"Maggie mentioned that she's in a lot of weddings these days."
"They're a tight group. So, are you in the hotel business?"
"I wasn't planning to be, but things seem to be going in that direction. My family owns several hotels, and I've been doing some consulting work for them while I figure out where I want my career to go next." He wasn't as vague with Michael as he'd been with Maggie. He didn't want the guy to think he was a freeloading loser.
"Changing careers is stressful," Michael said with a nod. "I transitioned from professional football to public relations, and now I have a foot in both worlds."
"How so?"
"I'm a quarterback coach during football season and fill in the rest of my hours with the company that Liz and I run with my sister. I never thought I'd go back to football. If I couldn't play, I wanted no part of it, but then I started to miss it, and my old coach hounded me to come back."
Michael's words resonated with Cole. While he didn't miss the pressures and long hours of his old career, he did miss the challenges and the satisfaction of accomplishment.
"Maggie is cool," Michael added, giving him a pointed look. "Just so you know, she has a lot of friends who look out for her, including me. She doesn't have family around, but she does have us, and I owe her a lot for everything she did to make the wedding perfect for Liz and myself."
He smiled. "I appreciate the warning. I like Maggie, but I'm leaving Napa in a week, so…"
"So don't hurt her on your way out."
"I won't," he promised, meeting Michael's gaze head on. At least he hoped he wouldn't.
Michael gave him a long look as if judging his sincerity, then said, "All right then. Let's buy some food."
* * *
"So, where did you find Cole?" Liz asked as Maggie sat down next to her.
"He found me," Maggie replied. "His aunt owns the Stratton. He came for a visit and we met."
"Wait! Is this the guy who kissed you out of the blue?" Julie interrupted, curiosity in her gaze.
"Yes, he was just being funny," she said. "It wasn't a big deal."
"But you're here with him now, so things didn't end after that kiss," Julie commented, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.
"No, they didn't, because his aunt asked me to show him around Napa. We did a wine tour yesterday and when Julie mentioned she had an extra ticket for today, I decided to bring him. He's a big baseball fan."
"And he's hot," Liz said with a grin. "Glad to see you aren't completely hibernating up in Napa."
"Napa is not the end of the world," she said defensively. "And my life is just fine, thank you. Just because you all have love fever doesn't mean I have to be on the hunt for a man every second of my life."
"Well, not every second," Liz conceded. "But once in a while… It's been years since you dated anyone for more than a few months."
"And Cole is not going to break my record," she said. "He's leaving town next week. So that will be that."
"Too bad," Jessica put in. "You two look good together."
"Looking good together doesn't mean we'd be good together," she said. "We have different goals. Cole is an adventurer. He wants to travel, see the world, and you all know that's the last thing I want to do."
"Maybe it would be different seeing the world with a man you care about than being forced to move around as a kid," Jessica suggested.
That thought had crossed her mind, but she wasn't going to say it out loud, because it would make Cole seem more important than he was. "Let's talk about you, Jess. Are you going to move back to the Bay Area?"
"I am," Jessica said with a happy light in her eyes. "In January. I just got hired for a teaching position in Half Moon Bay. It starts after the holidays, which will be perfect. I'll have enough time to pack up and move from San Diego. It will also be a better time for Brandon to switch schools. He's only in second grade, so I'm hoping the transition will be smooth." Her affectionate gaze settled on her son who was throwing a tennis ball up in the air and catching it with his oversized baseball mitt.
"He'll be at your school, so you can keep an eye on him, right?" Julie asked.
"Yes, and we'll be close enough to my mom that I can check in on her more often. She's been battling some health problems, so I'll feel better being only fifteen minutes away. Plus, I'll get to see you guys. I miss you all so much. It's been hard to be so far away when all the fun is happening up here."
"We miss you, too," Maggie said. "It's not enough to just see you at our weddings, although those do seem to be happening fairly frequently. By the way, has anyone talked to Isabella recently? Has she set a date yet?"
Her friends shook their heads. "Maybe Kate knows," Jessica said, seeing the dark-haired blue-eyed Kate coming down the stairs.
"I made it," she said breathlessly. She gave everyone a hug, with Maggie coming up last. "Maggie, you came. I'm so happy."
"I said I was coming," she replied.
"I know but you've been bailing out of a lot of our group outings lately."
"I've been busy."
Kate dismissed that excuse with a wave of her hand. "We're all busy. You still have to put friends first."
"You guys are always first," she said.
"Or maybe second now," Liz said with a mischievous smile.
Maggie shot Liz a dark look.
Kate glanced from Liz to Maggie. "What did I miss?"
"Maggie brought a date, and he's very good-looking," Liz said.
"Really?" Kate said with a speculative gleam in her eyes.
"It's nothing. You guys always make a big deal out of nothing."
"You know you can't bring a man around us without getting some questions," Kate said. "What's he like besides being attractive?"
"He's smart, very intuitive." She paused, thinking there were so many ways to describe Cole and yet none of the adjectives that came to mind did him justice. "I've had some of the best conversations with him. I feel like I know him better after a few days than I knew some of the guys I dated for months. But he's leaving in a week, so nothing is going to happen. I can't get involved with someone who doesn't live in Napa."
