by V. K. Sykes
Noah waited a full minute, but she kept her lips firmly buttoned. Her non-response started to piss him off again. “Cut me some slack, Teddy. You can’t imagine what it feels like to suddenly find your career might be going up in smoke. You have a great career as a lawyer ahead of you. But I’ve already lived my dream, and I’ve got to start thinking about the next phase of my life. And maybe that might involve going back to my roots. Back to Texas and to the company. If my pitching days are over, I’m not sure what else I could do.”
She turned back to face him, her pretty blue eyes so full of regret that his heart sank through the floorboards of the damn car. “I understand that. I know you’re wondering about your future in baseball. But I don’t think that means you have to be a shill for the industry.” She swallowed audibly, as if her mouth had gone dry. “I know you’re not like your father, so I don’t understand how you could be so cavalier about what’s happening to my family. To the place where I grew up.”
Crap, why the hell had he asked her to come with him? Talk about an impulsive decision that had come back to bite him in the ass.
“Cavalier? Hey, that’s just bullshit, pure and simple,” he ground out before he managed to dial it back. “Look, Teddy, this is tough enough for me, and the last thing I need is a lecture. I care about you a lot—you know that. But I don’t need any more pressure from you or anybody else. I’ll make my own decision in my own time, according to what I decide is the right thing to do.”
Teddy turned away again, a wounded look in her eyes. “Understood. Let’s just get Toby home, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
- 20 -
Noah strode out the front door just as Teddy pulled into his driveway. Even from a distance she could see storm clouds gathering over his head. Where was he going at six-thirty in the morning?
Teddy didn’t usually feed and walk the dogs this early but sleep had eluded her for the second interminable night in a row. And Toby and Sadie would appreciate the early meal and a brisk walk to the park in the coolness of the early morning.
Noah stopped beside his car, his dark scowl directed her way. Was he waiting to talk to her? They’d hardly spoken for the past two days since the tense ride to the vet’s after meeting Adam and Levi Cade. Noah had seemed to go out of his way to avoid her after that, which made her feel both awful and relieved. In any case, there seemed to be nothing more to be said after he’d essentially told her to mind her own business. Even though she loathed the idea of him turning into a media flack for his father, she knew he was right—it was none of her business.
It’s not like he’s my boyfriend or anything.
Still, she missed him like crazy despite all her attempts to lecture herself out of her insanely strong crush on him. And she knew that anything she said was liable to make the situation even worse and possibly even untenable. So far, Noah appeared content to let her continue to do her job exactly as before, but could that last for long?
And could she last, being around him and yet not able to even touch him? It already felt like torture, and it would only get worse unless they started talking again soon.
She tried for a friendly smile as he opened the trunk of his car and threw in the duffel bag he’d been carrying. “You’re heading out awfully early.”
Noah slammed the trunk closed. “I’m going fishing because it usually helps to clear my head. And getting an early start is better than more tossing and turning.” He shoved up his sunglasses to look at her.
His eyes were heavy from lack of sleep which, perversely, made him even sexier—like he’d been awake all night making some lucky girl scream with pleasure. His red Patriots T-shirt stretched tight across his wide shoulders and hunky chest. His jeans rode low on his trim hips, calling attention to his groin and the healthy-sized package cupped by the soft denim. Teddy had to swallow hard before she could get more words out.
“You’re agonizing over your decision?” She took a few hesitant steps toward him. It was probably dumb to even raise the issue, but she hated that he had to tear himself apart over what his dad had asked him to do.
He gave an angry little snort. “Right now I’m a lot more concerned over the fact that the team just put me on the disabled list.”
“Oh, no,” she said weakly.
His eyes narrowed, as if judging the honesty of her response. “Even if the tests come back clean, it means I can’t pitch for at last fifteen days. More than likely I’ll be out three weeks or more, and then I’ll have to go down to the minors on a rehab assignment. Not exactly the comeback I’d hoped for,” he said bitterly.
