Page 19 of Home Field Advantage
“Semantics.”
“Oh my god.” Tucker beams. “We should start an adult league, too. Pick a night during the week and get together. All the guys, hell, even the girls can play. You know, a fun night out. But you gotta go easy on us,” he says, pointing a finger in my direction. “Half of us don’t know how to swing a bat.” He nudges Griffin at his side.
Griffin grumbles something under his breath and rolls his eyes.
“We should do it,” Blair joins Tucker in his excitement. “I bet Lily would be down, too.”
“Dallas.” Tucker leans in close, looking left and right before locking eyes with me as if he has a really big, important secret to share with me. “If you had one shot. One opportunity. To seize everything?—”
“Oh, Christ.” Griffin rolls his eyes. “Let the poor guy breathe for five minutes before shoving baseball games down his throat. He just told us he came here for a break.”
If I didn’t like Griffin before, I do now.
“Thank you.” I raise my glass to him. “But it’s really no problem. Baseball has been part of my life since I first learned how to walk. I sort of like the idea of getting together and playing with you guys if it’s something you want to do.”
Tucker fist pumps the air. “Yes.”
A bell over the door chimes, and Griffin turns to glare at Tucker. If looks could kill, he’s stabbing Tucker in the eyes. “I swear you plug that shit back in every night just to piss me off.”
Tucker chuckles with his hand over his mouth.
Then he looks over my shoulder, and I follow his gaze. The music cuts out in my mind, and whatever Griffin just said fizzles out. The people around me fade into nothing as I stare at the long hair I was thinking about just moments ago, cascading down her back. A smile spreads on my face as she greets a friend in a hug with her back to me.
She looks…different tonight.
The two times I saw her before this, she was wearing jeans, a T-shirt tucked in, and a pair of sneakers. Tonight she has on a short blue flowy skirt that sways around her thighs with every small move she makes. She has on a pair of dark brown cowboy boots with white leg warmers sticking out of them. She stands with one hip popped while she engages in conversation with the other person. I let my gaze travel to the loose-fitting pink sweater that sits off one of her shoulders.
She touches the woman’s shoulder as if to sayI’ll catch up with youbefore looking to the ground and making her way in my direction.
Seeing her again was a confirmation of everything my brain had been thinking.
She’sthemost stunning woman I’ve ever seen.
Finally, she lifts her head, and our eyes connect. She almost stumbles over her next step but fixes herself quickly, not allowing the smile on her face to falter or show shock. Every nerve ending in my body is on high alert, and now my heart is racing as if I just did sprint work on the field during practice.
“Hey, Pop,” Griffin greets her.
She keeps her gaze locked on me for a second longer, and I want to reach out and beg her to sit with me. Beg her to tell me everything there is to know about herself so I can figure out why I’m so wrapped up in this mystery woman.
Then she looks away, and I release a breath.
I didn’t realize I had stopped breathing, but here we are.
“Hey Griff.” She smiles at him. “Busy night tonight?”
“You know Nan does the most.” He laughs.
“She really does.”
“Have you met the new guy in town?” Griffin asks her, gesturing to me.
She turns to face me. Her eyes lock with mine again, and I’m instantly unable to form a coherent thought.
Dammit. I need to get it together.
“Can’t say I have,” she says, shifting her body to face me. I raise a brow, and the corner of my lip twists into a grin. “I’m Poppy. Nice to meet you.”
“Dallas,” I say, taking her hand in mine and refusing to break eye contact.
