Page 25 of Double Play

He drew back in surprise. “I have a gametomorrow.”

“I know. It starts at two, you have to report for batting practice at noon. Will you meet me at nine? There’s something I want toshowyou.”

He studied her carefully. All his anger with her had disappeared. None of this was her fault. He had no business even talking about it with her. This was his shit to work through, not hers. And now she was being nice enough to invite himsomewhere.

“Sure. I’ll meet you. And I’m sorry, Maggie. I—” She interrupted him by putting a finger on his lips. A shock of pleasure searedthroughhim.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not exactly easy, what you just went through. In the park, I knew you thought I’d recommended you, and I thought about saying something. Maybe Ishouldhave.”

“No. No, what difference would it have made? Instead of going in all confident, I would have been second-guessing myself. I could have done even worse. That would have been something to see.” He grinned at that thought—was it evenpossible?

She laughed along with him, and he felt the tension and misery that had accumulated since San Diego dissolve. Being with Maggie…it just made him feel good. Her intelligence was sexy as hell to him. She stood up for herself, but she kept her cooldoingit.

“I forgot to mention,” he said softly, “that it’s really good to see you. I thought about you while Iwasgone.”

A flush stained her cheeks. “I thought about you too. I thought about calling after that last game. The one where you accidentally scissor-kicked theumpire.”

He winced. “Don’t tell me you watched thosegames.”

“Everyone.”

“And you still want to be seenwithme?”

She stepped forward, until she was brushing up against him. “First of all, you are more than your performance on the baseball field, DwightConner.”

He was dying to say something about his performance in bed, but managed to keep hismouthshut.

“Second of all, yes. Of course I do. You’re an attractive, dynamic, charismatic, smart, multitalented man. Whywouldn’tI?”

“You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now,” he murmured, dropping his headslightly.

She swallowed; he saw her throat move. Then her gaze shifted so she was looking past him, and she drewback. “Nina.”

He straightened up with a jolt. How had he forgotten about Nina? Truth was, he’d forgotten about everything—baseball included—while he’d been lost in Maggie’s deep green eyes. He turned, clearing his throat. Nina was wending her way through the crowd, holding a tray containing two beer bottles and aclubsoda.

“Hey, Nina. We were just coming tofindyou.”

“I got you,” she said cheerfully. “Do you know my tray-holding skills have improved by a million since I started selling cottoncandy?”

She handed them each their drink and tucked the tray under her arm. About to take a sip, she hesitated, looking from one to the other of them. “Well, well. I wasright.”

Maggie was making shushing gestures with her eyebrows, which Dwight hadn’t even known was physicallypossible.

“Right about what?” Dwightasked.

“About you two. There is somethinggoingon.”

“Yeah. We’re friends,” he told her, though “friends” didn’t really describe his feelings for Maggie. His interest in her went in a completely different direction. “Kind of like you andBieberman.”

Color flooded her face. Ha—something must have finally happened with her and the shortstop. Dwight glanced over at Maggie and caught her smothering alaugh.

“Well, well,”hesaid.

“What?” Nina batted her eyelashes over those big blue eyesofhers.

“I was right about you two. Youfinallyhave something going on.Abouttime.”

“Don’t be silly,” she sniffed. “He’s in SanDiego.”

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