The Perfect Catch (Last Play Romance (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion) Book 9)

by Jennifer Youngblood

  Scarlett caught sight of Coralee sitting two rows from the front. When she saw Scarlett, she gave her a nod of approval that spoke volumes. Emotion clogged Scarlett’s throat as a look passed between them. Coralee was proud Scarlett was standing by Rigby’s side. Unexpected warmth flowed through Scarlett, and she got the feeling things were coming full circle.

  A hush went through the crowd when Mayor Tate came through the back, her grandpa at his side. The Mayor helped Grandpa get seated in the chair across from the reporter. The Mayor’s assistant handed him a microphone. Mayor Tate cleared his throat and began, “Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for coming out today. We’re honored to have Miles Devlin here, and Douglas Foster who will hopefully shed light on the events which transpired the day of the fire.”

  A tech guy rushed forward and placed tiny microphones on Miles and Douglas, then gave the nod to continue.

  “I’ll now turn the floor over to the two of you,” the Mayor said, giving Rigby a solemn look.

  This whole charade made Scarlett sick to her stomach. How quickly the townsfolk had turned on Rigby, all for the sake of publicity. That was the nature of fame … very fleeting. She glanced at Rigby who was standing beside her, erect and stone-faced.

  A friendly smile spread over Miles’s lips as he crossed his legs. “Douglas … may I call you that?”

  Douglas nodded in the affirmative.

  “I appreciate you taking the time to do this interview with me,” Miles said, looking into the nearby camera.

  He reminded Scarlett of a preening peacock.

  He motioned at Douglas’s leg. “How are you doing?” He let out a deprecating chuckle as he glanced in Rigby’s direction.

  “Well, I’m getting by, I suppose,” Douglas said.

  “Would you care to tell us what happened on the day of the fire? … in your own words.” Miles clasped his hands together, making a steeple with his fingers bringing them to his chin, a thoughtful pose on his pretty face. “Take all the time you need.”

  “I was frying potatoes. I went to the restroom, and when I came back the kitchen was on fire.”

  A visible shudder went through Miles. “That sounds scary.”

  “It was. I went to my bedroom to call 911, but smoke was pouring through the house. I lost consciousness. The next thing I knew, I was outside. The firemen and paramedics were there. They placed an oxygen mask over my face, put me on a stretcher, and took me to the hospital.”

  Miles shook his head, his expression one of solemnity, but Scarlett could tell he was milking this for all it was worth, setting the stage to go in for the kill. “A horrible experience. And your house was mostly destroyed, is that correct?”

  Douglas swallowed. “Yes.”

  Her grandfather was the picture of dignity with his silver hair and olive-toned skin. Scarlett took in a deep breath, waiting for the rest.

  Miles paused, tilting his head thoughtfully. “I understand you filed a personal injury lawsuit against Rocket Breeland.”

  “Yes,” Douglas said.

  A murmur ran through the crowd.

  Miles pursed his lips. “Can you tell us why?”

  The cocky expression on Miles Devlin’s face evoked a fury in Scarlett she could scarcely contain. No wonder Rigby had lost his temper and socked the man. It took all the intestinal fortitude she could muster not to run up and claw his eyes out.

  Douglas shifted in his seat. His eyes scoped the crowd, settling on Scarlett. “Because I was scared.”

  Miles jerked, his eyes widening. “Excuse me?”

  “I was scared,” Douglas repeated. “I was afraid of losing Scarlett.”

  Miles pulled at his shirt collar. “I don’t understand.”

  Not so cocky now, are you? Scarlett wanted to yell. She looked at her grandpa, nodding for him to continue.

  He cleared his throat. “From the time she was a little girl, Scarlett has loved Rigby Breeland.”

  Murmurs rustled through the crowd as all eyes shifted to Scarlett and Rigby. Scarlett smiled and waved. “What’s going on here?” Rigby asked quietly.

  She winked. “Just wait. We’re going for a touchdown.”

  “I felt threatened by Rigby,” Douglas continued. “I was afraid he’d take her away from me.” He coughed, clearing his throat. “I never should’ve filed that lawsuit.” He glowered at Vernon. “I put my trust in the wrong person. He was looking after his own agenda. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  All eyes turned to Vernon, as his face went an ugly red.

  “Is Douglas talking about Vernon Stanley?” Scarlett heard someone say.

  Miles regained control of the floor. “So, you’re saying you’re not suing Rocket Breeland?”

  “No, I’m not,” Douglas said loudly. “On the contrary, I came here today to thank Rigby for saving my life.”

  Rigby let out an audible sigh of relief.

  Douglas zeroed in on Rigby. “Son, I owe you a tremendous apology. I’m very sorry for the way I treated you. You didn’t deserve it.”

  Rigby nodded. “Thanks,” he squeaked, and Scarlett could tell from the way his jaw was working he was trying to control his emotion. Tears brimmed in her eyes and bubbled over, but she didn’t try to stop them.

  Miles shot Rigby a look of pure hatred. “This is totally unacceptable,” he barked, glaring at Douglas. “You promised me a story. I came all the way from Tampa.”

