Playing for Keeps (Feeling the Heat Book 6)

by Alison Packard

  As Trey stalked out of the room, Rick shook his head. First Amy, then Trey. All things considered, he should have stayed home.

  At eleven, the get-together was starting to wind down and Trey was nowhere to be found. If Rick hadn’t driven himself to the party he had a strong hunch he’d be stranded in Pacific Heights. After saying his goodbyes to his host and the remaining guests, he grabbed his overcoat, then let himself out of the house and headed for his SUV. He’d had to park about eight blocks away, but he didn’t mind the walk. The crisp air actually felt invigorating and it gave him time to think.

  About Amy. Who else?

  For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why she was so worried about Adam finding out she worked at Stylus. So she worked a part-time job? A lot of people worked two jobs. The Bay Area was an expensive place to live and she had a son to support. Was it the actual job? Hell, there was nothing wrong with serving cocktails; he was pretty sure Adam wouldn’t have a problem with that.

  So what was the big deal?

  The sound of an agitated voice reached him before he saw the figures of two women standing near a white sedan several yards ahead of him. Concerned, he picked up his pace and as he moved toward them he recognized Amy and Jade.

  “I don’t know where they are,” Jade said, her tone just shy of full panic. Her head was bent and she was rummaging through her purse. Amy stood beside her and neither of them seemed aware of his approach. “I had to have them. I locked the damn car. Oh my God! This is the last thing I need tonight.”

  “Do you need some help?” Startled, both Amy and Jade turned around; a nearby street light illuminating their wary expressions. “It’s me,” he assured them as he moved closer, and joined them under the warm glow of the overhead street light.

  “Jade can’t find her keys.” Amy peered at him with inscrutable eyes. “We may need a locksmith.”

  “Maybe not.” Jade closed her purse. “Adam let me leave my purse in his den. I think I might have set the keys on the desk.”

  “If you’d like, I can walk you and Amy back to Adam’s house to check.” Rick offered. “I don’t mind.”

  “No. I’ll go. It’s not far.” Jade slipped the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “But would you mind waiting here with Amy until I get back?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Amy lifted a hand in protest.

  “I’ll wait,” he said firmly. Jade gave him a wan smile, then turned and hurried in the direction of Adam’s house. Amy crossed her arms over her chest and pivoted to look at the festively decorated house they were standing in front of. The uncomfortable silence lengthened until Rick couldn’t take it any longer. “Did Jade tell you about what happened at the party?”

  Amy jerked her head toward him, her eyes wide. “No. I could tell something was bothering her, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Do you know what happened?”

  “She overheard something Trey said. It wasn’t nice.”

  A soft sigh escaped her lips. “I should have known Trey was involved. Those two are like oil and water.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  She lifted her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Where is Trey now?”

  “I have no idea. He left the party without saying anything to me.”

  Without replying, she swung her gaze back toward the house. After another long silence in which Rick decided his best course of action was to bide his time and see what happened, Amy took a step back and leaned against Jade’s car. She lowered her gaze to the ground then cleared her throat as she looked up at him. “I’m sorry I overreacted earlier. I freaked out when you said you recognized me from Stylus. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d go straight to Adam and tell him.”

  “If he finds out it won’t be from me.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’ll care you have a second job.”

  “That’s what Jade says. But I can’t take the chance. Remember what I told you about people assuming things about cocktail servers?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it’s true. I know from personal experience.”

  Rick waited for her to elaborate but she didn’t, and while he was curious, he didn’t press her. Something told him that Amy kept her cards close to her vest. Anything he learned about her would be on her timetable, not his.

  She tilted her head, studying him with eyes he couldn’t read in the dim light. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Let ‘er rip,” he said with a grin.

  “What you said earlier. About wanting to have coffee with me so you could get to know me. Was that true?”

  “I don’t say things that aren’t true.”

  “Why?”

  He frowned. “Why, what?”

  “Why do you want to get to know me?”

  Rick hesitated, surprised by her directness. “Cards on the table?” he asked and when she nodded, he continued, “When I walked you to your car the night we met I enjoyed our conversation. I wanted to do it again. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Oh,” she said, her voice barely audible. “So is the offer still on the table? For coffee, I mean?”

  “Do you want it to be?” he asked, hoping for a yes.

  7

  Did she want it to be? Right now, there was nothing Amy wanted more.

  “Yes,” she said softly.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” The intensity in Rick’s eyes made her heart flutter. It had been a long time since a man had affected her the way Rick did, and even though a part of her knew she shouldn’t get involved with him, she couldn’t resist the chance to spend more time with him. Was she crazy, or what?

  “How about next week?” she suggested, pulling up the collar of her coat to ward off the chill.

  “How about tonight?” Rick shot back with a grin.

  “Tonight?”

  “Why not?” He shrugged. “It’s not that late, and I’m sure we can find a twenty-four-hour café somewhere around here.”

  Tempted, Amy bit her lower lip. “What about Jade?”

  “We can wait for her to come back so she doesn’t worry, and then afterward I can take you home.”

  “All right.” Amy nodded. “As long as Jade is okay with it. She might want to talk about what happened with Trey and I’d like to be there for her if she does. She’s done so much for me.”

