Rush to the Altar (11 page)

Jake looked around the office. “Wow. This place looks great. Did you redecorate it?”

Maddie smiled, compressing her lips together in an attempt to even out the color. She gave up and turned back toward him, genuine happiness bubbling up from inside her about her office. “Yes, I just finished. Do you like it?”

Jake nodded as he plopped down on one of two overstuffed chairs that were facing her desk. The backs, sides and fronts were striped cream and beige with brown leather trim and big brown leather cushions. “It’s very comfortable and…homey but…” He shrugged as if unable to come up with a good description.

“Elegant and sophisticated?” Maddie prompted with a sparkle in her eyes. Why did he always bring out the flirt in her?

He did that slow smile thing and she had to remind herself to breathe. He nodded. “Exactly. Looks expensive.” He raised his brows in flirting-back challenge.

Maddie laughed. “Oh, not really. I enjoy antiquing and reupholstering, you know, finding great deals and then making them over. As long as the design is sound and of good quality.” She shrugged. “Then it’s just a matter of pretty trappings. Those chairs cost fifty dollars each at a garage sale.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. I like it a lot.” He didn’t say anything for the next minute, a very long minute, while he looked around the room, seeming to study the details, and then his gaze settled on her computer, where there was still the photo of the giant turkey. “You cook too?”

Maddie glanced at the computer screen. “Oh that, well, sometimes. I enjoy it when I have the time. My mother seems to only remember how to cook three meals, so, since I’m determined to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for Max, I’m planning to cook it. I’m working on my menu. Do you go home for Thanksgiving?” She knew Jake was originally from Colorado and still had parents there.

“Sometimes, but not this year. We have a game on the Friday after, so it’s not worth the travel time. Sure looks good, though.”

Was he hinting at an invitation? Maddie could not imagine bringing him home to her parents all day. Their brick ranch house, her mother smoking and pecking Jake with a million personal questions, her dad star-struck. Goodness, she would have to be an idiot to do such a thing.

“Would you like to come? If you don’t have other plans, that is?” What was she doing? Of course he would have other plans! Something fancy and probably involving Tiffany or one of his player friends at one of their mansions.

“Sure.” Jake seemed to jump at the chance. “I was going to go out to eat with some of the team, but I’d much rather have a home-cooked meal.” He patted his flat stomach and grinned. “Haven’t had one of those in a long time.”

Maddie mentally groped for a foothold. Why ignore her for fourteen days and then work in an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner? “It could count as our date,” she heard herself saying, giving him an out and wanting to spare herself the embarrassment of never being asked.

“No way. You’re not going to get out of it that easy.” He grinned at her and Maddie wished, not for the first time, that her bench seat had a back so that she could collapse against it. He had such a beautiful smile, the kind that started at his lips and then radiated from his green eyes. It made her feel warm and happy inside.

“That’s why I’m here,” he continued. “I wanted to get something on the calendar for us.” He pulled a phone out of his sports jacket pocket.

“Oh, I thought maybe you’d had second thoughts.”

He looked up at her and frowned. “Of course not. I paid for a date and, for one evening at least, you are all mine. So, what does this weekend look like?”

Maddie had a moment where she had to pull her emotions together before they reached her eyes. She was in such inner turmoil about this date that it was already ruined. Jake spoke of it like a business deal, and yet he
had
asked her out before the auction, hadn’t he? Everything about that evening was a little cloudy. And then there was the way he’d held her on the dance floor…and that kiss. She felt more of the inner melting sensation just thinking about it. Now he wanted to come for Thanksgiving and meet her family! What did he really think of her? And worse, she kept telling herself she wasn’t ready to date yet, would maybe never be ready to risk falling in love again.

God, get me out of this,
please
?

Maddie moved the mouse around while thinking, bringing up her calendar. She should appear busier than she really was, pretend to have a date…hmmm. “Well, I have Saturday free, but don’t you have a home game that evening?” What was wrong with her? Would someone just tape her mouth closed?

Jake shrugged. “The game will be over by around nine. We could go out afterward, unless that’s too late?”

