by Maria Geraci
“I’d hate for the two of you to spend your Saturday night just watching us.”
“Felicity spends most weekends in Miami with Jack, so it would just be me. And honestly? My Saturday nights aren’t that exciting. Shadowing the three of you during an event will probably inspire some great promo ideas. If you think I wouldn’t be in the way, that is. And please, feel free to put me to work.”
Willow looked pensive. “Maybe…we have a pretty big wedding scheduled for this Saturday evening. Would you be interested in shadowing that?”
“I’d love it.”
Willow gave her the details and Aubrey reluctantly said good-bye. Now that Lacey had pretty much banned her from the resort and she’d finished her business with Willow, she had no excuse to hang around. She was halfway through the lobby, trying to think of a way to get Brian Callahan to change his mind about her, when she literally bumped into him. “Oomph!” The man was two-hundred-plus pounds of solid muscle. She’d be sore for a week.
He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. “Sorry. I should have watched where I was going. You okay?”
“I’m fine, and don’t worry, I’m leaving,” she said before he could call the resort security on her.
“Hold on.” He led her by the elbow toward a secluded area of the lobby. “I was thinking about your project sheet. Maybe I was a little hasty in ripping that up.”
“Really? Because it just so happens I have an extra.” She reached into her tote to produce a copy and handed it to him. “These are just guidelines and totally negotiable.”
He didn’t read the sheet. Instead he folded it in half and stuck it in his shorts pocket. “Okay, so you’re hired back.”
“Honest?” What on earth had made him change his mind? Then she realized whatever it was, she didn’t care. She was just grateful that he was willing to give her another chance.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re Bambi and I have a gun in my hand.”
She scrunched her face up, trying to look mean. “Is this better?”
“Not really. Look, Adams, I’ll follow your rules, but I have a few of my own.” He tossed her a set of keys, which she easily caught. “You want to play chauffeur? You can start by taking me to the stadium.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Other than the world-class Casa Blanca Resort & Spa at Barefoot Bay, Mimosa Key was your average Florida beach town. Aubrey drove him through the small downtown section, pointing out her firm’s office and a few other places of interest. Families clad in bathing suits and flip flops walked through the streets, shopping and eating ice-cream cones. With the exception of the humidity, which he found oppressive, it seemed like an idyllic place for a family vacation.
“I’m pretty new here myself,” Aubrey said, her gaze firmly on the road ahead, “so I’m not the best of guides, but Mimosa Key is small so I don’t think you’ll get lost or anything.”
“Tell me about the Bucks,” he said.
“There’s a whole section on them in your folder.”
Once he’d gotten in her car, she’d produced a thick folder from her tote. Inside the folder, besides yet another copy of his “project rules” was just about everything he needed to know about Mimosa Key. Where to get his laundry done (the resort took care of that), places to eat, including takeout menus, local town history, maps, and just about anything else you could think of. The local chamber of commerce should seriously think of hiring this woman.
“The team has three owners?” he asked, reading the Barefoot Bay Bucks fact sheet she’d compiled.
“Three very rich owners.” She went on to give him some history on the three billionaires who’d founded the team.
“And there’s really a goat farm by the stadium?”
“Yep.” She laughed and her green eyes took on a gleam that did funny things to his stomach. Phil wasn’t wrong when he’d said that Aubrey Adams was his type. But things were different now that he knew she didn’t work for the Bucks. She was his ticket to getting out of here as quickly as possible. He didn’t shit where he ate, and he didn’t intend to get personally involved with the one person who could get him back to where he belonged.
“If you don’t mind telling me, what are these rules of yours?” she asked, referring back to their earlier conversation.
“There’s just one rule. No matter what, we need to be straight with one another. Agreed?”
“Of course.”
“Good. My number one goal is to get back to the Bombers. End of story. So whatever I have to do—kiss babies, give little old ladies the shirt off my back—just name it and I’ll do it.”
She frowned. “It’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is. You do your job, and I’ll follow all your rules, and the new owners will forgive me my little indiscretion and then I’ll be back playing with the Bombers.”
“I think your expectations might be a bit high.”
“Whatever happened to ‘trust me, I’m a professional’? Or does Phil need to hire someone else to do the job?”
“No, of course not. I have this completely under control.” She dug her teeth into her bottom lip, like she was worried.
He knew he was being a dick, putting the pressure on her like that, but it was his life they were talking about and no one had forced her to take the job.
They pulled into the stadium parking lot. The construction was new and he had to admit, nicer than a lot of minor league stadiums he’d seen. There was the infamous goat farm and a souvenir shop and evidence of activity on the field. He pulled his equipment bag out of the back seat and mentally prepared himself. What had the manager told the team about him? They all probably thought he was a world class screw up.
He asked a custodian the way to the team office. Aubrey, he noticed, was stuck to his side like glue. They were at a baseball stadium in the middle of almost nowhere. What kind of trouble did she think he’d get in?
“You don’t have to stay for this. I’m going to introduce myself to the coach, check out the schedule, that kind of stuff.”
