He kissed the top of her head before lifting her chin to meet her gaze.
“I’m the only one who sees you like this.”
Her stomach growled, ruining the moment.
“I guess I should have had some food delivered. I’m afraid I have nothing more than a bottle of hot sauce in my refrigerator.”
“You have an unopened jar of salsa and a box of stone wheat crackers in the pantry.”
“Good thing there’s a diner just down the street.” Marco sat up. “Let’s get dressed, grab some breakfast and go explore the city.”
They showered, dressed, and walked hand in hand to the family diner down the block.
“Marco Santiago!” The waitress set the coffee pot back on the burner before throwing her arms around him. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
“It’s good to see you again, Kelly.” Marco gave her a quick hug. “Any chance you have my table ready for me?”
“For you, Marco, anything.” She beamed at him, a neon flashing smile, and led them to his table.
“Does that mean I can get my favorite omelet?” He slid into the booth.
“It’s been added to our list of specials. ‘The Marco’ is one of our most popular menu items.” The woman was flirting with him. Shamelessly.
“Well, I guess I’ll have the special.” Marco flashed his dimples at the waitress before acknowledging Hunter was there. “Do you need to see the menu?”
“No. I’ll have French toast with a side of bacon.” Hunter wasn’t very hungry now. “And a glass of orange juice.”
“Coffee?” The waitress barely glanced at Hunter while she wrote down her order.
“Please. With cream and sugar.” Hunter assumed the waitress already knew that Marco drank his coffee black.
Marco was still grinning when the waitress left to put in their orders. He picked up the silverware packet and unrolled the napkin.
“Can you believe they named a special after me?” His dimples deepened and his cheeks flushed.
“You must have spent a lot of time here.” Hunter carefully placed her napkin in her lap. “You’ve certainly made quite the impression.”
“I guess I ate here too often. It’s a good thing my omelet is made with half egg whites and is stuffed full of veggies.” Marco leaned back into the vinyl booth and patted his rock hard abs. “Otherwise I would have gotten fat.”
“You manage to stay in pretty good shape.” Unfortunately Hunter wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
The waitress returned with their coffee, and a smile for Marco. She chattered on and on about how much they missed him in St. Louis, how the team just wasn’t the same without him. He was irreplaceable.
Hunter ate her meal, the French toast sitting in a lump in her stomach. No amount of cream and sugar could reduce the bitterness of her jealousy. Marco had obviously had a relationship with their waitress. And like with Annabelle, he was still on friendly terms with her.
Marco left a generous tip and they walked back toward his apartment.
“Do you mind walking some more, or should I get my car?” he asked as they approached his building. “The arch is just a few blocks more, but we could drive if you want to.”
“I’d rather walk.” Hunter could use the fresh air and the time to think. She couldn’t imagine remaining friends with Marco after their relationship ended. Couldn’t see him with another woman and still manage to smile.
“Okay, that way I can show you places along the way.” He slipped his hand in hers and led her down the city streets. He stopped to point out local landmarks, places he’d been, and people he’d met.
Marco still had a lot of fans in St. Louis and he was recognized a few times on the street. He signed about half a dozen autographs on the forty minute stroll from the diner to the Gateway Arch.
He approached an attractive woman at the ticket window. “I’d like two tickets for the next tour.”
“The next one we have available is at four o’clock.” She smiled at Marco, like every other woman he’d met.
“No. That’s no good.” He glanced at her name tag and turned on his charm full blast. “See, Tricia, I have to go to work at four o’clock. Are you sure you don’t have anything earlier?”
“Oh. It’s you. I almost didn’t recognize you out of uniform.” The woman blushed. “Let me see what I can do for you, Mr. Santiago.”
She started clicking away at her computer.
“Please, call me Marco.” He leaned on the counter, grinning his impossible to resist grin.
“Oh, here we go, Marco.” The woman looked up briefly. “I can squeeze you in on the next tour. But you’ll have to hurry.”
“Thank you, Tricia. I appreciate it.” He slid his debit card to the woman and she melted under his charm.
“Just don’t be too hard on us tonight.” She handed him the tickets and his receipt.
“I’ll do my best.” He gave a humble shrug.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” She shook her head, but was smiling the whole time.
They rode the tram to the top of the arch. Marco pointed out landmarks, both famous and personal. They could see his apartment building from there. And the stadium he’d played in before she swooped him up. As he showed her more and more of the city, it became increasingly clear that he’d belonged here. He could have made a home here.
* * * *
Marco had the game of his life. He went four for four with a walk. He either knocked in or scored six of the Goliaths’ nine runs during the rout. His defense was flawless, it was like he had a magnet in his glove, pulling in every ball hit to the left side of the outfield.
With the victory and the fact that L.A. trailed seven to three in the eighth inning against Chicago, they were almost certain to lock up a playoff berth. Life was looking pretty good as Marco hit the showers.
