Playing the Game: Playing the Game Duet Book 1

by Gina Drayer

  Thankfully, dessert came, saving me from any more embarrassing confessions. The waitress set all three dishes in the center of the table. Cooper took out his phone and snapped a photo.

  “I’m going to post this to my Instagram and tell everybody you ate all three desserts.”

  “Is that a challenge?” I picked up a spoon and took a small scoop of chocolate soufflé, and smiled for the camera.

  The rich, chocolatey silk melted in my mouth. I closed my eyes and moaned.

  “I could watch you eat all night,” Cooper said.

  I couldn’t stop the blush that colored my cheeks, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I rarely eat out and wasn’t a great baker, so I was going to savor every bit regardless of who was watching.

  “How about another glass of wine?” He filled my glass without waiting for an answer. “And a toast? Should we drink to new beginnings?”

  “Let’s drink to this chocolate soufflé,” I said, inching the plate to my side of the table. “And to adorable fans.”

  “And to our next date,” he said, raising his glass.

  I don’t know what possessed me, but after tonight—after seeing a little bit of his world, I wanted to share part of mine.

  “Speaking of our next date. I want to choose where we go next time.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “Just know that we can’t go to Canada. I’m banned from the country for the next seven years.”

  I nearly choked on my next bite. “Really?”

  “I’m kidding. At least, I think I am. Some tabloid reported I got kicked out of the country after our postseason loss against the Blue Jays.”

  “Do people really believe everything they read in tabloids?”

  Cooper shot me a crooked grin and raked a hand through his hair. I turned my focus back to the soufflé and tried not to think about putting my own hand through that hair.

  “After our loss, a couple of my teammates and I may have consoled ourselves with a few too many that night. There may have been cops involved, but no one got deported. You only live once, right?”

  “That is such a stupid saying. People use it to justify bad behavior. A responsible person knows their limits. It’s okay to have fun, but moderation is key.”

  I held up my still mostly full glass for emphasis but suddenly felt silly. I’m so used to mentoring at-risk kids that sometimes I forget how to talk to adults.

  “Sexy,” he said in a completely ironic tone. “I can’t wait to hear what you have planned for our next date. The library? A church?”

  “Just because I think adults need to be responsible doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have a good time.” I leaned across the table and smiled. “I might surprise you.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  He would probably hate what I had in mind, but his teasing wasn’t going to change my mind. I picked up my fork and took another bite of the soufflé.

  I kept the conversation light after that. We talked about mundane things like the weather and our mutual plans for Thanksgiving. By the time the bill arrived, we’d managed to eat all three desserts and finish off the rest of the bottle of wine.

  I was stuffed and sleepy and pretty happy. If this had been a real date, I would have ranked it at one of the best I’d ever been on. But I kept reminding myself that this was a business arrangement and nothing more.

  Cooper signed the check and slipped three fifty dollar bills into the leather holder.

  “I thought you gave her your credit card.”

  “I always leave cash for the tip. I want to make sure my waiter gets the full amount,” he said slipping his wallet back into his pocket. “My mom used to wait tables. I know how important tips are. I figure our waitress can use the money more than me.”

  I smiled and followed him out of the restaurant, trying to wrap my brain around the contradiction that was Cooper Reynolds. Somehow, in the course of a two-hour meal, he’d managed to completely change the way I thought of him.

  My head was still spinning when the car pulled up. Instead of a goodnight kiss I’d been worrying about, he took my hand and gently kissed the back of my knuckles.

  “Until next time.”

  I fell into the back of the car, heart racing and slightly out of breath by the simple gesture.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  Star New York

  The $200,000 Date. Was She Worth It?

  Cooper Reynolds, seen here with date Emily Oliver leaving Belly of the Beast.

  The much anticipated date between Cooper and Emily happened last night, and it was a dud. After arriving late, Emily spent most of the night staring at her plate.

