by LuAnn McLane
“Well, giving her unlimited spending privileges might not have been such a good idea.” Nicolina pinched off another piece of bagel. “But having her get a job on her own is a much better scenario than handing her one.”
“But Noah was pretty sure she was my daughter.”
“Mitch, the success of the baseball team is important to Noah Falcon. He hired Mia because he believed she could do a good job, not because of who she was.” She paused but felt the need to go on. “But her cover is blown.”
“She doesn’t know that.”
“True.” With her lips pressed together, Nicolina fell silent. “Do you think it’s fair to allow her to think that?”
“Maybe not, but I don’t see any other way to give her this chance to prove herself.”
“But Mitch, she left home under false pretenses as well. Maybe you need to set her straight. She can still work for the Cougars. You’re a silent partner, so no one would know the connection anyway.”
“As always, you have a good point.” He tilted his head as if in consideration. “But at least for now let’s keep mum and let her go. Once I leave town, I’ll have my PI keep an eye on her for a while. Just to give me peace of mind.”
“I don’t blame you there. I was worried sick when Bella came here to live on her own.” At the thought of him leaving once again, Nicolina’s heart constricted, but she managed to smile. “Okay, I’ll respect your wishes and keep my silence. I won’t even tell Bella. That girl has a tough time keeping a secret.” She tore off another piece of bagel and added it to her little pile.
“Nicolina, baby, what is it?”
She looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been shredding your bagel like confetti. What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing,” she scoffed with a very Italian wave of her hand. Nothing, except for knowing you’re leaving me tomorrow and could be gone for days—maybe even weeks—on end. Nothing, except for me breaking my hard-and-fast rule never to fall for another man with wealth and power. They tend to upgrade their women much like they do their businesses. “Nothing at all.”
“You can’t fool me,” he gently coaxed. “Talk to me. I’m here for you.”
Spill her guts? No, thank you.
“Nicolina? What’s worrying you?”
She sliced her hand through the air again. “Just that secrets have a way of coming back and biting you in the butt. I know you want to do what’s best for Mia, but keep that in mind.”
“Duly noted.” Mitch nodded. “I won’t let this go on for too long, just enough for Mia to make her mark and get settled.”
“You do know that if she does, she just might settle down here for good and not move back to Chicago. How would you deal with that?” She held her breath, hoping he would say that he would move here to be near his daughter.
Mitch hesitated, and then when it appeared that he was going to disclose something important, he swallowed and picked up his coffee mug. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Nicolina nodded and did her best to keep her disappointment from showing. “I’ll keep an eye on Mia too, Mitch.”
He smiled warmly. “Thank you, sweetheart. That means so much to me. Hey, perhaps our daughters will become friends. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“Yes,” Nicolina agreed, but then pulled off another piece of bagel. When he noticed, she popped it into her mouth and chewed, but when it stuck in her throat she had to wash it down with a gulp of coffee. “Okay,” she said with false brightness, “let’s get back to these paint chips.” She held up a card full of various shades of yellow. “What do you think of buttercup?”
“Soft, cheerful,” Mitch commented. He knew that there was something else eating at her, but he wasn’t going to probe, even though it was killing him not to. He loved her, trusted her … damn well needed her and enjoyed every minute of her company. Mitch could marry her tomorrow and be happy for the rest of his life—he knew it. And he would also make it work even if he had to relocate here to Cricket Creek, Kentucky. In fact, along with a strip mall, he had started to envision building a hotel and perhaps a convention center to bring in revenue to the town during the off-season. He and Noah had discussed the possibility of winter workshops and training camps. Olivia’s daughter, Madison, thought there was some potential for writers’ seminars and workshops and possibly book fairs that could fill the facility as well. The marina could host boat shows. The list went on and on …
Mitch shook his head. If all his plans for Cricket Creek and the stadium worked out, Mia’s job could go well beyond the mere promotions of the Cougars. But the development was in the preliminary stages and he didn’t want to get his hopes up until he did the marketing research and started getting permits in place.
