Double Play

by Karen Ann Dell

  AJ hoped his mom wouldn’t suffer the same fate she had when his dad married her. He’d call his mom tonight to check in so she wouldn’t worry. His grandfather could wait until Friday, when the final word came down from Cutter Valentine.

  His gut clenched at the thought that he might not be offered a contract. Besides destroying a dream he’d cherished since he was nine, his grandfather could still be pissed off enough at his tryout for the team to kill his trust fund and kick his mom out of the sweet townhouse in Beacon Hill.

  He put that worry aside and dressed in a loose-fitting linen shirt and tan slacks for his dinner date with the prettiest girl on Mimosa Key. He whistled as he dropped the top on the Stang and settled behind the wheel. Tonight should be fun.

  Chapter Five

  Dinner was a disaster.

  AJ had arrived right on time, looking good enough to pose on the cover of GQ, and Sky’s heart made a successful attempt to lodge in her throat when she opened the door to the mouth-watering sight. Willing her pulse to slow down and swallowing twice to return her heart to its normal position, she managed a friendly smile and invited him in. Her cream silk pants, white blouse and embroidered pale blue vest went so well with his attire, one would have thought they consulted each other before dressing. She couldn’t fail to notice his appreciative once-over, which floated some warmth into her cheeks.

  Initially, they all planned to ride in Sky’s rented CR-V, but the two convertibles in the driveway were too enticing to ignore. Sky took one look at the spiffy Mustang and decided she’d need a chaperone, lest she lose her mind and lean over the console to get a closer look at AJ’s chiseled jaw and a lungful of his spicy aftershave. So AJ and Sky took Jed with them in the Mustang, while Mike and Kelly rode in her two-seater.

  Checking to make sure she didn’t mind the breeze, AJ left the top down for the short drive. The evening was pleasantly cool, and stars filled the sky with no competition from the thin slice of crescent moon. Mimosa Key had very little nightlife and hardly any neon to drown out the beauty of the heavens. Sky tilted her head back and enjoyed the view.

  Once they were seated in Arturo’s, they ordered drinks and antipasto to share—and the evening began its downhill slide. The topic of discussion naturally turned to baseball, and what began as a friendly conversation gradually spiraled into a debate over the respective merits of the Red Sox and Phillies.

  At first, Sky felt some compassion for AJ, as the only defender of the Red Sox, but he had no trouble holding his own against Jed’s barrage of statistics and Mike’s occasional comment in support of his home team. By the time the merits of the designated hitter rule came up, there was no hope of saving the evening. Mike and Jed scoffed at the idea that pitchers had some kind of magical power that exempted them from the necessity of batting for their team.

  “All the other players take their turns at bat. What makes pitchers so special?” Jed taunted.

  Since AJ would, if he made the Bucks, eventually be pitching for a National League team, the point was moot. He’d take his turn at bat while in the Minors, too.

  Jed, however, wasn’t having it. Born and bred in Philadelphia, Sky was raised believing the designated hitter rule was a cop-out and unfair. Torn between defending her brother’s opinions and cutting AJ some slack as the “outsider,” Sky couldn’t decide who she was more annoyed with.

  Although Sky loved the Phillies, she tried to broaden the scope of what she would ever-afterward refer to as “The Great Debate Debacle.”

  She was unsuccessful.

  After one particularly lively exchange between Jed and AJ, Mike turned to Kelly as the tiebreaker and asked her opinion on the designated hitter rule.

  “Actually, I have no basis for an opinion,” Kelly said. “Until I took this job, I never followed baseball, never went to even one professional game, or watched one on TV.” She took a sip of her wine.

  This declaration met with stunned looks from all three men—punctuated by a moment of profound silence.

  “Oh.” Mike managed a smile. “What made you want to work for the Bucks?”

  “I needed a job,” Kelly retorted, giving Mike an irritated look which she stretched to include all three males. “My skill set matched the requirements listed in the Mimosa Times-Gazette, so I applied. There was nothing in the ad that indicated I had to be knowledgeable about baseball—or even be a fan.”

