Page 44 of If We Never Met

"No."

"It's not about the guys who are hot, sexy fun on Saturday night. It's about finding a man you want to spend all day Sunday with. That's who I'm looking for—that guy."

He wasn't that guy. He was usually pitching on Sundays. He knew he was taking it too literally, but that helped prevent him from making the ridiculous declaration that maybe he could be that guy, because he couldn't. And it wasn't just because of baseball. He was a Saturday night guy. He was agone the next morningman. At least, he always had been. "I take it you haven't met that guy."

"Nope."

"Ever get close?"

"A couple of times I thought maybe…but none of them worked out. The last few years, dates have been sparse. I've been busy, and I don't exactly live in a big city with a lot of options."

"Is staying in Whisper Lake a deal breaker?"

"Maybe. But I don't have to make that decision now. What about you? Have you been in serious relationships before Nikki?"

"Just to clarify once more, Nikki isn't a serious relationship."

"What about before her?"

"I've had a couple of relationships that lasted a year or so, mostly when I was younger—high school, college. Once I was drafted and started traveling from city to city, my primary relationship was with baseball. I've lived a rather narrow life when I think about it." His words actually surprised him. He hadn't thought of it that way until now.

"Narrow? Your life seems big to me."

"But in just one specific area. Do you want more wine?" he asked, as she finished her glass.

"No. If I drink more wine, I won't be able to drive home. We need to talk about the pictures, Dante."

"I know. I have to say I was surprised by the shots. I didn't think the photographer caught us at Micky's."

"And I never saw anyone outside the rehab center. But you were right. Once the photographer saw us together twice, he started spinning a story about us that was completely fictional."

"It's possible that it will get worse now. Even if more paparazzi don't show up, people will be taking out their phones and snapping photos wherever I go. You can make good money taking pictures of celebrities."

"I feel like Whisper Lake is pretty good about letting celebrities have their privacy. Chelsea has gone through some of that scrutiny, but most people leave her alone now."

"That might be true if I lived here full-time, but I'm at a moment in my life that's very tenuous, and a lot of sports reporters and fans are eager to know if I'm going to make it back this season. It would be better for you if we didn't get close enough for anyone to take another picture."

"So, we're breaking up," she said. "Even though there's nothing to break up."

He thought about that for a moment. "Isn't there, Keira?"

A sudden uncertain gleam lit up her gaze. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. There's something between us."

"There's alsosomeonebetween us. Has Nikki seen the photos?"

"Yes. I told her there was nothing to them."

"Did she believe you?"

"She knows how the press is. She's a very popular model, and she has dated a lot of high- profile celebrities. She's used to cameras."

"I actually met Nikki a long time ago when I was in New York. I'm sure she wouldn't remember me. She was a young model, and I was an errand girl. She's really beautiful. You're lucky."

He didn't feel lucky. He felt like he'd gotten caught in an unexpected trap.

"We didn't really need to meet for you to tell me to stay away from you," Keira continued. "You could have said that on the phone. Why didn't you?"

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