“I missed you too.” Katherine sighed. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, though. We’ve got a PR nightmare on our hands. Although I accompanied Trey to Denver and gave my statement to the police, I’ve not publicly declared I believe Ava’s allegations are false. I thought it wise that our only statement be that we’re waiting to see how the investigation turns out before commenting further. Taking sides isn’t in the team’s best interest at this point.”
“I agree. We’ve received hundreds of media requests, and I’ve replied with our standard response. No comment at this time.”
“Thank you,” she said, as always grateful for Kelly’s strong work ethic and sense of urgency. “Starting tomorrow, I’m lifting the ban on reporters in the clubhouse. If Trey wants to avoid their questions, he can use one of the vacant offices in the back to change his clothes. Personally, I’d like to keep the ban in place until everything is resolved. But unfortunately, we have no idea when that will be, and Doug is getting tremendous pushback from the media.”
“Those vultures are relentless.” Kelly scowled, and poised her pen over her notepad. “We’ve received a few media requests that don’t involve Trey or Ava and I’d like to go—” She broke off as Katherine’s phone rang.
“Sorry.” Katherine picked up the phone. “It’s Adam,” she said, after checking the caller ID. “Hey, Adam. Have you heard anything?”
“Yes,” he said. “Mike called to let me know the Denver police aren’t going forward with the charges against Trey.”
A soft gasp escaped her as she sagged back against her chair. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in over a week.” She grinned and gave Kelly a thumbs-up sign. “Did they say why?”
“Ava recanted.”
Katherine’s jaw dropped. “She recanted?”
“Yes. Mike surmises her attorney told her the police had the video surveillance tape. Then he no doubt advised her that if the tape proved she lied about the amount of time she was in Trey’s room and the state of her clothing when she left, it would be in her best interests to recant and plead emotional distress. As far as I know, they haven’t charged her with filing a false police report.”
“They’d better do something,” Katherine said hotly. “What she did to Trey is unforgivable.”
“Well, it’s not over yet. At least not for Ava. I just called Trey and told him the good news.”
“I’m sure he’s relieved.”
“He is. But I don’t think he’ll be out celebrating anytime soon. This whole thing really shook him up.” Adam paused, and Katherine heard a voice in the background. “I’m sorry, but I need to go. I’ve spoken to Leah and she’d like to accept your job offer. Can we meet soon and hammer everything out?”
“Yes. Let me know when you’re available and I’ll make it happen.” Katherine smiled. Her morning just got a whole lot better. “And thank you for everything you did for Trey. He’s lucky to have you in his corner.”
* * *
Tom swiveled his chair around and stared at the photo of him, his mother and his sister sitting atop the credenza behind his desk. The picture had been taken a few years ago, on Christmas Day, at the small town house he’d purchased for his mother after he’d played for the Rangers for a year. His gaze sharpened on his mother’s smiling face and a heavy weight settled on his chest. His mother, and perhaps his father, had been instrumental in tearing his life apart. Forty-eight hours ago that thought would have been laughable. Today it was a painful reality.
It was hard to imagine either of his parents joining forces with Katie’s father to do…well…anything, and even harder to imagine they would deliberately hurt him. There wasn’t much doubt in his mind that one, or both, of them were involved, but he still had to hear it from them directly. If anything, just to understand the why of it.
Turning back to his desk, he reached for his phone and made the call. His mother answered on the second ring.
“Tommy.” Her use of his childhood nickname usually made him smile. Not today. “Your ears must be burning like crazy. I was talking about you not less than thirty minutes ago to Clarice Fitzgerald at Minyards. She said the next time I talked to you to send you her regards.”
“That’s nice of her,” he replied, although he wasn’t exactly sure who Clarice was. His mother had a habit of relating stories to him about everyone she knew, whether he was acquainted with them or not.
“I’m surprised to hear from you so soon after our chat last week. I was tickled you called to wish me a happy birthday. And Sheila called too. It’s always so nice to hear from you kids.” Ellen Morgan paused. “How’s everything in San Francisco?”
“Fine,” he said, ready to dispense with the small talk. “Mom, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.”
“Of course, I’ll be honest.” She chuckled. “You know I always give you the unvarnished truth.”
“Did you tell Katie I left for Austin when I was still in Dallas?”
After a brief silence, she spoke. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”
Tom tightened his fingers on the phone. He recognized a stalling tactic when he heard one. “It’s simple. Did you, or did you not, lie to Katie and tell her I’d left Dallas to go to UT, when in fact I was still in town?”
This time the silence was longer. And that was when he knew for sure it was true.
“You did, didn’t you?” he demanded. “You and her father made her believe I left town without trying to see her, or talk to her.”
“I did what I thought was right.” His mother’s tone was no longer pleasant. “Your entire life revolved around that girl. It wasn’t healthy.”
“I loved her, Mom.”
She let out an exasperated sound. “You were too young to know what love was. If she’d gone to UT with you, do you think you would have had the career you’ve had?”