“For a color supposedly so cheerful, you have quite a frown on your face,” Nicolina commented.
“I’m sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind.”
“Understandable,” Nicolina replied before holding up another paint chip. “Is banana split better?” she asked with a chuckle. “Where do they come up with these names anyway? Do you suppose there’s a color-naming committee?”
“I don’t know, but it sure makes me want a banana split,” he said. He tried to stop thinking about the future and concentrate on the beautiful woman sitting across from him. Sometimes, it’s better to simply enjoy the moment, he reminded himself. “I just bet this little town has an amazing ice cream stand. Want to get dressed and find out?” He gave a slight shrug. “Even though I really hate to get dressed when I’m with you.”
“You’re forgetting that you have to be incognito.”
“Right,” he glumly acknowledged and then nibbled on the inside of his cheek. “Hey, maybe I could go in disguise. Get one of those baseball caps with the mullet attached to the bottom?”
Nicolina laughed. “If I get you one, will you really wear it?”
“Are you kidding?”
“Not in the least.”
“Sure I will,” Mitch said, even though he had never done anything so crazy-fun since he was a kid. He chuckled, thinking that being with Nicolina made him feel young and alive in more ways than one.
“Awesome! I’ll get right on it. I can be very creative, you know.”
“Oh, baby, I know.”
“Mitch!” she scolded, but she gave him that throaty laugh of hers that made him long to hop right back into bed. “Okay, you get out your laptop and do all of that making-millions stuff that you do all day, and I’ll come back with a handy-dandy disguise that makes you look like Joe Dirt. Then we’ll head out to the Dairy Bar for a big banana split. Are you game?”
“Absolutely,” Mitch assured her, and he knew she wasn’t teasing. He couldn’t remember having this much fun with a woman … well, ever. Mitch knew he was supposed to be back in Chicago in the morning, but he was already thinking of calling his assistant and telling her to reschedule all of his appointments for tomorrow … hell, for the rest of the week. Being with Nicolina was making Mitch want to do so much more than work all of the damned time. He was starting to see how much being with the right partner could make a difference in how you viewed life … about what was really important. And it sure as hell wasn’t money. Why had it taken him so long to realize that? The thought of all of the years lost with Mia suddenly clawed at his gut.
“Hey,” she said gently, “now it’s my turn to ask what’s wrong.”
“Just worried about Mia,” he answered, but he wanted to say so much more.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “You miss her so much, don’t you?”
“Yes. It’s so tough not to talk to her every day. I miss my little girl.”
“Oh, believe me, I understand. Just ask Bella. I am the queen of needing to know her every move.”
“You love her, Nicolina. What Mia wouldn’t have given to have had a mother dote on her like you do. Mia is such a sweet girl, but I spoiled her.”
“Stop,” she said, gently putting a fin
gertip to his lips. “We can’t change the past, remember?”
Mitch nodded and wanted to gently remind her to heed her own advice, but hopefully she would come to that conclusion on her own. God, he had come to love her so. Leaving Nicolina Diamante wasn’t just getting harder. It was becoming nearly impossible, and so was keeping his growing feelings from her. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to slip up and drop the L word. She wasn’t ready yet; he knew it, so he told himself to just be patient and everything would eventually fall into place.
13
Swinging for the Fences
“THROW HIM SOME HEAT,” TY YELLED FROM THE DUGOUT after Cam hit another one up into the center-field stands. Cam grinned when another ball sailed over the fence but landed just left of the left-field foul pole. “Pitch another five to him!” When Cam hit a line shot over the second baseman’s head, Ty took his cap off and whacked it against his leg. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.”
The bat felt solid in Cam’s hands, and for the first time in a long while a sense of calm washed over him. Noah had been surprisingly understanding about the arrest, although he did make it abundantly clear that Cam should stay the hell out of any kind of trouble if he wanted to remain on the team. “Not a problem,” Cam had assured Noah; he was met with a firm handshake and a slap on the back.
