Chapter Seven

Emily took a deep breath of the fresh fall air while wishing for courage. She’d really love to be one of those people who didn’t care what others’ opinions of her were. But Cooper hadn’t ridiculed her—not when she’d put the baseball glove on the wrong hand, or when she’d been unable to catch…or when she’d overthrown by a mile and sent the ball crashing through her living room window.

As she made her way from the parking lot to the baseball diamond, she tugged at her Maple Hill Warriors T-shirt in a futile attempt at not having it be so clingy and tried to look like she belonged at this game. She scanned the people in the dugout but didn’t see anyone she recognized yet. She pretended to tie her shoe and wished Callie would hurry and get here so she wouldn’t have to hang out with the guys on the team without her.

“You’re Callie’s friend, right?” a male voice said.

Emily looked up to see a guy around her age approaching her. She smiled then pretended to tie her other shoe. “Yup.”

“You’re new in town?”

She sighed and then straightened. “Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you, I’m Emily.”

He smiled at her. He seemed nice, not creepy or anything. But he wasn’t Cooper. That was basically the only thing wrong with him. “John. So what position are you playing?”

“Hopefully I’ll be warming the bench, if I get my way.”

He laughed. “I’m afraid that won’t happen, since we’re short on players. Don’t worry. How about we get out there and throw the ball around while we wait for everyone to arrive?”

She nodded. “I might as well. I need all the practice I can get.”

She picked her glove up off the ground and walked with him out to the field. “I hope your team isn’t super competitive or anything.”

“Besides Cooper and his family, the rest of us are pretty normal,” he said with a wink.

Her stomach churned with dread at the upcoming humiliation. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so she couldn’t even pray for rain. Though, they’d probably opt to play in the rain. She put Callie’s loaned glove on and moved away from John, mentally psyching herself up to catch. He tossed her a couple of easy throws while talking, and she missed four out of five, but he was very kind and kept reassuring her.

“Emily!” She turned in the direction of Callie’s voice and waved to her friend, who was walking with Cooper. She tried to quell her nerves as Cooper gave her a wave. He looked…hot. His ball cap was pulled low and his T-shirt hugged his athletic form, as did his pants. How had she actually gotten herself into this situation? This was her contractor. Now she was joining their baseball team? Playing baseball was a childhood dream, now it was turning into some kind of adult nightmare.

The ballpark started filling up and the other team started spilling out onto the field, and dozens of people started to crowd the stands. This many people actually came to watch an adult league play?

She walked over and joined the rest of the team, and Cooper started reading off names and their various positions. When he came to her name he said, “First base or outfield?”

Her mouth went dry. First base. Their conversation, when she’d said she’d always envisioned herself as a first baseman. Was it a coincidence? It couldn’t be; she was horrible. There was no way he’d give someone as bad as her first base unless…he felt sorry for her. But he was also giving her an out by offering outfield. First base would have so much action and would require her to make really fast plays she wasn’t good enough for. She’d be responsible for catching and making quick outs. Unless the team they were playing against had huge hits, she might be able to just fly under the radar in the outfield.

She stared at him, a part of her wanting desperately to take first base, but also knowing it would be suicide. She’d also be letting the team down because there was no way she could play that position effectively. “Uh, I’ll take outfield,” she said, pulling her cap down a little so he wouldn’t catch the expression in her eyes.

“Done,” he said and then turned to the rest of the team. His brothers were having some kind of an exchange, but he ignored them, and Callie was smiling at her as though she’d just won the lottery. “Okay, everyone, let’s do this. We’ve gotta beat these guys because if we don’t, we’ll have to listen to their obnoxious victory chant,” Cooper said.

Everyone laughed. John walked with her out onto the field until Callie came running up to her.

“My brother offered you first base,” she whispered, walking beside her.

“Is that bad?”

“No, it’s very good. Cooper is the most competitive person in our family. He’s, like, insane when it comes to baseball. Do you know he was the only team captain in this just-for-fun league that actually held tryouts? The fact that he was actually willing to put you on first base says everything about his feelings toward you.”

She felt nauseated and excited all at the same time, which was a new one for her. “What?”