  Douglas reached for his crutches and placed them under each arm as he pulled himself up. “You’ve got your story, sonny. Rigby Breeland’s a hero. He went into a burning house with no thought for himself and saved me.” He looked at Coralee. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a very large apology that I need to give to that beautiful lady over yonder on the second row.” His voice caught. “I’m sorry, Coralee, for everything.”

  She nodded, her hand going to her chest.

  Rigby turned to Scarlett. “Are those two really together?”

  She laughed through her tears. “It certainly seems that way.”

  He shook his head, groaning. “Heaven help us.”

  A burst of joy filled Scarlett’s breast. “Indeed.”

  Harper came trotting across the stage, high heels and all, a large smile on her red lips as she lifted a microphone to her mouth. “Folks, stick around. We have complimentary slices of the pie Rocket Breeland paid ten thousand dollars for, brought to you by The Magnolia restaurant. And for all you reporters who don’t know what I’m talking about, come and talk to me afterwards, and I’ll give y’all an exclusive interview.” She brought her hand to her mouth and blew Scarlett and Rigby a kiss. “This is what you call a happy ending, folks. Let’s give Scarlett and Rigby a big round of applause.”

  Everyone stood as a deafening applause filled the room.

  Scarlett shook her head. “Only Harper could manage to turn this thing into a promo event for the restaurant.”

  Rigby turned to her, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. “You knew before we came what your grandpa was going to say, didn’t you?”

  She shrugged. “I might’ve had a hint.”

  He clucked his tongue. “You’re good,” he drawled, “at dangling that carrot.”

  “What can I say? I learned from the master.”

  His blue eyes sparked with mischief. “So … should we give ‘em something else to talk about?” he murmured, pulling her into his arms.

  Desire wicked through her as she chuckled. “Don’t you wanna eat a slice of the pie you paid an obscene fortune for?”

  He scrunched his nose. “Nah, I have my dessert right here,” he said, covering her lips with his.

  Epilogue

  1 year later …

  “Take a deep breath. Everything will be fine.” Scarlett chuckled, wondering why she was always the one having to calm Harper down.

  Harper growled, balling her fists. “How can you say that? What if we run out of food? Can we trust the new staff to handle this? There are people lined up around the block, waiting to get in.
”

  Scarlett’s heart fluttered as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants. “We have to trust that we’ve done all the necessary prep,” she whispered through gritted teeth, pasting on a smile for the reporters. “It will have to be enough.”

  “How do you feel about the grand opening of your new restaurant?” a peppy reporter with short hair asked.

  “I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Scarlett said.

  “That’s a dumb question,” Harper quipped in her ear so that only she could hear. “How else are you supposed to feel?”

  Scarlett elbowed Harper, trying to get her to stop talking.

  “Ouch,” she yelped, rubbing her arm.

  “Will you continue living part of the year in Tampa and part of the year in Clementine, or will you move here to Dunedin?” a male reporter asked.

  “We have no plans to relocate at present,” Scarlett said. “Dunedin’s a short drive from Tampa.” She’d learned that vague answers were always best in these circumstances. It was crazy how quickly her life had changed over the past year. Shortly after the monumental, town hall press conference, Rigby left for Tampa to finish his season. He came back fighting hard and set a record for the number of completed passes. Scarlett teased him, saying it was because he’d finally learned how to throw the perfect catch. With her, he had, and she’d finally learned to catch it. She went back and forth between Tampa and Clementine for the next couple of months, then Rigby came back to Clementine during his offseason. Her grandpa insisted they rebuild the house, even though it would’ve been more cost-effective to buy a new one. Scarlett suspected her grandpa’s primary reason for doing so was so he could continue to be next door to Coralee. The two were still sweet on each other, but were taking things slow. Rigby often joked that if they took things any slower at their ages they might end up under the dirt before they actually got together. Either way, at least they were happy. Her grandpa was slowly warming up to Rigby. During their most recent visit to Clementine, Scarlett walked into the living room and caught the two of them watching football together, which was a miracle in and of itself.

  Shortly after the press conference, Vernon left Clementine to take a job in Atlanta, and Scarlett hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since. Good riddance was all she had to say about that!

  Six months ago, Scarlett’s childhood dream finally came true when she married Rigby in a quiet ceremony at the little white church in Clementine. Two months after that, she took the plunge and moved to Tampa with the understanding they would live in Clementine during Rigby’s offseason. Now that the new restaurant was opening, Scarlett had a feeling she’d be spending even more time here than originally planned. Rigby was the financial backer for the new restaurant. At first, Scarlett balked at the idea of Rigby putting money in it, but he insisted his money was her money and that he needed to put their money into an investment, so why not the restaurant?

  Scarlett looked out at the tight cluster of reporters clamoring for her attention. Anything Rigby was involved in drew attention, and Harper was determined to capitalize on the publicity. Scarlett had to hand it to her, Harper was dang good at marketing. It was unheard of for a new restaurant to get this much publicity on the day of its grand opening. Scarlett held up a hand. “I’ve asked my business partner and cousin Harper to say a few short words before the ribbon cutting ceremony.”

  Harper stepped forward. “Thank you all for coming today. Scarlett and I are thrilled to be opening a second location of The Magnolia restaurant.”

