Meant For Her (6 page)

Chapter 10

The first game of the road trip resulted in an Atlanta win over Milwaukee. A number of the players decided to get together in the bar of their hotel afterwards. Evan allowed Cole to drag him along. He knew he needed to bond with his teammates off the field as well as on.

“Seems like you’re settling into your new digs just fine, Dorsey,” Larry Uhre observed as he walked up to the bar and flagged down the bartender.

Evan glanced at the second baseman. He’d been on the same team as him and Cole in high school. Unlike him and Cole, though, Larry had hung around in the farm system until just the year before. From what Evan had seen so far, Larry was working hard to prove himself and stick around at this level.

“Yeah,” Evan agreed. “A long way from high school, isn’t it?”

“Damn straight. Who’d have thought that you, me, and Parker would end up on the same team again? Guess it’s a good thing I moved to second when I did, huh?”

Nodding, Evan took another drink of his beer. Larry had played third base for the high school junior varsity team for a couple of years. When he moved up to varsity, the coaches decided that because he was smaller and more agile than the other players, he’d be stronger at second. They brought Evan in at third after they made the change. That decision had changed the course of both of their careers for the better, Evan thought.

“That was one hell of a play in the top of the third, Dorsey,” said Theo Oxley, the first baseman. “I almost moved off the base because I was convinced you’d never get to the ball.”

“Yeah, man,” chimed in catcher Javier Rios. “You got bionic legs or somethin’? What the hell was that all about?”

Evan lifted his beer to his lips, pausing before he took a sip. “What can I say? I was in the zone.”

There was a collective sound of understanding as the group nodded and clanked glasses and bottles together in a form of acknowledgement. Nearly every ballplayer knew what it meant to be “in the zone.” When you were there, you could do no wrong. Every play seemed easy. Every pitch looked like a lobbed softball ripe for hitting. Every step around the bases felt effortless.

In fact, there was only one problem with being in the zone: you never knew when you’d fall out of it.

Over the past week since joining the team, Evan had been in the zone. Every game, he’d felt all but invincible. He was hitting three seventy-five over six games and had a perfect fielding percentage. Everything clicked for him.

He was living his dream…a dream his mother had planted and nurtured. As much as his performance excited him, he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. When would his luck run out?

Because it always ran out.

“Hey, man,” Cole said, giving him a nudge with his elbow. “You all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.”

Evan tuned back into the conversation flowing around him, which ranged from which teams were most likely to give them trouble before the postseason to which guys had made the most outrageous purchase that season. Anton Copernicki won because he’d bought his own island.

“For a hotel bar, the drinks are good here,” said left fielder Burke Richards as he strode up to take Larry’s place next to Evan and Cole along the bar.

“They sure are,” Cole agreed, lifting his Jack and Coke. “I think she’s been serving me doubles. This was more amber than brown when she handed it to me.”

“She must be a Milwaukee fan,” Evan said.

Burke’s brow wrinkled. “She’s being generous. Doesn’t that make her an Atlanta fan?”

Sipping his beer, Evan exchanged a look with Cole, who scowled into his drink.

“No,” Cole said. “It means she wants all of us hung over so we play poorly tomorrow. It’s a noon start out here, which means we have to be up at the butt-crack of dawn.”

“Wow,” Burke said, lifting his scotch on the rocks to look at how much booze was in his glass. “And here I just thought she was nice.”

Evan thought of Burke as a traditional Midwesterner. He was tall, stocky, and ruddy in complexion. His blond hair and blue eyes gave him a kind of All-American appeal. He was also quick with a handshake and an encouraging word. But he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.

“Take it easy on the Glenfiddich, Richards,” Evan cautioned.

“Yeah,” Burke said with a swirl of his drink. “Thanks, Dorsey. Listen, man, I just want to say I’m glad you ended up on our team. When Jensen went down, well, we all wondered what the hell would happen. You were the answer to our goddamn prayers.”

“Thanks,” Evan replied. “I appreciate the support.”

“You got it.” Burke lifted his glass. “Now I guess I’ll go and nurse this poison over on the other side of the bar. They’re prettier than you two.”

Evan and Cole followed his gaze and spotted a trio of attractive women sitting there. The women were groupies, fans who followed the team from city to city. Cole had mentioned them earlier to Evan, who knew to steer clear.

“Richards, don’t do anything stupid with one of them,” Cole warned under his breath. “Those are exactly the kind of women who file paternity suits, whether or not they’re real.”

