Chapter 22
Cranking the Florida-Georgia Line song, “Cruise,” on her stereo, Sierra tackled the rest of her cleaning tasks after getting home from the walk with Evan. Leo collapsed in his bed, content to monitor her antics from afar. She replayed the kiss from the grocery store in her head multiple times, making her chores less of a pain.
God, that had been one hell of a kiss.
Evan seemed happier today, she thought. For once, he’d kept the conversation going rather than her having to force him to talk. He’d put his computer aside to focus on her while they stood on the balcony. When she’d suggested the walk, he hadn’t made an excuse not to go out.
Every day, he made progress. The jokes he’d cracked about her vacuum cleaner and then with Porsche about the snack cakes had brought her such joy. No, they hadn’t been knee-slappers, but anything he said to add levity to a conversation was really an accomplishment for him.
There were times when she wished she had known him before the sorrow took hold of his heart. It would give her an idea of what she was helping him try to recover.
But she knew that no matter who he had been before, he would never be that person again. What she could—and would—do was help him become the person he wanted to be now.
By the time noon rolled around, she’d scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom and mopped the floors. She’d dusted and vacuumed the furniture and sucked up as much dog hair as she could. She’d changed her sheets and towels and had gotten two loads of laundry done. It made her happy to have everything clean and straightened, even though it would be a mess again within a few days.
She decided to have something small to eat before she got ready for the barbecue. There was always alcohol flowing among the adults at these functions, and she didn’t want to end up feeling as ill as she had after the Thai food. As she ate some sliced up strawberries mixed with vanilla yogurt, her cell phone rang.
Tapping the accept button, she said, “Hello?”
“Hi, Ms. Sierra,” Oliver said. “I wanted to let you know that I just accepted a couriered package for you. An envelope.”
“You did?”
She tried to remember if she was expecting anything. Some hard prints that she’d ordered? A flash drive from Bastian? Nothing came to mind.
“Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed.
“Thanks, Oliver. I’ll hop down shortly.”
After she disconnected, she cleaned her bowl and set it in the dish rack. Curiosity propelled her out the door before she showered or changed. She wanted to know who had sent her a package.
Her cell rang again just as she reached the lobby. “Hi, Mom,” she greeted.
“Hi, hon,” Deanne said. “We just got the most gorgeous flowers from Evan.”
She smiled as she approached the front desk. “You did?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know he was sendin’ ‘em? I figured he got our address from you.”
“Nope. He did that all on his own.”
“Well, he just won some huge Brownie points. He’s not answerin’ his cell, so we called yours.”
“He’s at the stadium,” she said as she smiled at Oliver and took the envelope from him. “Early game today.”
“Oh, right. I’ve lost all track of the days of the week. Well, we’ll try him again tomorrow. I think they have an off day.”
“Yep. I’m standing in the lobby, so I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay, honey. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
When she hung up, she looked at Oliver and said, “Sorry about that.”
“No problem at all, Ms. Sierra. You goin’ to join the festivities this afternoon?”
“Soon. Is everything gearing up out there?”
“You know it. I’ll stop by after my shift.”
“I can’t wait,” she said with another smile. “I’d better get more presentable. I’ll see you later.”
As she walked back to the elevator, she tried to get more information off the cardboard letter holder that had been couriered to her. It contained her address and a P.O. Box listed as the return address, all typed rather than handwritten. Shrugging as the elevator began ascending to her floor, she ripped it open and looked at the contents.
Her lips parted when she saw what it contained. A check from Matthew Jensen made out for a sum more than twice what she’d quoted his wife.
Jesus. What had Evan done to him?
Sliding the check back into the envelope, she headed up the hall to her apartment. It was time for her to make the call she’d promised her parents she would.
* * *
They swept Arizona in the home stand. Evan returned at full strength, going three for three with two RBIs. It felt great to be back in the game, which he conveyed at the press conference afterwards. He was heading to the player’s lot to go home when Caroline caught up with him.
“Evan, may I have a word with you?” she asked, motioning that he follow her down a hallway he’d never noticed before.