  “I imagine baseball will work its way into your bloodstream soon enough, working for the Bucks,” AJ commented.

  “I guess it’s possible,” Kelly replied, not sounding too sure about the prospect.

  “Thank goodness not everyone here is a baseball junkie,” Sky said. She rolled her eyes and gave Kelly a long-suffering look. “Now you know what dinner conversation was like in my house. You’d never know my dad was a doctor and my mom taught high-school algebra.”

  Thankfully, the waiter arrived with their entrees before the men could come to blows, and everyone concentrated on their food for the next few minutes.

  The lack of conversation eventually began to feel strained. Sky fidgeted in her chair, racking her brain for a topic that wouldn’t provoke more controversy. Before she could come up with something, Mike broke the silence.

  “What have you been doing since college, AJ?”

  Wonderful, Sky thought. Now we can get down to Mike’s cross-examination of my possible future significant other. She sighed deeply and shook her head. He could have saved his breath. She wasn’t in the market for a permanent partner. Not now. Maybe not ever.

  AJ dropped his gaze to his plate. “I’ve been working at an investment firm since I left college. I, um, had some debts to repay before I could take a chance on landing a slot in the minors full time, but I still play baseball on a team in the Senior Men’s league in Boston. It’s an amateur league, but there are some very talented players on the teams.”

  “I can understand that.” Sky sympathized, jumping in before his reference to the Senior League could drag them back to a discussion of baseball, “If I hadn’t landed a partial scholarship to Lehigh, I’d be saddled with over a hundred thousand dollars in loans to pay back. Higher education is ridiculously expensive nowadays.”

  “Which is why I’m going to the local community college,” Jed grimaced.

  “There’s nothing wrong with community colleges,” AJ said.

  “Yeah? Where did you go to college, AJ?”

  AJ paused and his reluctance only served to heighten everyone’s interest in his reply. “Harvard.”

  “Oh, well, that’s almost like a community college,” Jed scoffed.

  “Jed!” Sky scowled at her youngest brother’s attitude, although she was as surprised as he to hear that AJ had gone to such a prestigious school, only to aspire to play major league baseball.

  “What’s your major?” AJ continued, undaunted by the younger man’s scorn.

  “Education,” Jed replied, with a touch of defiance. “I want to teach like my mom does.”

  “Teaching is a great profession. I’m sure you’ll help a lot more kids fulfill their dreams than I’ll entertain on a summer afternoon.”

  “If you make it to the Show, you’ll make more money on a summer afternoon than I’ll make in a year,” Jed griped, refusing to be mollified.

  “That’s a big if,” AJ replied.

  “Yeah, yeah. I hear you.”

  “Is anyone willing to split dessert with me?” Kelly looked around the table. “I love tiramisu, but my waistline can’t handle a whole serving.” She nudged Jed’s arm. “Jed? Help me out here?”

  Jed grinned at Kelly, like the sun appearing after a storm. “Always willing to help out a pretty lady.”

  Silently blessing Kelly for her attempt to lighten the mood, Sky joined in. “I’ll try the lemon gelato—which I don’t plan to share with anyone. How about you two?” She smiled at Mike and AJ.

  “No sweet stuff for me,” Mike said.

  “Me neither,” AJ agreed.

  And o
nce again, silence reigned.