  It seems that Cooper’s high rolling lifestyle is of no interest to the low key Oliver. She was unimpressed by his charm. Maybe Cooper should stick to models.

  15

  Emily

  I tossed the paper onto the table, ashamed that I’d picked up the gossip rag at the store. It kind of pissed me off that people were writing about our date like they knew what went on. Sure, we’d had a rocky start, but the date ended well. And I got to see a side of Cooper that was completely unexpected.

  But the papers were right, his high rolling lifestyle was completely out of sync with my own. And nothing made that more obvious than the flashy red Audi parked outside my modest brownstone.

  With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. Not only was I having second thoughts about my plan, but I was also having third and fourth thoughts, too. Maybe it wasn’t too late to call the whole thing off and go to some fancy restaurant instead.

  “Your carriage awaits, my lady,” Cooper said with a bow and opened the passenger's door.

  “Thanks.”

  As I passed by him to get into the car, he moved in for a hug, which I clumsily dodged. Instead of an embrace, he ended up giving me an awkward wrap-around shoulder pat. And even while wearing a thick sweater dress and a heavy wool jacket, I could feel the heat of his touch.

  Or maybe that was just my imagination?

  “I’m glad you found my place,” I said, moving away from his touch and into the passenger’s seat. “I know this isn’t exactly your neighborhood."

  “The drive wasn’t bad. And the neighborhood has a homey charm to it," he said before closing the door.

  Homey. That was rich speak for rundown and cheap. He probably only saw the graffiti and the houses that could use a few repairs. When I looked around, I saw the people. The woman next door raising two kids and taking care of her sick mom. The young couple across the street that just bought their first house. The widower two doors down that still lived in the same house he and his wife raised four kids in. This was my home, and I loved it.

  “So where are you taking me?” he asked after getting behind the wheel.

  “Crown Heights.”

  “Crown Heights?” Cooper said with a snort.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked, challenging him. “I can give you directions if you don’t know the way.”

  “Are you sure that’s where you want to go on a date? It’s not in the best part of town.”

  “It’s really not that bad,” I said, a little angry that he, like so many other people, kept perpetuating that rumor. “You agreed that I got to pick and I want to go to Crown Heights.”

  The rest of our ride was peppered with meaningless conversations about the weather and traffic. As soon as we were close enough to the restaurant to see it’s familiar, glowing sign, I relaxed a little. The restaurant wasn’t fancy by any means. It was tucked around the side of a five-story walk-up apartment building, but it was also sunny and brightly decorated that it caught your eye from the street.

  Cooper parked and turned off the car, eyeing the surroundings suspiciously.

  “Your car will be fine,” I said and got out. When he finally joined me, I smiled in spite of him. “I hope you’re hungry. It’s not exactly the IT place, but they have large portions, and everything they serve is one hundred percent amazing.” />
  I used to come down here almost every Friday night, but somehow time had gotten away from me. I really missed coming here as much for the company as the food.

  “I’m game,” he said. “Although you could have told me where we were going beforehand. If I had known we were coming to Crown Heights, I’d have gone a bit more casual than a suit and tie.”

  “Is the big-time baseball star feeling out of his element?” I teased. “Have you forgotten your roots?”

  “Let’s just go inside.”

  As soon as we walked inside, Marie and Chevon hurried over to greet us. I’d told them we were coming and I would bet that they’d been waiting by the door for the past hour. I got a big bear hug from Chevon and a big motherly kiss from Marie.

  Both of them embraced Cooper as well.

  “You’re too skinny,” Marie said, clucking her disapproval. “We’ve been worried about you. You don’t take care of yourself. Always taking care of other people. But you’re here now, and we will make sure you eat. And you,” she pointed to Cooper, “We’ll take care of you, too.”

  And now I felt guilty. The Jacobsons had always treated me like one of the family, and I’d stayed away for far too long. And now I was returning their kindness by making them unwitting accomplices to this fake relationship.

  Did that make me a bad person?

