Too Hot to Handle: A Boys of Summer Novel (20 page)

Jake stared at Chase, stunned. “What the hell do you mean, she was in tears? Did she hear us?”

“I’m sure she did,” Chase said, his gaze shifting from one player to the next. Ryan in particular looked stricken. “I don’t know how long she was outside the room, but from the look on her face, I’m certain she knows about the bet.”

“Fuck,” Ryan swore. “We were just busting on him,” he explained, shaking his massive head. “We didn’t mean to hurt the girl.”

Snatching up Brian’s jersey, Jake tugged it over his muscular frame. “Which way did she go?”

“Toward the parking lot,” Chase replied. “I’m sure she’s gone by now. Maybe that’s for the best.” His eyes met Jake’s, the expression unreadable.

“What’s for the best?” Jake looked at him incredulously, as if he were about to pound him into the ground.

“Give her some time, let her cool off. After all, now she knows what the real deal is. That you weren’t serious about her, it was all just another joke. I’m sure she’s going to need some time to process that.” His eyes seemed to burn as he spoke. “She probably thought you actually cared about her, that she wasn’t just the flavor of the month.”

The silence in the locker room was deafening. A muscle worked in Jake’s jaw, and he took a step closer to Chase, tightening his fist.

“Don’t talk about her like that. Ever. You understand me?” It was Jake’s eyes that burned now. It seemed to take all of his effort not to knock their ace pitcher on his ass.

Chase nodded, and Jake stormed out of the locker room, obviously furious. The pitcher’s eyes met Ryan’s, and a slow smile came to the first baseman’s face.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Chase nodded, a cool smile gracing his GQ face. “That bachelor’s days are numbered.”

Nikki waited until she was on Route 295 to sync her phone to her car.
Answer
, she mentally begged, hearing the cell ring over and over. Her tears fell freely now, and she choked them back so that her vision would not be obscured.

She couldn’t believe that Jake had been using her, all as part of another Sonics prank. But then again, she could. All the evidence was there; she had been too foolish, too naïve, to see it. She’d known from the start that the shortstop was a womanizer, and yet she’d been stupid enough to think a guy like that could actually care for her.

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.

Within seconds, she heard her sister’s voice through the radio speakers, and the sob that she had been holding expelled.

“Hey Nik, what’s wrong?” Natalie sounded alarmed.

“Nothing. Everything. Listen, I need a little break. Is it okay with you if I come down for a few days?”

“Of course,” Natalie said as a toddler screamed in the background. “Hang on.” Nikki heard the sound of the door close, and then her sister spoke once more. “That’s better. This, after all, is the witching hour. So tell me what happened.”

“Nothing serious,” Nikki managed, swallowing the knot in her throat. “I’d rather talk when I get down there. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Are you kidding? I’d love it. And the timing is perfect. Marcus is out of town, and the kids are driving me crazy. I could use a little girl time. When do you think you can get here?”

“Tonight, maybe tomorrow? I put in for some vacation time.”

“Perfect. The guest room is already made up. My mother-in-law was supposed to come last week. Thank God she didn’t.” Nikki could almost hear the shudder.

Somehow, that made her laugh in spite of her heart breaking. It was one of the things she loved about Natalie. Her sister knew how to say the perfect thing to crack her up, no matter what.

“That’s better. I didn’t like the way you sounded. Are you sure you don’t want to talk now?”

“No, I need to think some things through, and a two-hour flight would be perfect. I suppose I could get a reasonable fare through Trenton–Me
rcer, or Atlantic City. I’ll check the Internet as soon as I get home and let you know when I’ll get in.”

“Fantastic. I hope it’s tonight. I’ll get the kiddles in bed and we can hang out and watch old movies.”

“Sounds great. But none of those sad romances, like An Affair to Remember. I’m more up for something funny.”

“Oh no. I’ll kill him. This is about that ballplayer, isn’t it?”

“It’s not just him; it’s your sister being stupid. I’ll explain it all when I see you.”

“Okay. And Nikki? I love you.”

Nikki choked. “I love you too.”

She had barely hung up when she saw Jake’s name appear on the dashboard, her cell ringing madly. Quickly, she clicked the phone off and turned on the radio. Jake was the last person she wanted to talk to right now, and even seeing his name set her nerves on edge.

