Double Play

by Karen Ann Dell

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Roxanne St. Claire. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Barefoot Bay remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Roxanne St. Claire, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Double Play

  A Barefoot Bay Kindle World Novella

  ByKAREN ANN DELL

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to Barefoot Bay Kindle Worlds, a place for authors to write their own stories set in the tropical paradise that I created! For these books, I have only provided the setting of Mimosa Key and a cast of characters from my popular Barefoot Bay series. That’s it! I haven’t contributed to the plotting, writing, or editing of Double Play. This book is entirely the work of author Karen Ann Dell, a writer who never fails to bring the feels to every book.

  Looks like it’s baseball season again in Barefoot Bay and that means love on the field and off. Karen’s hero has plan to follow his heart, but when the team’s new human resources manager catches his eye…it looks like that heart can be stolen as easily as second base. Karen hits a homerun with this one!

  Roxanne St. Claire

  PS. If you’d like to read all of the Barefoot Bay Kindle Worlds novels, or would like to explore the possibility of writing your own book set in my world, stop by www.roxannestclaire.com for details!

  Acknowledgments

  When I decided to convert the stories in my head to books readable by the public, I looked around and found my local chapter of RWA. Little did I know how lucky I was, living in a small town on Florida’s east coast, to find a group chock full of talented and multi-published authors of romance. I owe the members of the SpacecoasT Authors of Romance a debt I can never repay. So many of them gave unstintingly of their time and expertise to help the newbie along the path to publication. Roxanne St. Claire, Kristen Painter, Leigh Duncan, Laura Freeman, JoMarie DeGioia, and Chris Kridler are just a few of the women I now consider friends as well as mentors. They are all wonderful writers and I encourage you to try their books.

  I’ve read all of Roxanne St. Claire’s books—many of them several times—and loved them all. She is amazingly talented and those books have provided me with hours of enjoyment as well as education. Rocki, as she insists her friends call her, has generously offered to open her world of Barefoot Bay to her many fans and I am delighted to bring this novella into her world, with the intention of adding more stories to follow.

  I would also like to thank Rich Milliard, Kevin Bates and Ryan Scarff (who packs a wealth of baseball information into a twelve-year old mind) for their insights into the world of baseball. Any mistakes are strictly my own.

  And as always, thanks to my first readers—Darlene, Hilde, and Karen, who give me the encouragement to carry on, in spite of my conviction that what I give them to read should be burned. Also, my patient copyeditor, Chris Kridler, who is an excellent author in her own right and chases storms when she’s not doling out commas and crossing out ellipses. Check out her amazing photographs at skydiary.com.

  Other Books by Karen Ann Dell

  Blue Point Cove Series

  Hers By Request

  His By Design

  Theirs By Chance

  December 2016

  Rehab for the Heart

  Chapter One

  Sky tugged open the curtains and tossed her purse onto the bed. The maid at the Fourway Motel had left the air conditioner on max, and the chill raised goose bumps on her arms. Okay, it’s Florida. I get it. But heck, it’s also January and the temperature outside is a delightful seventy-two degrees. She opened the panel and dialed back the control.

  Then she gave in and did a quick happy dance. She’d done it. Her interview with the three big spenders who were putting the new minor league baseball team together had lasted over an hour. When she first walked into the conference room and saw Nate Ivory, Zeke Nicholas and Elliottt Becker seated at the long table, she almost stumbled. Nate Ivory was instantly recognizable from the barrage of media attention that followed him everywhere. She recognized Zeke Nicholas from his cover shot on Forbes magazine, and while she couldn’t remember seeing Elliottt Becker in the news, he was no less handsome and just as rich as the other two men. The testosterone factor in the room was off the charts.

  Zeke rose and offered her a chair across from them, which she needed, considering how badly her knees were shaking. Sitting in a room with three unbelievably handsome men in their early thirties was daunting enough. Knowing they were all billionaires was downright intimidating, to say the least. Good thing she’d grown up in a household with five brothers where she learned to fight for what she wanted, be it the last pancake in the stack or the remote control for the TV.

  The three men had studied her credentials—she’d graduated summa cum laude with an MBA from Lehigh University and had a three-year stint as assistant director of human resources in the biggest ad agency in Philadelphia under her belt. They grilled her with questions that left her palms damp, but she’d fielded them all without a hitch. In the end, after a five-minute wait in the lobby while they conferred, they hired her on the spot. She wasn’t sure if that was because she was the best applicant, or the only applicant. But, really, she didn’t care why. I’m going to work for a baseball team! Minor league, true, but still, a baseball team! Wait until I tell Mike and Jed; they’ll flip.

  While her whole family was devoted to the Phillies, her two bracket-brothers (one a year older, the other a year younger) lived, breathed, and ate baseball for breakfast. Exposure to their passion had fueled her own, and she could trade player stats with the best of them.

  She changed out of her charcoal, pin striped, business suit and three-inch stilettos into a pair of skinny jeans, a red tank top and cowgirl boots. She pulled the pins from the neat chignon and let her long, chocolate-brown hair tumble down her back. Perching a straw Stetson on her head, she was ready to check out Mimosa Key.