Burke waved a hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah, Dad.”

They watched him walk off, his gait unsteady. It was clear that he wouldn’t be using his best judgment that evening.

“I sure hope he knows what he’s doing,” Cole said, taking a small sip of his drink.

“Let him be, mate.”

“I guess.” Cole’s gaze shifted. “Hey, Randy’s here. There’s something I wanted to discuss with him. Be right back.”

Since Randy had pitched the winning game that evening, Evan figured that Cole wanted to pick his brain about Milwaukee’s lineup. Cole was due to start the following day. Waving him off, Evan finished his beer and signaled for another.

He watched Burke strike up a conversation with the groupies. The women glanced in Evan’s direction more than once, which told him they weren’t as into Burke as Burke would like. They apparently conveyed enough interest in him that he pulled a chair up to their table, however.

Maybe that was what he needed, Evan thought. Maybe a night of mindless sex with an interested female would help him focus, take his mind of off…things.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

Evan turned his attention to her. She wore her blonde hair back in a ponytail. He guessed she was in her late twenties to early thirties, but he was hardly the best judge of such things. Her outfit of a black leather vest over a white barmaid’s top and tight black leather pants left little to the imagination.

So why wasn’t his imagination working?

“Another beer, please,” he said, lifting his empty glass.

“You got it,” she said.

He watched her grab a new mug, hold it under the tap, and draw his beer. Once upon a time, someone like her would have had all of his juices flowing. For the past nine months, though, nothing had managed to do that.

Well, almost nothing.

Frowning, he glanced over at Cole. He thought of what his friend had said about Sierra asking about him and how she seemed interested in him. He considered what it would be like to once again open himself up to the vulnerability that came with growing attached to someone.

He knew he couldn’t do it.

“Here you go,” the bartender said, placing the new mug in front of him.

“So, you’re a Milwaukee fan, eh?” he asked before she could walk away.

“What?”

“Don’t worry. I can keep your secret.”

She hesitated, then tilted her head. “Australian, right?”

“You bet.”

Another customer called out from the other side of the bar. The bartender glanced over at him and gave him a smile before turning back to Evan.

“Lucky for you, I happen to think Aussies are hot. My shift ends in thirty minutes. You up to it?”

Taking another swig of beer, he swallowed and said, “I’m all yours.”

*     *     *

“My name is Haley.”

Evan nodded. He’d already garnered that much from her nametag. He couldn’t help but remember how the first time he’d met Sierra, she hadn’t felt any need to introduce herself. In fact, it was like he’d known her even without learning her name.

For the love of God,
he told himself,
stop thinking about her!

They stood in the elevator as it climbed to his floor. It had been a long time since he’d brought a female up to his room. He was lucky that his roommate was a young rookie who was still out partying and probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon.

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” she asked.

He could tell from her tone that she was getting irritated. That wasn’t any good.

“Sorry,” he said. “Guess I’m a little off my game tonight. The name’s Evan.”

Her stern expression eased into a happier one. “Nice to meet you, Evan.”

They got off the elevator and headed to his room. He opened the door and stood aside to let her in. She left behind a hint of cigarette smoke and fryer grease when she passed.

“If you’d like to shower after your shift—” he began.

She gripped the front of his shirt and attacked his mouth the second the door closed. He tried to get into the kiss as she shoved him against the door. Her curves were in all the right places. She was attractive and really into him, if her current aggression was any indication.

But nothing in him responded to her.

When his cell phone rang, he considered it divine intervention. Breaking away from her mouth, he drew in a deep breath. She put her hands on his face to drag him back to her.

“Sorry—I really need to take this,” he said.

He ignored her frustrated huff and accepted the call without looking at the display, bringing the phone to his ear and walking a few steps away. He didn’t care if it was a telemarketer from Bangladesh, he’d chat like a happy man.

What a fucking mess he was.

“This is Dorsey.”

“Oh…hi, Mr. Dorsey,” came a male voice. “I didn’t expect you to answer. I was just going to leave a voicemail. Sorry to bother you so late.”

“Who is this?”

“Sorry. My name’s Geoff. I’m with Pampered Pawz.”

Ah. The dogsitting company that Larry Uhre had recommended. Evan hadn’t known the exact caregiver who had been assigned because he’d booked the service at the last minute. He’d asked to be contacted daily with updates on the dogs. For some reason, he had assumed it would be a female.

“How are Miller and Beck?” he asked.

“They’re fine. They really love the park. It’s great that they get along so well with the neighbor’s dog, too. We all had a great time.”

