Caught Looking (Hot-Lanta Series) (36 page)

“Jane, please I beg you, please let me talk to you.”

“Brady I don’t want to see you, I thought I made that clear earlier. Don’t you have a game to go to?”

              “I called my manager and told him I couldn’t play tonight, I need to be with you.”

Brady
wouldn’t miss his game because of her? Lord if the fans knew he missed the season opener because of her she would be tarred and feathered by everyone in Atlanta. He was by far one of the favorites on the team and he was idolized in Atlanta. 

“Well, go call him back because you are not staying here. Go home Brady. I have nothing to say to you.”

Brady looked so pathetic she had to turn away. If she looked at him any longer she was going to give in and hold him. She couldn’t though, he was with Laney. 

“Jane, you need to list
en to me, please.” He cried some more, his voice was tight and full of sorrow. She could not even listen to him it made her heart hurt so bad. She couldn’t say anything because her throat was tight as well. He continued.

“I will never forgive myself for what happened to y
ou. I’ve been beating myself up about it.”

Jane let out a little sob. “Oh so you do actually care about me, I thought you just like
d to go around breaking my heart.” 

Brady cringed at her nasty tone. “Baby, I care about you more than anything
, you have to know that.”

“Do NOT call me baby. I’
m not your baby, we are done here Brady. You know how I feel about cheaters. If you do not get out of here in the next five minutes I’m going to call the cops.”

“Jane don’t do this
us, please let’s just have a conversation about this.”

Jane flashed a death l
ook at Brady and gritted her teeth, “There is no more us, Brady. The sooner you recognize that the better.”

Jane lifted
herself out of her bed, grabbed her crutches and headed toward the kitchen. She noticed a bunch of bags on the counter from the pharmacy. She swore Molly’s name and cursed her out for putting Jane in this position with Brady. She opened her front door in the most awkward way possible thanks to her crutches, grabbed the bags of “sorry items” Brady got her and threw them in the hallway.

She turned to Brady, pointed one crutch out the door and said, “Get the fuck out of here and stay the fuck out of my life.”

Brady bowed his head in disappointment and walked out. She slammed the door shut and then she fell to the ground and sobbed. She just kicked the man she loved out of her life. She hated that she still loved him. Why did she still have to love him? It was not fair to still have feelings, strong feelings, for someone who ripped your heart. She wished she could just turn her feelings toward Brady off, life would be much simpler then.

Chapter 26

             
Brady played in his opening game and the opening series. He was present and in the lineup but his head was nowhere close to being in the game. Jane had not answered any of his phone calls, text messages, e-mails and she did not open her door when he came by her apartment. He tried talking to Molly and Albert but they said they needed to respect Jane’s wishes even though they believed him. Michael was the same way. Brady felt lost, alone and didn’t know what to do.

             
He had the worst start to his season he had ever had. He had not hit one ball and had committed a handful of errors that normally he never would have made. He started to get booed at the stadium and lose all credibility. They had to head out to play the Phillies and Brady didn’t know how he would be able to manage, especially since he would be so far away from Jane.

             
Life turned into a robotic routine for him. He woke up, worked out and headed to the stadium. He avoided all press because thanks to Laney his face was plastered on all the gossip magazines as well as Laney and Jane’s beat up face when she stood in Brady’s driveway. He could not get the images out of his head and the media did not help.

The
sports channels started to nail him in the highlights for letting his personal life affect him, which was true but in every report they never failed to show a picture of Jane in the corner of the screen. He could give two shits about the press ragging on him about his game but why plaster Jane’s face everywhere? That was most likely another reason why Jane wouldn’t talk to him.

             
Michael was a decent guy and kept Brady updated on Jane’s recovery. It physically made him ill, that he was not there, holding her, taking care of her and making sure she was ok. He had to rely on everyone else to make sure she received the best care she needed. Michael said she had not started back at work yet but Patty held down the fort like a pro and put out all fires that might have started while Jane was away.

             
The team was supposed to leave tonight to go to Philadelphia. Brady had to pack but could not muster the energy. His phone started to ring and his heart dropped, he prayed Jane might be calling him. Fat chance. It was his manager, Deek Jones.

             
“Hey Deek.” Brady answered.

             
“Matthews, I need you in my office in an hour.”

             
“Is everything ok?” Brady started to get nervous. He knew his contract protected him from being traded so that was not a concern he needed to worry about but he still felt nervous whenever his manger called him into his office.

             
“Just get here in an hour.” Then Deek hung the phone up.

Crap! Tha
t was not good. Most likely Deek’s phone call was about Brady’s performance. He was so not in the mood to be yelled at by his manager. Deek Jones could be one terrifying guy if he wanted to be. Deek had a bit of a pot belly and one serious mustache. He played many years ago and was decent as a ball player but was by far a better manager. He was well respected and everyone listened to the man and didn’t question his actions.

Brady groaned, got up and started
to pack for Philly. He might as well pack now because he most likely would not have a chance to get back to his house before the team left.

