his eyes at Olivia and laughed, but she just shrugged.

  She put her nachos in her lap and said, “Don’t look at me.”

  He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Impossible.”

  Olivia felt a hot shiver slide down her spine. The sexy sound of his low voice coupled with the feeling of his muscled thigh pressed against hers was enough to make her slide out of her seat and slither between the metal bleachers. “Chip?” She swallowed hard and tried to sound normal, though she felt like tossing her nachos out of the way and pulling Noah in for a steamy kiss. It was probably not the thing to do at a high school baseball game, though, and so she held the plastic container up toward him. “Be careful—the jalapeños are very hot and spicy.”

  “I like hot and spicy.” He scooped a jalapeño-laden chip in the cheese and winked at her. “Game started yet?”

  “No, just infield practice. There was a delay.”

  “Waiting for me?” he asked with a teasing grin.

  “You are such a diva,” Olivia said. “They’re waiting on an umpire to arrive.”

  Noah laughed, but his eyes watered when he chewed his chip. “Holy …”

  “Cow?” she finished for him and reached for Jason’s cup. “Here, take a drink,” she offered and then added, “wimp.”

  Noah took a long slug of the Coke and handed it back to Jason. “First I’m a diva and now a wimp? What next?”

  “I’ll think of something …”

  “Speaking of divas,” Jason commented as he saw Madison approaching them. “Here comes the queen.”

  “I prefer princess,” Madison said, sitting down next to him and offering him some of her popcorn.

  “As you wish …” Jason replied with a little bow and a roll of his hand.

  “The Princess Bride! I love that movie,” Noah announced and got raised eyebrows from them all. “What?” He shrugged. “I can’t like a good romantic comedy?”

  “Of course you can,” Madison said but grinned at Olivia. “You two are a romantic comedy.”

  “This day has been full of surprises,” Olivia admitted.

  “And that’s a good thing, right?” Noah’s voice was teasing, but there was a look of hope in his eyes that touched Olivia.

  “Yes.” She felt unexpected emotion and leaned her shoulder into his. When she looked at him from beneath her baseball cap, he gave her a crooked, vulnerable smile and then took her hand.

  And she lost her heart completely.

  It wasn’t until the announcer asked them to stand for the National Anthem that the spell was broken between them. “Oh!” Olivia put her nachos down before standing, but Noah’s fingers remained entwined with hers. His voice was true and strong, and she had to wonder how many times he had sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” in his lifetime. She was proud of the fact that spectators stopped in their tracks and sang with pride, and she dearly hoped that Noah was beginning to understand the value of life in a small town. She couldn’t imagine being surrounded by concrete and swallowed up in a big city.

  When the song ended, the crowd applauded and the umpire shouted, “Play ball!”

  Excitement crackled in the air and Noah squeezed her hand. “Takes me back to my high school glory days right here on this field. Good times.”

  Jason leaned over and said, “You got that right, Noah. Lots of schools concentrate mainly on football, but we still love our baseball. The high school season here is too short. If we want summer baseball we have to go to watch the Lexington Legends or the Louisville Bats play minor-league ball or head up to Cincinnati to take in a Reds game.”

  “That’s gotta suck,” Noah acknowledged.

  The first batter for the Colonels got on with a base on balls. “Well, fudge,” Olivia muttered darkly.

  “Walks come back to haunt,” Noah said as he polished off his hot dog.

  “I thought that last pitch was a strike,” Jason complained with a slap to his knee.

  “I hope Casey guns him down trying to steal second!” Olivia leaned forward and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Don’t let him have second, Casey!”

  Noah raised his eyebrows. “You know more than I thought you did about baseball.”

  “I guess I have a few surprises of my own,” she replied with a proud little lift of her chin.

  “Oh, I know.” He leaned close to her ear once again. “And I want to discover them all.”

  Olivia felt heat steal into her cheeks and wondered how she was going to last nine innings with the spicy scent of his cologne filling her head and his thigh pressed against hers.

  At the clink of a metal bat connecting with a baseball, they turned their attention back to the field. A high pop-up to shallow center field had the hometown fans holding their collective breath, but the ball was caught in a diving catch that brought them to their feet. Madison’s popcorn flew up in the air like confetti and they all laughed when Jason caught some in his mouth.

  “Way to go, Jimmy!” Olivia bounced up and down, clapping wildly. She turned and gave Noah a high five. “That was amazing!”

  “Reminds me of your catch in the park,” Noah said with a grin.

  Olivia nodded firmly. “Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have always been the last one picked for teams in gym class,” she boasted but then shrieked and
ducked when a foul tip clanked against the backstop.

  Madison tilted her head in Olivia’s direction. “Guess that ruined that theory.”

  “Really?” Jason said. “Like you’re an athlete?”

  “Sure I am.” Madison threw a kernel of popcorn at him but missed at point-blank range. “Okay, academic team four years, first chair flute, and glee club.” She laughed but then raised her hands in the air. “Of course now it’s hip to be a geek.” She bopped her head back and forth. “And to have wild, curly, Taylor Swift hair.” She sighed. “Go figure—not that I’d want to go back to high school,” she added in a low tone.

  “Me neither,” Olivia agreed with a groan. “No real glory days for me.”

  “I wish I had gotten to know you better back when you tutored me,” he said and meant it. Back then, he had been all about baseball and being cool. “Damn, I was shallow.”

  “We didn’t run in the same circles,” she said breezily, but there was some pain behind her answer. “Well, I didn’t run in any circle,” she joked, but her laughter felt a little bit forced. It wasn’t easy being the last to be chosen and not having a date for the prom. It was during those days that she most missed having a mom to confide in.

  “I was a bonehead. You were cute and smart and sweet,” Noah stated firmly. “I’m glad I’m getting a second chance to take you to the prom.”

  Olivia looked up at Noah with a smile that wobbled at the corners, and it tore him up thinking that he had ever caused her any kind of pain. “Me too,” she answered softly, and Noah decided that he was going to go all out with a stretch limo and the whole nine yards.

  The roar of the crowd had them giving their attention back to the game. They came to their feet and cheered when Casey the catcher gunned down the runner at second base.

  “Way to go, Casey!” Olivia shouted and then did a little butt wiggle that made Noah laugh. He loved the way she got into the game and cut loose.

  “Heads up!” Jason shouted when a foul pop-up sailed over the backstop. Olivia and Madison both ducked and popcorn once again went flying, but Jason caught the ball barehanded and tossed it back to the umpire.

  “Shouldn’t they say ‘duck’ instead of ‘heads up’?” Madison grumbled. “That must have hurt like”—she paused and glanced at Olivia before adding—“the dickens.”