"Where does he live?" Julie asked.
"He's traveling at the moment, but I think he'd say Los Angeles is home."
"He's traveling?" Kate echoed. "Is he independently wealthy?"
"He had a big job for a long time. Now he's taking time off. I think he has some cash in the bank, but he doesn't wave it around. He's not like that."
"You like him," Julie said with a knowing nod.
"Really, really like him," Jessica put in with a smile. "And he's just your type. Longish hair, faded jeans, scruffy beard. Reminds me of the guys you dated in college."
"He does," Liz agreed. "I thought you said you were off bad boys."
"I am. And let's not talk about the horrible choices I made in college. Besides all that, did you all not hear me say that he's leaving soon?"
"Well, he's here now," Julie said. "It's so hard to find someone you really like. Do you want to dismiss him just because of geography?"
She stared at four of her closest friends in the world and knew they had her best interests at heart, but she also knew that Julie and Liz were crazy in love with their men, and Kate was crazy about love, spending her days as a wedding planner, which only left Jessica to understand. She turned to the woman who had once shared a dorm room with her. "You get it, Jess, don't you?"
"I do," Jessica said with a nod. "Long-distance relationships are difficult. Actually, most relationships are hard even under the best of circumstances. If he's leaving, then maybe you should be careful with your heart. We all know how big it is and how easily it can be broken."
"No risk, no reward," Liz cut in. "You can't run away from something just because it might not work out. That's not what life is about, Maggie."
Trust Liz to suggest she be a little more adventurous and daring. Liz had always been the one to encourage all of them to reach for the stars.
"
But it's her life," Jessica argued. "Her decision."
"Thanks, Jess." She smiled at the rest of them. "I love all of you so much. And I do hear what you're saying. But I have a plan, and Cole doesn't fit into it."
"Well, you know what they say," Liz said dryly. "Life happens when you're making plans."
"Changing the subject," she said purposefully. "What can you tell us about Isabella's wedding plans, Kate? Have they set a date yet? Because the three of us haven't heard a thing."
"They were going to do Valentine's Day, but now they're thinking March. I did look at some bridesmaid dresses with Isabella last weekend, but it's getting more difficult to find a color and style that we haven't used yet. I don't know where we'll end up when we get to the last person in this group."
"That will probably be me," Maggie said. "You'll all end up in pink polka dots."
"I will be after you, Maggie," Jessica said. "I have my hands full with Brandon. I'm not looking for another male."
"That's usually when they come looking for you," Liz said.
"Look, there's Matt," Julie interrupted. They turned their attention to the field. Matt gave them a nod and a wave, his gaze lingering on Julie's face before he joined his team.
Maggie was touched that the love between Julie and Matt was so strong that it was palpable from yards away. She had to silently admit a yearning to feel that way about someone.
No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when Michael and Cole came down the stairs, their arms filled with boxes of food and cartons of drinks.
She moved down the row as Cole crossed in front of Liz to sit next to her.
"I think we got enough," he said, handing one of the boxes to Liz and another to Jessica. "Michael and I decided to get plenty for everyone."
"It looks like you did that. I want to introduce you to Kate."
Kate walked down the row in front of them and shook Cole's hand. "Nice to meet you, Cole."
"You, too. You're the wedding planner, right?"
"You've done your homework," Kate said approvingly.
Cole grinned. "I did. Maggie gave me a little prep in the car, but she didn't tell me how attractive her friends were. No wonder everyone is getting married. I don't know how you've all stayed single this long."
Kate laughed. "And you're a charmer."
"Just speaking the truth."
"That's enough, Cole," Michael put in. "You're going to make me look bad."
"No one could make you look bad, honey," Liz said, giving Michael a smacking kiss on the lips.
"Thanks, babe."
Maggie turned her attention toward the field as the announcer called for everyone to stand for the national anthem. She put the box of food on the seat while a singer from the San Francisco Opera gave an amazing rendition of the song.
Then it was time for the players to take the field.
As they sat back down, she said, "Today is going to be fun, Cole."
"Today became fun when you opened your front door this morning, Maggie."
"That's a nice thing to say."
"I mean it. As Michael said, 'you're something special.'"
"He told you that?"
"Right before he warned me not to mess with you, but he didn't have to tell me that, Maggie. I already knew you were special."
Their gazes clung together for a long moment, and then she drew in a deep breath and grabbed a garlic fry. She needed something to back Cole away and garlic was as good a weapon as any.
* * *
Cole enjoyed the game, not just because he loved baseball, but also because it was fun to see Maggie with her friends. He liked the way Maggie, Liz and Kate supported Julie, who got nervous every time her fiancé stepped up to the plate. Not that Julie had anything to be worried about. Matt Kingsley started out with a triple, following it up with a double in the fourth inning. The man was definitely an all-star.
Cole also liked watching Michael and Liz together. Liz had a sharp, sarcastic wit, but Michael was a good match for her, and when they weren't challenging each other over something, they were laughing or exchanging a quick kiss. It was clear they were not only madly in love, they were also best friends.