  What in heaven’s name ever made me accept this dinner invitation? I should have realized the guys would talk sports and spend the evening trying to one-up each other. This evening can’t end soon enough.

  ~~~

  To say the ride home was subdued, would be putting a shine on the dismal mood that pervaded the car. The evening was much chillier now, outside as well as in, so AJ raised the top, which deprived Sky of the distraction of the starry heavens. She contemplated her lap, grateful the ride would be a short one.

  Jed bolted for the door as soon as the car stopped in the driveway. “Thanks for the ride.”

  Sky sighed.

  AJ opened his door, but she stopped him from getting out. “You don’t have to walk me to the door, AJ. I am so sorry Jed gave you such a hard time. My brothers are really good guys underneath all that opinionated trash talk.”

  AJ nodded. “No need to apologize. I was just as culpable in the debate as they. Sports fans can get quite, uh, enthusiastic about their teams. I suffer from the same bias, so no offense taken on that score.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “I understand the protective feelings big brothers have for their sisters, especially ones as beautiful as you. I’m an only child, but if I had a sister, I’m sure I’d be just as … interested … as Mike is about any guy who had designs on her.”

  Sky took a deep breath and moistened lips that had gone dry at the intensity in his gaze. “And do you have … designs?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He leaned over, slid a hand against her cheek, and rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip. Then, eyes wide open, he kissed her.

  The warm, sweet, tender first kiss smashed a huge hole in her defenses. Sky inhaled again, enamored even more by AJ’s spicy, citrusy scent. Before he could kiss her again, she put a restraining hand against his chest and felt hard muscle and heat. The thump of his heart was almost as rapid as hers. “Thank you for dinner. And good luck this week, although I think you’re already a shoe-in for a contract.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. If your impression is correct, I hope you’ll come out to dinner again to celebrate with me.”

  Sky shook her head. One date. That’s what she’d told Kelly. Besides, she wasn’t sure she should trust Mr. Initials. His reluctance to give her his name, plus the unexpected revelation that he’d graduated from Harvard, convinced her that he was keeping secrets about his past.

  That possibility bothered her, so until she found out more about him, she’d keep her distance.

  His eyes searched her face, their laser-blue focus heating her cheeks again. “Please don’t say no. I promise I won’t even mention baseball. Maybe if it’s just the two of us, we can find something we both like to talk about.”

  Sky inhaled deeply to begin her refusal, but the earnest, hopeful message those eyes were sending her changed her mind. She nodded her consent.

  AJ grinned and leaned toward her for another kiss.

  She ducked away, opened the car door, and mentally kicked herself for breaking her self-imposed vow. She would find out all she could about the secretive Mr. Reed at work tomorrow. She had his driver’s license to start with, and any human resources employee could find out a wealth of information with that alone. He wouldn’t have to tell her his first name. She’d have that by 9:02 tomorrow morning.

  She slid out of the car and hurried up the walk, then turned at her door and waved before she went inside.

  Now she had to deal with her annoying, protective, idiot brothers. She dropped her purse and keys on the hall table and got a bottle of water from the fridge to give herself a little time to get her emotions under control.

  She was furious with Jed and hadn’t a clue what had gotten into him, but she damn sure was going to find out.

  Mike’s behavior, on the other hand, was a foregone conclusion. His duty was to grill any man who came within ten feet of her, determine his intentions and, if he didn’t approve, to encourage the hapless fellow to find his soul mate elsewhere.

  Sky loved both of her brothers dearly, but right now, the only good thing about them was the fact that they were leaving tomorrow morning.

  Jed sprawled on the couch, pretending to watch the TV. Sky stood between him and the big screen. “Well?”

  “You don’t have to give me the lecture. I already got the short and not-so-sweet version from Mike. I was an ass. Rude and childish.”

  Sky raised her brows. “Ya think?”

  He looked up at her with a shrug. “Guilty. On all counts.” He took the bottle of water from her hand and chugged half of it, then handed it back. “I don’t know what got into me, Sis.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, yeah, I do, actually. Here’s this guy who’s going to become a major league star someday. He’s tall, good-looking, and he has to be a Red Sox fan, of course, because the team is awesome, just like him. Then, after defending the stupid designated hitter rule, he has the nerve to say he went to Harvard? Holy cow, Sky, that is so not fair!”