Most likely, Chase had told him he’d seen her outside. After having a good laugh at her expense, he probably thought to smooth-talk his way back into her good graces. At least so that they could work together cordially. After all, he’d won his bet, proved to the world that he was the man of the hour. She was certain he would move on now, to conquer new territory.

All for a new locker.

That really stung. Nikki cringed as she thought of the players bartering her heart as if it were nothing. She was trying not to cry again, but her body screamed for the emotional release. A tractor-trailer laid on his horn, snapping her back to reality, and she veered into the slow lane. She had to pay attention to what she was doing and couldn’t afford to fall apart.

Not yet.

Jake called three more times. Nikki longed to shut the cell down completely, but there was no place to pull over, and the cars were blowing past her at seventy miles an hour. It just wasn’t safe. Instead, she took pleasure in hitting the off button every time his name appeared on the screen.

When the cell rang once more, she was ready to scream. Fortunately, this time it was her sister.

“Hey, good news. I looked up some flights for you. There’s a 6:05 out of Atlantic City that will get you in here before nine. I’ve already held the reservation for you. Just call my travel agent and confirm.”

For the first time since overhearing the locker-room talk, Nikki smiled. “You are a goddess.”

Natalie laughed. “Absolutely. The bitchy, vengeful kind. Wasn’t that Hera? Anyway, my nanny agreed to stay with the kids so I can pick you up. I’ll be there at eight-thirty. All you have to do is get to AC and get on that plane.”

The breath Nikki had been holding finally expelled, and her death grip loosened on the steering wheel. “Thank you,” she said softly, as she rolled into her driveway.

“I’ll see you tonight. And Nikki, whatever the bastard did, he’s not worth it.”

“I know. I just wish my heart did. See you in a couple of hours.”

She hung up the phone, and when it started to ring again, this time she shut it off completely.

Jake stared at the cell phone, aware that once more his calls as well as his texts were going unanswered. Nikki was refusing to talk to him. Not that he blamed her; after what she had overheard, she must be livid.

Or worse, knowing her, devastated.

His frustration deepened when he realized there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t explain the situation, tell her the truth, if he couldn’t talk to her. As he walked to the plate, he pounded the bat, glaring at the pitcher as if the man in front of him were responsible for all of his problems.

That’s it, throw me that weak-ass shit
, he thought in grim satisfaction, and then stepped back as the ball dropped low.

Scuffing at the ground with his shoe, he wondered where she was now. She had mentioned a sister; it sounded as if they were close. That was probably where she went, to cry her eyes out over the jerk she had become tangled up with.

This time the throw was high, and Jake tipped his head back in mock exaggeration as the catcher reached up and snatched it out of the air. The pitcher glared back at him, and Jake grinned, kicking the dirt all over the base.

What’s the matter, pal, didn’t fall for that cheese? Do I look like I’m in the Little League?

The pitcher’s eyes closed menacingly, and Jake laughed. His thoughts went back to Nikki.

Probably good for her to have some time away and sort things out
. He pounded the plate, waiting for the pitch, knowing he was irritating the kid on the mound. He didn’t care.

He thought back to the previous night and realized he hadn’t said what she wanted to hear. He just wasn’t ready for that. He’d given as much as he could, and even now felt uneasy committing to a relationship at all.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Strike!” the umpire yelled.

“Fuck!” Jake swore, shaking his head, desperately trying to focus on the game. It wasn’t possible. He saw her everywhere with her clipboard, that librarian hair, the tortoiseshell glasses, big blue eyes, and rocking body. And it wasn’t just her looks. He thought of the conversations he had with her about baseball, about their lives. Her insights entranced him, and he found himself thinking about her long after they’d been together.

And then there was the sex.

Jake had to admit he’d never experienced anything like it in his life. Intimacy had made the physical part of their relationship hotter than ever. He had never allowed a woman to get into his heart before, and now he risked losing everything.

“Strike three!”

For the first time in a long time, he got caught looking. Jake threw his helmet to the ground in disgust and stormed off the field as the pitcher grinned in triumph. Taking a seat on the bench, he was grateful that the other players knew better than to approach him, or even try to offer him sympathy. He needed to think, needed to clear his head. But how could he do that until he resolved what was gnawing at him the most?

Go to her
, his heart urged, but he knew that wasn’t fair. He couldn’t pursue her again until he was prepared to offer her what she needed, what she deserved. He had to either decide that he was in it for the long haul or get out.

