Covering Home (10 page)

“There,” he said, his voice husky. “Much better.”

She could only stare into his smoldering eyes, her cheek still tingling from his touch. Was he …

“Well, isn’t this adorable? Say ‘cheese’.” A flash blinked in her peripheral vision and she winced. Caleb put up a hand to shield them. Out of nowhere, another camera flashed.
What the heck?

Tyler Jeffries lowered his smartphone, a satisfied smirk on his face. “A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?” He pointed toward the Asian man next to him, whose camera still clicked and whirred. “Or should I say a million hits on the Internet?”

No.
The word died on her lips. She stood, paralyzed, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

“Enough.” Caleb pressed the flat of his hand against the camera’s lens. His towering presence must have intimidated, because the man turned and scurried off, muttering in Japanese. Several pedestrians had stopped to watch their interaction.

“What’s the matter, cowboy? Don’t want your love life splashed all over the morning papers?” Tyler stashed his phone in his pocket. “That didn’t go so well the last time, did it?”

Caleb let out a low, guttural sound, flung his bag on the ground and pounced. Britt gasped. Caleb’s fist struck Tyler’s jaw with a sickening crack and they stumbled backward. A woman in the crowd screamed.

“Stop!” Britt rushed to get between them, clamping her fingers around Caleb’s throwing arm before he could land another punch. “Please. Stop. He’s not worth it.”

Caleb’s chest heaved, his eyes flashing. He wrenched his arm from her grasp and stepped back.

Britt glared at Tyler, who slumped against the wall, rubbing his jaw. Blood trickled from a cut on his lip. Served him right.

“Get out of here before I hit you again,” Caleb growled.

“This ain’t over. You better watch your back, cowboy.” Tyler shoved off the wall and disappeared into the crowd.

Britt tried to get a better look at Caleb’s hand. “Let me see.”

He shook his head and examined his knuckles, flexing and extending his fingers.

She reached for him anyway, her own fingers trembling. “It’s starting to swell.”

His hand stilled beneath her touch. “It’ll be fine.”

Dragging her gaze up to meet his, she voiced her larger concern. “What do you think he’s going to do with that picture?”

Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Nothing. He’s just trying to intimidate you.”

“Well it worked.” An icy chill tingled down her spine and she stared over Caleb’s shoulder in the direction Tyler had disappeared.

Caleb scooped up his bag with his left hand. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here before anybody else takes a picture.”

She hurried after him, wishing she could absorb a fraction of his certainty. But something told her Tyler wasn’t going to let this go.

Chapter Ten

Caleb thanked the barista for the small bag of ice and turned away from the line of American businessmen waiting to place their orders. They pretended to stare at their phones or their morning newspapers, but he felt their curious glances. This wasn’t the time to sign autographs, if he could even grip a pen. He staked a claim on the only vacant table in the crowded Starbucks, sliding into the chair with his back toward the door. Tugging his ball cap a little lower, he set the bag of crushed ice on top of his swollen knuckles and winced. Man, slugging Tyler Jeffries was a dumb move. Shin would not be happy when he found out. If he hadn’t already heard.

Ben joined him with a Venti mocha in each hand and a newspaper tucked under his arm. He set the drinks down and unfolded the paper. “Did you see this?”

“See what?” Caleb reached for his drink with his free hand, glancing at the front page. He hadn’t paid much attention to the papers here—mainly because he couldn’t read them—but this time he did a double-take. ‘Pitcher Finds Love in Tokyo’ was splashed across the top in English. The photo underneath showed him standing close to Britt, his hand in her hair. He groaned and flipped the paper over.

Ben sat down in the seat across from him. “Are you holding out on me?”

“No. She borrowed my jacket. End of story.” Leave it to Jeffries to make a big scene. Maybe that shot to his jaw was worth it after all.

“Right. So your hand tangled in her hair and that look on her face—optical illusion, I guess.” Ben’s eyes danced.

“Shut it. You’re lucky my hand already hurts, or I’d—”

“Whatever. I could take you down. But I won’t, given your pathetic state.”

Caleb ignored him and sipped his coffee. He hoped the shot of caffeine and chocolate would clear his foggy brain. The press would have a field day with this and he needed a plan. He hadn’t slept well, although he’d grown accustomed to the tossing and turning—and the vivid nightmares. But last night was different. The residual adrenaline from his tussle with Jeffries left him keyed up, yet he was acutely aware that the time he’d spent with Britt had been enjoyable. Mostly enjoyable, anyway. Her smile, their love for their families, and common interest in baseball …

He set his coffee down and shook his head. What was he thinking? “This will never work.”

“What?”

“Me and Britt.”

Ben cocked his head to one side. “Why not?”

“C’mon. Don’t you think I learned my lesson? It’s just like before. The cameras in our faces, people waiting outside of restaurants and stores to get that million dollar shot. Look,” he gestured toward the newspaper. “One date and we’re already dealing with it.”

“So it was a date.” Ben grinned. “I knew it.”

The line of customers snaked past their table now. A red-haired woman standing at the end looked over her shoulder at Ben, then at Caleb.
Shoot
. She was one of the Epic Sports people. He ducked his head and lowered his voice. “That’s not what I meant. We were having—Never mind. It doesn’t matter. We’re not together.”

“Baseball season doesn’t last forever, you know.”

“Are you kidding me? She goes where the network sends her. Besides, I’m under contract with the Rays until October.”

“She doesn’t cover games very often. I think her show keeps her on the East Coast. You have off days. Why not meet in Hawaii or something?” Ben waggled his eyebrows.

“See each other once in six months? No thanks.” Caleb adjusted the ice bag on his hand, and snuck another peek at the woman nearby. She had her phone out, swiping her finger across the screen, probably relaying his every word straight back to Britt. “I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.”

