Hard To Fall (Sliding Home Book 3)

by Elizabeth Perry

  I try to ignore the way that having her in my arms feels, because I can’t allow myself to focus on it.

  That shit could get distracting.

  Plus, I made her a promise, and that promise entailed not turning her into a windsock.

  The memory of the conversation makes me chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” she groans. “Why are you always laughing at me?”

  “I’m not laughing at you. I was just remembering some of the things that you said last night.”

  She groans again before waving her hand.

  “Please. I don’t even want to think about those things. I am so embarrassed. I swear to you, I’m not normally like that. It was the tequila. The tequila made me do it.”

  “Likely story,” I joke, before opening the door and pulling her outside. I set her luggage down next to a bench before lowering her onto it.

  She immediately leans over and places her head in her hands.

  “I need, like, five minutes, ok? And then I will be good as new.”

  “Ok. I’ll just go and get the car then. Are you sure that you’re ok on your own?”

  She lifts her head just enough to stare at me, and I can’t help myself. I totally laugh again.

  I have no doubts that Isabelle can handle herself. I fear for the stupid motherfucker who crosses her.

  “Here’s your itinerary.” I hand her the manila envelope as we turn out of the airport and speed towards our hotel. “Everything you need to know about the next four days is in that envelope.”

  “I have an itinerary?” She opens the envelope and pulls out the stack of papers. “Huh.”

  “Everyone has an itinerary. There is one made up for every game series. It’s more for me than it is for you, but it will at least give you an idea of what times we need to be where.”

  She glances the paperwork over before shaking her head.

  “So, what about a shower? I don’t see that listed anywhere on here. Am I allowed to shower? Whom should I contact regarding this type of schedule change? Do you have an agent or someone that I should speak with?”

  “Smart ass,” I say under my breath before shaking my head.

  She grins wide, showing me the first smile that I’ve seen out of her all day.

  She must finally be feeling better.

  “It’s a valid question. You said that everything that I need to know about the next four days would be on here. That’s a lie, unless showering is prohibited. There’s a breakfast schedule, lunch, dinner, even bedtime. No bathroom time listed whatsoever.”

  “I’m sure we can figure out a way to get bathroom time penciled in. That’s essential.” I return her smirk. “That’s a guideline, alright? It gives you an idea of what time we need to leave. For example, my game tonight is at seven, but I have to be at the field by five. It’s three thirty now, so if you wanted to shower and fix your hair and stuff, that gives you an idea of how early you should do all of that.”

  “So, I only have one hour and thirty minutes to get ready?” she exclaims, making my head snap towards her.

  “That’s not nearly enough time. I need two hours, minimum.”

  “Wait, for real?” She can’t be serious. Even Audra didn’t take that long to get ready, and she took for fucking ever in the bathroom.

  Her smirk widens.

  “Nah. I’m messing with you. I can be showered, dressed and out the door in fifteen minutes.”

  I whistle. “That’s impressive.”

  “I mean, I’m not saying that the end result is anything to write home about, but I can get things handled pretty quickly. Bathroom time was limited growing up, so I learned really early how to hustle.”

  The memory of meeting her sister last night floods my mind.

  “I totally get it. Growing up, I had to share a bathroom with my sister. She would take forever in there, so unless I wanted to be late for school, I had to learn to shower quickly too. I used to wish that I was an only child for that reason alone.”

  “Same. Except, I had to share a bathroom with my brothers and my sisters. All of us kids and one bathroom was a struggle for sure. When I finally moved out, it took me awhile to get used to not having someone banging on the door to get in.”

  I laugh.

  “I was always the one banging on the door, but luckily, I only have one sister and no brothers. How many siblings do you have?”

  “Eleven.” She says it with such a straight face that I can’t tell if she’s telling the truth or if she’s messing with me again.

  “Come again?”

  “Eleven. I have seven sisters and four brothers.”

  “Jesus. Your parents must be saints. I can hardly manage one kid. I can’t even imagine having twelve.”

