“I, uh…hate to bother you. But I was wondering if I could speak to you a minute?”
Pax put what she hoped was a bright smile on her face. Her thoughts were spinning in twenty different directions.
“Sure. What can I do for you, Mr. Quinn? Did you have some more questions?”
More questions? This would be his first question, the first instance of opening his mouth.
“Please, call me Seb. I, uh, I didn’t have a question about the presentation. I, well, I’m curious if perhaps you might like to go and get a drink sometime?”
Pax worked hard not let her mouth fall open. Did she just hear him right? Sebastian Quinn was asking her out on a date?
Chapter Two
Walking with Jim to their cars, Seb’s thoughts remained on the earlier business meeting with Paxson. When he arrived at LLS, he hadn’t planned to ask one of the office staff out on a date. But once he’d looked into Paxson Taylor’s electric blue eyes, he couldn’t help himself. From their depths exuded calmness inexplicable to him. Her nervousness pulsated to him, but her quiet confidence gave her an aura of peace. Something about her spoke to him, which rarely, if ever, happened. Attractive, but not in a cover girl model kind of way, Paxson’s taste in clothes, makeup, and hair style were simple but becoming. Intrigued best described his thoughts at the moment.
Sitting through the entire meeting, he tried to figure out what he found so appealing about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. While she and Jim discussed his possible charity work, he occasionally looked around her office. Prominently displayed were championship pictures and souvenirs from the University of Alabama and the Cardinals. So, she likes sports. Yet, from what Sebastian could tell, Paxson wasn’t a tomboy by any stretch of the imagination. The way she moved and spoke, the gentle way she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, she was feminine in every respect. Seb had also noticed no wedding band on her hand. This thought gave him more joy than he realized. The marital status of a potential liason hadn’t mattered in the past. Why now?
Jim’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“So, do you want to grab some dinner and look over your schedule for the next few days?” Scrolling through the calendar on his phone, Jim didn’t notice Seb’s attention focused elsewhere. “I was thinking…”
Seb put up his hand, stopping him midstream. “You know what Jim? I just thought of something I need to take care of. Can I call you later?”
“Um, sure. Okay.”
“Thanks. I’ll get in touch with you tomorrow.” Seeing Jim’s puzzled expression, Seb lightly patted him on the back. “Really. Go on and enjoy a quiet evening with your good wife.”
“Well, if you’re sure, Seb. You don’t have to tell me twice!” Jim opened the door to his vehicle and, giving Seb a wave, pulled out of the LLS parking lot.
Seb walked to the office door he just exited, his heart racing. He’d asked out plenty of women in his life, but in recent years, Seb hadn’t had to do the asking. With game winning homeruns and nightly sportscast highlight reels, girls saw him as some sort of prize. Flattered, he went along for the ride, but today, everything seemed different. Paxson seemed different.
The whoosh of the door closing behind him caused the receptionist to look up from her desk. “Mr. Quinn! Back so soon? Did you forget something?” The tiny, red-headed receptionist smiled brightly and Seb returned it in kind.
“Uh, no. I need to speak to Ms. Taylor if she’s available.”
“Sure. Let me give her a call.”
Now, Seb waited outside Paxson’s door, heart rate quickening at the long pause after his question, his body warming at her smile.
“Um... Have drinks with you? I appreciate the invitation but I don’t drink.”
He swallowed hard again. Doesn’t drink? That’s unexpected. Intriguing quality number forty-four...
“Okay. How about coffee? You drink coffee? Maybe just some coffee then?”
I’m rambling. This can’t be good, and about coffee of all things.
Paxson’s eyes lit up. “I like coffee. In this type of career, coffee is what keeps me on task. Well, that and Tori—the receptionist out front.”
Finding her wit attractive, he smiled. This was what, number fifty on the list by now?
“Well, coffee it is, then. How about we meet tomorrow or Thursday?”
“Tomorrow should work out fine. Let me check my calendar just in case. I know Thursday isn’t good because I have a standing appointment elsewhere.” Pax clicked the mouse on her desk.