Evan’s jaw clenched. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Yeah. Hey, do you happen to know if she’s single? I was too embarrassed to ask her.”

His hand tightened on the phone. What could he say? It wasn’t like he had any claim on Sierra. He didn’t
want
any claim on her.

Did he?

“I just moved in,” he said at last. “I don’t know her that well.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I’ll find the nerve to ask her myself, then. Thanks. I’ll update you on the dogs tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

He clicked off and stood there for a long moment, processing his reaction to the conversation. The thought of Sierra dating someone else brought a weird pain to his chest. That hadn’t ever happened before. What the hell did it mean? He’d only known her for the equivalent of two weeks, for God’s sake.

Yet here he was, trying to force himself to have sex with a woman he didn’t know at all, just to convince himself Sierra meant nothing.

He really needed to get his damn head on straight.

Turning, he caught Haley’s gaze.

“This isn’t going to happen, is it?” she said.

“No. I’m sorry.”

Nodding, she picked up her purse and slid the strap over her shoulder. “I could tell something was off. There’s just something missing.”

“This is going to sound like a line, Haley, but it isn’t you. It’s me. I don’t want you walking out of here thinking this is because of anything you said or did.”

She lifted her chin in acknowledgement and reached for the doorknob. He didn’t say anything else as she let herself out. Instead, he walked over to the minibar and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. As he unscrewed the lid, he acknowledged to himself what he’d been missing with Haley.

A dimpled smile that could lighten even the most shadowed heart.

Chapter 11

Piedmont Park was bustling with activity when Sierra took Leo for his mid-morning walk. It was a typical crowd for a Saturday. A live band played in a central spot in the park. Some kids had started a game of baseball. Joggers and picnickers and fellow dog owners wound among the trees and enjoyed the sunny day.

Maybe she’d get an ice cream cone later, she thought. The weather and vibe in the air were perfect for it.

She’d gone out to a few of her aunt and uncle’s available properties over the past couple of days to show them to potential tenants. A few places required maintenance before showing, so she e-mailed her aunt with the details. Once she got the budget approved, she would either take care of the items herself or hire the contractors needed to do so. That would depend on her schedule and level of skill.

A thought occurred to her, making her pause in her walk. Picking up her phone, she typed in another quick e-mail to her aunt. Maybe she could help two people at once.

Putting her phone back in her bag, she fished out her camera. Some kids playing soccer caught her attention. Sitting in the grass and letting Leo collapse beside her in a panting heap, she snapped a few shots, taking care to keep faces out of the images. Unless she had a kid’s parent’s permission, she never published photos with faces. Still, these would be great stock images to offer for sale.

“Sierra?”

Glancing up, she spotted Evan’s dogsitter, Geoff, approaching with Miller and Beck. Leo leaped to his feet, his tail swishing. She could tell Leo still wasn’t sure about Geoff, since his butt didn’t actually move with the tail wag.

The verdict was still out for her, too, truth be told. He seemed nice enough. But he smiled too much. Coming from her, that was saying a lot.

With his wide smile in place, he walked up to stand near her. The dogs ran up to her and attacked her with their tongues, making her laugh. Geoff tugged on their leashes.

“Hey, you two,” he chided. “I know she’s pretty and all, but back off. Sheesh.”

She continued petting the dogs. “It’s all right. It’s nice to be greeted with such enthusiasm.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Geoff said with a wink.

Not knowing how to respond to that, she gave him a small smile and focused on the dogs.

“They seem to have warmed up to you,” she said.

“Yeah, thanks to you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t intervened. I’ve never had dogs react like that before.”

She’d been editing the day before when she heard the elevator ding. Knowing it was the dogsitter, she’d hurried over to her peephole to familiarize herself with the person who would be visiting Evan’s apartment on a regular basis. She’d watched as a tall, slim guy in his late twenties or early thirties came into view. He glanced at her door, probably reading the number, and then continued on to Evan’s.

Although he’d moved out of her range of sight, her photographer’s eye had caught enough details that she’d remember him the next time she saw him. Long, blond hair pulled into a ponytail. Multiple piercings in his left ear. Pale skin, which had surprised her because he surely spent a lot of time outside walking dogs. High cheekbones. Weak chin.

After a moment of consideration, she had opened her door to go introduce herself. It was a good thing she did, or Geoff might have gotten bitten.

She’d started running when she heard the growls. Geoff’s panicked attempts to calm the dogs only further aggravated them. When she entered Evan’s apartment, Geoff was up on the kitchen counter.