“Yes. I do. I was a damn good ballplayer. Loving Katie and having a career weren’t mutually exclusive. And let me tell you something, if you think you did me a favor, you were dead wrong. Your actions destroyed my world. And it hurt so fucking much I drank to numb the pain.”
“Are you blaming your alcoholism on me?” she asked incredulously.
“No. That’s on me. I chose to drink and to keep drinking. But the pain you inflicted on me was the reason I went down that road. Make no mistake about that.”
“And make no mistake about this. The reason you got an education at all is because of me. How do you think that partial scholarship turned into a full ride?”
Taken aback, Tom frowned. “Are you telling me it wasn’t a clerical error? What the hell kind of deal did you make with Cal Whitton?”
“He was concerned about his daughter. Just like I was concerned about you. Katie was giving up her dream of going to Berkeley for you.”
“That was her choice. And her father should have respected it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “So…what? He promised to fully fund my scholarship in exchange for your help in breaking up Katie and me?” His mother remained silent. “That’s it, isn’t it? You blew up my entire world for money.”
“Maybe you’ll understand this when you’re a parent. What I wanted…what I’ve always wanted for you was to have a better life than what your father and I had. I didn’t want you to struggle and worry about money the way we did. So when Cal Whitton called me and asked me to help him, I jumped at the chance. If that makes me a bad mother, then so be it.”
Tom had no clue how to respond to that. “Does Dad know about this?”
“No,” she said, after a few seconds. “Your father doesn’t know.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Your father and I have barely spoken since the divorce. You know that.” She snorted. “I knew this would happen when you took that job. That rich girl’s got her hooks into you all over again.”
“Are you serious? Katie thought I abandoned her. She barely spoke to me until just recently. I’m not the only one who got hurt here, Mom. Can you ev
en conceive of the damage you did to us?”
“You were kids. It was a high school romance.”
“It was more than that,” he said, resisting the urge to hurl the phone at the wall. Her cavalier dismissal of his and Katie’s feelings made it clear she harbored no remorse at all for her actions.
“I thought you’d get over it. Over her.”
“You thought wrong,” he snapped. “I never got over her.”
“Tommy—”
“I can’t talk to you right now,” he interrupted her harshly, and before he could say something he could never take back, he hung up on her.
* * *
Not long after her meeting with Doug ended, Katherine pushed through the double doors and entered the clubhouse. Although it was an off day for the players, the clubhouse was still a bustle of activity. The two equipment managers, charged with readying each player’s locker with a clean uniform and whatever else they needed for the game, were busy doing their job, and barely spared her a glance as she strode past them, then took a left and headed down the hallway toward Tom’s office.
When she reached his door she found it slightly ajar. She knocked. “You decent in there?” she called out with a smile.
“Yeah. Come on in.”
She pushed the door open and found Tom sitting at his desk. He looked up from his laptop and gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What’s up?”
“Did you hear the news?” She moved into the office and stood in front of his desk. She took in the array of files and charts scattered around his laptop and suppressed her compulsion to organize it into neat, even piles.
“What news?” His brows rose. “Is it about Trey?”
“Yes. The investigation is over. Trey isn’t going to be charged with attempted rape.”
Tom let out a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair; she couldn’t help but notice how his black Blaze T-shirt stretched across his chest and emphasized his pecs. “Does he know?”
“Yes. Adam called him this morning.”
“What about Ava?” His eyes narrowed. “Are they filing charges against her?”
“I don’t know. Adam said she recanted and probably claimed emotional distress.”
He snorted. “That’s bullshit.”
“I know, but the important thing is that Trey has been cleared. Now we can concentrate on getting to the post-season without any distractions.”
“What about the sale of the team?” he said with a wry smile. “That’s a distraction.”
“Right. How could I forget that?” She sighed. “I called my father this morning.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing yet. He didn’t answer so I left a message. He hasn’t returned my call.”
Tom pushed up from his chair and rounded the desk to stand next to her. He smelled like the mountain fresh fabric softener she used when she washed her clothes.
“I spoke to my mom a couple of hours ago.”
“How did that go?”
“Not well.” He reached for her hand; his warm fingers closed around hers. “She admitted to helping your father break us up.”
Her heart constricted. Having what she believed to be true actually confirmed still hurt. “How could they do that to us?”
“It seems they both believed we were too young to know what real love was, and that if we stayed together we wouldn’t achieve the career goals we’d set for ourselves.”
“That’s pretty much what my father kept beating into my head when he was trying to convince me not to go to UT with you. But I’m still surprised he convinced your mother to help him.”
“All it took was money.”
“Money?” She stared at him for a few seconds. “Are you saying he paid off your parents?”
“My dad wasn’t involved. Mom says she never told him what she did. The money wasn’t for her.” His eyes flickered with anger, and she could feel the tension emanating off of him in waves. “There was no clerical error with my scholarship, like I thought. Your father made up the difference. I went to school on his dime and didn’t even know it.”