Hoping she didn’t have plans for every night this week, he clicked his fingers against the doorframe nervously while she confirmed the date on her calendar. The prospect of spending time with her sent his pulse racing, knowing he would find more about this woman and things to add to his “Fascinating Qualities of Paxson” list.
“Tuesday seems to be clear. You name the time.” Pax’s turquoise eyes shone as she looked up from her computer.
“I’ll come by here tomorrow around 5:00 p.m., and we can decide where to go from there, if it’s okay with you.”
“That sounds great, Mr. Quinn.”
“Hey, it’s Seb remember. Only my Dad is Mr. Quinn.”
She grinned. “I mean, Seb. And please, call me Pax. I look forward to tomorrow then.”
Reaching forward he shook her hand. “It’s a date then.”
Exiting the office, he felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. Pax’s bright eyes and smile were contagious.
****
Pax waited at her desk for several minutes until she figured Seb had left the building. What had she just agreed to? Here a well-known lady’s man had just asked her out, and she’d not only said yes, she seemed excited about it. She tried to dampen her surprising feelings of euphoria and walked down the hall to Tori, sure her feet didn’t touch the floor. Tori jumped from her desk, hurrying to Pax before she reached the lobby.
“What in the world happened? You look like you’re in shock.”
“I think I am. You won’t believe what he wanted. I still can’t believe what he wanted. I almost need you to pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“Ouch!” She rubbed the side of her waist after Tori did just that. “I said I almost need you to pinch me.”
“Well, if you would get to explaining, I wouldn’t have to pinch you!”
Grinning, Pax raised an eyebrow. “He asked me out for drinks.”
“What?”
Grabbing Tori by the shoulders she gently shook her emphasizing each word. “He. Asked. Me. Out. For. Drinks.”
“You don’t even drink!” Tori’s voice carried over the entire span of the office. Pax’s hand covered her young friend’s lips.
“Shh! I know. And Seb knows now. He said we could go out for coffee instead.”
Brushing Pax’s hand away, Tori smiled. “Oh. He is definitely interested in getting to know you better. Something must have happened in the meeting you never told me about.”
Pax crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s just it, Tor, I don’t have a clue what led him to come back in and ask me out. From what I could gather, he seemed bored the entire meeting. He never opened his mouth. I don’t know what in the world was going on in his head. But I can assure you, as far as I could tell, asking me out was not one of them.”
Pax collapsed in one of the front lobby chairs, and Tori joined her in the adjacent one.
“Well, I guess Michael will be pleased when he hears this.” Leaning over toward Pax, Tori cocked her eyes. “It’s one way to win a client.”
“Oh man! I was on my way to Michael’s office to tell him about the meeting when you called. I better go and give a summary of how it went. But don’t you think for a minute I’m going to tell him about Mr. Quinn, Seb. Nothing will come of it, and it won’t be worth mentioning.”
Somehow a tiny little part of her wondered if maybe she was wrong.
Chapter Three
The thought
of meeting Seb for coffee excited Pax, yet gave her a sense of dread. Dating didn’t happen much for Pax in her teens and early twenties. She was always the one guys wanted as a buddy or a pal. Her married friends back home welcomed her to their parties and get-togethers, but to have any one-on-one time with a guy was a rarity.
Time alone with Seb. Her stomach twisted almost as if this was her first date ever with a boy. Of course, most girls’ first dates didn’t include going out with someone who was a world-renowned athlete, so Pax supposed she should be allowed at least a few butterflies.
The previous evening, she’d spilled her fears in a phone call with her sister Jessica.
“Jess, what if there are awkward silences? I hate awkward silences. I don’t know what to do when those happen!”
“Pax. Don’t stress about it. Have some questions ready if you feel like you’ll need them. But I doubt you will. You can talk sports with anyone, especially a player on your favorite baseball team.”