Callie put her arm around her. “Yup. He doesn’t care that you’ll screw up the game and we’ll lose. That means he’s interested in you.”

“Um, how do you know that I’ll screw up the game and we’ll lose?”

Callie tilted her head and patted Emily’s arm. “Sweetie, you already told me you can’t throw a ball.”

She narrowed her eyes on her friend. “Did Cooper say anything about the day he came to help?”

Callie shook her head. “Why? Did something happen?”

Emily stared down at her cleats. “Uh, I couldn’t catch a ball and then made one big showman attempt at a throw, and it went right through one of the Gothic living room windows, which he then had to repair.”

Callie slapped a hand over her mouth, but not before Emily saw her laugh. Tears formed at the corners of her friend’s eyes, probably from repressing her laughter.

“Hey, Callie, we’re playing a game out here!” Cooper yelled from the pitcher’s mound. Callie gave him a salute, and then the two of them ran to the outfield. Emily said a hysterical prayer that no balls would be thrown her way, that she wouldn’t have to throw any balls, and that she’d be at the bottom of the batting lineup and would hopefully only have to go up to bat once.

“Well, good luck,” Callie said as she walked out to center field. “Drinks are on me tonight for forcing you to do this!”

Emily nodded and forced a wobbly smile. This whole having female friends thing was proving to be a lot more problematic than she’d imagined.

…

Cooper had known this was going to be bad, but he hadn’t realized just how bad until now.

Thankfully there hadn’t been too many plays in right field, so the five balls that Emily missed weren’t too deadly for them. They’d been getting runs in, and he just hoped that Emily’s last at bat might yield at least one hit for her. She was standing in the dugout, her fingers coiled around the metal fence.

“How the hell did you get such a hot fill-in?” John said, standing beside him.

Normally he liked John. Today…not so much. “She’s Callie’s friend.”

“Oh, well, that’s good. I assumed she might have been dating you. Now that I know she’s not, I’m going to ask her out.”

Cooper looked up from his chart and frowned. “I didn’t say that she’s not dating anyone. Like you said, she’s hot. I’m sure she has a boyfriend.”

Josh glanced at the stands. “Well, there’s no harm in asking.”

Cooper tried not to let his irritation show. “She’s from Toronto. I’m pretty sure there’s someone back home.”

Josh shrugged and looked over at Emily. Cooper knew exactly what he saw in her; she was gorgeous, and despite her obvious discomfort, she’d managed to be nice to everyone, to cheer along with every at bat, and to engage in conversation. She also filled out the baseball uniform really nicely. Her Maple Hill shirt clung to her full breasts and small waist, the white pants highlighting her curvy hips. Not that any of that should matter. He was team captain, not the team player—that was Austin’s role. Or, evidently, John’s.

He clenched his teeth and stopped that line of thinking. “I’ve got to go see if anyone needs help,” Cooper said.

Despite needing distance from the conversation, he glanced at Emily, who was putting on her batting helmet. She walked over to where the bats were leaning against the dugout fence, and he knew she was scoping out Callie’s.

He moved closer to the diamond and clapped for Emily as she approached home plate. He fought the urge to remind her of the pointers or how to avoid getting hit by a pitch, but that would only embarrass her. She tapped the end of her bat on the ground, a very common image of the major-leaguers. She got into position, exactly like they’d practiced, and like someone who watched baseball. Her lack of confidence out there was her biggest problem.

Emily raised her bat above her shoulder. The pitcher threw a fast one and she shut her eyes when she swung, missing it by a mile. The pit in his stomach grew until it was the size of a cavern. Her timing at bat was horrible and they were in a bases-loaded situation, where a strikeout would be awful and also embarrassing.

Maybe what bugged him the most was that she seemed to care. It would have been different if she’d brushed off yesterday’s lesson or hadn’t been interested, but her vulnerability had been palpable, and it had triggered his protective side. But she’d toughed it out, she’d held her chin high…and she’d trusted him with her ego, and he’d felt strangely protective of her, like he’d do anything not to be the person that knocked her down. He’d assumed at first she was this privileged, rich, educated woman without any vulnerability, but the more he got to know her, the more he sensed it was just an image she projected.