“Okay, I’ll just hang out until you’re done. Maybe I’ll go play with the goats.”
He grinned, because really, that statement on its own sounded ridiculous. She walked away and he couldn’t help but admire those legs again. Too bad she was off limits.
He was about to knock on the office door when a man wearing a collared shirt with a Bucks insignia on the pocket opened it and waved him inside.
“Boom-Boom!” He put his hand out. “We’ve been expecting you. Cutter Valentine, general manager of the Barefoot Bay Bucks.”
He shook the other man’s hand. Cutter Valentine had played ball himself and Brian knew his career almost as well as he knew his own. “I know who you are and it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“No sir needed, here I’m just Coach. Unless you’ve fucked up and are trying to get on my good side.”
“I have no intentions of fucking anything up.”
“Glad to hear that.” He pointed to the bag slung over Brian’s shoulder. “Is Sweet Lucy in there? Because I sure would like to see her in action. I have a couple of hot shot studs who’ve been chomping at the bit to get at you.”
Pitchers. They were all the same. “Now?”
“You got a manicure scheduled or something?”
Brian laughed. He wasn’t sure about the rest of the team, but he and Cutter Valentine were going to get along just fine.
#
The goats were adorable. Aubrey could stay and watch them all day, but it was almost five and, frankly, she was exhausted. She followed the sound of male shouting all the way to the field. Four-inch heels weren’t the most practical footwear for a baseball stadium, and she wasn’t out to impress anyone, so she slid off her shoes and found a discreet place to watch the team practice.
What she knew about baseball was limited to what she’d studied last night, but it wasn’t hard to follow. A y
oung guy, maybe early twenties, stood in the center of the field, throwing balls at Brian, who, in turn, hit each one with his bat, making a huge whack sound. After Brian hit the ball, then another player would run and catch it, then they would toss the ball to each other. Of course, they couldn’t catch all the balls Brian hit, mainly because he was hitting so many home runs and Aubrey began to worry that they’d run out of baseballs.
“Hey, Boom-Boom! That your girl over there?” one of the players asked, pointing in her direction.
Everyone turned to look at her, including Brian. He wore a helmet and his face looked flushed from exertion, but he looked happier than she’d seen him all day. “Nah, that’s Adams. She’s my babysitter.”
It was the second time today he’d called her Adams. It felt more personal than if he’d called her by her first name. It was odd. But she didn’t hate it.
“She can babysit me anytime!” yelled back one of the players.
The rest of the team laughed and they went back to tossing him ball after ball. He easily hit each one, most of them going far off into the field. Just watching him made Aubrey tired. His stamina was impressive and she couldn’t help but admire his athletic prowess. Combined with his extraordinary good looks and his occasional charm, she could understand why women threw themselves at him.
After a while, practice was over, and one by one all the players came up to Brian, slapping him on the back and telling him how glad they were to have him on the team. Aubrey slipped her heels back on and walked down to the field where she watched as he reverently placed Sweet Lucy in her bag.
“Good practice?” she asked.
“Not bad.” He seemed non-committal, but she could tell he’d been having a good time. “There’s a home game tomorrow night and then we go on the road for a few days.” He looked at her. “You plan on coming along?”
“Naturally. I’m actually looking forward to seeing you play.” This morning, that would have just been a line to make the client feel good. But spending an entire day in his presence and then watching him practice with the team tonight had made her curious about the game. And yes, if she had to admit it, curious about him.
“You mean, seeing me play in person,” he said.
She hesitated, but if he wanted complete honesty, then she’d give it to him. “I have a confession to make.”
“Let me guess. You don’t know squat about baseball, you had no clue who I was before Phil called you, and you don’t know the difference between a strike and a foul.”
“Not quite true. I knew who you were about an hour before I talked to Phil because the clerk at the Super Min is your ultimate fan and she showed me the article with your naked butt. A foul is when the ball goes off to the other side of the line, and three strikes means you’re out. But other than that, yeah, I don’t know squat about the game.”
He laughed.
“Damn,” she said, laughing along with him. “I stayed up all night studying, too!”
“But you had no idea who Sweet Lucy was and, not to sound conceited, but just about everyone who knows baseball, knows about her. Sports Illustrated featured her on the front cover of their magazine and besides their swimsuit issue, it was their highest selling month.”
“You make her sound like a real person.”
“She’s real enough to me. A lot of collectors would like to get their hands on her but I wouldn’t sell her for anything in the world.”
They got in the car and she drove toward the resort, but on the way through town, she asked, “Would you mind if we stop by the office? You could meet my partner, Felicity, and her fiancé, Jack. He’s a huge fan of yours.”
“Sure,” he said, and Aubrey was once again struck by how much more at ease he seemed compared to earlier. It was as if the practice had mellowed him considerably. Or maybe he was just a nice guy and she was just now seeing that side of him.
Both Jack and Felicity were thrilled to meet Brian. The two men talked baseball and eventually the conversation turned to Phil and how he and Jack had been friends in law school.
