Authors: Amy Noelle
“Brad, you dolt, go get her some water! And scare off Terry. I’ll take care of your writer.”
I wasn’t his anything, but Brad grinned. “I guess I’ve been told. Be right back, ladies.”
“Men. You have to make them do every little thing, don’t you? Now, why don’t you have a seat?” I sank down on the chair she offered and she sat next to me just as another waiter materialized and handed me a glass of water. I took a long drink and tried to get my wits about me. I felt like I’d been sucked into a tornado. Everything inside me was unsettled.
“There. That’s better. Sorry to steal Brad from you, but Terry just won’t take no for an answer. And since I need him to produce my movies, I can’t exactly knee him in the balls, you know what I mean?”
Not really but I nodded anyway. “Brad’s not mine to steal, so don’t worry about it.”
Her smile widened. “Really? I wonder about that.”
“Why would you do that?” I took another sip of water and set the glass aside.
“Because he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you walked in the room, not even to look at me, and honey, let me tell you, that’s new.”
I followed her gaze and saw that Brad was talking to some older gentleman, smiling and laughing, but his eyes were on us. “How can you tell? He’s looking at both of us.”
“Making sure I’m not telling you all his secrets, no doubt!” She laughed. “And a woman knows when she has a man’s attention.” She leaned toward me. “I’m glad he didn’t listen to me.”
“Listen to you about what?”
“This book idea. Brad’s probably the most private person I know, and he’s going to reveal all to who I thought was some nobody writer with only two books under her belt? It’s crazy, right?”
My back went up and I glared at her. “It’s three actually, and—”
She grabbed my hand. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t trying to insult you. Those were my thoughts
before
I knew who you were to him, and before I read your books. You have a real talent for showing the man behind the story.”
This was one of the strangest conversations of my life, and my moods were shifting like lightning, from awe to jealousy to flattery to anger and back to flattery again. “Thank you, I think.”
She giggled and patted my hand. “You have to understand. Brad is special to me.” I just bet he was. “And not in the way you’re thinking.” Her stunning blue eyes looked almost teary for a moment. “He’s one of my best friends, and yet I don’t feel like I know him at all. Maybe your book will help me with that, huh?”
How did she not know him yet claim him as a best friend and sometimes lover? “It could. If he ever decides to open up to me.”
“If he’s going to open up to anyone, it’ll be you.”
“I’m delighted you think so, but thus far he’s done little to make me believe it.”
“These things take time.” She pursed her pouty lips at me. “You two have a complex history, from what I’ve gathered. But he brought you here for a reason.”
She was a talker; maybe she’d tell me. “Do you know what it is?”
Her tinkling laugh rang out. “No. My guess is unfinished business, but he hasn’t admitted that to me.”
I scoffed. “Our business was finished long ago.”
“Yet here you are.” She waved a hand indicating the fancy room we were in.
She was right, but I didn’t have to like it. “How did you two meet?” May as well get the interview over with. I didn’t think I’d need a notebook for this, but I took it out anyway.
“Oh, is it my interview time? Actually, at an event just like this one a few years ago. I was fresh off a breakup with my director, and Brad had just ended a fling with that singer, Maximiliana. I saw him, I wanted him, and I got him. Well, as much as one can get a guy like Brad.”
I gritted my teeth. What had made me think I could possibly have this conversation? “You’ve known and spent time with each other for three years, but you’re not a couple?”
She flashed a smile. “I can’t say I didn’t want more at first, but Brad’s not the
more
type. At least he isn’t now.” The way she was looking at me made me uncomfortable, and I started taking notes.
“But you still . . .”
“From time to time. I’m sorry I have to say this, but the sex is phenomenal.”
I flinched but kept my eyes on the paper. Had I been writing with a pencil, I would have broken it while writing “phenomenal sex” on my notepad.
“But great sex only gets you so far.” I glanced then, and her smile had dimmed considerably. “Brad’s a lot of fun. He can tell funny stories, but he never let me get close to him. It’s pretty clear he got hurt badly and shut everyone out.” She narrowed her eyes. “I must admit, I’m dying to ask what happened between you two, but I don’t think I’d get any further with you than I did with him.”
“Nothing to tell. Things end, people move on.” Some of them even moved on to stunning actresses.
“That they do.” Her perfectly manicured nails tapped the tabletop. “But not without leaving a scar or an echo or a memory.” She smiled. “Brad has a lot of scars. They’re just the types that don’t show.”
“It sounds to me like you know him pretty well.” Why that bothered me so damn much I refused to consider.
“Bits and pieces, is all. I’m an observer by nature, and I’ve spent a lot of time with him. Once upon a time I thought I could be in love with him, but that was just wishful thinking. Anyway, I’m glad I wasn’t, because he most certainly wouldn’t have loved me back.”
“You don’t think he’s capable of love?” I knew he was. Or I thought he was, but then again, he’d been fooling around for God knew how long.
“I think he’s capable of great love, I just don’t think he wants it. You really did a number on him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ladies.” Brad placed a restraining hand on my shoulder. “Dinner is going to start soon.”
Pam rose gracefully and smiled at both of us. “I guess that’s my cue to leave. But before I do, Brad, be a dear and get me another glass of champagne, will you?”
He glanced between us before shrugging and taking off to do her bidding again.
She looked me in the eyes. “I insulted you again and I’m sorry. Bluntness is one of my trademarks, I’m afraid. Look, I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I do know he cared about you a great deal. He wouldn’t hear one bad word about you, and I had plenty of them when I was trying to convince him not to do the book.”
I recoiled. “You don’t even know me.”
