He laughed. “I can only hope.” He paused. “If you want to practice before then, shoot me a text. We could hit the batting cages.”
That wouldn’t happen, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Okay. Thanks.” Then she turned to Ashleigh. “Do you want to come to the playground with me?”
“Sure.”
Melanie threw a final smile at Gage before she and Ashleigh hurried after Avery.
Gage watched her go. He couldn’t get enough of her and for a brief moment he was tempted to follow her and Ashleigh to the playground. But that would just be awkward.
“Hey, Gage,” Kirk said beside him. “What’s the story with Melanie?”
Gage dragged his gaze away from Melanie’s retreating figure and turned to Kirk. “What do you mean?”
“She has a kid.”
“Yeah. So?”
“Is she married? I mean, I didn’t see a ring on her finger.”
Why was he looking? Was he interested in her? Of course he was. She was beautiful and smart and good at softball and probably lots of other things. Men were going to be interested in her. The realization that he would have competition sent Gage into a slight panic. It was as if he was back in high school and couldn’t get a date. None of the girls had had romantic feelings towards him back then, and it took an effort to remind himself that he was no longer that scrawny boy that everyone looked at like a kid brother.
“I don’t know,” he told Kirk. Normally, he wasn’t one to lie, but he had no intention of helping Kirk with Melanie.
Kirk grinned. “There’s only one way to find out.” Then he jogged off in the direction of the playground.
Are you kidding me?
Gage stared after him as a kaleidoscope of ugly feelings rushed through him—anger, jealousy, envy. Clenching his jaw, Gage began gathering up the equipment he’d brought.
“Higher, Mommy,” Avery squealed as Melanie pushed her on the swing.
“So you’re glad you came?” Ashleigh asked as she stood beside Melanie.
The elation she’d felt as she’d played washed over and she turned to Ashleigh with a grin. “Oh yeah.”
“Good.” Ashleigh watched Avery on the swing. “But what about Avery? What are you going to do with her during all the practices?”
“I know. I barely managed to thank Gabby after the game, but I didn’t have a chance to talk to her about watching Avery in the future. Anyway, I doubt she’d want to watch her all the time, so I need to figure something else out.”
“One of the gals that works at the library has a teenage daughter. Maybe you could hire her to come to the practices and games to take care of Avery.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to her when I get to work this afternoon.”
Moments later Kirk walked up to them, a broad smile on his face. “Hey, there,” he said.
“Hi, Kirk,” Ashleigh said.
“Hey,” Melanie said with a quick smile, then she turned her attention back to Avery.
“That was a good practice,” he said. “We’re totally gonna win our first game.”
Ashleigh laughed. “Don’t be too confident. Remember last year? We got our butts handed to us on more than one occasion.”
Kirk laughed. “True. But that was before we had your sister on our team.”
That was the moment Melanie knew he was going to hit on her.
“She’s pretty good,” Ashleigh said with a smile. “But it takes more than one player to make a difference.”
Melanie kept her eyes on Avery. Maybe if she didn’t engage in the conversation he would go away without putting either one of them into an awkward position.
“What do you think, Melanie?” he asked.
So much for that plan. Barely glancing at him, she said, “I guess we’ll have to see on Thursday.”
“Yeah. That’s true.” He took a step closer to her. “I, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”
Okay. Time to nip this in the bud. She turned to face him. “Thanks, but my focus is on my daughter and my job, Kirk.” Keeping her gaze steady on him, she saw the message getting through.
“Okay.” He smiled. “Just thought I’d ask.”
Relieved that he wasn’t going to push it, she nodded, then turned back to Avery.
“I’ll see you ladies on Monday.” Then he turned and jogged off.
“It’s like we’re back in high school,” Ashleigh said.
“What do you mean?”
“All the guys want to go out with you and they completely ignore me.”
Melanie laughed. “Are you saying you want to go out with Kirk?”
She laughed. “No. But I wouldn’t mind being asked on occasion.”
“You’ll find your true love one day, Ash.”
Ashleigh tilted her head. “You might too, Mel. That is, if you ever actually go on a date again.”
Melanie shook her head, but without meaning to, her gaze went to Gage, who was loading up his van.
Chapter 8
“I’d really love some fresh pastries this morning,” Ashleigh said.
It was the next morning—Sunday—and Melanie and Avery were sitting on the couch in their pajamas, a children’s show on TV.
“That does sound good,” Melanie said. “Are you going to get some for us?”
Ashleigh laughed. “I was hoping you’d go.”
“I’m still in my PJ’s.”
“So get dressed.”
She tilted her head. “You’re trying to get me to go see Gage, aren’t you?”
One of Ashleigh’s shoulders lifted in a shrug.
Melanie stared at her. “Why?”
“I just think you should give him a chance. That’s all.”
“And get my heart crushed again? No thanks.”
“Look, I know you haven’t had the best of luck with men…”
Melanie rolled her eyes at the understatement.
“But, Mel, there are good men out there.”
“I’m glad to hear it. But that has nothing to do with me.”
Sighing dramatically, Ashleigh flopped onto a chair next to the couch.