“I’m so sorry, Noah. That must be so disappointing.” Duh.
He studied her with such dispassion that it made her stomach suddenly queasy. Gone was the sensual hunger that used to fill his gaze. Stupid her, she hadn’t realized how much she would miss it.
“I had the MRI on my shoulder yesterday afternoon,” he said. “So now it’s a wait and see.”
No wonder he was so stressed. “When will you get the results?”
“Tomorrow morning.” He leaned back against the car as if settling in for the conversation. “They speed us through. After that, depending on what the radiologist says, the team doctor will probably want me to see the specialist in Alabama.”
Teddy peered at him. “Really? Philadelphia has just about the best medical care in the country. It seems weird to have to fly down to Alabama to see a doctor.”
He shook his head. “Baseball injuries are a specialty, especially arm injuries. Teams want to make sure players see the docs with the most expertise and experience. And obviously so do I.”
“Oh, well, that makes total sense,” she said lamely. She hadn’t a clue what to do. Should she try to hug him in sympathy? What if he pushed her away? Could she stand that kind of clear and painful rejection?
No.
Noah eyed her for a few moments then straightened up. “Well, I’d better get going or I’ll miss all the good fishing.”
Teddy suddenly wished she could jump into the passenger seat of the BMW and go with him. Escape for a day. Pretend all the bad stuff that had come between them was just a miserable dream. Maybe even find a way to make love on the beach of some beautiful, secluded lake.
“Where are you headed?” she asked, her throat tight.
“The Poconos. A buddy of mine has a cottage up there that he lets me use whenever I want. The lake’s only about an hour away at this time of day. At least the way I drive.”
“It’s so beautiful up there,” Teddy said, hating the forlorn tone to her voice. “I almost wish I could go, too.”
He shot her a surprised and questioning look. “Almost?”
Oh, man, she just couldn’t seem to stop the mixed messages, could she?
“I guess that wouldn’t be smart, would it?” she said unhappily. “Not with…everything…” She let her words trail away, uncertain how to untangle her jumbled emotions. Afraid she’d get herself into even deeper water with him if she kept talking.
He muttered something under his breath and then shrugged. “I guess you’re right.” He opened the door of his BMW and slid in. “See you later, Teddy. Have a nice day.”
“See you,” Teddy said, wanting to cry over the impersonal goodbye. It was exactly what someone would say to his employee, which was exactly what she was.
She forced herself to turn away as he backed down the driveway. She’d be damned if she’d stare after him like some lovelorn teenager whose super-cool boyfriend had just left her high and dry.
But Teddy had to admit that it was pretty much how she felt.
* * *
By the time Teddy got back to the house after walking the dogs, Cristina was up and working in the kitchen. Ever hopeful of getting a treat, Toby and Sadie dashed off toward those interesting sounds as soon as Teddy took off their leads.
“Get out of here, you miserable beasts,” Cristina snapped as Teddy hurried into the room. “I have nothing for you. Shoo!” She pushed To
by away by sticking her knee in his chest as he jumped up against her. Clearly wounded in spirit, Toby slunk off toward the living room with Sadie following right on his heels.
“They’re dogs, Cristina,” Teddy said with a sigh, making sure she kept her irritation out of her voice. “They think with their stomachs before getting around to their brains. You didn’t have to be quite so rough with Toby.”
Cristina jutted her chin out. “Save your lectures for somebody else. I’m not in the mood.” She opened the oven and shoved in a tray of chocolate chip muffins. Noah’s favorite indulgence. Food indulgence, anyway. “Besides, you should be doing a better job of training them, if you ask me.”
Teddy wasn’t in the mood to put up with crap, either. “I’m not asking you. And by the way, what’s going on, Cristina? Why so grumpy? Heck, you were a lot happier these past couple of days. Seeing Noah and me at odds must have been like manna from heaven for you. Has the thrill worn off already?”
