Chapter 26
After taking the dogs for their noon walk on July fourth, Evan stopped at the row of community mailboxes to check his mail from the past couple of days. He didn’t bother looking through the stack of what was sure to be ads and takeout menus until he got upstairs. The dogs didn’t exactly make it easy to sort and walk at the same time.
Music filtered out from Sierra’s apartment as he walked past it. He hadn’t seen her since their confrontation on the balcony two days ago. That had given him plenty of time to think about what she’d said.
Hadn’t he just told himself the day before they argued how glad he was that Cole didn’t judge him even when he made no sense? Yet he’d jumped right down Sierra’s throat when he’d felt she was making the same mistake. How much of a hypocrite did that make him?
She was right. There was no denying at this point that they were friends, and he should have offered her support rather than made her feel like she’d done something wrong. He’d just been so angry on her behalf that he hadn’t thought through his response.
In fairness, he’d never really been friends with a woman before. His guy friends would have been all over the idea of kicking Camille’s ass. Well, symbolically speaking.
He supposed he had some things to learn. He also needed to apologize. The trick was figuring out how to do that. It wasn’t exactly a strength of his.
Standing over his garbage can, he sorted through his mail. Near the bottom of the stack, he came across a folded piece of paper that felt like normal copy paper. The printed message on it read,
You will lose everything, asshole
.
Frowning, he read it a second time and flipped it over to see if it was some weird advertising campaign. There was nothing on the back.
“What the hell?” he muttered.
Had the message actually been meant for him? He tried to think of someone who would have the desire to threaten him and knew where he lived.
Angeline? He supposed it was possible. There was the whole saying about a woman scorned for a reason.
Jensen? He’d couriered his payment to Sierra, so he knew her address. Did he know that Evan lived in the same building? It wasn’t exactly a secret, and Caroline had been steadily applying pressure to Matt with her investigation. He could have done it.
Hell, a disgruntled fan could have done it, assuming the message hadn’t been left in his box by mistake or as a twisted joke. They’d lost two games in a row. Players received hate mail for all kinds of screwy reasons…though not usually at their homes.
Setting it aside, he put it out of his mind. He needed to get ready to head to the stadium for that evening’s game. Thanks to their recent losses, management wanted them all there by two for a team meeting before they dressed out for pre-game stretch and batting practice.
He made himself a turkey sandwich and vegetable soup for lunch, adding apple slices on the side for the potassium. The heat while he’d been walking the dogs was fierce, so he drank a few glasses of water while he was at it.
Once he was done with lunch, he changed out of his sleeveless workout shirt and gym shorts into a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt. Unfortunately, he then had to see to the task of caging the dogs.
“Come on, Miller,” he said, going from room to room in search of the little bugger. “This is harder on me than it is on you.”
Beck had been easy enough to get into his cage. His still-healing paw didn’t allow him to move as fast as his brother. Miller, however, had learned that he was going to be caged whenever Beck was, and he’d taken to hiding.
Evan searched under his bed and in both closets. He looked in the bathtubs and all over the family room. The dog was nowhere to be found.
“Miller, damn it—I’m going to be late,” he growled as he stood in the middle of his kitchen.
His cell buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw a text from Sierra. It was ridiculous how his heartbeat accelerated just seeing her name on his phone.
Check under the guestroom sink
, the text read.
Shaking his head, he walked into the empty guestroom and opened the cabinet door. Sure enough, two blue eyes surrounded by a dark mask of fur stared back at him.
“You’re lucky you resemble Batman in his Batcave,” Evan said, reaching in, pulling him out by his scruff, and holding him at eye level. “It’s saving you from an epic ass-whooping right now.”
Miller licked his cheek.
“I’m serious,” Evan said as he walked to the cage. “You may think I’m soft on you because you’re smart enough to hide under the sink, but—ah, hell. I’m so damn proud right now.”
He rubbed Miller’s head before closing his cage door. Standing back up, he texted a thank you to Sierra before he headed out to the stadium.
The team meeting was the usual run-through of the errors they’d been making and what they needed to improve in order to pull out the win. Evan already knew that he needed to step up. He hadn’t performed well in his last two outings, going only two for seven and committing a costly error in the previous night’s game. Something was off, and he hadn’t figured out how to shake it.
Hoping some additional BP would help, he headed out to the field for pre-game practice. He did his stretches and runs first, grateful for the cloudy sky. Although the humidity was killer, there was a decent breeze and he didn’t feel quite like he was boiling in his own skin.
They opened the gates to the fans a couple of hours before game time while BP was still taking place. It was one of his favorite parts of practice, when he could run around shagging balls with some of the other players, occasionally handing off a ball to a fan in the stands.
Once he had taken his turn to bat, he worked left field like he was Ted Williams. He dove for balls, tried for underhanded catches, and otherwise showboated to get a rise out of the growing crowd. Several of his teammates did the same in their spots around the diamond.
One foul ball had him jogging over toward the stands on the third base side. He gauged it right, catching it as he bent over the railing leading into the stands.