  “My parents really, um, love each other.” She wrinkles up her nose. “Plus, we’re Catholic. They don’t believe in birth control.”

  “Damn. I mean, that’s cool and all. Good for them.”

  “My whole family is like that. My mom is one of six kids, and my dad is one of seven. All of my aunts and uncles have a boatload of kids too. Growing up, my family made up the majority of my school system. I feel like I’m related to just about everyone in Brentwood.”

  “That’s where you’re from? Brentwood?”

  She nods.

  “Yeah. It was a nice place to grow up, although over the years, it’s gone downhill a bit. It’s still fairly nice, although I’m sure it’s not as nice as wherever you live.”

  “Isaac and I live in Shorewood. It’s just a few towns over.”

  “A few towns, maybe. But it’s a world away.”

  She’s right. Brentwood isn’t a bad neighborhood by any stretch, but it’s working class at best. The homes are small, and the yards even smaller.

  Shorewood is mostly upper middle class. After my divorce, I was desperate to start completely over. Audra and I had lived in a prestigious neighborhood where everyone hid inside of their mansions, tucked safely behind black wrought iron fences with gates.

  I was never the one who wanted to live in a place like that, but Audra was. She wanted to live the rich and fabulous lifestyle, and I just went along with it.

  She got that house in our divorce, and I didn’t even fight her for it.

  When I moved out, I drove around one day for hours, desperate to find a place that Isaac and I could start over.

  I wanted him to have a normal life, and to grow up in a neighborhood like I did. I wanted him to have a ton of other kids around to play with.

  So, when I ended up in Shorewood, I knew that it was meant to be.

  It’s a cute town near the water, with a lot of subdivisions and good schools.

  We landed in a gated subdivision, smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The small three-bedroom ranch suits us just fine.

  Our yard is big and private, but there are neighbors all around us, and all with a ton of kids.

  Of course, I lost the battle when it came time to choose his school, but at least when he’s at my house, he gets to play outside and actually act like a kid.

  “So, back to this itinerary,” Isabelle changes the subject. “Do these team meetings and dinners apply to me? And what about the photo ops?”

  “I’ll need you to have Isaac during the team meetings. The team dinners are just group dinners, and you of course are welcome to all of those, but if you don’t want to go I get it. The photo ops are hit or miss, but I would prefer if Isaac were with you during those. If we win, those will be expected. If we lose, then not so much.”

  “Ok.” She nods, before glancing one last time at the paper before putting it back into the envelope.

  “It looks like there should be plenty of time for Isaac and I to fit in some schoolwork. I haven’t really formed a plan as to how that’s going to go, so bear with me this trip, alright? I’ll have it more planned out before our next trip.”

  “About that.” I turn into the hotel parking lot. “You should have an email from Laci Matthews. It might have got
ten sent to your spam, so double check. It will have the details for the rest of the summer. Dates, flight times, all of that. Even the hotels that we’re staying at. For planning purposes.”

  “What, no manila envelope?” she jokes. “I’m so disappointed.”

  “No worries there. You’ll get one at the start of every single series, before you even step off of the plane.”

  “Perk of the job, huh?”

  She flashes me another smile that I return, but in all honesty, I’m pretty sure that having her working for me is going to be the biggest perk of my job.

  Chapter Five

  Isabelle

  My head is spinning.

  As I glance around the lobby and let my eyes adjust to the endless hunks of men surrounding me, I consider pinching myself.

  Can this really be real? Do this many hot guys even exist?

  It feels like I should be dreaming instead of staring at all of these beautiful men with their rock-hard bodies.

  Now, I’m not here looking for a hot guy, but come on.

  I’m only human.

  It would be impossible not to notice these guys.

  And even more impossible to overlook the fact that Ryan James might just be the most gorgeous one of them all.

  Which is something that I should definitely not be noticing.

  “You must be the new nanny.” A man flashes me a smile before holding out his hand.