Cristina had soon figured out that Noah and Teddy had virtually stopped talking. Teddy had vowed to ignore the thinly disguised gloating, but after the housekeeper’s nasty treatment of the sweet, ever-friendly Poodles, her fuse had started to burn.
“You shouldn’t be surprised,” Cristina said. “I made it clear what I thought about you and Mr. Noah. I won’t apologize for being glad that your little affair is over and done with.”
Coming from Cristina, the words hurt even more. The housekeeper knew Noah very well after all these years, so her confidence that he had no more interest in Teddy was shattering to hear.
“Why do you dislike me so much, Cristina?” Teddy forced a casual air as she poured herself a mug of coffee. “You sometimes act like I’m a threat to you and I don’t understand why. I know you said Noah looked at me differently, but I still don’t get it.”
Teddy had finally if reluctantly come to the conclusion that Cristina was in love with Noah. But surely she wasn’t delusional enough to think that there would ever be a relationship between her and her boss? Cristina acted way more like a mother hen to Noah than any kind of seductress, and Noah had always treated his housekeeper warmly but professionally.
The older woman leaned against the granite counter, her palms on the surface and her arms stiff. She looked great, as always, in a tailored floral blouse and black capris. “I like my life,” she said in a softer tone. “Mr. Noah has always been wonderful to me. I couldn’t ask for anything more than to keep working for him—perhaps for the rest of my life, God willing.” She paused briefly. “You want to know why?”
“Because he’s nice and pays really well, I presume,” Teddy said. “God knows he’s been generous with me. I don’t want to lose my job here either.”
“Yes, but it’s different for me. You, you’re not going to be a dog walker all your life, are you? No, you’re probably going to be a lawyer someday. You have a wonderful future to look forward to, and you have many options.” Cristina said the words with no trace of rancor. In fact, her attitude had changed quickly from surly to almost placid. Like she’d finally decided Teddy was no longer a threat.
“But me?” she continued. “Me, I grew up dirt poor in the Philippines. We had nothing but the roof over our heads, and sometimes not even that. So, to have this…” She spread her arms and pivoted to gaze around the massive, top-of-the-line kitchen. “To live like this, with a kind and generous man who respects me and helps me with everything—well, I can only say that I’m sure there is no one luckier in this world than Cristina Mercado.”
Teddy couldn’t help but feel respect. “But you work hard for what you get, too.”
“Of course. That’s my job. But there is nothing I wouldn’t do for Noah Cade. Nothing.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. She eyed Teddy for a long, considering moment and then waved her over.
Surprised—shocked, really—Teddy joined her.
“Let me tell you about my youngest sister,” Cristina said. “Her name is Felicia. Years ago, she moved to Manila and got a job as a hotel maid. But then she had the bad luck of marrying a man who was not what he seemed to be—actually, he was a criminal as far as I’m concerned. This cruel man beat her so much. One day, he beat her so badly that she lost the baby she was carrying.”
Teddy felt sick. The exact same thing had happened to Cristina. “I’m so sorry.”
Cristina’s dark eyes filled with pain, but her voice remained steady. “When Felicia got out of the hospital, she fled to a shelter and called me. She begged me to help her come here. To America. To Baltimore, so she could be with me. She was afraid that if she didn’t leave the country, her husband would find her and kill her.”
Teddy leaned forward on her elbows. “Did she come?”
“Oh, yes. I had saved enough money for her ticket. But that’s not the point of my story. The most important thing is not what I did, but what Mr. Noah did for her. He took Felicia into our home—his home, I mean—and told her she could stay as long as she needed to. He helped me with money to buy her clothes and other things she needed, and he helped get her into English classes. After she settled in and got some confidence back, he even got her a good job working in a warehouse through his connections to a local businessman.”
“Did she come with you to Philadelphia when Noah moved here?”