  “Will Rocket be here for the ribbon cutting?” a reporter asked.

  “The Titans are at the top of their game. Do you think he’ll be able to lead them to the Championship this year?” another asked.

  Harper scowled. “As I was saying,” she continued loudly, talking over the reporters, “we feel that Dunedin is the perfect location for us. We’re all about offering the most delicious food on the planet, served with a smile.” This brought a few chuckles from the reporters. Harper lifted her arm, motioning at the brick facade behind them. “So, without further ado, I give you The Magnolia, home of the ten-thousand-dollar sweet potato pie. Y’all should check it out. I know y’all will love it.”

  A rustle went through the reporters as they turned. For a split second, Scarlett wasn’t sure what had caught their attention, then she saw him striding toward her. Her heart flipped as she took in his lean, muscular frame, wavy hair, chiseled jaw, and piercing blue eyes. As usual, he was the one commanding the attention, much to Harper’s chagrin. And the funny part was, he didn’t even care about all the attention. He only had eyes for her. The reporters peppered him with questions, which he ignored as he pushed his way to her side. For a moment it was just the two of them as he gave her an intimate smile, and she felt like the luckiest girl in the world. He leaned in, giving her a peck on the lips. “Sorry, I’m late. Practice ran over and then I had to do a blasted interview.”

  “No worries. Harper just finished her speech, and now we’re doing the ribbon cutting.”

  He put an arm around her, pulling her close, his warm breath tickling her ear. “You look fabulous, by the way. You know how much I love you in red.”

  She smiled as the warmth of his compliment settled over her. “Thank you.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Lettie. You did it.”

  The enthusiasm in his voice soaked into her heart. She’d never believed such wonderful things could happen to her.

  “So, Rocket, tell us the truth,” a reporter said slyly, “is the sweet potato pie really worth ten thousand dollars?”

  This elicited a few snarky chuckles, and Scarlett could’ve sworn she saw steam coming out of Harper’s ears.

  Rigby turned to Scarlett, and she caught that certain look in his eye that let her know he was up to something. “Oh, yeah, that and so much more,” he drawled. He winked at the reporters like they were old friends. “Folks, let me go on the record saying, ‘No price is too much to pay for the real deal.’” Right then and there he encircled her waist, dipped her back, and gave her a long, slow kiss.

  A few wolf calls sounded through the group, as the reporters happily snapped their pictures, which Scarlett was sure would pop up on every media outlet known to man before the first plate of dinner was served in the restaurant this evening.

  One thing was certain, life with Rigby Breeland was a fast, thrilling ride and she was enjoying every minute of it.

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  Hey there, thanks for taking the time to read The Perfect Catch from The Last Play Series. If you enjoyed it, please take a minute to give me a review on Amazon. I really appreciate your feedback, as I depend largely on word of mouth to promote my books.

  This series is written by my good friend Taylor Hart who graciously allowed me to write a book for her series. The Perfect Catch is a standalone novel, but you’ll also enjoy other books in The Last Play Series.

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  Excerpt of Hail Mary by Taylor Hart

  Logan easily maneuvered through the offense as he faked a throw to the running back. Seeing a hole in the defense, he literally jumped over the linebacker coming for him—flat out hurdled him—and took off down the field, all the way to the end zone. As he spiked the ball and did a ridiculous amount of showboating, he heard his coaches laughing.

  His teammate, Sean, chest-bumped him. “Wish that had been during an actual game, not just a scrimmage, Wolf.”

  Ever since the new Logan movie hit the big screens, his fans had begun calling him that nickname. Did it hurt his feelings? Heck no. Hugh Jackman was just like Logan—awesome! Logan ripped off his helmet and walked toward the sidelines as the other players on his scrimmage team patted him on the back. “Oh, it’l
l be during a game, I guarantee that!” he pronounced with all the cockiness he could muster. What was the point of being the best quarterback that California Wave had ever hired, if he couldn’t boast now and again?

  The coach let out a sigh and gave Logan a knowing grin. “Boy, we know what you can do, but help us get the plays down, would you?”

  Even though Coach Joe sounded disappointed, Logan could see he was secretly proud. “Okay, coach.” What he really meant was, I’ll kind of do whatever I want. It was June and all the pressure was off.

  “Logan!”

  His attention was diverted to the side of the field, where he saw Kim rushing toward him in large, chunky high heels and a zebra-print tight dress. He inhaled, bracing himself. He didn’t want to really deal with her at the moment. Yes, he was engaged and marrying her in less than three weeks, but it’d been brutal being part of the wedding planning, especially since she was such a popular vlogger. Every part of their lives was recorded and he always felt he had to put on a show. Usually, he didn’t mind it—he even relished the attention most of the time—but lately he’d been having dreams about the past that left him a bit unsettled. He tried to ignore her and turned to the coach. “Next play, let’s go.”

  The coach stared at him, then turned to see Kim coming their way. “Mercy, give us a break, woman,” he muttered, and stared at his playbook.

  Sean sensed his angst. “Come on, guys, out on the field!”

  They hustled back out, and he heard the coach call forty-six defense into his earpiece.