It had taken her a while to convince the dogs that Geoff was a friend. She had the thought that it would have been nice for Evan to warn the dogsitting company of Miller and Beck’s reactions to strangers. But what was done, was done.

Initially, she’d thought Geoff’s near-constant smile was a result of his nerves. He’d just been caught leaping onto a counter to avoid a couple of adorable dogs, after all. But the smile remained in place as she invited him and the boys out to the park with her and Leo, and didn’t let up until she got back home. For all she knew, he smiled twenty-four seven.

That assumption certainly held true right now, she thought as he looked down at her. Adding to the smile were his glassy brown eyes that told her he’d probably smoked a joint before picking up the dogs.

Lovely.

“Yeah, these guys are just protective of Evan,” she said. “Now that they know you’re a friend, you’re golden.”

“Am I a friend?”

She focused on Beck, who was once again trying to give her kisses. “Sure.”

“Well, that’s something,” he said.

One of his eyeteeth was crooked, she noticed. It continued to draw her attention since he rarely stopped smiling.

“Hey,” she said, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. “I’ve got an idea for some photos I want to take. What do you say to joining me and Leo on a walk over to the baseball diamonds?”

“Sure, Sierra. I’d like that.”

“Great.”

She lifted her bag and they set off. The park was vast, one hundred and eighty-nine acres of land. There were historical landmarks, designated dog parks, playgrounds, and plenty of beautiful scenery. She had a couple of specific images in her head that she hoped to capture while the lighting was right.

They approached the kids playing baseball. Sierra started with the kids on the bench, not wanting to disrupt the game. When the kids saw the dogs, though, the disruption happened anyway.

All three of the dogs liked kids and were pretty well-behaved as they were petted and crooned over. Geoff seemed antsy. She figured he was worried Miller or Beck would take a nip at one of the kids. That wasn’t an illogical fear in light of their aggressive behavior from the day before, but she wasn’t concerned.

Eventually, she got the kids to kelp her with the photos she wanted to take. After she described what she wanted, they were all on board. They even made some suggestions that turned out great.

“Thanks, y’all,” she said at last. “We have to get the dogs home now. They’re hotter than a fox in a forest fire right about now.”

She and Geoff left them to their game, walking back to the apartments. He didn’t say anything, which made her think he was upset. Sweat dripped down both of their faces, so she figured he was at the very least uncomfortable.

“Thanks for taking the time to do that with me,” she said. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

“I enjoyed it,” he said. His smile was in place, but his tone wasn’t so full of cheer. “Besides, that’s what friends do, right?”

Silence fell between them. She wondered if he’d leave and come back to let the dogs out that evening like he had the day before. When she’d suggested walking the dogs herself and saving him the trip, he’d waved her off, insisting that it was part of his job. Evan hadn’t wanted someone staying in the apartment while he was gone, but he wanted the sitter spending at least a couple of hours each day with the animals.

Struggling to fill the silence, she said, “Looks like we’ll have some afternoon thunderstorms.”

His gaze moved to the dark clouds gathering on the horizon “Sure does. Traffic’s going to be a bitch.”

“Do you have to go far?”

“I stay in Marietta, so unless I take surface streets, I usually hit the slowdown on the connector, especially when it’s storming.”

“You don’t have any other clients to visit today?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She had a feeling what was coming. “Well, I’m sure Evan wouldn’t mind if you killed a little time at his place until the weather lightens up.”

He shook his head, though his smile was firmly in place. “He was very clear that he didn’t want the sitter staying at his place. Especially for such a high-profile client, I wouldn’t want to risk him being dissatisfied.”

“I understand.”

If he’d been a true friend, she would have invited him over for a while to keep him from driving in the rain, but she just wasn’t willing to do it for Geoff. It made her feel guilty. She couldn’t ignore her intuition, though.

They reached her apartment and she opened the door. “Thanks again, Geoff. It was nice to see you and the dogs.”

“You, too, Sierra,” he said. “Hey, um, I was wondering…are you seeing anyone?”

Lord, she had known this was coming. What should she do? She’d never lied to a guy before, and she didn’t want to start now. But she wasn’t about to lead Geoff on. She wasn’t interested in him that way.

“I’m not in a serious relationship,” she said at last, “but there is someone else.”

His smile faltered, then lifted right back into place. “So there’s hope then.”

Withholding a sigh, she started shutting her door and said, “I’m usually the first one to say there’s always hope.”