Page 43 of Hitting the Gap

He looked over at the blonde. “Yeah, she’s hot, but I’m here with you. That’s not what tonight’s about.”

“Gonzo, honestly, it’s fine. If you want to hook up with someone, I totally get it, especially when she looks like that.”

“What’d you mean earlier when you said it was obvious we wouldn’t be dating?”

“Are you kidding me?” Bailey’s eyebrows nearly hit her hairline as she gaped at him. “With that woman over there? Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious. Why did the idea of us dating seem so ridiculous?” Sure, he was a baller, but he wasn’t an idiot. Maybe intellectually he wasn’t in the same league as a professor or lawyer like Brad, but he’d graduated from university on his own steam, which had been fucking hard with his baseball schedule.

“Gonzo, the women you date look like that.”

“So?”

“Please don’t make me say it,” she whispered.

If she wanted to insult him, she was damn well going to say it out loud. He stared down at her without speaking, waiting her out. Finally, Bailey huffed out a breath. “I’m very well aware of how I look.”

“What the fuck does how you look have to do with anything?” His mind raced to catch up.

“Umm, everything. You don’t date fat girls.”

“You aren’t fat,” he growled. He hated how women always did that. Put themselves down for having a different kind of body. His mom and his sisters did it all the time, and it pissed him off.

“I’m not skinny.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the way you look.”

“I didn’t say there was. It’s just not the kind of body guys like you go for.”

“Guys like me?” Wow. The little jab hit like a knife in his sternum.

“Oh, don’t be all offended, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, unfortunately I do.” Is that really how she saw him? As some kind of dick who thought a woman was only beautiful if she was a size 2? He pushed off the table. “We should join the group.”

Bailey grabbed his arm. “What’s the matter? Why do you seem all hurt?”

“Really?” He stared at his childhood friend. “You just told me you think I’m a shallow piece of shit and I’m not supposed to be offended.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It kind of is.” He pushed his hand through his hair. “I think I liked it better when I thought you meant I was too stupid to date.”

Bailey’s head snapped back. “You thought I was insulting you when I laughed about us not dating?”

“Yeah. You’re gorgeous, Bailey, you always have been. Just because we’ve never dated doesn’t mean I’m not fully aware of how attractive you are. What else was I supposed to think?”

“You think I’m attractive?” she asked.

That’s what she latched onto? “Yes. Lots of guys like curvy girls, Bailey.”

“I know. I just don’t see athletes with any.”

“How many athletes do you know?”

“What?”

“How many do you know? Besides me, how many do you know?”

---