  Rick nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Thirty minutes later, Amy sat at a booth inside the diner Jade had suggested after she’d returned with her keys. Cradling a warm cup of coffee in her hands, Amy prayed the nerves zinging their way through her body would calm the hell down.

  The Sansome Diner was a narrow space with booths lined up against the windows that had been decorated with strings of tiny white lights that blinked on and off at regular intervals. After she and Rick had been seated at a booth near the front door and ordered two cups of coffee, Rick had excused himself to use the restroom and she sat sipping her coffee and absently staring at the TV screen mounted on the wall near the entrance. Had agreeing to have coffee with Rick been a mistake? Someone more optimistic might say she shouldn’t assume things might go sideways. Well, that person hadn’t walked in her shoes and had probably been on a date—coffee or otherwise—in the past three years.

  Three years? Had it really been that long?

  Yes, it had. And even before then dating had never come easily to her. Most guys had been turned off by the fact that she had a child. Then, when she’d finally met a man who seemed genuinely interested in her, respected her responsibility to Danny, and who appeared to be totally different than the losers she’d previously wasted her time on, she discovered that even the so-called good ones could turn into her worst nightmare given the right circumstances.

  Did other women her age worry so much about a measly coffee date? The ones at Stylus certainly didn’t. They didn’t seem to worry about anything other than having fun. She’d been that girl once, but experience was a val
uable teacher and now that she was responsible for a human being other than herself she couldn’t afford to not worry.

  Footsteps on the wood plank floor pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced up and her stomach did a quick somersault. Rick seemed to get more attractive every time she saw him. The white shirt he wore under his grey suit jacket contrasted with his tanned skin and dark hair making him look both mysterious and sexy. An image of him naked flashed in her mind as he ambled toward her unaware that she was undressing him with her eyes. Suddenly her skin felt hot, and the lazy smile that lifted the corner of his mouth as he slid into the booth across from her did nothing to cool her down.

  Calm down, woman. It’s just coffee.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, picking up the menu.

  As if on cue, Amy’s stomach rumbled and she couldn’t help but grin. “I didn’t think so, but my stomach is telling me otherwise,” she said, surprised her voice wasn’t as shaky as her nerves.

  He glanced up from the menu. “How about some pancakes?”

  Now that her appetite had been triggered by the comforting aroma of coffee and bacon frying, she couldn’t say no. “Sounds delicious,” she said as she leaned against the back of the booth and sipped her dark-roast blend.

  After their waitress, who looked exhausted but was in a jovial mood nonetheless, took their order, Rick wrapped his long fingers around his coffee cup and lifted it from the table. “In the spirit of full disclosure I have a confession to make,” he said before taking a tentative sip of his coffee.

  Whatever she’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that. Curious, she tilted her head and smiled. “They say confession is good for the soul. And I promise to keep whatever you say in the strictest confidence.”

  “I haven’t been on a date since high school.”

  So this wasn’t just coffee. Somehow she’d known that, but having it confirmed sent her pulse racing. “You win. I haven’t been on a date in three years.”

  Rick’s dark brows rose. “Seriously?” he asked, and when she nodded he continued, “I know why I haven’t been on a date in so long, but I can’t imagine that no man has asked you out in the past three years.”

  “Oh, a few have asked. I said no.”

  “May I ask why?”

  Because the last first date she’d accepted had been a mistake. A huge mistake. But Rick didn’t need to know anything about that. No one did. “A few reasons, but the most important one is my son. Things were kind of crazy for a while and he needed stability. He’s doing much better now that we’re in San Francisco.”

  “That’s good to hear. How old is he?

  “He’s eight. Which…” She shook her head and gave him a rueful smile. “…I can hardly believe.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “Actually, you met him a few weeks ago. The Blaze hosted his school’s class at the ballpark. He’s the kid who gave you a lesson on clouds.”

  Rick’s eyes widened. “Danny?”

  So her son had made an impression. She wasn’t surprised. “The one and only. He’s been obsessed with the weather, but now, thanks to your influence I assume, he wants a baseball glove for Christmas. I was shocked. He’s never shown an interest in baseball before.”

  Rick took another sip of coffee then peered at her over his cup with curiosity gleaming in the depths of his chocolatey brown eyes. “Speaking of which, at the club you said you were a Blaze fan, but most fans would have known about Jill. Not that I’m a big celebrity or anything, but from what I understand both her death and my decision to stop playing immediately afterward was covered pretty extensively in the media. So I have to ask: do you really like baseball?”

  Amy couldn’t help but wince. Her shading of the truth was coming back to bite her in the ass. “I’d seen you and Trey at Logan-Johnson, but since I didn’t want you to know I worked there I exaggerated my interest in the Blaze. I went to a few games as a kid, but I was never a big fan.”

  Rick set his cup on the table and leaned forward, studying her with solemn eyes. “Look, I’m not sure why you’ve gone to such lengths to hide the fact you work at the club, and while I’m curious as all get-out, you don’t owe me an explanation. And you don’t have to worry that I’m going to say anything to Adam because I’m not. That’s up to you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, relieved to not have to go into detail about her past. “I know it must seem odd to you, but the reasons why I want to keep my job at the club on the down-low are valid. To me, anyway. It’s...it’s complicated.”