“Strike one!” the umpire yelled, a little louder than necessary.

Emily rolled her shoulders, stepped out of the batter’s box, and took a practice swing before getting back into position, her eyes on the ball. Then she struck out…again.

This time the idiots in the bleachers on the opposing team’s side clapped and cheered. He caught a tremble in her chin as he picked up his own bat and got ready, because he was next in the lineup. He tried to focus, but the gnawing in his gut prevented him from turning away.

“C’mon, Em, you got this!” Callie yelled from first base.

He walked out to the on-deck circle, knowing he should be concentrating on practice swings, but his eyes were on Emily. She made contact, but the ball bounced behind her in a weak foul ball. Well, at least she was staying alive. Emily would be the second out of the inning, and then he’d be up to bat and could bring everyone home. Except he didn’t want that for her. He wanted her to have the satisfaction and the pride that came from batting in a run. He actually held his breath as Emily took a swing…and struck out.

Her pretty face turned bright red, and she slowly turned and walked back to the dugout. She made eye contact with him briefly, and he caught the embarrassment flashing in her green eyes before she disappeared to sit on the bench.

He rolled his shoulders and focused on the field. There were now two outs and bases were loaded. He knew this pitcher and he knew he’d be able to crank one out into the outfield, driving the winning run home. He knew that as he walked by the team bench were Emily was standing behind the fence. She had been the only one to strike out time after time tonight. She’d been the only one to miss any ball thrown her way. And yet, she’d given it her all.

He stepped up to the plate, tapping his bat on the ground, getting into position. He made eye contact with Callie, seeing her confidence, seeing her determination. Despite his better judgement, he glanced behind him and saw the woman who was the complete opposite of his sister but deserved to have that same confidence. He drew his bat back slightly behind his shoulder and faced the pitcher. His head was in the game. It was his damn heart that was on the woman who couldn’t play ball to save her life.

He swung and missed. Deliberately. And then he did it two more times. And then for the first time in his adult career, he struck out, and it was on purpose. He’d made the decision that letting his team down was less painful than letting Emily be the only one who struck out tonight. He registered the shock on everyone’s faces before his brothers started yelling at him.

He turned and spotted Emily with her fingers still curled around the metal fence, and he walked over to her, ignoring the rest of his teammates and family as they approached. “That was a good try,” she said with a wobbly smile.

He ducked his head for a moment and then looked back up at her. “Thanks.”

“What the hell? Are you freaking kidding me? You can’t hit a ball anymore?” Austin said before shoving him.

“Bad luck,” he said, walking back to his equipment bag hanging on the other side of the fence.

He needed to get out of there as fast as possible, before either of his idiot brothers figured out what he’d done tonight. Hell, he didn’t even know why he’d done what he’d done. Well, he did know, but he wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge. Emily was a woman who could get under his skin. He swung his bag over his shoulder and glanced back, smiling slightly as his sister put her arm around Emily and made her laugh. He walked to his truck and swung his bag into the cab then swore under his breath as Austin and Brody came over to him.

“You struck out on purpose,” Brody said flatly.

He didn’t affirm or deny.

“You did it because you felt bad for Emily,” Brody continued.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his truck, not saying anything.

“So you going to finally get up the nerve to ask her out?” Austin said.

He frowned at them. “What makes you think I’d want to do that?”

“Because you have never struck out on this team. Ever. Then, just as our gorgeous client strikes out after a very adorable and earnest but very sad display at the plate, you come up to bat with a dumb-ass expression on your face and somehow can’t manage to even get a base hit so that one of us could run home to score.”

“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but I gotta get going,” he said, opening his door. He hated that they knew him so well.

“We’re going out for wings,” they said.

“Not in the mood.” He wanted to be by himself. He hopped into his truck, shut the door, and put the key in the ignition, not letting his brother’s thunderous expressions guilt him into joining them. He wanted to go home, shower, and then go over all the reasons he would never ask Emily out. He pulled out of the parking lot, but not before spotting his sister and Emily walking toward Emily’s SUV. His sister waved frantically at him, but it was Emily’s smile, maybe the light in her eyes, too, that made him turn away from everything that existed between them and leave.