“I know Jess, but I don’t want to appear like some crazed stalker because I know all about the Cardinals.” Curled up in the loveseat in her living room, Pax sorted through the pile of mail, when suddenly she stopped. “But wait, Seb asked me out. It isn’t like I’m sneaking around following him in an unmarked car with a camera and a telephoto lens.”
“Exactly Pax. Just be yourself.”
“If you say so. Being myself hasn’t ever attracted members of the opposite sex before. I’m not sure what’s happened in the last twenty-four hours to change that.”
Jessica’s laughter carried through the phone line. “You’ll be fine.”
Now, sitting at her desk stifling the fluttering in her stomach, she tried to put her sister’s advice to heart. Jess is right. He asked me out for a reason. I don’t know what that reason was, but he did. There’s nothing to be worried about. Sure. That’s the ticket.
A sudden gurgle erupted from her stomach. Her eyes widened. She rushed to the ladies’ room for the one hundredth time, praying she could keep her breakfast down, her nerves once again getting the best of her.
Returning to her desk, Pax tried to refrain from constantly looking at the clock. She wondered if the skirt and blouse she picked out this morning looked okay, and if the flared chocolate brown skirt and forest green sweater were suitable. She knew the color of her top made her eyes pop.
But still, at times like this, her old worries of self-doubt struck. Her memories took her back to middle school days. Pax could still hear the taunts of her classmates about her size and lack of fashion sense. Determined to push those thoughts out of her mind, she did what always brought her back to a sense of peace… Pax took a few minutes and bowed her head and just prayed for calmness in the wake of the storm raging in her mind.
Dear Lord, only you know why this man asked me out. Please allow me to show myself in a way that will reflect you and your Love for me. Please keep me from saying things I might regret later. May my words and actions only serve to better serve You.
And, by the way Lord, if you get an opportunity, could you tell the butterflies in my stomach to maybe revert back to their cocoonish way of life?
****
Walking into the LLS office, Seb fought against the desire to rub his sweaty palms against his jeans. For the first time in a long time, he was actually nervous. He couldn’t remember it happening since he had asked out his ex-wife, Melissa, back in high school. Why am I so nervous? It’s like there’s an overriding desire to impress this girl. What makes her different from everyone else?
He hadn’t made a good impression the first time he met Pax. There was no telling what she thought about him after he and Jim left the meeting. Seb wanted Pax to know there was more to him than just being a jock with a big paycheck.
Pulling the front door of the office open, he saw Tori, phone to her ear in one hand, as she packed up her belongings with the other. Spying Seb, she greeted him with a wide grin and waved him down the hall to Paxson’s office, all the while never missing a beat in her conversation. He chuckled. She reminded Seb of a miniature Yorkie pup his Mom had when he was growing up. Easily excited and always full of energy.
He started to enter Pax’s office, when he saw her at her desk head bowed, eyes closed. Is she meditating? Her mocha hair draped over her shoulders like a curtain, shielding her face from view. Seb quickly stepped back behind the door, observing her. He held his breath when Pax raised her head, hair falling back into place, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Fascinated, Seb witnessed her take a deep breath, her body relaxing.
He still hadn’t figured out what caught him off guard about this woman. He’d tried to explain his attraction to his teammates, Rangy and Linc when they met for drinks the night before. Seb knew he sounded strange attempting to tell them not just about Pax’s looks, but her…way.
“Seb, buddy…did you have a drink or something before you walked into her office? It sounds like you might have been a bit tipsy ‘cuz you’re making her out to be some kind of angelic being or something.”
Sebastian cut his eyes toward his friend across the table and snagged another peanut from the bowl they had grabbed from the bar on the way in. “No, Durango Cortez. I did not have a drink before I went to the meeting. It’s like I’m trying to tell you, Pax just has a way about her.”
Linc laughed. “You better watch out Rangy, Seb here’s getting a little testy it seems!”
“Yeah!” Rangy poked Seb in the chest. “Nobody but my momma was allowed to call me by my full name.”
Seb sighed in frustration and took another swig from the frosty bottle in his hand. He waited for the liquid to slide down his throat. “I am not testy, Linc. She’s not like any other girl I ever met, at least that I remember meeting.”