“Are you going to get those pastries for us, or what?” Melanie asked with a smirk.
“Why don’t we both go?” Ashleigh sat up straighter, her eyes gleaming. “We’ll take Gage’s Camaro, of course.”
That did sound like fun. And it wouldn’t kill Melanie to see Gage at his store. All they would do was walk in, get the pastries—and make sure he knew they had driven his car—and then they would leave. “Sure. Why not?”
“Good.”
Half an hour later the three of them trooped out to the Camaro, and after Melanie buckled Avery into her car seat, they drove to Sprinkles of Joy. To Melanie’s delight, there was an open parking space right in front of the store.
“Perfect,” she sang out as she pulled into the spot and turned off the engine.
“Your car’s here,” Natalie called out to Gage from the front of the store.
He finished writing a name on a birthday cake, then set the icing bag down and went to see what Natalie was talking about. Just at that moment the bell over the door tinkled and in walked Melanie, her daughter, and Ashleigh. And right out front was his car. Oh, how he missed his car.
But seeing Melanie made up for it. Mostly. If she would agree to go out with him it would make up for it completely.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Hi there, Gage,” Ashleigh said.
“Good morning,” Melanie said with a smile that made his heart turn over.
“Not too sore from yesterday’s practice?” he asked, his gaze focused on Melanie.
She rubbed one of her arms. “Now that you mention it, I am a little sore. But you know what they say. No pain, no gain.”
He laughed. “That’s right.” He paused. “What can I do for you ladies this morning?”
Ashleigh smiled. “I had a craving for one of your pastries.”
“Of course you did,” he said with a smile, then his gaze shifted to the glass case where the pastries were on display before looking at them. “What would you like?”
“Hmm,” Ashleigh said as she looked over the options. “The apple fritter looks delicious.”
Gage used a tissue paper to take one out before he placed it in a small box. Then he smiled at Avery. “What can I get for you, young lady?”
Avery looked up at Melanie, her eyes questioning.
“Would you like a donut, baby girl?” Melanie asked.
Avery nodded.
“Okay. Tell Gage what you’d like.”
Avery studied the different donuts, her blue eyes bright. Her little finger touched the glass. “I want sprinkles.”
“This one?” Gage asked as he reached inside and pointed to a donut with white frosting and colorful sprinkles.
Avery nodded happily.
“All right. One sprinkle donut coming up.” He took it out and added it to the box, then he looked at Melanie, who was watching Avery. The love she had for her daughter was clear on her face—the soft smile, the tender eyes. He found it endearing. “What would you like, Melanie?”
Melanie lifted her gaze from Avery and turned to Gage. There was that look again. Like he…felt something…for her. Flattered, but not ready to think about him in those terms, she shifted her attention to the selection of pastries. “A Pershing donut would be great.”
Why had she let Ashleigh convince her to come? She’d already turned Gage down—twice. Why had she wanted to face him again? Was there a part of her that was attracted to him? No. No no no. She’d been too badly burned to even begin entertaining the idea of risking her heart. True, it had been a year since Kyle had crushed her heart and soul, but she was still deeply wounded and she didn’t know if she would ever be ready to move on.
Gage took out a Pershing donut from the glass case and set it in the box. “Anything else? Cold milk, more pastries?”
“No,” Melanie said, anxious to leave. “That should do it.”
Gage closed the box then held it out.
“What do we owe you?” Melanie asked, her gaze steady on him. As much as she wanted to rush off, she wouldn’t let whatever it was that was going on between them chase her away. She dug into her purse to get her wallet.
He smiled. “It’s on the house.”
“Are you sure?” She put her wallet back in her purse.
His smile grew. “Of course.”
“Really?” Ashleigh said with a grin. “You’ve never given me free pastries before, Gage.”
His face reddened.
Positive that he was only giving them free pastries because of her, Melanie blushed a little too. Not sure how she felt about the gesture, she silently admitted that every time she saw him, she found him more attractive.
Don’t think of him that way. He’s a friend of your sister’s and your softball coach. Nothing more.
“If you’d rather pay…” he said to Ashleigh, letting his sentence trail off.
Ashleigh took the box. “Nope. I’ll take them for free. Thanks.”
Gage chuckled. “All right.”
“See you at practice tomorrow,” Ashleigh said.
“Yes,” he said, his gaze sliding to Melanie. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When his gray eyes zoomed in on her, Melanie felt her heart thump against her ribs. Quickly regaining her composure, she nodded in his direction, then she took Avery’s hand and walked out of the bakery.
“I think he likes you,” Ashleigh sang out as they drove away from Sprinkles of Joy.
Melanie turned to Ashleigh with a scowl. “What’s your point?”
Not intimidated by Melanie, Ashleigh continued to smile. “Don’t get all grumpy with me just because the man has a crush on you.”
Sighing audibly, Melanie turned to her sister. “Look, Ash. If he has a crush on me, that’s not my problem or my concern.” Although that wasn’t strictly true. Knowing Gage had feelings for her made Melanie look at him differently. The fact that she found him attractive didn’t help either.