Knowing he didn’t have a choice, he changed direction and headed after her. She moved at a brisk pace, her high heels not slowing her in the least. Halfway down the hallway, she used a key to open a door. She reached inside and turned on the lights, revealing a meeting room with a long table and ten leather chairs. Once Evan followed her in, she closed the door.
“Please, have a seat,” she said.
She sat at the head of the table, so he took one of the two adjacent chairs. She folded her hands on top of the table and studied him in silence. He sat back and waited for her to get to the point of the meeting.
“Sierra called me,” she began.
Frowning, he asked, “Is she okay?”
“She is…no thanks to Matthew Jensen.”
His frown eased. Keeping his expression carefully neutral, he gave her a nod to show he understood.
“You have a right to know that I’ve begun an investigation into Mr. Jensen’s extracurricular activities, though that information is not to leave this room.”
“No, ma’am.”
“You should also know that, regardless of Mr. Jensen’s physical health, he will not be returning as a starter on my team while said investigation is ongoing. Indeed, should the investigation result in any criminal charges, as I suspect it will, he won’t be starting for my team anytime in the future.”
Evan stopped breathing for a moment as the impact of her statements sank in. She’d essentially just told him that he’d be starting at third throughout the regular and post-season. He no longer had to worry about Jensen returning to full health and taking it from him, a concern that he now silently acknowledged had been weighing on him.
She nodded, seeing that he understood. “What I need to know from you, Evan, is whether your actions against Mr. Jensen after his attack on my niece could possibly come back to negatively impact you, Sierra, or this team.”
He released the breath he’d been holding. “What actions would those be, ma’am?”
Glancing briefly at her clasped hands, then back at him, she said, “I refer to the actions alleged by a few of your teammates that have suddenly made Mr. Jensen quite…leery of you.”
“With all due respect to my teammates, those stories are inaccurate.”
“They are?”
“Yes, ma’am. Jensen isn’t leery of me. He’s scared shitless of me. Begging your pardon.”
Her lips twitched. “I see. Would you care to enlighten me as to why he’s suddenly scared shitless of you?”
“I would not.”
She leaned forward and held his gaze. “Look, Evan. This is what I do. I head off gossip and rumors and spin them in the most positive way possible.”
“These would be straight-up facts, Caroline, and I believe the less you know, the better.”
She considered that. “Did you threaten him?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Can you follow through on those threats?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You know my background. Before I moved to the States, my education was rather…colorful. We Aussie boys pick up a lot on the streets.”
Once again, she grew silent. He saw her taking his measure. The wheels of her sharp mind were almost audible as they turned.
“Were there any witnesses?” she asked at last.
“No, ma’am.”
“All right. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”
“Sure.”
They got up and walked out, turning off the lights and locking the door behind them. He walked with her out to the parking lot and made sure she got safely to her vehicle. She unlocked her car door and climbed in. Before she pulled the door closed, she looked up at him.
“What did you do to him?” she asked.
“Knocked his balls into his throat.”
She gave him a feral smile. “Enjoy your evening, Evan.”
“You, too, Caroline,” he said.
Chapter 23
It was after six before Evan got to the apartment complex, so he figured the afternoon barbecue would be winding down. He was wrong.
Apparently, everyone from all three buildings and most of their friends and relatives were in attendance. The event sprawled from the central courtyard to the poolside. People and dogs moved around in happy chaos. Three propane grills had been set up and were in use, releasing meat-scented steam into the air. A number of folding tables with red, white, and blue paper tablecloths lined the courtyard. Every inch of them was covered in food. Shrieks of laughter and children playing issued from every side.
He didn’t belong here, he thought as he looked around. This wasn’t what he wanted. This was exactly the opposite of what he wanted.
Wasn’t it?
Shaking his head, he turned to head up to his apartment.
“Hey, Dorsey!”
He glanced toward the grills, where six guys stood around holding beers, talking, and preparing burgers, hotdogs, and smoked sausages. One of them, tall and lanky with a mop of sandy hair, waved at him.
“Come on over, man,” he said. “Make me feel like the coolest guy here, would you? I’ll buy you a beer.”
Don’t be rude, asshole
, he told himself.
Withholding a sigh, he turned back to the party and walked over to join the group by the grills.
“What’ve you got?” he asked, trying to ignore the stares of the other guys.