Obviously, he didn’t have children. The jetsetter life of an NBA player probably meant staying up half the night after a game and sleeping until noon the next day. But instead of mentioning that, Maddie nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.” She smiled a little uncertainly. “Do you want me to come to the game or just meet you somewhere after?”

An odd, heated look came into Jake’s eyes, but she didn’t have a clue what she might have done to get that reaction. “Would you come? I know you don’t like basketball very much, but I could get you floor seats and you could ask your friend—Sasha, wasn’t it? If you want to.”

He remembered Sasha’s name. That was impressive. And he seemed so eager for her to watch him play, which was cute in a little boy, reminding her of Max, sort of way. “Okay, that sounds good. I actually might bring my dad this time, though. He would kill me if I had those seats and didn’t ask him.”

“Your dad’s a fan?”

“Oh yeah. For years. He’s very excited about our date.” She grinned. “My mother, though, thinks you are too tall for me.” She laughed, she couldn’t help it. They were going to seriously flip out when she told them who was coming for Thanksgiving dinner. “I’m sorry, but you should prepare yourself, they’re a little weird.”

Jake stood up and came around the desk toward her, an intent look in his eyes. He grasped her hand and pulled her up to stand close to him. “Weird is okay.” He pulled her closer, not letting go of her hand, close enough that Maddie couldn’t think of anything else but how good he smelled. She inhaled slowly, savoring it, staring at the shadow of beard on his chin.

“Maddie?”

She looked up into his eyes, putty in his hands. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. Truth is, I wanted to, but I was a little afraid.”

Maddie swallowed hard, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach. “Afraid of what?”

Jake moved a hand to her cheek and caressed her jaw with his thumb. “Afraid you would keep saying no.”

“I…I didn’t say no, exactly, did I?”

“You said you weren’t ready to date, and I can understand that, but I’m not very good at waiting. So I kind of tipped the scales in my favor with the auction.”

“You didn’t do that to meet the goal?”

“That sounded better for the press, but it wasn’t the real reason why I did it.”

She wanted to ask, what about Tiffany and the other women that he probably dated, but couldn’t. No matter how smooth his talk, she didn’t have any claims on him. “Well, you didn’t have to spend twenty thousand dollars, you know. I would have worn down eventually.” She smirked at him, the flirtatious feeling back.

“Like I said, I’m not a very patient man.” He leaned in, his gaze locked on her lips.

Maddie
be
good, she warned herself. Don’t let him do this. Once again, her body seemed to ignore her brain—willful, disobedient, self-indulgent. It leaned in, breathing deeper in anticipation; she was weak, weak, weak.

A sudden knock on the door had them both rearing back. Jake looked away and Maddie’s face grew hot.

Jordan Tyler walked in, all smiles and gratitude toward Jake for saving the auction.

Now You show up
.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A
fter work, Maddie picked Max up from the daycare he attended three days a week, giving Gloria a break from babysitting. As she was strapping Max into his car seat she felt her phone vibrate inside her purse. She dug one-handed into her bag and held her breath, half-hoping it might be Jake. It was Sasha. She pushed the button and held it to her ear. “Hold on, Sasha, I have to finish getting Max strapped in.”

“Okay,” she heard Sasha say on the other end, thinking she sounded like she was upset.

Maddie hurried to fasten him in, handed him a picture book to look at for the ride home and slid into the driver’s seat. “Hey, I’m here. Is something wrong?”

“I went out with Marcus last night.”

“What?” Maddie’s jaw dropped open. “Marcus Cornell? The player?”

“Yeah, he called last night…”

“How did he know your number?”

“I gave it to him at the Halloween party.”

“You didn’t. What about Rob?”

“I didn’t think Marcus would really call! He dates models and women way out of my league.”

Maddie sighed. “But he did call, and you don’t sound very happy. What happened?”

“Well, I sort of went to his house. It’s unbelievable. Totally gorgeous. We were alone. We were having so much fun together, talking and laughing—he’s so funny and sweet. Then we went swimming in his pool.”

“Tell me you didn’t sleep with him.”

Sasha sniffed. “No! But we kissed. I really screwed up and Rob is never going to forgive me. Should I tell him? I’ve been waiting all day for you to get off work so I could talk to you. I can’t stand the guilt.”