Cam felt as if both Noah and Ty believed in his talent and wanted to do what was best for him and also for the team. It was the type of coaching that made a player want to give one hundred percent and then some. Their hard-nosed but positive attitude relit the dormant pilot light beneath Cam’s motivation, and it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Gritting his teeth, he swung and foul tipped the next curve ball but then smacked a line drive that almost took the pitcher’s head off and would have been a solid double had he been running the bases.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Ty yelled again before slapping his baseball cap back on. Out of the corner of his eye, Cam saw Ty nodding to Max Dugan, the gruff-voiced hitting coach, and he just bet they were discussing where to place him in the lineup. Cam had mostly been leadoff batter since his on-base percentage tended to be sky-high. He was patient and drew more than his fair share of walks, and he also had the speed to steal bases, but the way he had been hitting the ball, Ty might just consider penciling him into the cleanup slot. Showing that he could also be a power hitter could rack up some runs batted in and very well make his ascent back into the minor leagues happen a whole helluva lot faster.
While digging his cleats into the dirt, another sense of satisfaction and hope gripped Cam hard. He reached up and adjusted his batting helmet, thinking that coming to Cricket Creek had been a good decision. For someone who had made a fair number of bad decisions, it felt damned sweet.
Cam popped another ball up a mile in the air and was poised in the batter’s box to take another pitch when he spotted Noah and a gorgeous woman coming down the steps behind the first-base dugout. The woman was chatting and smiling, using her hands in an excited, animated way that made him grin. Sunlight glinted off her blond hair, and she was wearing a businesslike suit but somehow made it look sexy. Big black sunglasses covered her eyes, but as she and Noah came closer, there was something familiar about her that tugged at his brain.
And then the sound of her laughter drifted his way … Wait.
Mia?
Swing and a miss.
“One more,” Ty shouted. “Cam, don’t take your damn eye off of the ball this time!”
Cam nodded and stepped out of the batter’s box, plucked at his shirt, and kicked dirt from his cleats as if getting his composure back, but what he really wanted was to take another glance up at the blonde. It couldn’t be Mia. She was a waitress at Wine and Diner, and this should be her shift. Cam had planned on eating there later—telling himself it was for the amazing food, but in reality it was to see her. Cam squinted against the sun into the stands. What could she possibly be doing with Noah Falcon? He must be mistaken. But when he heard her sweet, husky laugh again, he knew it was the same alluring woman he had kissed senseless in the elevator. Some of his feeling of well-being faded, but a flash of anger that she had somehow duped him had him swinging for the fences and going yard. Cam felt a familiar surge of adrenaline at sending the ball over the fence, but his mind was still centered on Mia. His home run got another whistle of approval from Ty and Max as he walked over to the dugout, but he all he could think about was what Mia thought of him crushing the ball.
Cam looked up, hoping like a high school kid that Mia had seen him smack the ball deep into the center-field bleachers. She had. She actually pointed to the stands and looked at Noah, who nodded and grinned. He could hear their voices drift his way but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Of course, thrown off-kilter at this unexpected turn of events, he pretended not to notice her.
But then Noah had to go and call to him, “Hey, Cam, very nice at bat!”
Damn! Cam didn’t have any choice but to look up and tip his cap to Noah Falcon. Even though he tried his damnedest not to look at Mia, his eyes would not obey, and in spite of his resolve he felt a strong tug of attraction. He tried to glance away, but his gaze remained locked on her and would not budge. He wanted to know if she felt that same spark, but her sunglasses hid her expressive eyes. When she gave him a weak little wave of her fingers, he responded with a slight tip of his hat and was finally able to look away.
“Dude, who in the world is that chick?”
Cam turned to Casey Martin, the shortstop, who was as quick as lightning on the base paths and would probably end up as leadoff batter. Casey stared up at Mia, slack-jawed, making Cam’s blood pressure rise. Because Casey was so engrossed in gaping at Mia, he failed to see the muscle jump in Cam’s jaw.
“Day-um, that girl is superfine. Does she work here or somethin’? I damn sure hope so.”