“I can. Anybody who spends five minutes with the two of you can see the sparks fly.”

“Whatever. She’s only here to do her job.” But even saying the words out loud didn’t make him believe it. They’d had a great time talking about plenty of things besides baseball. And that’s what concerned him. He’d vowed the next time he fell for someone—if there was a next time—she’d be a normal person. This growing attraction for Britt Bowen had danger written all over it.

“Can I ask you something?” Ben lifted the paper and waved it in front of him before tossing it aside. “Is this what life’s all about for you?”

“What do you mean?”

Ben’s expression hardened. “Don’t play dumb with me. Sometimes I wonder if this whole ‘dodge the media’ thing is just an act. I think you like the attention.”

Caleb bristled, his pulse surging.
Really?
“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Go ahead. Pretend. You’re getting good at it. Meanwhile, the best thing that ever happened to you will get on a plane in a couple of days and you’ll just watch her go—”

“All right, all right.” Caleb held up his hand. “You’ve made your point.”

“Have I?”

“Yes.” Caleb twisted his coffee cup in a slow circle. “You think Britt’s the best thing that ever happened to me?”

Ben looked out the window, opened his mouth and then closed it again. It wasn’t like him to put a great deal of thought into filtering his opinions. That was Caleb’s role. “Listen, I mean no disrespect to Amanda. She was great. You guys seemed happy.”

“But?” Caleb steeled himself for what was going to come next.

“She was all about Amanda. None of us thought she’d stick around for the long haul.”

Caleb snorted. “Well, isn’t that ironic? Looks like you were right.”

“You know what I mean. That was a raw deal. But you can’t wallow forever, man.”

“I’m not wallowing. And I won’t play here forever. But I can’t get involved with another celebrity. Not now, not ever.”

A knock at the door woke Britt from a sound sleep. She rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 7:15. Did she have an early meeting? It was game day, right?

Caleb
. She groaned and rubbed her eyes as images from last night flitted through her brain. He’d taken a huge risk defending her like that.

The knocking grew more persistent, followed by the chime of her phone that indicated she had a text message waiting.

Sheesh.
What could possibly be so urgent at this hour of the day?

“Coming,” she called. She climbed out of bed, slipped her robe over her pajamas and cinched the tie at her waist. A quick glance in the mirror above the desk revealed a tangled mass of hair and puffy eyes. Great. This better be important.

“Britt? Are you there?” Marne’s voice was muffled on the other side of the door.

Britt yawned and unlocked the deadbolt. She opened the door to find Marne dressed in yoga pants and a hoodie, with a loaded cardboard coffee carrier in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

“Care to explain this?” Marne thrust the paper in front of Britt’s face.

“Good morning, Marne.” Britt took the paper without looking at it. “It’s a little early for a breakfast meeting, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so, when you’ve been out carousing half the night.” Marne brushed past her and into the room.

“Sure, come on in.” Britt shut the door and glanced at the headline on the front page of the paper. Her stomach plummeted to her toes. “Pitcher finds love in Tokyo?”

“Did you have a good time?” Marne set the coffee carrier on the desk and reached for her own drink.

“It wasn’t—I borrowed his jacket. That’s all.”

“Are you sure? Because it looks like a whole lot more.” Marne leaned against the desk, cradling her coffee cup in both hands.

“There was this movie star who looked a little too friendly so I tried to rescue Caleb. But then …” Then what? A jealous ex-boyfriend turned an innocent gesture into an international news story? Britt puffed her cheeks then released the air slowly, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes. “I didn’t know sportscasting involved all this drama.”

“Me, either. Here.” Marne handed Britt her coffee. “You want to tell me what really happened?”

“We ate a burger and fries, for Pete’s sake. It wasn’t—”

“I know, I know, it was nothing. But to the rest of the world it looks like something. We need to figure out how to spin this.”

“Spin it? What are you talking about?” She took a sip of her latte and stared at Marne over the rim of her cup.

“Read the article and then we’ll talk.”

Britt sank into the chair and scanned the article. Not a bad report of Caleb’s performance on the mound, but it focused on his behavior off the field, including a lot of speculation about their alleged relationship. “Caleb is going to freak out.”

“I don’t know. He looked pretty calm to me.”

Britt tossed the paper on the bed. “How would you know that?”

“He’s sitting in Starbucks with his brother. I walked right past him.”

“Did you say anything?”

“Of course not. But I’m pretty sure he recognized me.”

“I’m sorry, Marne. I acted on impulse. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“That’s what I like to hear. As far as the network’s concerned, there won’t be a next time.” Marne set her coffee down and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“You have my word.”

“Yes. I’ve already got an email from one of the VP’s. Looks like your Kodak moment went viral. He wants to make sure you understand the terms of your contract.”

“Of course,” Britt whispered. A wave of anxiety rippled through her.

“I know fraternizing with the players is something you’re accustomed to, but that’s not why we’re here.”

“Fraternizing? What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Britt.” Marne narrowed her gaze. “We all know why you left Kansas City.”

Anxiety morphed into irritation. “Whoa. I left Kansas City because the network offered me this job.”

“You’re free to date whomever you choose. But it comes at a cost. Professional baseball players are not an option. Unfortunately, now the whole world is watching, including the guy who signs your paycheck. He’s not happy about this.”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong. I told you—”

“This picture says otherwise.”

“You can’t believe everything you see.” Britt glanced at the clock and calculated the time difference to the West Coast. Was Lucas in his office? He’d know what to do. Then her next call would be to her agent, Kevin. She needed advice. Now.

“Why don’t you grab a shower and we’ll reconvene in an hour. We can talk about next steps.” Marne picked up her coffee and walked toward the door.