“Bud, Miller, Coors, pretty much all the standards. Oh, wait—your dogs are Beck and Miller, right?” the guy asked. “Sierra introduced them earlier.”
He reached into a cooler and searched around within the ice. “Damn. Looks like this cooler’s on low. Just got Budweiser.”
“That’s fine, thanks.” He accepted the beer and extended his other hand. “Evan Dorsey.”
“Oh, shit, of course. We all know you, but you wouldn’t…anyway, I’m Carl from 2-A in building three. This is my partner, Jerry. That’s Todd and Xavier from 3-D in our building, and that’s Zachary and his brother, Robbie. Zachary is married to Lila and they’re in 1-B.”
Evan shook everyone’s hands, trying to remember something about each of them to help retain their names. Carl with the cheerful smile, Jerry with the dark hair and designer sunglasses, Todd who wasn’t much bigger than Sierra and had the blond, curly hair to match, Xavier with the serious ink along both arms, Zachary with the afro and muscle shirt who should take a shot at the NBA, Robbie who stood a foot shorter than his brother but shared the same crooked grin.
“Great game today, man,” Zachary said, lifting his beer in acknowledgement. “Bet we’ll see that double play you turned in the seventh on
SportsCenter’s
top plays tomorrow.”
Taking a sip of his beer, Evan struggled not to wince over the taste. Maybe being polite wasn’t worth it. He shrugged in response to Zachary’s comment.
“It was really Uhre who helped pull that one off,” he said. “You guys all seem to know my story. What do all of you do for a living?”
They stared at him like he’d punched them all in the face. Unsure what he’d just said, he took another unwanted sip of his beer and prayed for inspiration.
“Don’t mind them,” Sierra said as she walked up next to him. “They just can’t believe that the hot, amazing, and famous Evan Dorsey is interested in their totally normal lives, right guys?”
He looked down at her so he could see the smile he heard in her voice. She’d put on a knee-length purple sundress with ruffles around the V neckline, which she wore over what looked like a black bathing suit. Her curls were swept up in a high ponytail. Large silver hoops swung in her ears. She’d applied some makeup, drawing even more attention to her captivating eyes.
“I was just looking for one of these,” she said, taking the Budweiser from him and handing him a bottle of Miller Lite. “Why don’t we trade?”
“Thanks.” He glanced around. “Where are the dogs?”
“Having the time of their lives playing with their fellow canines. They’ll need baths tomorrow, just so you know. I’m about to check on them again. Have fun with the guys.” Turning back to the others, she waved. “Later, guys.”
They all gave her some form of response as she walked away. Evan, Zachary, and Robbie cricked their necks to get a better view as she bent down to coo over a baby in a stroller. She smiled at the mother, issued a few more words, and moved on. Once she moved out of sight, Evan finally turned back to rejoin the conversation.
Sierra’s interruption had helped break the ice. The talk transitioned to a discussion about baseball and sports in general. Evan found himself on comfortable ground, which helped him relax. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before Sierra came by with another Miller Lite and a plate of food from the tables, but he gratefully accepted both.
“Nothing that can spoil,” she said with a wink before she headed back into the crowd.
A corner of his mouth lifted when he spotted the Hostess cupcake next to the other offerings. He used one of the trays attached to the grills to support his plate and ate while the conversation flowed. More of the complex’s tenants stopped by as they grabbed burgers and dogs, introducing themselves and occasionally joining the talk.
By the time he was on his third beer, he realized he was actually having a nice time. No one treated him differently than anyone else. He wasn’t being hounded for autographs. People respected his personal space. All in all, he was glad he’d stayed. The only thing that would make it better was if—
“Evan?” called out a familiar voice. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Turning, he saw Angeline making her way through the crowd. She wore a white bikini without any kind of cover-up. Enough of her skin showed that he could tell she didn’t have any tan lines. Her long, auburn hair spilled over her shoulders and framed her lovely breasts.
“Hello—” he began.
He stopped abruptly when she drew him into a tight hug. “I’ve been telling my friends all about you,” she said. “I can’t wait to introduce you.”
She pulled back and smiled at him. It was clear from the glassy look in her eyes that she’d had more than a few alcoholic beverages.