“How did you leave things with your mom?”
“I was so angry I hung up on her.”
Katherine winced. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” He let go of her hand, then pulled her close. His arms came around her and she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “I guess I should thank Kelly for getting sick. If you hadn’t gone on the road trip with us, we never would have discovered the truth.”
She pulled back and smiled up at him. “I think we would have. My resolve to keep my distance from you was weakening by the day.”
“You never could stay mad at me for long,” he said with a smug smile.
She laughed. “I’d say seventeen years is a long time.”
“That’s because we weren’t in each other’s orbit for most of those years.”
“If only I’d come home for Christmas that first year.” She paused as something that she’d always thought of as odd suddenly made perfect sense. “Now I know why my father didn’t put up a fight when I told him I was going skiing with Amelia’s family. He knew if I came home we’d see each other.”
“He was right. I spent a lot of time during that holiday break driving past your house and hanging out at Double D’s hoping to run into you.”
The thought of him trying in vain to see her made her heart ache. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.” His soft gaze searched hers. “The important thing is that we were finally honest with each other. We can’t change the past. Whatever happens next is up to us, and only us.”
“Only us.” She smiled, and ignored the small kernel of guilt lodged in her chest. “I like that.”
“Me too.” He pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “Are we still on for tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven thirty.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Wear something sexy.”
“I will if you will.”
* * *
Tom stood outside Katie’s front door and glanced at his watch. Seven twenty-five. Five minutes early. Not surprising since the second she left his office all he’d thought about was seeing her again. He pressed the doorbell, then looked down at his dark gray dress pants, white dress shirt and black sport coat. Not sexy, but he didn’t think she’d be embarrassed to be seen with him.
Their first official date had been at the homecoming dance their freshman year. He’d been too young to have more than a learner’s permit, so his mother had driven him to Katie’s house and waited in the car while he’d walked up the steps to the stately home where Katie lived with her father.
His nerves had been off the charts, but when a smiling housekeeper with a kind face answered the door instead of Cal Whitton, all he felt was relief. She invited him in, informed him that Mr. Whitton had been called out of town, and then led him into what she called the sitting room.
He’d never heard of a sitting room before that night. The small brick ranch-style house he lived in with his mother and sister contained only a living room, a kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Katie’s house looked like it had dozens of rooms.
Even after all these years, he could still remember how he could barely breathe when she walked into the room. The dress she wore was frilly, pink, and didn’t show a lot of skin. But with her auburn hair arranged into some fancy updo, and her blue eyes sparkling with excitement, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And although there had been countless dances after that one, the image of her in that pink dress was the one indelibly etched in his mind.
Until now, when she opened the door and every nerve in his body shifted into overdrive.
“Hi. You’re right on time.”
“Hey,” he said, surprised he could even speak. He tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help it. With her auburn hair spilling over her pale shoulders, her full mouth tinted with a pink gloss that mad
e him want to taste her lips, and the black dress that hugged her slender curves, she was stunningly gorgeous. “You look…amazing.”
The soft warm smile she gave him hit him right in the chest. “Thank you.” Her eyes roamed over him. “So do you.” She pulled the door open wider. “Come in. I just need to get a light coat and I’m ready to go.”
As he brushed past her, her soft, delicate scent invaded his nostrils and a spike of heat caught him low in the gut. She smelled incredible and his body was taking note.
“Where are we going?” She closed the door and moved to a glass-topped table near the kitchen. As she transferred a few small items from her larger purse into a smaller one, his gaze swept over her, and he noted the way the short black dress showed off the creamy smoothness of her legs. Her high heels matched her dress and were sexy as hell. Thin black straps did a crisscross up to her ankles, and the open toe provided him with a glimpse of pink-polished toes that matched her lips.
“Boulevard,” he said, then turned to survey the living room.
Although she’d chosen modern furniture, the effect was anything but cold. A white sofa, accented with a few blue and white throw pillows, was placed against one wall. Two chairs, upholstered with fabric that matched the pillows, were set at angles across from the sofa, and between the chairs and sofa was a shiny black coffee table. Over the sofa, a grouping of several abstract prints in different sizes hung on the wall, and the hardwood floor was covered with a deep blue area rug.
“I love Boulevard,” she said. “The view of the Bay Bridge is spectacular.”
He turned to look at her and his heart rapped against his ribs. Forget the damn bridge, the spectacular view in front of him was all he needed.
* * *
Katherine sat across from Tom at a small intimate table for two at the Boulevard restaurant and admired the view. Not the view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which at night was a lovely sight; no, the view she couldn’t get enough of was Tom.
The second she had opened the door and saw him standing there looking so incredibly hot and sexy, she hadn’t been able to concentrate on much else. And judging by some of the discreet glances he’d been getting from women sitting at surrounding tables, it seemed she wasn’t the only one who appreciated his clean-cut appeal.
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