Page 48 of Double Play

“Yeah, well, you weren’t there. She wanted them to know I was team captain, and captain of the outfield and all that shit. She even mentioned my Nike ad. But like I said, I get all that. A woman wants her man to impress. Fair enough. But she took ittoofar.”

“How?” Nina couldn’t imagine what Maggie could have done to offend such aneasygoingguy.

“She fixed it so I got called up. So her parents didn’t think she was with a lower-levelMinor Leagueballplayer.”

“Whatare you even talkingabout?”

“After that phone call with her parents, I kept thinking if I was a Friar, they’d respect me more. I was beating myself up. Wishing I hadn’t sucked so bad the first time. Then, a couple days later, boom. I get The Call.Again.”

“And? That’s a good thing, right? That’s what youwanted!”

“Butwhydid I get called up? That first time, I confronted Maggie and she told me it wasn’t her doing because I scored low on her computer program. If I scored so low, why’d they call me upagain?”

Nina couldn’t help it—she swatted him on the arm. “You don’t have the sense God gave a fruit fly. What makes you think Maggie had anything to do with it? She’s working for Crush, not theFriars.”

“But they consult her sometimes. It makes sense that they would run the numbers before taking a second chanceonme.”

She couldn’t stop shaking her head at the idiocy of it. “Even if they did consult her, they’d want to know what herprogramsaid, not herpersonalopinion. She gives them a whole file of data. Jeez, Dwight, I thought you were smarter than this. I’m seriouslydisappointed.”

While they’d been arguing, they’d reached the off ramp for the airport. Dwight took it at a screaming pace. His face was bunched into a tight scowl, his jaw hard as a drum. “Her parents are right. She deservesbetter.”

“Well, if that’s the case, which I don’t think it is, you’re a Friar now. You’re in the majors. Why are you still having aproblem?”

They jerked to a halt outside the part of the airport reserved for private charter jets. Dwight was still flexing his hands on the steering wheel, thunder churning in his eyes. “She should be with a…a heart surgeon, not a ballplayer. Someone who can take care of herright.”

“Oh my bejesus! Dwight Conner! Did you hear what you just said? All that other stuff about your call-up, that was just bullshit. You’reafraid! You’re afraid because of what happened at the ballpark, when she fainted. That’s what’s goingonhere.”

He turned a shocked face on her, but just then, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure running across the tarmac towardthem. “Jim!”

Even with bloodshot eyes and his dark hair a tumbled mess, the sight of Jim sent her heart soaring. She jumped out of the car and dashed toward him. They met halfway. He dropped his bag and opened his arms to her. She collided with him in a perfect tangle of laughter and kisses andmurmurs.

He smelled so wonderful to her, a comforting mixture of fresh laundry and mesquite from Crush’s ranch. With an overlay of—she drew back and sniffed, then assessed his red-edged eyes and tired face. “How hungoverareyou?”

He groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He rubbed his forehead, then shook off his misery like a dog in the rain. “I feel a thousand percent better just looking at you.” Picking up her hand, he pressed a kiss onto it. Shivers raced through her. “I can’t believe you’re here. The entire flight, I had nightmares that you’d be back in Kilby by the time I got here. What if we kept flying back and forth forever, missing eachother?”

She laughed. “Okay, you’rereallyhungover. Poor boy. Why don’t you come back to Trevor’s and I’ll fix you up? A shower, some aspirin, some coffee, some cuddling…” With her most beguiling smile, she tucked close to hischest.

His eyes darkened and he traced her cheek with one finger. “I wish, that sounds like exactly what I need. Especially the cuddling part. But we have to get to the ballpark. Teammeeting.”

Crestfallen, she rubbed her head against his arm. “But it’s been weeks since I saw you, and I missed yousomuch!”

“Okay, public space here.” Her brother walked past, shooting them a sidelong warningglance.

Nina loosened her grip on Jim’s arm, expecting him to pull away under the withering weight of Trevor’s stare. But instead he drew her closer and smiled downather.

Andkissedher.

Tingles of pleasure danced through her veins, along her skin. She sighed against his mouth so their breaths intermingled. Everything disappeared in a haze of contentment. Her Jim was kissing her. Right in front of Trevor and Dwight and everyone else with acharterjet.

“Will you be at the game?” he asked in a husky voice when they finally endedthekiss.

“Of courseIwill.”

“I…uh…I got you a seat in the wives and girlfriends box, if you want it,” he said shyly. “You don’t have to sit there if you don’t want to, but Paige says they’re allprettynice.”

She flung her arms around him again. “Iloveyou.”

His face flamed fever red. “I love you too, Nina. Ever since that foul ball in Albuquerque. Best foul ball I evercaught.”

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