“That would most likely be because you didn’t meet her at a bar, Sebastian.”
Pursing his lips, Seb narrowed his eyes and looked down at the table. Trying to get a hold on his emotions, he closed his eyes and blew out a long breath. Linc was a family man, and Seb thought his friend’s main goal in life was getting both him and Rangy to see the benefit in slowing down and smelling the roses. But Seb enjoyed living life in the fast lane; at least he thought he did.
He was always up for a night on the town and good laugh, and Rangy’s dark complexion and chocolate brown eyes were magnets to members of the opposite sex. Rangy didn’t encourage Seb’s partying ways, but he didn’t discourage them either. Quite the trio, Linc kept Rangy and Seb in tow as much as possible.
“So, you have decided this lady is an angel on earth just from one thirty-minute meeting and one short chat about coffee?”
Sebastian lifted his eyes in time to see Durango’s sideways grin at Linc. “Well, Rangy, I didn’t ask you. Maybe the date tomorrow will be a total disaster, and it won’t matter anymore.”
“That’s the spirit Seb, just decide it won’t work and sabotage it from the beginning. It’s your MO.”
“What do you mean by that Linc? I don’t sabotage things from the beginning. I know what I want until I realize what I thought I wanted was not what I wanted at all.”
“What?” Linc and Rangy chimed in, turning toward one another, eyebrows quirked.
“I mean when I meet a girl, or a girl meets me, I’m never sure what her angle is. Does she want a good time? Is her goal to be seen with ‘Sebastian Quinn, centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals’ or is she looking for something serious? Who can tell these days? It’s easier to go with the reasoning she wants a short-term no strings attached relationship and be done with it. There’s a lot less baggage that way.”
Lincoln cut in. “Are you inferring Ashlynn and Maggie are baggage?”
“No… Ashlynn and Maggie are the greatest achievements in my life. It’s their mother who disappointed me.”
“I for sure am not an expert in marriage, seeing as how I haven’t been married.” Rangy tossed another peanut shell at the growing pile on the table in front of him. “But have you ever thought, Se
b, that the blame in your marriage could be put on both of your feet? I mean Melissa couldn’t handle the life of you being gone all the time and found Rick. You couldn’t deal with being away all the time and met… well, you met a lot of people.”
Lowering his eyes he peeled the label off his bottle. “I know I messed up. But I wouldn’t have messed up as much if Melissa would have been a bit more serious about sticking with me. She knew me as a “nobody” shagging fly balls at Benecia High School. When I signed my minor league contract, she went crazy. All at once, she started thinking of how our lives would change and be so wonderful. I guess Melissa thought my signing with a professional baseball team meant suddenly I’d be bringing in big money all the time. And you know that doesn’t happen…”
Nudging him in the shoulder, Rangy shelled another peanut, this time leaving the remnants scattered beneath his feet. “I know, Seb. We all have stars in our eyes when we put our John Hancock down on the dotted line. We think ‘This is it, baby! Bring on the mansion and the Lamborghini.’ We just don’t know about the disgusting ball parks with the rundown buses and twenty-five dollars a day to live on.” Distaste grew in Rangy’s tone. “Oh yes, the minor leagues will certainly bring a big money dream to a crashing halt. I remember when I told my momma I got the call to go pro, the chemo robbed her voice but she cried tears of joy as she rocked herself in my Granny’s big chair. I could tell Momma felt it an answer to all her prayers. And it was, it just took three years of greasy diners and cockroach infested motels before it finally happened. And even then Momma wasn’t there to enjoy it.” With disgust laden in Durango’s eyes, the peanut he had meticulously shelled spun across the table.
Rangy’s dark face collapsed. Seb knew his thoughts strayed to the struggles of his past life in Wyoming. Determined to raise him on her hotel maid’s salary, his Mom had sacrificed everything for his career. During Rangy’s last season in the minors, his momma got a diagnosis of breast cancer and died a month before Rangy had his first big league at bat.
Just a Little Faith Page 2