“No,” Cristina said with a chuckle—a rarity for the dour housekeeper. “Felicia enjoys her job there. But also, it wasn’t long before she met a man at work and, well, my sister is very beautiful, so it was no surprise that something like that would happen. She said she couldn’t leave her Sam, and he couldn’t leave Baltimore. And now they’re married, and I’m going to be an auntie in September.”
Teddy grinned with relief. “That’s awesome. You must be so happy for her.”
Cristina smiled. “Of course. We both owe so much to Mr. Noah. Felicia adores him. She swears that she’s going to name her first son after him. Noah Samuel Barrino will be his name.”
“That’s a great name, and I agree that Noah is a kind and wonderful man.” Though it wasn’t surprising, it warmed her to hear more evidence that Noah was as good a guy as she’d always thought him to be. Still, Teddy couldn’t help wondering what this particular story had to do with Cristina’s steadfast resentment toward her.
The housekeeper nodded, her eyes actually turning a bit moist. “I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t take care of him anymore. It’s crazy, I know, but I can’t even think about losing this job—losing him.”
“Well, why would you worry about that, Cristina? Noah obviously thinks the world of you.”
“Yes, but things change, don’t they? Life moves on. Mr. Noah might not always need me.”
She’s worried about being replaced by a wife. It had happened before to her.
But what were the odds that Noah would get rid of his housekeeper if and when he got married? She thought they were pretty darn long from everything she’d seen.
“I get your concern, but you must know that Noah is devoted to you.”
Cristina gave a fatalistic shrug. “Yes, but he must get married someday, no? A truly wonderful man like him? Yes, he must. And maybe then he won’t need me anymore. Maybe I would just be…in the way.” She heaved a little sigh. “He’s never kept anyone around for very long, but he’s getting older and someday he will find the right one.” Her eyes locked on Teddy’s. “I really thought it might be you.”
Teddy gaped at her. Man, she was doing that so much lately she would probably start catching flies in her mouth.
“I knew right away that you were different,” Cristina continued. “Any woman with eyes could see that.”
“So, that’s why you’re relieved that things went south between Noah and me. Because I’m no longer a threat to your future.” Teddy thought she should be angry with Cristina but instead felt a kind of sadness for her. The woman’s opportunities in life were fairly limited and pretty much dependent on her employer. The way Cristina looked a
t the world, every woman in Noah’s life posed a potential serious threat. That was a pretty awful way to have to live.
The housekeeper nodded. “But I’m not sure what’s going to happen now. He is so troubled. So unsettled these days.”
Tell me about it. “Yes, I see that.”
“He told me that he might even decide to quit baseball. Retire.”
“Because of his injuries?” Teddy said. Or because he wants to take his place in the Baron executive offices?
“Yes. Actually, I think that would make me happy, as long as he is content with his decision. After all, he would be home so much more. And we would move to Dallas. I’ve never been to Texas, but I think I would like it. Winter must be easier there, don’t you think?”
Teddy really didn’t want to talk about the weather or the horrifying prospect of Noah packing up and heading for Dallas. Anyway, the conversation had gone from strange to weird, as far as she was concerned. It was time to get going. But at least now she knew exactly where she stood with Cristina.
Threat. Threat removed.
Simple as that.
Still, just thinking in those terms made Teddy ache inside. Though there was probably no future in the cards for her and Noah, it hurt like hell to have somebody else shove that awful reality in her face.
She dredged up a smile. “Well, I’m really glad we had this talk, Cristina. Hopefully, we can get along better now—for however long we’re together here.”
Cristina gave her a look that Teddy simply couldn’t read. “Perhaps.”
After that enigmatic response, the housekeeper got up and went off toward her suite, leaving Teddy alone—and lonely—at the table.
* * *
Noah barely noticed the scorching morning sun beating down. He’d prepared for it, wearing an old, floppy hat and slathering sun block on every inch of exposed skin. Besides, his dark tan—courtesy of countless hours in the sun at spring training—offered its own sort of protection.