Hunter entered the clubhouse just as the final out was recorded in Chicago. The whole place erupted in cheers. They were headed to the postseason. They still had a lot of work to do. The magic number was now six—the combination of wins for the Goliaths and losses for Los Angeles—and the division was theirs.
He couldn’t help it, Marco swept Hunter into his arms, spun her around, and gave her a big kiss, right there in front of everyone.
“Marco! Please.” Hunter wriggled out of his grasp, a look of horror on her face.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I think we should wait until we get back to my place.”
He knew she was embarrassed by his public display of affection, but he was feeling so good he wasn’t going to apologize. He slipped his hand in hers, but she tried to pull away.
“Everyone is staring at us,” she said through a clenched jaw.
“Is there anyone here who didn’t already know I’m crazy about this woman?” Marco only made matters worse by his question. No one stepped forward, of course. Not even the seven players just called up from the minor leagues. No, everyone just smiled, and nodded, and pretended their teammate wasn’t making a complete fool of himself.
“I need to go home.” Hunter was pissed at him.
“Fine, we’ll go back to my place.” Marco’s good mood faded. Until he thought about getting her naked.
“No. I think I should go back to San Francisco.” Hunter turned and walked out of the locker room.
Marco followed, a sense of panic rising in his chest.
“Look, Hunter, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you back there. But, come on, it’s going to come out sooner or later that we’re together.” Marco reached for her arm, but she shook him off.
“That’s not it.” She quickened her step.
“Then what? What has you so upset with me? Why are you pulling away from me?” They reached the doors leading to the player’s lot. She pushed them open with a bang. If he didn’t stop her, she could easily get a cab that would take her to the airport.
“Hunter, wait.” He grabbed her hand, not letting go this time.
“I need to go
.”
“No. No, you don’t.” Marco pulled her closer to him. “We have something here. Something pretty special.”
“You’re just excited about winning.” She struggled to get away from him, but he picked up her other hand, held on gently but firmly.
“Tell me you don’t love me,” he dared her. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re only with me to win a bet.”
“You know about the bet?” That disarmed her. She quit fighting him.
“Yes. And I have to say, I’m flattered.” He smiled, hoping to pull her in with his charm. “That you believed in me enough to risk your team, your legacy…”
“It wasn’t much of a gamble.” Her voice trembled. “I knew you’d come through.”
“You had faith in me, and that means a lot.” Marco squeezed her hands. “So why can’t you have faith in us?”
She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with uncertainty, fear, and hope.
“Marco Santiago!” A woman’s voice sounded from just outside the gate. “I love you, Marco! Come back to St. Louis.”
Hunter stepped back. She shook her head.
“I can’t do this.” She retreated even more. “I can’t handle all the women who fall at your feet. They find tickets that don’t exist. They throw their arms around you and name an omelet after you.”
“They’re just fans.” Marco was floored by the sudden jealousy.
“Like that waitress. I’m sure she was just a fan.”
“Kelly? She’s a friend.”
“Like Annabelle is just a friend.”
“Annabelle is just a friend. And I thought she was your friend, too.”
“So you did sleep with that waitress?”
“No, Hunter, I did not.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. He knew he was screwed. “But yeah, I have had lovers before you. I can’t change that. Just like I can’t change the fact that half of my fans are women. What do you want from me?”
“I want…” She glanced over at the crowd of fans. The ones screaming his name, not caring that he was with someone. “I want to believe in you, but…but you tell me you love me then you flirt with every woman in St. Louis.”
“I do love you, Hunter.” He dragged her over to one of the waiting cabs, away from the crowd. “I’ve never said that to anyone before. This is a whole new ballgame for me. I know I’m going to make a lot of rookie mistakes, but we make a pretty good team. Don’t give up on us.”
He kissed her then, desperate to show her everything he was feeling.
“Marco.” She sighed and he hoped that meant she was going to give him a chance to prove himself. “Please.”
He closed the space between them. He would do whatever it took to win her trust. He’d already earned it on the field. After a rocky start, he’d come through for her enough that they were guaranteed at least a wild card spot in the playoffs.
Now he just had to make her trust him off the field. He would still be courteous to the fans, even the female ones, but he’d make sure Hunter knew she was number one in his heart.
Chapter 16
With one swing of the bat, Marco had given the Goliaths a three run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. If the score held up, they would clinch the National League West Division title. As he rounded third base, he looked up into the stands only to find Clayton Barry sitting next to Hunter. What the hell was that slimy bastard doing there with his woman?
He hadn’t crossed paths with the man since their little discussion in Miami, but Marco had passed on the information he’d gathered to Annabelle. He didn’t want to know, but he was pretty sure she’d started divorce proceedings. The man’s personal life was in shambles and Marco was hoping Antonio could come up with more leverage to get Barry to sell his share of the team.
Marco didn’t like keeping what he’d discovered from Hunter, but he didn’t want to put her in any more of an awkward position. He figured the less she knew about her partner’s activities the better. At least until he was out of the picture.