“I don’t have a clue,” Cam said in a bored tone, when in fact his heart was thumping against his ribs. Normally in this situation he would have had a comeback … maybe something suggestive on what he would like to do with a hot chick like Mia, but an unwanted surge of jealousy bubbled up and caught him by surprise. To make matters worse, he looked around and saw much of the same damned reaction from the rest of the team. It didn’t help that Mia’s blond hair glowed like a beacon, drawing the attention of every single male within shouting distance, including the batboy. Her laugh seemed to float across the air, mesmerizing the entire team. Even happily married Ty gave her an appreciative once-over but then turned back to his notes.
When Ty started jotting things down, Cam reminded himself that he was here to impress his coach, not some chick who obviously wasn’t who she had presented herself to be and then some. He had felt it from the beginning, and his instinct had been true. Cam sighed as he took his bat over and slipped it into his slot in the dugout. He tried not to feel a sense of disappointment, but it reached inside his heart and squeezed. “Women,” he muttered. “Stay the hell away from them.”
“What’d you say?” Casey slid a sideways glance at Cam. Apparently Casey had finally been able to tear his lovesick gaze away from Mia and come into the dugout.
“Nothing,” Cam replied a bit shortly, even though he liked hometown, easygoing Casey.
“Whatever, dude.” The shortstop gave Cam a curious look but then shrugged and walked over to the bench and plunked down.
In spite of Cam’s resolve not to think about Mia, he leaned against the metal railing and pretended to watch the next batter up. But after a moment he couldn’t help it and said to Ty, “Hey, Coach, who is that chick with Noah Falcon? She work here?”
Without looking up from his notes, Ty nodded. “I think you’re the fifth or sixth person to ask me that question,” Ty replied with a chuckle.
That information didn’t sit well with Cam, but he pretended otherwise. “Really …” He lifted one shoulder and didn’t go any further with his questions, but he secretly hoped Ty would elaborate
.
“Noah hired her as our new promotions manager. Well, make that our first promotions manager. Evidently, she scored Cat Carson to perform before the opening-day game and it got her the job pretty much on the spot.” He looked up from his notes. “Cam, you might not have recognized her all dressed up, but that’s Mia Money, the waitress from Wine and Diner, you know, the one who got your ass in trouble.” He leaned in closer. “Off the record, it was Noah’s decision to give you another shot, and I backed him up on that, but damn, keep on the down low, okay? The way you’ve been hitting the ball today has me damn excited. You’re getting your groove back. Don’t screw it up.”
“Don’t worry, Coach. I’m not going to let a chick get into my head.” He spit into the dirt. “Ain’t gonna happen. No way … no how. She was in a tight spot and I helped her out. Truthfully, any guy would have come to her defense. Look how she already has the whole damned team gawking at her,” he said through gritted teeth.
“And clearly that doesn’t bother you one bit.”
“Of course not,” Cam answered firmly, but then he inhaled a deep breath and got his ass under control. He shrugged. “Why should it?”
“You tell me.”
“Look, Coach, it just happened to be me that day at the diner. End of story.”
Ty shook his head. “I might have believed you if you hadn’t protested way too much.”
“I was just getting my point across,” Cam insisted. “Hey, you would have done the same thing. Those guys were assholes,” Cam insisted darkly. The thought of anyone hurting Mia made his blood boil, and he spit again.
“You’re right,” Ty admitted in a more serious tone. “Any man who harasses or threatens a woman is a coward.”
“Amen to that,” Cam agreed. He tried to push away the remaining fear that Mia could be in some sort of situation that needed a male presence. Cam had seen his mother get involved with violent men and had been too young to do anything about it when she had gotten pushed around. When he had gotten older he had tried, only to be reprimanded by his mother, of all things. Cam had painfully realized that his mother often blamed his presence as the reason men left her, and so he would make himself scarce … and play lots of sandlot baseball. Cam realized now, as an adult, that she had been desperately searching for someone to save her from her miserable life, but unfortunately she had looked in all the wrong places.