Chapter 9
On Monday night Gage arrived to practice fifteen minutes early. He knew part of the reason was his eagerness to see Melanie. But he also wanted to have all the equipment out and ready to go when the players started arriving.
Ten minutes later, as he finished propping the bats against the chain link fence, he heard the familiar sound of his Camaro. His head swiveled in the direction of the parking lot, and when he saw Melanie climbing out of his car, it seemed as if the evening had just gotten brighter.
Then he saw Kirk pull up next to her and jump out of his car before walking directly to Melanie, who was getting her daughter out of the back seat. From where Gage stood he couldn’t hear anything they said, but he didn’t miss Kirk’s cocky stance or the way he rested his hand on the open door of the Camaro like he had every right to be there.
Gage’s nostrils flared and he wondered where they’d gone on their date. It had been on Saturday—two days before—that Kirk had followed Melanie to the playground. Had they gone out that night? Was she interested in him?
Kirk certainly seemed confident as he began walking with Melanie and Avery toward the field.
Turning away with a shake of his head, Gage tried not to think about Melanie, but that was nearly impossible.
“Again, Kirk,” Melanie began, her patience nearly gone. “My focus is on my daughter. Not on dating.” The moment she’d gotten out of Gage’s car, Kirk had asked her out yet again.
He kept pace with her as they walked toward the field, and when she saw Gage, it only reinforced her lack of interest in Kirk.
Why was that? Did she want to go out with Gage? Or was it more along the lines of, if she had to choose between Kirk and Gage she would pick Gage? Uncertain how she felt, she pushed those thoughts aside.
“Well, if you change your mind…” Kirk let the words trail off.
She turned to him with a tight smile. “I won’t, so let’s just focus on softball practice, okay?” He was her teammate, so she didn’t want to make things weird between them, but she also wanted him to leave her alone.
“Fine.”
Hoping he meant it, Melanie kept an eye out for Hannah, the girl who would be watching Avery during the practice. Ashleigh worked with Hannah’s mother at the library and Hannah had promised to meet up with Melanie at the field.
“Melanie,” a teenage girl called out.
Melanie turned to see a pretty girl of about sixteen walking toward her. “There’s Hannah,” she said to Avery. “She’s going to play with you while I practice today.”
“Okay!” Avery’s voice was filled with enthusiasm.
Hannah stopped in front of them, a smile on her face. She held up a small bag and said, “Is it okay if I do Avery’s nails?”
“Sure. She’d love that.” Pleased that Hannah had some fun girly things to do with Avery, she knelt in front of Avery. “How would you like Hannah to paint your nails?”
Her eyes wide, Avery nodded vigorously.
With a soft chuckle, Melanie stood. “Okay. You stay with Hannah, and I’ll be right over there.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Hannah took Avery by the hand and led her to the bleachers, and once Melanie was certain they were okay, she strode over to Gage, whose back was to her.
“Hey, Gage,” she said, her tone cheerful.
He turned around, and when his gray eyes settled on her, she couldn’t deny that there was an attraction there. It was too bad she couldn’t let her attraction morph into anything more. “Hi.” He glanced behind her. “Where’s Ashleigh?”
“She had to work late, but she’ll be here soon.”
“Cool. Go ahead and warm up and we’ll get started in a minute.” Then he turned around and walked away.
Eyebrows pulling together, Melanie watched him go. Why hadn’t he taken a moment to talk to her? Hadn’t he made a special effort to talk to her a
fter the practice on Saturday? Then again, he hadn’t tried to engage her in conversation at the bakery the previous morning. But she’d had Avery and Ashleigh with her. Now she was alone.
Maybe she was reading him wrong. Maybe he wasn’t interested in her at all.
Slightly annoyed with herself for thinking about that, she walked over to Chloe, who was stretching her legs.
“Hey there,” Melanie said.
“Hey.” Chloe straightened and smiled at her.
“Want to warm up?”
“Sure.”
They faced each other about twenty feet apart and began throwing a ball back and forth.
Ashleigh arrived a short time later, and as the practice proceeded, Melanie kept waiting for Gage to look her way, or give some kind of indication that he was interested in her, to reassure her that she hadn’t been imagining his interest. But he didn’t pay any special attention to her.
Maybe he’d given up. She’d turned him down twice, after all.
Ah well, it was for the best. Getting involved with someone was the very last thing she wanted.
Then why did it bother her that he’d lost interest?
It had been difficult for Gage to keep his attention away from Melanie. But since she clearly had no interest in him, there was no point in allowing himself to imagine that anything could develop between them. Why set himself up for failure? He’d asked her out twice, and she had turned him down. Twice. She obviously wasn’t interested in him. Time to let that fantasy go.
Not liking that idea, when Gage threw the ball back to Cody on the pitcher’s mound, he threw it a little harder than he’d meant to. Cody gave him a puzzled look before throwing the next pitch.
Frowning, Gage knew he needed to get his emotions under control.
Chapter 10
The next day at work, Melanie’s phone chimed a text. When she saw it was from Gage, her heart leapt, just a little. Frowning—why should him texting her make her react that way?—she read the text.
Chance Encounter: Gage and Melanie (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Three) (Companion to the Over You series) Page 5