  Her new home was an island just off the western coast of Florida and a bit north of Naples. Considering it was thirty-eight degrees and raining back in Philly, the warm breezes from the Gulf of Mexico that pushed puffy white clouds across the sunny sky made her want to text raspberries to her older brothers. She’d kept her hero-worship under wraps growing up, in order to survive their teasing. Let them envy her for a change.

  Sky pulled up to the gas pumps across the street at the Super Min and went inside, where she trolled the aisles and stocked up on junk food—her biggest guilty pleasure—then looked for a local map as she unloaded her goodies at the counter.

  “Well, hello there, Missy. You leave your horse tied up out back?” The woman behind the counter took inventory of her clothes, shoes and hat, and then began to ring up the chips, cookies and sodas.

  A bit taken back by the cashier’s attitude, Sky mumbled, “Too country for down here, huh?”

  “Heck, no, not at all. Don’t mind me, young lady. Hell, we’ve got more cowboys in Florida than they do in Texas. Well, almost.” The five-foot-two woman, whose frizzy caramel hair needed a root touch-up, winked at her across the counter.

  “I didn’t know that. Guess I’ve got a lot to learn about this part of the world. I’m Sky Ziegfel
d.” She put her hand out and got a surprised look and a perfunctory handshake from the woman.

  “I’m Charity Grambling, proud owner of this establishment. And if you want to know about this neck of the woods, you’ve come to the right place. You here for a mid-winter vacation?”

  Sky grinned. “Nope. I’m about to become a permanent resident. I just got hired to work for the Barefoot Bay Bucks.”

  “I can see why you’re celebrating with all this.” Charity swept her arm across the counter. “But you’d best watch out you don’t lose that nice figure while you’re celebrating.”

  “I’ll be careful.” Not that it’s any of your business. “Do you have a local map? I need to find a place to live. An apartment or maybe a small house? Any suggestions?”

  Charity pointed out the front windows. “If you head south on the main road, you’ll find some older neighborhoods with small private homes—those that survived the hurricane a few years back. There might be some for rent. I don’t keep up with that sort of thing. If you head north toward the new stadium, you’ll come across mostly new construction. Town houses, small apartment buildings and the like. Guess I’d try up that way first.”

  Sky gathered up her purchases and the map Charity slid across the counter. “Thanks for your help, Charity. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”

  “Of course you will. Sooner or later, everyone comes by the Super Min.” Charity smiled smugly.

  Sky filled her car up at the pump, then retraced the route she’d taken earlier to the Bucks stadium. Now that her mind was not totally preoccupied with her impending interview, she noticed a sign for Buck’s Landing and turned off the main road to explore.

  She parked her CR-V in front of the rental office next to a silver Mercedes SL500. Heck, does everybody on this island have a six-digit income? I guess the Casa Blanca Resort & Spa has raised the bar for residents as well as vacationers. I may have to live across the causeway, if the rent here is too rich for my blood.

  As she got out of her car, two women exited the building, one of them carrying keys, the other dressed the way Sky had been an hour ago.

  Seeing her standing by her car, the woman holding the keys approached her with a smile. “Can I help you? I’m Natalie Schuster, the rental agent for these properties.” She offered her hand.

  “Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Sky Ziegfeld.” She shook hands and nodded to the younger woman waiting by her car. “I’m interested in renting but not sure whether I want an apartment or a townhouse. Since you’re already busy, perhaps I could make an appointment to come back later?”

  The other woman spoke up. “Since we both seem to be in the market for rentals, I don’t see why Natalie can’t give us the tour together. Would that be okay with you?”

  “Of course,” Natalie said. “Whatever you’re both comfortable with is fine. Ms. Zeigfeld?”

  “Sounds good to me. What were you on your way to see?” Considering the car and the clothes, Sky assumed the other woman, although about her age, would be looking for more upscale lodgings than she could afford.

  The woman stepped closer to shake hands and offer a friendly smile. “My name is Kelly Singer. Nice to meet you. The apartments were our first stop, but I’d love to see the townhouses, too.”

  “Good to meet you, Kelly.” Sky glanced between the two women, then eyed Kelly’s car. “Maybe we should take my car if it’s too far to walk. I love your ride, Kelly, but I don’t think we’ll all fit in it.”

  “Before we leave, let me get some other keys,” the agent said. “I’ll be right out.”

  While they waited for the rental agent, Kelly grinned and said, “I should have changed, too. You look much more comfortable.”

  Sky gestured to Kelly’s silk blouse, pencil skirt and three-inch heels. “Bad enough I have to dress like that on the job, but my shoes came off automatically as soon as I hit my motel room. I’m really a country girl at heart.”

  “I hear you. I was just so excited when those hunks hired me, I couldn’t wait to find a place to call home. I turned in here as soon as I left the Bucks’ compound.”

  “You’re a new hire out at the stadium, too? We’ve got a lot in common, then. I’m their new head of human resources.”

