Page 41 of Double or Nothing

When I glance down the phone, Mac’s name is on my screen.

“Something like that. I have to take care of this, but forget what Jack said. If you need me, you call me.”

“Will do,” he says as he presses a kiss on my cheek.

“And we are having dinner this week,” I tell him as I rush off toward the elevators.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

The message tells me to meet Mac at Sutton’s suite. Standing before the elevator, I impatiently wait for the doors to open, my foot tapping on the floor.

“Everything okay? You look a little… flustered,” Callum teases as he stands next to me at the elevator.

“Just fine,” I lie.

“If taking care of Sutton and Anthony is too much for you…” The suggestion is more than enough for me to catch his drift.

“It’s not. I can handle it.”

“Are you sure? You wouldn’t want to upset your special client.”

“I can handle Sutton,” I reply as I step onto the elevator.

“I’m sure that’s what he’s banking on. You handling him… in all the right ways. Frankly, so am I.” He rubs his hands together. “I can’t wait for the sweet victory of winning this bet.”

“You won’t be winning anything. I can promise you that. If for no other reason than the fact I don’t sleep with my clients.”

“Are you insinuating I do?” Callum feigns shock, his hand pressing to his chest. “Even I have morals, and not sleeping with clients is one of them.”

“You? Morals? Who would have thought?” I tease with a smirk as the door to the elevator shuts.

The moment the doors open on the PPH floor, I square my shoulders and brace for the possibility of running into Sutton. I would hope Mac wouldn’t do that to me, not under false pretenses, but right now, I wouldn’t put anything past the two of them. For the life of me, I still can’t figure out why Sutton is back in town.

Yes, there’s the show, but why in the world would he agree to a show here? A place he left and never even so much as looked back. Not even for me.

I knock on the door, and relief washes over me when Mac opens it a few moments later, with a broad, welcoming smile.

“Thanks for coming.”

Stepping inside, my eyes dart around, looking for Sutton.

“No problem.”

“You can relax. He isn’t here.”

“And here I thought you two were inseparable,” I tease, trying to make light of the situation and relax my nerves.

That’s when it dawns on me exactly what kind of occasion might make them inseparable, I groan.

“He’s not doing that, either.” Mac laughs. “Though it’s nice to see you still care.”

“I assure you, I don’t.” I hate myself for lying to Mac, but it’s insane how relieved I am that he isn’t with a woman. Doing my best to clear my head, I push out a deep breath and focus on what my client needs from me. “What can I do for you, Mac?”

“He’s working on some new material,” Mac tells me, although I didn’t ask.

I instantly know where he is—the baseball field at the park just outside of my old neighborhood. It was his favorite spot, the place where he went to think and to write. He’s at his favorite spot. Even back then, the baseball field had seen better days. I can only imagine what it must look like now. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that’s where he is. Picturing him sitting there, in the dugout, his back against the chain-link fence, makes me smile.

“What is with him and that baseball field?”

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