Maddie compressed her lips together and took a deep breath. “I think you have to tell him.”

Sasha’s voice sounded really small. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I might lose him.”

“You might. But Sasha, it’s not as if he’s never done anything to make the relationship difficult. He needs to stick up for you with his parents. Make some decisions on his own and be a man. This might be the thing that will make him decide what he really wants.”

“Yeah, to be honest, I don’t even know if I want him back.”

Maddie sighed. “Well, this may be a good test for the relationship. Why did you do it? Do you have feelings for Marcus or were you just star-struck?”

“I don’t know. A little of both, I think. He’s so nice to me…and funny. I really like him but I don’t know that it would go anywhere.” She sniffed. “I’m really confused.”

Maddie took a deep breath. “Do you think he will call you? Do you want to see him again?”

“I don’t know. A part of me does, but he’s probably just playing the field. He dates a
lot
, he even told me that. I think I might really like him but I don’t know if he’s really interested.”

“Sasha, don’t beat yourself up. Either way you and Rob need to get to the bottom of your problems. Maybe this will force him to take a hard look at what has been going on.”

“You’re right. Thanks, Mad, you always see the bright side to everything.” A brief pause and then, “So, what’s up with you? Anything new?”

“Well, you’ll never guess who came to my office today.”

“Jake? Did he finally ask you for the date?”

Maddie turned onto a side street that was the shortcut home. “Yes, this weekend. And, he’s coming to Thanksgiving.”

“You’re kidding!”

“No. I really have to cook now. I’m so nervous. Do you think my parents will drive him crazy?”

Sasha laughed. “Probably. But Max will win his heart and that will make up for your mom and dad. Where are you going on your date?”

“I don’t know. It’s after the game on Saturday. You have to help me decide what to wear.”

“I’ve got a new skirt, short but not too short. You can borrow it. How about those new boots, the tall ones? Those would look great.”

Maddie laughed. “I can always depend on you for helping me with the latest in fashion. Hey, come over tonight and bring the skirt, okay? We’ll get your mind off things.”

“Okay, thanks Maddie.”

They hung up and Maddie bit her bottom lip, remembering that she would have let Jake kiss her right there in her office if they hadn’t been interrupted. She would not,
could not
, make such a mistake with Jake Hart.

~~~~~~

The seats on the first row of the floor, just behind the players, were amazing—nicely padded, folding chairs with bigger, better armrests and as close to the action as you could get. Maddie looked over at her dad and couldn’t help but smile. He had a goofy grin on his face with the eyes of a five-year-old on Christmas morning. She didn’t think he had ever looked so happy.

They sat surrounded by other guests of the players, wives and their children, girlfriends and friends. There were a couple of local celebrities Maddie recognized from the news and the pretty weather woman from Channel 8. Maddie waved to the people she recognized from the party, one man yelling over to her, “You had your date with Jake yet?”

She smiled at the man and yelled back, “This is it.”

Several people around her laughed and the doctor groaned, shaking his head. “Make him do better than that.”

 “I’ll try. But it will be hard to convince my dad,” she pointed to her dad’s ball-capped head, who, when he heard her comment, turned around and waved, “that anything can be better than these seats.” Everyone around them laughed and Maddie found she was kind of enjoying being funny and the center of attention. She introduced her dad to the people she knew around them and then settled back to watch the game.

It was different this time, being even closer to the action. Everything was louder, faster, bigger and yes, better than the seats Sasha had won. Maddie could feel the vibrations from the pounding floor come up her feet and into her legs. The crowd was like a roaring, cheering giant centipede that came alive in segments, sweeping up and down across the stadium to the music of the game.

When Jake started to play she smiled to herself, thinking he didn’t look as bad in the black socks as the other white guys. At least he had something of a tan.

Over two hours swept by and before she knew it, Maddie was being escorted by one of the security officers to the media room, where Jake was to give a brief statement about their victory after showering and changing. She felt a little awkward and in the way of all the busy people setting up for the post-game press conference, but she took a big breath, raised her chin up and smiled at everyone.