“Was he as ruthless then as he is now?” Brian asked.
“Graduated second in our class,” Jack said. “After me.”
Brian laughed and Felicity rolled her eyes, but Aubrey knew the gesture was meant with affection. After some more small talk and a promise to come see him play, they said their good-byes and walked back to the Jeep. “Nice couple,” Brian said.
“You think so?”
He raised a brow. “You don’t like him?”
“He’s great and he’s been awesome to Felicity, and to me, too, it’s just…they’ve only been together about a month and things are going pretty fast. Besides being my business partner, Felicity is also my best friend. I just don’t want to see her get hurt.”
He shrugged. “Not much you can do about that if it happens.”
What he said was true, but Aubrey still couldn’t help but worry. If Felicity did get her heart broken, Aubrey would feel partly responsible. But she’d only encouraged Felicity to have a fling with Jack, not get engaged to the man after a mere week.
They were stopped at the four way intersection in town when an idea occurred to her. If she didn’t do it now, she might never get this opportunity again. Aubrey pulled her car into the Super Min parking lot and turned to him. “I know you must be exhausted, but can I ask a favor?”
“Who else do you want me to meet?”
“Just your biggest fan in Mimosa Key. Or so she claims. Her name is Charity Grambling and she knows all about you.”
“She a good friend of yours, too?”
“Hardly. The woman can’t stand me even though I’ve never done anything to her.” She explained the story about Jack and how he’d impersonated Matt Bomer. “So she’s determined to not like me and I’m determined to change her mind.”
“No problem,” Brian said, getting out of the car. “Let’s go.”
They walked into the Super Min and, despite the early evening hour, the place was empty, which was perfect. She spotted Charity behind the counter working on a crossword puzzle. Aubrey couldn’t wait to see the look on Charity’s face when she realized who she’d brought to meet her.
“Hello, Charity!” Aubrey said trying to hide the smug glee in her voice. “How are you this evening?”
Charity glanced up from her puzzle with a scowl. “Same as I am every evening. Why are you in here? You usually pay at the pump. Or did your credit card get denied again?”
Aubrey flushed. “That was just the one time because I entered in my old zip code.”
“So you say.” Her gaze went from Aubrey to Brian, but if she recognized him, she didn’t let on.
Aubrey frowned. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” She motioned toward Brian, who stepped forward and put his hand out to greet the older woman.
Charity barely glanced up at him. “Sorry, but we don’t allow panhandlers in the Super Min.”
Brian looked amused, but Aubrey had to practically lift her chin off the floor. “You’re kidding, right? Don’t you know who this is?”
Charity laid down her pencil and gave Brian a thorough up and down inspection. “Is this your new boyfriend? Congratulations. Now, unless you’re going to buy something, I have a puzzle to get back to.”
“Charity! This is Brian Callahan!”
“And I’m Lady Gaga.” Charity laughed at her own joke.
This was crazy! Okay, so Charity needed some convincing. “Go ahead, ask him anything about baseball,” Aubrey challenged.
Charity sighed and placed her hands on the counter palms down. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You don’t think I wouldn’t know if Boom-Boom Callahan walked into my store? I happen to know for a fact that Boom-Boom is currently on vacation in France. I just read an article about how he and Taylor Swift have just eloped.” She turned her steely gaze on Brian. “Are you one of those out of work actors who go around impersonating people? I have to admit, you’re a pretty good
replica, but Boom-Boom’s eyes are darker and he’s at least two inches taller than you, so good try, but not gonna work.”
Before Aubrey could say anything to that wacky speech, Brian put on a disappointed face. “You think maybe if I tried tinted contact lenses I could get my eyes darker?” he asked Charity.
She sniffed. “I have no idea. Now, as I said, if you’re not going to buy anything, then please clear the counter.”
They left the store and got back in the car. Aubrey was still stunned, but Brian couldn’t stop laughing. “That was priceless.”
“I can’t believe it! I bring her you and she still hates me!”
“I think that’s the best fan reaction I’ve ever had,” Brian said, still grinning from the encounter. Then he noticed that her own mood was the exact opposite of his. “What? You didn’t think that was funny?”
“No, I don’t think it was funny at all. I brought you here so that Charity could get your autograph and…and what else I don’t know, but it wasn’t supposed to go down like that.”
“Why do you care what she thinks of you?”
“I don’t care, not really, it’s just when Jack and Felicity played that joke on Charity and then she found out who Jack really was… Don’t you see? She felt like a fool. They didn’t mean to hurt her, but they did.”
“I didn’t know this woman meant so much to you. I thought she was just a local you were trying to impress.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. The gesture felt oddly touching. “Hey, do you want me to go back inside and try again?”
Aubrey thought about taking him up on his offer, but knowing Charity, she didn’t think it would make any difference. “Thanks, that’s really nice of you, but I should get you back to the resort.”
She went to put her key into the ignition but he reached across and plucked the key out of her hand. “Adams. What’s really going on here?”