  Luckily, I didn’t have time to dissect that feeling. Little Angelica ran out of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around one of my legs. The Jacobsons’ four-year-old granddaughter was an adorable mess of beaded braids and sticky chocolate ice cream hands.

  “Em-ly, Em-ly, Em-ly!” Angelica shouted, jumping up and down until I scooped the little girl into my arms.

  “Have you been eating ice cream?” I asked and tweaked her sticky nose.

  Angelica nodded and smiled, proudly displaying her teeth until she noticed Cooper standing beside me. The little girl suddenly grew shy, burying her face in my chest, whipping a mess of chocolate into my jacket.

  “I’ve seen you both in the papers. You found yourself quite a beau,” Marie said, giving him an assessing once-over. “Mighty fine indeed and rich.”

  Of course, Marie would be so forward. The woman never minced words. I was surprised—and a little relieved—that she hadn’t pinched Cooper’s butt.

  “Have you two been dating long?” Chevon asked. “Is he the reason we haven’t seen you in such a long while?”

  “No, nobody is to blame for that except me. I’m sorry, I’ve just been so busy.”

  Angelica, tired of all the adults talking, wriggled restlessly in my arms and I let her down. The little girl ran back into the kitchen. I really wanted to follow her because I was ready for this conversation to be over, too.

  What had I been thinking bringing him here?

  It would have been so much easier if I’d just let Cooper take me out to a couple of nice restaurants, posed for a few pictures, and left this chapter of my life behind. But no, I couldn’t stay that disconnected. My stupid pride kicked in, and I had to prove to him that what I was doing mattered. I had to show him exactly what the shelter meant to the people I helped.

  “Well, you’re here now, that’s all that matters,” Marie said and waved to the empty dining room. “Have a seat, let me get you some food.”

  “But we haven’t ordered,” Cooper whispered under his breath.

  Marie laughed and wagged a finger at him. “I know exactly what you need. Sit anywhere you want. I’ll have the food up in a sec.”

  “So out of every place in New York, this is where you wanted to bring me?” Cooper said as soon as we were alone. “I get that they are friends of yours and I’m sure you think the food’s great and all, but…” He waved his hand indicating the empty dining room as if that proved his point for him. “Even if someone saw us coming in here, I’m not sure that’s going to bring more people down here to eat.”

  “I didn’t bring you here to help their business. They’re packed every night,” I said, irritated by his assumptions. “When I called to tell Marie I was bringing you, she shut down the restaurant, so we could have a private meal.”

  Cooper scrunched up his face and looked around the room again. He didn’t believe me. Marie’s place didn’t fit his mold of a restaurant that would be in high demand.

  Before I said something I’d regret, I turned and hung my jacket up behind the counter. By the time I got back, Marie had brought out our food—a plate of warm paratha, doubles topped with channa and a cucumber chutney, a spicy vegetable curry for me, and a huge bowl of Marie’s famous stewed beef with coconut dumplings for Cooper.

  “The food looks delicious,” Cooper said, flashing a smile. “I don’t know how we’re going to be able to eat all this.”

  I couldn’t tell if it was his genuine smile or one of his fake million dollar smiles. And honestly, I didn’t care. It was obvious, Cooper didn’t want to get to know me. He was a spoiled, rich baseball player and nothing I did was going to change that.

  “You’re a big man. I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Marie said, beaming. “As soon as you’re done, I have some Coconut Gizzada and a fresh Black Cake.”

  “This is way too much,” I protested, hating even more that I’d brought Cooper here. I knew she spent the afternoon making all my favorites and he wouldn’t appreciate the effort.

  “Nonsense, girl. It’s the least we could do,” Chevon said, patting my back as he passed. He sat down another plate in front of Cooper and pointed my direction. “That one there. She’s a special lady. You need to take care of her.”

  “You guys are pretty special too.”