  “I get it. I’m dealing with a complicated situation myself. With my in-laws.” His brow furrowed. “Or former in-laws. I’m not sure how to refer to them now that Jill’s gone. They’re still having a rough time.”

  “I would be surprised if they weren’t,” she said, her heart going out to Jill’s parents. “If anything ever happened to Danny I don’t think I’d ever get over it.”

  Rick nodded. “The thing is I understand that. I think I’m feeling guilty because I’m starting to move on and they probably never will. Jill was their only child.”

  “They must be devastated.”

  “Yeah. They are.” He leaned back and a wry smile tugged at his mouth. “Let’s talk about something less intense. Tell me your cocktail server war stories.”

  After she had entertained Rick with a few of her more bizarre customer encounters and they’d finished their buttermilk pancakes, Amy settled back in her chair and wished the night didn’t have to end. If they were classifying this as a first date, then this one was pretty amazing. There was an easiness between her and Rick she’d never felt with anyone else, and she appreciated that he hadn’t pressed her about her reasons for keeping her job at Stylus a secret.

  “How long has Danny been interested in the weather?”

  “About six months, or so. He discovered the Weather Channel website on my iPad and started watching their videos. Then he found a website geared toward kids that explains weather in a way they can understand it.” She chuckled softly. “I wonder if this is how meteorologists get their start.”

  “Or storm chasers. We’ve got some of those in my neck of the woods.”

  “Aren’t they the people who follow twisters?” Amy shivered. “I hope Danny doesn’t end up doing that. It sounds dangerous.”

  “It can be.”

  “Maybe Danny’s interest in the weather will take a backseat to baseball now that he’s asking Santa for a glove.”

  Rick shrugged, a graceful movement of one muscular shoulder. “He had fun playing catch at the ballpark. I got the impression he discovered he’s more athletic than he thought he was. When it was time for the kids to head back to the school he didn’t want to leave.”

  That surprised her considering Danny had asked to stay home that day so he could get out of the field trip. “Thank you for spending time with him that day. You made an impression.”

  A smile curved his mouth. “I enjoyed it. And it was good practice for Wednesday. I’m starting a volunteer gig at one of the City Youth Clubs.”

  “Really?” She lifted her brows. “Which one? Danny goes to the one in the Mission district after school.”

  “That’s where I’m assigned. I’ll be there two days a week until spring training starts. Maybe Danny can teach me more about the weather,” he added with a grin.

  “I’m sure he’ll be happy to oblige.”

  Rick’s amused expression turned somber and he studied her thoughtfully for several seconds. “Danny said he was named after his grandfather and later he made a comment about not having a dad. If you don’t mind me asking, where is his father?”

  Amy’s stomach did a slow churn. She didn’t blame Rick for being curious, but the circumstances of Danny’s conception weren’t something she was proud of. In fact, that period of her life was something she’d rather forget. “He…he was deployed to the Middle East before Danny was born. I never saw him again after he left.”

  “That’s rough. I’m sorry.”
>
  “Thanks, but we honestly didn’t know each other very well. Danny wasn’t planned.”

  “You must have been young when you had him.”

  “Almost eighteen. And alone.” She shuddered at the memory. “I was terrified.”

  “Alone?” he asked, surprise evident in his voice. “You said your dad passed away, but what about your mother?”

  “I lived in Barstow at the time.” She sighed. “It’s all tied in with that complicated stuff I’m not fond of talking about.”

  “Barstow? That’s in Southern California, right?”

  “Yes. It’s inland. Most people stop there for gas and food on their way to and from Las Vegas.”

  “What’s it like?”

  Amy shrugged. “Like any other desert town. Hot and dusty.”

  “So you don’t miss it?”

  Miss the suspicion, gossip, and being labeled a ‘person of interest’? Hell, no. But she couldn’t say that aloud, so instead she smiled and shook her head. “Not in the slightest.”

  Walking beside Amy as they left the diner, Rick was disappointed that the evening was almost over. The time he and Amy had spent talking hadn’t been nearly long enough for him. He wanted to see her again. Wanted to make her laugh again as he had with the story of the one and only time he’d gotten on a horse and ended up flat on his back in a pile of horse shit.

  Other than her mention of Danny’s father and her obvious dislike of Barstow, he didn’t know much more about her than he did when they’d entered the diner. And that intrigued him even more. She was like one of those Russian nesting dolls his mother collected. Each time you opened one there was another doll underneath. His gut told him that, like those dolls, there were a lot of layers to Amy, and he had a strong desire to get to know each and every one of them.

  As they walked together toward the parking garage, he slid a glance her way. The slight breeze teased her hair, revealing one of her ever-present sapphire earrings. Although it was past midnight, the soft glow from the street lamps illuminated her smooth, porcelain skin and he was struck again by how different she looked without the wig and heavy makeup she wore at Stylus. The only things that were the same were her bottomless green eyes and her full-lipped mouth.