A chorus of feminine voices rose in a cheer, drawing his attention as he righted himself. Glancing up a few rows, he spotted a group of women, all clapping and whistling.
That wasn’t unusual. The team had a lot of female fans. What surprised him was seeing Sierra and her mothers among the cheerleaders.
He felt the corners of his mouth tugging up. Lifting the ball, he waved it in Sierra’s direction. She smiled.
And he knew then what had been off about his game over the past two days.
“Come and get it,” he called out.
She rose, saying something to the older woman sitting to her right. Based on the woman’s resemblance to Regina, Evan guessed that she was Sierra’s grandmother. He remembered Sierra saying she was a big fan of the team.
“Hi, Evan,” she said as she stopped in front of him.
“Hi, Sierra.”
Her hair was different, he realized. She’d gone with a couple of red and deep blue streaks to accent her light blonde curls in keeping with the patriotic holiday. Or, he supposed, the team colors. Since she wore a team jersey and cheek temp tattoos with their red and blue logo, she could very well have been showing team spirit.
Handing her the ball, he asked, “Why are you sitting on the visitor’s side?”
She flashed her dimples again. “It’s closer to third base. Have I mentioned that your butt looks amazing in your uniform pants?”
“You might have.” Glancing behind her, he lifted his chin toward her family. “Is that your grandma?”
“Yes.”
“Does she want me to autograph her cleavage?”
“Yes.”
“Would she settle for a pre-game hug?”
“Oh, I think that might make her entire life complete. I’ll be right back.”
She turned and jogged up the few stairs to her row. He honed in on her amazing legs. She was wearing those denim shorts again, he noticed. His gaze moved up as she edged back into her row to talk to her grandma. When he realized what she was wearing, he went very still.
It was his number.
Something indefinable shifted in him upon seeing his name across the back of her jersey. Even though he’d been an ass when she needed his support, she was broadcasting her support of him to the world. Well, at least in his mind. It was something he’d never forget.
The part of him that had dreamed of this scenario since high school had him doing a surreptitious glance around under the cover of his sunglasses. He wanted to see who had noticed the sexy blonde wearing his jersey and smiling at him like he’d just handed her a prize. Once he realized that a number of the players on his team and in the visitor’s dugout had taken an interest in Sierra, though, he decided he wasn’t quite as excited about sharing this moment as he’d imagined.
Sierra’s grandmother followed her down from her seat, moving as fast as a woman half her age. Her excitement was obvious from her wide smile and even wider eyes. He noticed that Sierra hung back, wanting to give her grandmother this moment with him.
“Mr. Dorsey,” she said as she approached. “My name’s Penelope Malone. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“The honor’s all mine, Ms. Malone,” he said. “I told Sierra that I had to meet the beautiful lady sitting beside her, and she was kind enough to bring you down. Could I get a hug for good luck?”
“Oh, you are a charmer,” she said. “I’d love a hug.”
She reached down and put her arms around him. He saw Sierra lift a camera and figured she was capturing the moment. Regina and Deanne smiled and waved, so he waved back.
“Did you see all those Florida players lookin’ at our Sierra?” Penelope asked near his ear.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You kick their asses, hear?”
Choking back a laugh, he repeated, “Yes, ma’am.”
She patted him on the back. “I knew I liked you. We’ll be cheerin’ for you, sweetheart.”
When she turned to walk back to her seat, Sierra stepped back down. “Thank you for doing that, Evan,” she said.
“You’re welcome, Sierra.”
“Good luck, or break a leg, or whatever I’m supposed to say,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks.”
As she turned to walk away, he reached out and grabbed her hand. He had several things he wanted to say, beginning with an apology. But as she glanced back at him, he knew it wasn’t the time.
She gave his hand a squeeze and nodded. “Have a great game, Evan.”
He had a feeling that he would.
Chapter 27
“There are a lot of people looking at you right now, Sierra.”
Smiling over her sister’s observation, Sierra edged into their row and took her seat. She was well aware of the stares she was receiving as a result of her conversation with Evan. In truth, it was kind of cool.
“They’ll focus on the game soon enough,” she told her sister as she lifted her camera to take some more shots.
“I feel so out of the loop,” Lane complained, resting her chin in her hand. “Being away at school keeps me out of touch.”
“You have a cell phone and e-mail, hon,” Regina said as she patted Lane’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah.” Lane blew a strand of her long, blonde hair out of her eyes. “I won’t make excuses. But I’ll admit that if I had known Sierra was hooking up with Evan Dorsey, I might have made an extra effort to reach out for details.”
Penelope made a clucking sound with her tongue. “Hookin’ up? You make it sound like your sister’s gettin’ paid for sexual favors, Lane Elizabeth.”
Sierra and Lane laughed. Deanne lifted her eyes to the sky and Regina issued a low, “
Mom.
”
“Well, it’s true,” Penelope said, lifting her binoculars. “In my day, hookin’ had a whole different meanin’.”