Besides, they were so close to everything they’d worked for. He didn’t want to do anything to mess it up. Like forget to step on home plate before he returned to the dugout. Marco tapped the plate with his toe and barreled down the steps to his spot on the bench. His teammates were busy congratulating him, but he didn’t hear a word they were saying. He was worried about Hunter. About what she would do when she found out her business partner had been supplying performance enhancing drugs to major league players.
Marco tried to keep his spirits up and get swept up in the excitement in the dugout. He tried to focus on getting through one more inning so he could see Hunter after the game and make sure she was okay, and that Barry wasn’t trying to pull anything with her. He tried to keep his head in the game but his heart was with Hunter.
* * * *
“Wow, that was quite a shot.” Clayton had joined Hunter behind home plate during the seventh inning stretch. “Looks like your boy toy has turned out to be a wise investment after all.”
She knew he was trying to goad her, but she chose to ignore him, instead focusing on the excitement of the game. Yes, they were winning what could be the clinching game. She wondered if he was going to try to get out of the bet.
“If you don’t mind, I’m trying to watch the game.” Hunter filled in the scorebook, smiling to herself at just how impressive that home run was. Her instincts about Marco had been spot on. He’d been the spark this team needed to become a champion. Oh, sure they still had a lot of work ahead of them, with nine games left in the regular season. They would play a best of five game divisional series, and would need to take four of seven in the championship series in order to win the National League Pennant.
“So what do you say to double or nothing?” Clayton leaned forward, as if he was actually watching the game. “If they win the pennant, I’ll give you twenty percent.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then we keep what we had at the beginning of the season.” It sounded like he didn’t care for that alternative.
“Not to sound too overconfident, but you do know we’ve got a really good chance of winning.” Hunter hoped she didn’t just jinx everything.
“Yeah. I think you’re right. But I still want to make the bet.” Clayton stared straight ahead, focusing on the field. “A man needs a chance to keep his pride.”
There was something in his voice that made Hunter think he was hiding something. Maybe Annabelle had asked for a divorce. Was he trying to lose on purpose, just so he wouldn’t have to give up his share in court?
“Why don’t we just drop the whole thing?” She’d only made the bet because she wanted to prove to herself that she could put together a team better than he could. “It was just a friendly wager.”
She looked at him and saw a man who looked like he hadn’t slept in days. A man who was on the verge of losing everything.
“I need you to make the bet.” Desperation shone in his eyes. “Can we head up to the suite and talk about this. Please?”
* * * *
The last out was recorded and the ballpark went crazy. The Goliaths had won their division. The party started on the field as the bench players poured out of the dugout, surrounding their closer and jumping up and down on the mound. Marco joined in with the celebration. And the champagne began to flow even before they could get off the field.
Rachel Parker was the first to interview him.
“How does it feel to hit the game winning home run and clinch the division?” She practically had to shout her question above the noise of the crowd.
“It feels pretty good.” He tried to blink enough to keep the champagne from stinging his eyes. But it was worth it.
“And just think, two months ago, you weren’t even a Goliath.” She shrieked as someone dumped a bottle of bubbly over her head.
“A lot’s changed in those two months.” He shook his head, trying to clear his vision. He couldn’t see Hunter in the stands. He wanted to be th
e first to congratulate her, but it looked like she’d already headed into the clubhouse. “So much has changed. But I’m truly happy to be here. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am to be a part of this team. The fans here—”
The stadium erupted, drowning out his words. They were going wild. He’d been embraced by the fans from the moment he stepped onto the field after the trade. He didn’t even have a uniform, and they’d welcomed him, taken him in as one of their own. He felt the love of the crowd, forty thousand of them, chanting his name.
“Marco. Marco. Marco.”
Oh yeah, he felt the love. But it was nothing compared to the love he felt for Hunter.
* * * *
“So do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Hunter followed Clayton up the elevators into the private suite. “Why are you so adamant about upping the bet?”
“I screwed up. Big time.” Clayton collapsed into a plush leather chair. “I need you to take the other twenty percent of the team, I don’t care what you do with it. Sell it to Dempsey, give it to Marco Santiago as a bonus. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Excuse me?” It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that word, but she was a little offended all the same.
“Look. I need to dump my share. And quick. But I can’t sell it. It’ll just make me look desperate. I can’t give it to Annabelle, either…community property and all that bullshit.”
“Clayton, you’re starting to scare me. What the hell is going on?”
“I’m in real trouble here. I made some bad investments and it’s coming back to bite me in the ass.” He ran his fingers through what was left of his hair.
“So why not just sell your share?” She had the cash.
“I can’t sell. I can’t… Fuck.” He stood up and staggered over to the bar, poured himself a stiff drink, drank it down and poured another before catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. After setting the glass down, he turned to face Hunter. “Please take the bet. Just promise me you’ll look after Annabelle and the girls.”
Worth the Trade (More Than A Game) Page 16