“Look, Angeline—”
“Come on,” she insisted, grabbing his hand and tugging. “You promised.”
Zachary gave him a companionable slap on the back and handed him another beer as they passed. “Good luck, bro,” he said.
Evan tried to figure out how to remove himself from Angeline’s grip without embarrassing her and looking like an ass. Fortunately, they didn’t have to go far. Her friends were lying on loungers beside the pool. When they reached the chairs, Angeline wove her fingers through his, her grip like iron.
“I told you,” Angeline said, her gaze on the other two young women. “Dana, Valerie, this is Evan.”
“Is it true you’re a baseball player?” one of them asked. He had no idea which one she was.
“Yeah,” he said.
He took a sip of his beer as he tried to figure out a way out of this. He realized he’d been handed a Coors.
Great.
“Are you any good?” the other friend asked, her gaze calculating.
“Of course he’s good,” Angeline said, looking up at him with a wide smile. “He’s so sweet, too. You girls are going to love him.”
Alarm bells sounded in his head. This sounded much less like a friendly introduction than it did an intro to a boyfriend. What the hell?
“Angeline, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you alone before you brought me over here,” he said, keeping his tone casual. “Do you think we could find somewhere private for a few minutes?”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, sure! I know the perfect spot. I’ll see you in a bit, girls.”
He nodded at Dana and Valerie as Angeline led him off. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to say that wouldn’t cause a lot of drama. He kept coming up blank.
They passed the area where all of the dogs were playing. He saw Sierra sitting in the grass. She was trying to help a kid who looked about three or four to throw one of the Frisbees being tossed around. Neither of them appeared to be having much success.
He willed her to look over at him.
Come on…
As if she heard him, she caught his eye. Relief rushed through him until her gaze shifted from him to Angeline and the smile faded from her face.
Shaking his head, he mouthed,
Help me!
A second later, he vanished behind a wall. Angeline had pulled him into a shadowed alcove between the buildings. Where before it had seemed like the best idea to have this conversation in private, it now felt moronic.
“Angeline—”
She grabbed his T-shirt in both hands and pulled him down so she could kiss him. He stopped her before their lips connected.
“Angeline, listen to me,” he insisted, his voice low and firm. “You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m sorry if I led you to believe I was interested in a relationship, but the truth is, I’m not.”
Her eyes widened. “What? But—but I thought we had something. Felt something. All of the flirting…the way you look at me.”
He didn’t remember ever flirting with her, but wasn’t about to press the issue. “You’re a nice person, but I’m working through some stuff right now. What you’re looking for…what you deserve…it’s not what I can offer you.”
She brought a hand up to her chest. Her gaze moved in the direction of the pool.
“I’m such an idiot,” she whispered.
“No, you’re not,” he said. “I’m just not cut out for this. I don’t know that I ever will be. What I think you should do is tell Dana and Valerie that you dumped my sorry ass.”
“Oh, God. Dana and Valerie.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I misread the signs.”
“I take full responsibility.”
“Shit. I’m blaming the alcohol. Well, I guess thanks for letting me down easy.”
“It’s the other way around, remember?”
She reached out and touched his arm before turning and walking unsteadily back to her friends. He took a deep breath and released it. That had gone better than he’d hoped.
“I think you handled that well,” Sierra said as she stepped out from behind the stairwell.
His heartbeat accelerated when he saw her. “I wasn’t sure you could read my lips.”
“Sure.” Her mouth curved into a smile. “I was all prepared to rescue you, but it looks like you did okay. You even managed to tell her things that you haven’t voiced until now.”
“I—what?”
“The boys miss you,” she said, linking her arm with his. “Come on. I’ve got a beer you’ll actually drink waiting for you.”
He let her lead him back out to the barbecue, but he was mentally replaying the words he’d given Angeline out of desperation. What exactly had he said?
What you’re looking for…what you deserve…it’s not what I can offer you.
I’m just not cut out for this. I don’t know that I ever will be
.
Had he meant all of that? It had come from his gut when he said it to Angeline, but did he really feel that way all around?
He supposed it didn’t much matter. What mattered was that Sierra had heard every word.
And apparently, she believed it.