Page 17 of Audra: The Prequel

“I can’t help it. I like looking at you. Your eyes light up when you smile or laugh. It’s very attractive.”

Warmth heated her cheeks. “Are you going to pay me compliments all night?”

A slow smile took over his lips. “If you let me.”

Chapter Seven

“We were talking about you before the phone call, weren’t we? So you’re an only child?” Audra asked.

Damon nodded. “Yes.”

“Did you always play baseball, or were you interested in other sports?”

“I played other sports but excelled at baseball. Nowadays, it consumes my life, but that’s normal for someone playing sports at a professional level. When we’re not playing, we’re training or preparing by watching film. We also have to be careful about our diet.”

“But you love it.”

“I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“When you’re not training or playing, what do you do?”

“Well, I’ve been working on some business ventures and ideas for life after baseball. In my downtime, I try to do some mentoring, but I’m not able to do it as much as I’d like. In between all those things, I sometimes squeeze in time to pursue a woman who interests me.”

“I see. Making time for the important issues.”

“Of course.” Amusement filled his eyes.

“By the way, I never verbally, out my mouth, thanked you for the flowers and the gifts—so, thank you. Each delivery brightened my day.”

“Good to hear.”

“I especially liked the puzzle made out of a photo of you.”

He let out a throaty laugh. “You liked that, huh?”

“It was a top-notch gift.”

“It’s one of a kind. You’re the only person in the world who has one.”

She liked his sense of humor. “I figured so.”

“Have you tried to put it together yet?”

“Not yet, but I’ve put it on my to-do list.”

“I’m going to check in with you to see if you’ve done it,” Damon warned.

“Darn, I shouldn’t have told you my plans. Now there’s so much pressure.” Audra sipped her wine, thoroughly amused by their conversation.

Damon swirled his drink. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. What makes Audra Connor tick? What’s important to you?” His eyes remained on her.

“Those are interesting questions. I’ll tackle the second question first and say my family is important to me. As I mentioned, I have a little girl. She’s very smart. I know every parent says that, but the other day she showed me how to change a setting on my phone, and she’s a whiz with the iPad. She always tries to stay up later than her bedtime, and she can sometimes convince my mother to let her—we live with my parents—stay up and have ice cream and cake and whatever else her heart desires. Being the first grandchild has its privileges.”

He laughed softly. “I bet.”

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