And then there was Maggie. She was more fun than the rest of them put together. She cheered loudly for every hit and catch, getting nervous as the score bounced back and forth between the teams.
"I wish they'd go ahead by like five runs," she told him in the sixth inning. "Then I could relax."
"It's more exciting when it's even," he returned.
She clearly didn't agree with him. When they reached the ninth inning, the score was still tied. The first batter took a walk and the next two hitters struck out, which brought up Matt Kingsley with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the winning run on first.
It wasn't just Maggie who was tense now; the entire stadium was energized, worried but also confident that the Cougars' hero could save the day one more time.
"He can't get out," Julie said tightly. "He has to move the base runner. He has to keep the game alive. He'll hate himself if he leaves the winning run at first."
"He can do it," Maggie said, putting her hand on Julie's shoulder. "I have faith."
"Oh, man, I can't watch," Julie said, covering her eyes as Matt fouled off the first pitch for strike one.
"I can't watch, either," Maggie told Cole.
"I can tell you what happens."
"But I can't not watch, either," she said with a groan.
Matt fouled off a second pitch—strike two.
"It's still a tie game even if he gets out," he said. "We can't lose here; we can only win. You need to breathe."
"Well, I don't want to be tied. I want us to win," Maggie said.
"So do I," he replied. "I think he's going to get a hit."
"There's so much pressure. Why would anyone want to do this?" Maggie asked, as Matt took ball two.
"This is what ballplayers live for," he said. "Every kid who plays baseball in his backyard or at the local park dreams of being in this exact position: bottom of the ninth, two outs, playoff game on the line. It doesn't get better than this."
"He's right," Michael chimed in. "Except for me, it was fourth quarter, ten seconds on the clock, game on the line."
Cole nodded as Matt took ball three. "He could walk him. There's an open base."
"Mantilla has been hitting well, too, though," Michael interjected. "It would be a risky move."
"That's true."
Cole smiled at Maggie as she slid her hand into his. "He's got it. Don't worry."
"I hope you're right."
The pitcher wound up and then threw to the plate. With a swing and a powerful crack of the bat, the ball soared into the sky and over the right field fence into the bay. Cole had expected a hit, but a homerun was even better.
The crowd went wild. Maggie threw her arms around him, hugging him, then kissing him, then turning around to hug everyone else. There was pandemonium in the stadium as the winning run crossed home plate, and the team rushed the field to celebrate Matt's homerun.
Julie looked dazed but happy as she accepted congratulations. "I can't believe it," she said. "That was too close."
"Don't tell your fiancé that. Tell him you never had a doubt," Jessica advised.
"Matt knows what a nervous wreck I am at these games," Julie said with a laugh. "I'm just glad he pulled it out. And we get to do all this again tomorrow. You're all coming back, right?"
Cole wished he was coming back, but he doubted he was on the invitation list for a second game. Plus, he did have his aunt's business to take care of.
"I have to work," Maggie said.
"We'll miss you," Julie said. "Cole, you're welcome to come if you want."
"Thanks, that's very generous, but I need to spend some time with my aunt tomorrow. This was great. I really appreciate the ticket."
"Well, don't run off. We're all going out for dinner. You two are coming," Kate said firmly.
"Is that all ri
ght with you?" Maggie asked Cole.
"Sure." The last thing he wanted to do was end this amazing day with Maggie.
"It's early, so it won't be a late night." She started to pull her hand away from his, but he held on tight.
"I don't want to lose you," he said, meeting her gaze.
"I don't want to lose you, either," she replied.
She was just talking about getting lost in the crowd, he told himself. And that's all he was talking about, too, right?
Chapter Eleven
After a fun celebratory dinner, Maggie and Cole left the rest of the crowd to party while they headed back to Napa around eight. "Everyone really liked you," she told Cole as she drove home. "You fit right in."
"I liked them. You have a good group of friends, Maggie."
"I'm really lucky. We all have different personalities, but we seem to bring out the best in each other."
"I could see that. Kate is the romantic. Liz is the sarcastic, cynical one. Julie is quiet and thoughtful but with a fun side when she's not stressed out about Matt getting a hit."
"Three for three," she said with a laugh. "What about Jessica?"
"I didn't get as good of a read on her. She spectates a little. She stands apart sometimes. I don't know if that's because she's the only one who's divorced and has a child or if it's just her nature to be on the outside of the circle."
"She was never on the outside when we were in college," Maggie said, thinking about his comment. "But maybe she has been since then. I feel bad that I may have left her out unintentionally." She paused. "I think things will change when she moves back here in January. Then we'll get to spend more time together."
"You're pretty far away from the rest of the group."
"An hour and a half is not that distant."
"It is for drop-in evenings or spontaneous yoga classes."
She smiled. "Trust me, yoga would never be a spontaneous event for me."
"You know what I mean."
"I do. So you described everyone but me. How do you see me when it comes to the group?"
"You're…special."
Falling Into You (Bachelors & Bridesmaids Book 5) Page 10