  “Not like you, dear. We’ll never be able to repay you.” Marie turned to Cooper. “Chevon hurt his back in a hit and run accident. He was out of work for a long time. And because of his lifting restrictions, no one would hire him. I had a job, but I couldn’t keep up with our expenses—especially after the hospital bills started showing up. We lost our house. We lost everything.”

  “We didn’t want to go to a shelter. Most places, they separate the men from the women,” Chevon said quietly, lowering his eyes. “I promised my wife we would stay together, no matter what. There are so few family shelters. Thankfully, Emily had space for us.”

  “It wasn’t just a place to stay. She helped us get back on our feet,” said Marie, wiping away her tears. “Did you know she’s part owner of this place? She gave us a down payment and cosigned our loan.”

  “I’m an owner in name only. This place is all you.” I looked down at my plate, sniffing back my own tears.

  When I looked up, Cooper was staring at me, wide-eyed. Damnit. This whole night was backfiring. I’d wanted to get Cooper out of his element and see a different side of New York, not make myself vulnerable to his scrutiny.

  He cleared his throat, looking a bit uneasy. I didn’t know him well enough to read his expressions. “I have to admit you were right, Emily. This is the best meal I’ve had in a long time. I’ll definitely be recommending this place to my friends.”

  “How about we add your picture to our wall?” Chevon said and pointed to the wall behind the register that was packed with hometown celebrities and politicians.

  “Of course.” He stood up, and like a light switch, he turned on his charming, celebrity alter ego.

  If he wasn’t a baseball player, Cooper would have probably made a great actor. He could shift into different roles with ease. I watched as Chevon pinned his picture next to another of his teammate’s right in the center of the wall, and the guilt was back. Now, I’d have to look at his smiling, handsome face every time I visited.

  “I’m going to have to give Rodriguez a hard time for keeping this place a secret.”

  Forgetting her shyness, Angelica emerged from the back and wanted to pose for her own photos. The camera came out again, and we all posed for a few more. Angelica sat on my lap while Chevon snapped away. Marie even joined us for a few shots.

  “Now, let’s take a picture with the happy co
uple,” Marie said.

  “Oh no, that’s not necessary.”

  “Of course it’s necessary,” Marie said and waved us closer together. “I need to have a picture of you and your beau to remember this event. When you’re married and have a few kids of your own, you’ll want to remember this time. There’s nothing like new love.”

  The last thing I wanted was a photo to remember this date. But Marie wouldn’t let it go. Frowning, I reluctantly slid into the booth next to Cooper. Angelica squeezed between us and crawled onto Cooper’s lap.

  “Your hair is pretty like my Barbie,” she said and ran her chubby fingers through Cooper’s loose strands.

  I stifled a giggle and sat Angelica between the two of us, grateful for the buffer she was providing. But after a few more photos with the three of us, Marie reached over and scooped up the little girl, shooing her away.

  “I want at least one of just the two of you,” Marie said, winking.

  I glanced at Cooper and noticed that Angelica had managed to leave behind a Cheerio in his hair. Laughing, I reached up to retrieve the bit of cereal. He turned just as my fingers brushed it away and I found myself looking deep into his green-blue eyes. I could easily get lost there if I stared too long. Just like I got lost in the taste of his lips. The feel of his skin.

  The last time we’d posed for a photo, he’d kissed me. The memory of his lips pressed against mine was seared into my mind. I could easily lean forward; steal another kiss.

  The sound of the Polaroid going off snapped me back to reality. I blinked, realizing what I’d almost done.

  God. How could I be so stupid? I was falling for my own lie.

  I mumbled an apology under my breath, slid out of the booth, and made a beeline to the bathroom, not caring about the questioning looks from my friends.

  I couldn’t think sitting next to him. Not with the heat of his skin pressed against the side of my body. Not with his damn smell invading my senses, fogging up my brain. I had to put some distance between us, physical and otherwise. I had to remember that this relationship wasn’t real, even though my rapidly beating heart was saying something entirely different.