And that thought made him sick.

True to her word, Natalie was waiting outside the airport as soon as Nikki left the baggage claim. She’d held it together on the flight, but she dissolved into tears as her beautiful blond sister wrapped her in her arms.

“You okay?” Natalie waited until Nikki was ready to compose herself, then handed her a wad of tissues.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I mean, I knew all along that things were liable to turn out this way. It’s just the way it happened is so awful.”

“Do not apologize,” Natalie said firmly, putting her arm around her sister and leading her toward the silver Mercedes parked outside. “You are in love with this guy. Of course it’s upsetting.”

“I know,” Nikki said, unable to deny her feelings. “And I know you warned me, told me this is the only way I would get hurt. But it couldn’t be helped.”

“So what happened?” Natalie asked when Nikki was safely ensconced in the leather seat beside her.

“I don’t know where to begin. I know I told you a little bit about Jake when we were shopping for the charity dinner. But he is so different than who I originally thought he was. I found out he’s mentoring a young boy from the wrong side of town, taking care of his mother…and even with his teammates, he is very caring.”

“Well, then that should be good news.” Natalie glanced at her sister in confusion.

“Apparently, the nice guy doesn’t extend to girlfriends. I thought from the way he acted that he had feelings for me. At the hospital dinner, he asked me to dance, and kissed me in front of everyone.”

“What?” Natalie’s head swiveled once more before turning quickly back to the road.

“Yes.” Nikki nodded. “Nobody was more surprised than me. He made it clear to his teammates, management
—everyone—that we were a couple. For the first time, I dared to believe that this could be something serious, something worthwhile. A real relationship.” She choked on the last word.

Natalie winced. “And then?”

Nikki sighed, and in a few words related the locker-room conversation she had overheard.

“Oh my God,” her sister gasped, stunned. “Are you sure that’s what they said? After all, you weren’t in the room. It might have been easy to misinterpret the conversation…”

“No, unfortunately, I heard it loud and clear. Jake pursued me on a bet. It was just another one of their jokes, a prank. Ryan wagered him that he couldn’t get me to fall for him, and Jake decided to prove his manhood to everyone there.”

“Bastard,” Natalie spat.

“Worst of all, guess what for?”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“Ryan’s locker. That’s what Jake won.” It felt awful to actually say it.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Ryan was unpacking during the whole conversation. And apparently, if Jake had lost, he would have forfeited his jersey to another player. So that’s how gullible your sister is. I fell for a guy who wanted a bigger locker.”

She wiped her eyes with the tissue wad, grateful she hadn’t worn mascara. Natalie pressed her lips together as if fighting to hold back what she really wanted to say. A moment later as they pulled into the driveway, she parked the car and hugged her sister.

“That must have hurt like hell. I am so sorry. But it’s going to be okay, you’ll see. I have a big bottle of wine, a stack of old movies, and I’m blocking the baseball channel.”

Nikki laughed through her tears. “I knew you’d make me laugh.”

Natalie smiled, but her eyes were kind. “Glad I can be good for something. Can you stay for a while with work and all?”

“Yes. I called Jeffrey and told him I was dealing with a personal issue. He told me to take as much time as I need, to work remotely if that helps.”

“Perfect. Nikki, I love you. It will all work out. You’ll see.”

“I love you too.” Nikki followed her sister into the house, her heart lighter already.

“What the hell is going on with you guys?”

Pete stood in front of the Sonics a week later, his hands on his hips, his stare one of disgust. He gestured to the scoreboard, and a fat goose egg stood inside the box for hits. There were three errors, and the team had been soundly thrashed by Texas, which was unheard of.

Chomping on his gum, the head coach continued. “Not a single base hit. Nothing. It’s like you have a collective hangover. I think Chase is the only one who showed up to play today. The rest of you are…”

“Lollygagg
ers,” Derek muttered, quoting the movie Bull Durham.

“What did you say?” Pete looked livid, and Derek didn’t have the nerve to respond. Yet Pete looked him dead in the eye. “Why don’t you take tomorrow off and think about this? And anybody else who finds this funny can join him.”

No one said a word as Derek walked off the field. John Palmer stood beside the coach, shaking his head as if none of this was unexpected. “We just got swept by the lowest-ranking team in baseball. And today, a no-hitter. That’s pretty pathetic. I’ll have a couple of beers with the reporters and try to do what I can.”