  While Sky could feel some sympathy for Jed, she wasn’t about to let that buy him a pass for being so obnoxious. “If every person you meet who has a few more advantages than you provokes that kind of response, you aren’t going to make a lot of friends.” She sat next to him. “Look, I know you’re sorry it took you so long to get your act together in high school and miss the chance to get a scholarship. But after two years at community, you should be able to transfer to Penn State and get your degree there. It may not be Harvard, but it will surely get you a teaching position wherever you want to live.”

  Jed heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “Don’t suppose. Make it happen. You can if you try; I know you can.”

  “You know, for an older sister, you’re not too bad.”

  Sky rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks, hot dog. Now go pack. I heard Mike say he wanted to get an early start tomorrow.”

  She climbed the stairs to change into the oversize T-shirt that was her normal sleeping attire. When she came back down to get another bottle of water, she heard Mike and Kelly talking in the kitchen. Tiptoeing closer on bare feet, she eavesdropped shamelessly.

  “…and now I understand why Sky was so happy to land a job down here,” Kelly said. “Did you scrutinize her boyfriends so closely back home?”

  “I don’t scrutinize. I simply wanted to know a little bit about AJ’s background. I didn’t pay enough attention to Sky’s last boyfriend and the jerk broke her heart—not that she’d ever admit it. I’d hate for that to happen again.”

  Sky’s heart turned over at the concern in her brother’s voice.

  “I wouldn’t want that to happen either, but it’s her life, her decision to date and/or marry anyone she chooses.”

  Sky heard the refrigerator door open and close.

  Kelly continued. “So, tell me. Who gets to vet your dates and save you from unworthy females?”

  “I don’t need anyone to save me.”

  “Because rather than take any chances, you avoid the dating game altogether?”

  Sky waited breathlessly for Mike’s reply. Kelly had nailed it. She couldn’t remember the last time Mike went on a date.

  “I don’t have time to date.”

  “Bull-hockey. That’s the sorriest excuse I’ve ever heard from someone who’s his own boss. You’re dodging the issue and you know it. How come?”

  “Why are you giving me such a hard time about this?”

  “Dodging. Dodging…”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Sky could hear the forceful sigh from her hiding spot around the corner. She grinned. Go, Kelly, go.

  “I dated a girl in high school. Fell hard for her. I thought she felt the same, but both our parents thought we were much too young to do the forever thing, so they ‘encouraged’ her to go to college in California, to separate us and give us each a chance to meet other people. She did. She’s married now and living the dream out in San Diego.”

  “And you’re still carrying a t
orch for her?”

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I’m not putting myself through that kind of pain again. I’m no glutton for punishment.”

  “That’s too bad. There are lots of wonderful women out there just hoping to meet someone as nice as you. Maybe you need a dating coach to help you get back out there.”

  “Are you applying for the job?”

  Kelly chuckled. “I would, but date-coaching is kind of hard to do long-distance.”

  At the long pause following Kelly’s statement, Sky sauntered into the kitchen. “Hey you two, what’s up?” She opened the fridge. “Who took the last bottle of water?”

  Kelly and Mike simultaneously pointed at each other. Sky hid her smile beneath a pretend scowl. “Looks like I better stock up on a lot more water the next time you drop in for a visit.”

  “Sorry, Skylark,” Mike said. He shot Kelly a quelling look before he turned to Sky. “You and I need to talk before I leave. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Not if the talk involves the name AJ Reed.”

  Mike narrowed his eyes.

  Kelly laughed.

  “On the other hand, if you want to set a date for your next visit, I have lots of free time right now.”

  “Wait, wait. I have no idea when I’ll get another weekend free to drive down here, Sky. I’ve got a business—”

  “—to run. Yeah, I know. Heard it all before. But someone’s got to ride shotgun for Jed in two weeks when he comes down for our first game. I’m nominating you.”

  “That would be fantastic,” Kelly agreed.

  “And while you’re down here, maybe you should think about opening a branch of your gym locally. Weren’t you saying something before I left about expanding?”

  “Hold on, little sister. You are moving way too fast. Yes, I am thinking about another location, but I planned on doing that in Philly, not in Florida.”