Grinning, Sierra zoomed in on Evan for another couple of shots before the team headed inside to get ready for the game. Putting her camera back into her bag, she reached for a handful of the peanuts in her grandma’s lap.
“I never said I was hooking up with Evan,” she said as she cracked open a nut.
Lane’s eyes widened. “You’re not? I thought you said you met him last November.”
Sierra nodded. “I did, but he only moved here about three weeks ago.”
“Oh.” Lane considered that for a minute. “Will you let me know the details when you do hook up?”
“Sure.”
“You’re a great sister, Sierra.”
“I try.”
Sitting up straighter and wagging her finger, Lane said, “Tell you what. Let me return the favor. I’ll hold down that skank, Camille, while you beat the truth out of her.”
“College is bringin’ out your violent side, sweetie,” Deanne commented as she looked at the program over Regina’s shoulder. “I’m strangely encouraged by that.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Who’s Camille, and why are we beatin’ her up?” Penelope asked.
Lane took the liberty of sharing the story with their grandmother while Sierra munched on her peanuts. She’d had time over the past couple of days to calm down and think through her reaction to Camille’s duplicity. Her friends and family had all offered their forms of support and advice, much of which resembled Lane’s “hold her down” approach.
She’d called Bastian on the afternoon of the shoot and once again apologized for the confusion. She said she still had the text on her phone that he’d sent, but when he checked his own phone, he didn’t have that message in his sent items. She also forwarded him the e-mail she’d sent him the night before, making sure he actually got it and read it this time. He’d assured her that he would look into it. Camille had just left for a two week vacation, so there wasn’t much that could be done right then.
“Sounds like this Camille person struggles with a lot of self-confidence issues,” Penelope mused. “In light of the fact that Sierra can prove that Camille robbed her of the job, she’s also dumb as a box of rocks.”
Sierra wasn’t surprised by her grandmother’s observations. She’d always known that she got her powerful insight from her grandma. Through her, Sierra had learned to keep an open mind and always tried to see every situation from the other person’s perspective. Growing up in a non-traditional household had also helped form Sierra’s base nature. When she’d struggled as a child, her grandma had helped her through it.
“Well, I hope Bastian fires her ass,” Lane said, getting to her feet. “Sierra, you want to hit the restroom with me and I’ll buy us a round of beers?”
“Sounds good.”
Sierra got up and walked with her sister up the stairs leading to the public walkway. She realized that they were the object of a lot of curious stares, but she didn’t know if that was a lingering result of her chat with Evan or if they just saw two twenty-something blondes and felt the need to ogle.
“So, you
are
planning on hooking up with Evan, right?” Lane asked as they headed to the bathroom.
“Yep.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“For him to be ready.”
Lane quirked an eyebrow. “
He’s
the one who isn’t ready?”
Giving her sister a knowing look, Sierra said, “Don’t you even think of gossiping about this with Beth or any of your other friends. I know when I’m being pumped for information.”
Rolling her eyes, Lane tossed her hands in the air as they joined the line in the bathroom. “Okay, fine.”
“He’s had some difficult times over the past year,” Sierra said in a quiet voice. “He’s working through them.”
Lane’s gaze softened. “Oh. I didn’t know.”
“I have every intent of jumping him soon, though,” Sierra thought to add.
They took their turns in the stalls, then washed their hands and headed to the closest beer vendor. Since they were waiting in line again, Lane continued her sisterly gossip session.
“I think you should jump him tonight. He may have been wearing sunglasses, but I saw the way he was looking at you. He’s totally into you.”
That made Sierra smile. “Thanks for saying so.”
They reached the counter and ordered five beers and a couple of hot pretzels. Once Lane paid for it all, they gathered their trays and headed back to their seats.
“So?” Lane prompted when they were away from public ears.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, sis, but I’m not going to jump him tonight. He leaves on a road trip first thing in the morning. I’m sure he’ll be packing and getting some sleep.”
“That sucks. Do you think he’ll hook up with someone while he’s on his road trip? I’ve heard ballplayers do that.”
The suggestion made Sierra’s chest hurt. She knew every time Evan traveled that there was a chance he could meet someone who might catch his interest. He wasn’t beholden to her in any way, after all.
She thought of his interaction with Angeline at the barbecue. He’d been very clear that he wasn’t interested in a relationship right now. But did that mean that he wasn’t interested in hooking up at all, or just being with someone for the long term?
Catching her sister’s eye, she admitted, “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry, Sierra. I shouldn’t have said anything. I wasn’t kidding when I said that he’s really into you. He got this whole other look on his face when he saw you. It was pretty adorable, actually.”
Pushing her concerns aside, Sierra offered her sister another smile. They were there to enjoy their time together as a family, and that’s just what she intended to do. She’d worry about her relationship—or lack thereof—with Evan later.
“Let’s watch some baseball,” she said. “We’ll have a great view of Evan’s butt.”
“Well, that just might make this the best Fourth of July I’ve ever had.”