                                                                      ***

Michael walked up the steps to Jane’s apartment. He had flowers with him and chocolate per her request. Jane was not faring well. Physically she was improving every day but emotionally she was a wreck. She was still madly in love with Brady, no matter how much she denied it, she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Michael
let himself in with the key she gave him a couple of days ago. It was easier for him to have a key than for her to have to get up and crutch her way to the door to let him in.

He walked in her apartment enjoying the smell of Jane. Helping her o
ut these last couple of days had really brought up some old feelings he harbored for her but he had to make sure to keep them under control. He knew his feelings could not formulate into anything between them, he had no chance with Jane. He closed that chapter of his life a couple of weeks ago when Brady helped him through the complications of his marriage.

Michael
walked over to Jane, gave her a kiss on the cheek and delivered her chocolates. He loved the way she ate them. She poked every single one and depending on what came out, she made her decision if it was worthy enough for her delicious lips. Okay, enough Michael. Feelings about Jane are in the past.

Jane moaned as she put a chocolate in her mouth and Michael nearly keeled over. He searched Jane’s kitchen for a vase to put the flowers in
while she destroyed the box of chocolates he brought her.

“These are hitting the spot, thank you Michael.” Jane said
with a mouth full of chocolate. “Although, I should probably not be eating these since I have no way to work them off. I’m going to become a big old fatso thanks to this bum leg of mine.”

Michael placed
the flowers in a vase and disagreed with her. “Jane you have had the same rocking body since I’ve known you in college. Believe me and don’t forget I watched you go through your ice cream sandwich for dinner every night phase, I’m pretty sure you are going to be ok with a couple of chocolates.”

Jane laughed and patted the seat next to her for Michael to sit down. He sat down
and tried to keep a distance, he still didn’t trust himself completely even though he knew he tried to shut that part of his brain off.

“When do you leave for Philly?” Jane asked putting another chocolate in her mouth. It looked like an orange cream filled one, one of his favorites.

“In a couple of hours, I wanted to stop by your place and make sure you were all set for the night. Molly is coming over later, right?”

“Yea she has Jane duty later. I feel like such an idiot being waited on. I really can get around
on my own, you know.”

Michael knew, and he also knew how stubborn Jane was. She would break her other leg just to prove she could do things by herself but Michael and Molly both agreed that they and Albert would take shifts in watching Jane because they were nervous about her break up with Brady. She cried straight through the day the first
couple of days but today she actually started to look human again.

Mic
hael knew Brady felt the same way as Jane, if not worse. Michael wished Jane would just let Brady speak to her. He knew Brady had played terribly because he was completely at loss when it came to love and Brady could not function since he hurt Jane so badly.

Jane interrupted his thoughts when she placed her hand on his thigh and her head on his shoulder. “Thank you so much for being there for me Michael. You have always been there for me, no matter what even when I was a complete bitch during my George years.”

“Well, you do still owe me from dealing with your alter ego.” Michael joked as he tried to get the thoughts out of his head of Jane’s touch that radiated heat through his body.

She started to rub
his leg up and down and sighed. “What am I going to do Michael?”

Michael didn’t know how to answer her question so
he just let it hang in the air. Her touch was starting to affect him a little so before he embarrassed himself he got up and asked if she wanted anything to drink.

“You don’t have to
get me anything but since you are up, I will take a ginger ale if there are any left. Albert was sucking them down the other night with gin mixed in. Apparently me crying hysterically was too much for him to handle.”

Michael laughed, “Well you have been a handful lately but we are here because we love you.”

“You mean that, you love me?”

Michael shut the refrigerator door placed the drinks on the counter and leaned over the bar
as he looked Jane in the eyes. “Jane I have always loved you, you know that. I have loved you as a friend and I have loved you as more. I always have and always will.”

What was he doing? He should just shut up. What happened to closing that chapter of his life? He brought the drinks back to the couch and handed Jane hers. She set it on the table without taking a sip and turned toward him.

She stroked his jaw lightly with her delicate hand and said, “Oh Michael, I’m so sorry I put you through such hell.”

Michael could not help but get lost in Jane’s eyes. They were full of sorrow and sadness. He knew the sadness was not for him though, it was for the loss of Brady in her life but he could not
help but imagine what it would be like to have the love of Jane that he always wanted. Jane pulled Michael in for a hug. Her breasts pressed against his chest and he started to get hard. He needed to pull himself away from this situation before he let his feelings take over his actions.

“Jane, don’t think twice of it, that’s what friends are for.”

Michael was about to get up when Jane grabbed his face with both her hands, her face mere inches from his. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be more than just friends?”

Michael’s heart stopped b
eating and his breathing was non-existent. Was she for real right now?

“I think about it every day
Janey Bear.” Michael was honest with her. He knew he could never have Jane’s heart like Brady did but he knew that if he never said anything he would regret it.

“Jane, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met and I know I will never meet anyone who comes close to you but if being your friend is what gets me close to you,
then I will forever be your friend and nothing more.”