“No, I don’t, and I honestly do hope to. It’s obvious you mean something to him, and he’s my friend. I want the best for him, and if that’s you, then I’m all for it.”
“I’m not here to be with him, I’m here to write about him.”
She laughed again. “You both keep telling yourselves that. Thank you, darling.” Brad had returned with her champagne. She took it and gave us both that award-winning smile. “I should probably get back to Terry.”
“He won’t try anything, at least not tonight.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best. Dani, Brad has my number. I’d really like to talk to you again sometime.”
“Sounds good,” I said with a tight smile.
“Anything but,” Brad muttered. I kicked his ankle and he smirked. “I’m just glad we all seem to have survived.”
“Of course we did. Dani and I are going to be fast friends, once she gets used to my big mouth.”
Brad groaned, but I found myself laughing.
“What did you tell her?” he asked.
“Only flattering things, darling. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her about that time in Palm Springs, when . . .”
“You didn’t!” He glared at her, and she dissolved in a fit of giggles.
“Of course not. But behave yourself or I will.” She gave him a smacking kiss that didn’t set my teeth on edge this time. “Dani, I look forward to hearing from you soon. We’ll do lunch.” She turned away and waved to several people as she glided through the crowd.
“Dare I ask?” I wondered as Brad pulled me to my feet.
“Hell no. Dinner’s starting soon. Would you like to dance?”
I stared at him like he’d grown another head, and he took the opportunity to tug me onto the dance floor.
“What are you doing?” I hissed as he pulled me into his arms.
“Distracting you.” He was doing that, all right. I didn’t like the way we still moved together as if years and lies hadn’t separated us.
“Let me go.”
“I already did. You don’t want to cause a scene, do you?”
No, I didn’t, and since we were the only two fools out on the floor, I probably would if I yanked myself away from him. I settled for pulling back and putting a few inches of space between our bodies. “Pam’s not what I expected.”
He chuckled. “No, she’s not. She just kind of barges her way in.”
“Why aren’t you two together?”
“What we have suits us both.”
Maybe now. “Has it always been that way?”
He twirled me and somehow I ended up pressed against him again. “Why do you ask?”
I wasn’t going to tell him she’d said she’d wanted more at one time. “You two seem close.”
He shrugged and brushed his fingers through my hair. I shivered and put my head on his shoulder, because if I kept looking at him, I was going to kiss him, and that would be bad.
“You and I seem close right now, but we’re not.”
No, we weren’t. Physically, we were too close, but there were still miles between us. Brad leaned back as the song ended, and his sage gaze met mine.
“Thanks for the dance. You still fit.”
Chapter 8
I was going to lose my mind. The charity auction had been somewhat fun once Brad had stopped dancing with me. I’d met tons of famous people and lined up some good interviews. The only other awkward moment had been when Brad had brought me back to the hotel and insisted upon walking me to my room. Neither one of us had known what to do once we’d arrived at the door, and everything inside me had been screaming to kiss him and invite him in. Instead, I’d just thanked him for the evening, and he’d just smirked.
I’d spent the following day in his cold condo again, going over his youth all the way through high school, his rise in the baseball ranks, and ultimately his decision to go to Florida State. That, of course, had us uncomfortably close to where I came into the picture, but that had been where we’d finished for the day.
Today, at least, I was getting a reprieve. It was opening day. The Dodgers’ brass had okayed my talking to the players after the game—but not before—so I was safely ensconced in the stands, watching the team do warm-ups. Some were batting, others were fielding, and a few were stretching. Watching those tight bodies bend and move in those crisp white pants was a thing of beauty. I had a prime seat right along the third-base line, first row. I could have reached out and touched some of the players as they walked by, if I’d wanted to. But I didn’t. No, not at all.
“I can’t believe your dad got us these seats!”
I stifled my laugh at the excited teenage voice behind me.
“I’m going to have to wash his car for, like, the next decade, but it’s totally worth it if Brad Reynolds sees us. Do you think I look sexy enough?”
Okay, now it wasn’t so funny. I turned to the side, pretending to be looking for something in my bag, while checking out the girls behind me. They were sixteen if they were a day. Brad damn well better not notice them.
“You look hot. What about me?”
She did. What kind of parent let their daughter go out looking like that? It was a nice day, but those tiny shorts and tank tops were hardly appropriate for the beach, let alone a baseball game. I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, along with a Dodgers cap to keep the sun out of my face. Those girls would burn to a crisp. I didn’t think I’d mind.
“So hot. God, he’s sexy. Would you look at him?”
I turned and watched as Brad fielded an easy grounder. I had to admit, the teenage vixen was right. He had that look of fierce concentration he always wore on the field, even though it was only warm-ups. And his uniform fit him perfectly, hugging those tight thigh muscles and showing his biteable ass. What was I doing? Teenage hormones were rubbing off on me.
“Kara says he’s too old for me, but he’s not
that
old. And just think of all he could teach me.”
Had I been that ridiculous at sixteen? Brad turned and shot a grin my way, and I felt my heartbeat kick up a notch. Maybe I would have been, over him.
“Oh my God, he’s looking over here. Should we wave? Stick out your chest!”
I laughed as he stepped to the fence and they tittered behind me. “Does this seat work for you?” he asked.
“Well, it gives me a prime view of you, which I’m quite sure was your goal.” Yes, girls, it’s
me
he’s talking to.
“Best seat in the house.” He winked at me. “Right, ladies?”
“He’s talking to us!” one hissed to the other. “Answer him.”
“For sure!” the braver of the two said.
“See, they get it.”
“They better not,” I muttered under my breath, and he grinned wider. “Don’t you have to get ready?”