He departed, and Jake followed the man with his eyes.

“Now I want the rest of you to go home, get some sleep, and come back here with a different attitude tomorrow,” Pete continued as if the man hadn’t spoken. “Got it?”

The players walked across the field in silence. Jake turned to follow Ryan, when Pete stopped him.

“Jake, I want to talk to you.”

As his teammates entered the locker room, the head coach took him into his office and closed the door. “All right, what the hell is going on? And don’t look at me like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I got a note here that Nikki is requesting a remote assignment. Which means—”

“I know what it means,” Jake said, an inexplicable fury rising within him. He was almost out of the chair when Pete put a hand on his shoulder.

“Now, I don’t know what happened between you two. And frankly, it’s none of my business. But when the best PR rep we’ve ever had refuses to enter the ballpark, and my key player on the team is sleepwalking through the game, then I have to get involved.”

“You can’t blame me because the Sonics are in a slump!” Jake said, outraged. After days of having nowhere to go with his emotions, he was more than happy to take them out on the hapless head coach.

“Bullshit. You can tell yourself whatever you want, but you and I both know how much you affect the team. Why do you think you’ve been our leadoff guy? You see, it’s like this. You are supposed to hit and get on base, inspiring the guy behind you. But when you show up and just check off a game, act like you’re doing time and gracing us with your presence, you set up a chain reaction.”

“For Chrissake!” Jake could not hide his exasperation. “I’m not getting paid to babysit a group of grown men.”

“No, you’re getting paid to hit the ball and get on base. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and that girl, and why you’re wearing a different jersey? Or do I move you down the line?”

Jake swallowed hard. His ego was at stake here, and he didn’t like it one bit. He was used to achieving, used to being the guy that everyone looked up to. But since Nikki left, it seemed an effort just to drag himself out of bed in the morning, let alone get his head back into baseball.

“She overheard us talking,” Jake said so softly that Pete moved his chair closer to the desk.

“What do you mean?”

Jake lifted his eyes to the coach’s, feeling a rush of shame as he described the conversation about the wager. “Yet for me, it stopped being about the bet a long time ago. None of us meant for her to overhear that, or to get hurt.”

“Jesus,” Pete muttered, and for once the gum was silent.

“It’s my fault,” Jake admitted. “I should have called the whole thing off before we got in too deep. The bet was only part of the reason I initially pursued her. I didn’t expect things to get serious, or that she would ever find out.”

“But she did.” Pete looked at Jake, a stern expression on his face. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“There isn’t much I can do at this point,” Jake said, appearing surprised. “She isn’t answering my calls or texts. And now she’s not here.”

“Bullshit,” Pete said again. When Jake looked at him, startled, the older man nodded. “I’ve seen you slam yourself into a wall to make a catch. You’ve come off that field bleeding, pushing aside the doctor, determined to get right back out there. Do you remember the time that kid from Oklahoma broke your hand?”

“Yeah, when he hit me with that fastball?” Jake wondered where the hell this was going.

“Well, the guy who finished the game with a broken hand wouldn’t let some little slip of a girl get away that easily. So I’m asking you, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing,” Jake said, fighting the tightness that closed around his Adam’s apple. “And before you say anything else, I’ll tell you why. Nikki Case isn’t just some slip of a girl. She’s amazing, funny and intelligent, passionate about her work, and just an incredible human being. She deserves the best, a total commitment, the whole nine yards. And I’m not willing to drag her back into something if I can’t give her that.”

Pete looked at him for a long time, and then slowly nodded. “I see. That’s a shame, because it’s painfully clear to me that you care for this woman. She’s a class act, the kind of girl you could spend the rest of your life with. And I know, because I had that once.”

The head coach choked, and Jake was surprised to see him stare sadly at a picture on his shelf. “I made the worst mistake of my life when I let the best goddamn woman on earth walk away.” His gaze switched back to Jake. “I don’t want to see you do that. But I understand what you’re saying, and I agree that if you can’t give her what she needs, for her sake you’re better off letting her go.”

Jake got up to leave, but before he shut the door he heard Pete speak one last time. “But you’d better make damn sure this is what you really want. Otherwise, you’re living a life of regret. And I don’t wish that on anyone else.”