  “Well, congratulations. I’m double dipping, at least for a while. I’m filling in as the administrative assistant for the head coach, Donnie Betz, and the trainer, Jack Austin. They weren’t at the interview, though. I met with the three owners.” Kelly fanned herself with her hand.

  “Yeah,” Sky rolled her eyes heavenward. “Those three could have a nun heading for confession with one glance.”

  “You are so right about that. I had trouble concentrating until the shock and awe wore off a bit. I’d heard they were all off the market, but still, that much eye candy lined up across from a girl can blow all logical thought right out of your ears.”

  They shared a laugh.

  The agent rejoined them, now juggling several sets of keys. “All right, ladies. I can show you one- and two-bedroom apartments, some with dens, and two- and three-bedroom townhouses. Shall we get started?”

  Two hours later, they were back at the rental office, and Sky’s head was whirling with floor plans and rental fees. She needed time to figure out where she wanted to live and how she’d pay for it.

  Coming from a family with six kids, Sky had grown up in a big, old, three-story home. The one thing she knew she’d miss would be the family get-togethers on the weekends—when three of her older brothers, who had places of their own, would gather for Sunday dinners or Saturday baseball games. She loved being part of a big family and knew she’d be lonesome without the teasing and companionship of her brothers. Yeah, well, put on your big-girl panties and deal with it. The guys are all expecting you to run back home all teary-eyed and lonely. Not gonna happen.

  Natalie looked from her to Kelly and back again. “Any preferences in the models we looked at?”

  Sky bit her lower lip. “I, uh, need some time to consider. Can I let you know by tomorrow?”

  Natalie nodded. “You can, of course. I just want to point out that the end townhouse unit you seemed particularly fond of is the only end unit still available. If someone comes in today and snaps it up, you’ll be out of luck. We have several units open in the other models I showed you, so there’s no urgency there. Kelly? Are you interested in anything I showed you today?”

  Sky held her breath. Would Kelly be the one to snap up that beautiful end unit? She wouldn’t be surprised.

  “I have to second Sky’s decision to think on my options, at least until tomorrow. I’ll look over these brochures tonight and call you first thing in the morning, Natalie. Thank you for taking the time to show us around.”

  “My pleasure, ladies. I hope to hear from you soon.” Natalie passed out business cards. “Call me if you have any questions.”

  Outside, the two women paused at the curb. “I need food. Want to join me for lunch?” Sky asked.

  “You must be a mind-reader. My thoughts exactly. Where do you want to go?” Kelly dug her sunglasses out of her Michael Kors bag.

  “I have no idea. I haven’t scoped out the island yet. That was my plan for later today. Have you been here long enough to find a good restaurant?”

  “The best restaurant on Mimosa Key is at the Casa Blanca Resort. It’s called Junonia and has a five-star rating. Consequently I’m gonna have to wait until after my first paycheck before I brave those waters. The lady who runs the Super Mini Mart suggested South of the Border, which she said was off the tourists’ radar and a favorite of the locals. Want to try that? Now that we’re bona fide employees of the Barefoot Bay Bucks, we qualify as insiders.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll follow you.”

  South of the Border lived up to its reputation. Minimal signage meant if you didn’t already know the place, you’d drive right by it. They parked around back and entered the cool, dark cave of a place, where the lunch special listed fish tacos on the chalkbo
ard.

  “Since we both succeeded in getting hired, I suggest we celebrate with a margarita or two,” Kelly said.

  “Hell, yes,” Sky agreed. “We owe ourselves that much.”

  They both ordered the lunch special, and when their drinks arrived, they tapped their glasses to Kelly’s toast. “To the Bucks!”

  They each opted for a second margarita, and by the time she’d finished her tacos, Sky felt the buzz. “The bartender didn’t skimp on the tequila, that’s for sure.” She giggled, then sobered and looked across the table. Might as well get the bad news over with. “What’s your take on the places we looked at? Any favorites?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve got a favorite, but even with the salary they’re paying me, I can’t swing my first choice by myself.”

  Sky’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I thought … You know, with your car and all,” she gestured at Kelly’s designer clothes and handbag.

  “Don’t let the trappings fool you, Sky. The car belonged to my mother, but she, uh, can’t drive it anymore, so I inherited it. In fact, since she and I are the same size, most of my clothes and expensive shoes used to be hers.” Kelly closed her eyes for a second, then tried to smile. “Besides, your car is brand new. It’s probably worth more than mine.”

  “Uh, no. That’s a rental. I flew down for my interview. Now that I’ve got the job, a couple of my brothers will drive my pickup down with my belongings. Mostly my bedroom furniture and a desk. I lived at home while I worked in Philly.”

  Her friends thought she was crazy to live at her parents’ house, but she had a student loan to pay off, and, well, she didn’t want to live alone. She loved the hustle and bustle, and occasional chaos, living with her family provided.

  “I’m going to rent out my mom’s condo, now that I’m moving up here.” Kelly stared into her margarita. When she looked up, her blue eyes were tinged with sadness. “My mom has early onset Alzheimer’s. She can’t live alone anymore, so she’s in an assisted-living facility down in West Palm.”