  “I’m Jake. This is my wife Laci, and our daughter Lucy.”

  They are one of the cutest families that I have ever seen. Jake is ruggedly handsome, with his dark hair and bright eyes, where Laci is blond and small, with delicate, gorgeous features and a friendly smile. Lucy is the spitting image of her mother.

  “Nice to meet you all. And yes, I’m the new nanny, but I’m also Isaac’s teacher. I’m Isabelle.”

  “A teacher on the road. I love that idea.” Laci smiles wide before resting one hand over her very pregnant stomach.

  “That might be one of the best ideas that I’ve ever heard.”

  “Well, it’s a first for me. I’ve never taught like this, away from the classroom, I mean. But it should be interesting.”

  Another very pregnant woman approaches us with a small boy in tow.

  “Hi, I’m Avery.” She holds out her hand. “You must be Isabelle.”

  “I am.” I glance at her curiously. “How did you know my name?”

  She points across the room to Isaac, who is standing next to Ryan.

  “Isaac has been talking about you all day. He was very excited that you were going to be traveling with us.”

  As if on cue, Isaac releases his dad’s hand and makes a beeline for us.

  “Well, that’s sweet. I’m excited to be here.”

  Laci chuckles.

  “You’re an awful liar, Isabelle. Your face is totally giving you away right now. You look like you are just realizing what you signed up for.”

  I swallow hard.

  “It’s not that, it’s just…”

  She waves her hand before smiling at Avery.

  “Seriously, no explanation is needed. This one looked the exact same way for a long time, too. We’re a lot to take in at first, but I promise, soon all of this will be no big deal.”

  I glance around the room, at all of the incredibly rich and famous people that currently occupy the space and fight the urge to roll my eyes.

  I can’t imagine this ever seeming normal, but, who knows?

  “I did not look as nervous as she does,” Avery argues with Laci. “I was way more at ease.”

  “Maybe only slightly, but that’s because you knew Eric already. Isabelle doesn’t have that luxury. How long have you known Ryan, Isabelle? A few days or something?”

  I don’t know the man at all. I’ve hardly spoken more than a few sentences to the guy, but at least I know Isaac. That’s all that really matters here anyhow.

  “I don’t know Ryan well at all. But, luckily, I’ve had Isaac in my classroom for several months, so we are super familiar with each other.”

  They both smile.

  “Oh, trust me. You’ll know all these guys well before the season is over. They’re all friendly. Just make sure that you keep your distance from…”

  “Well, well, well,” a man’s voice croons in my ear, and as I turn towards the sound, both Laci and Avery groan.

  “Brock,” Avery groans again. “We were just talking about you.”

  A beautiful man with a slick smile and huge blue eyes wraps his arms around me before squeezing me tight.

  “Oh yeah? All good things I’m sure.” He flashes the two women a devilish smile before glancing me over.

  “I’m going out on a limb here and guessing that you must be the new teacher, but damn. If I’m right, then I’m going back to school. Because if there are teachers that look like you? Well then, fuck. Count me in.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think that we’ve met yet.” I step out of his grasp and extend my hand instead. “I’m Isabelle, and you are?”

  Laci bursts out laughing, so hard in fact, that her eyes fill with tears.

  As my gaze focuses on Brock, I suddenly know why. He looks completely offended that I don’t know who he is.

  “I’m sorry,” I rush on. “I wasn’t trying to offend you by not recognizing you. It’s just that, I don’t really watch baseball, or any sports for that matter. So, there is no way that I would recognize you.”

  “You don’t watch sports?” His eyes widen. “Huh. Well, then let me introduce myself. I’m Brock. I’m the fun guy on the team, so if you’re ever looking to have a good time…”

  “She won’t be calling you,” Ryan interrupts, before flashing Brock a death glare. “Now, please. Back the fuck up, Edwards.”

  The two men stare at each other, and for a second, I’m nervous from the tension that is literally radiating off of Ryan.

  But then, Brock just shrugs, before taking a step back.

  “Easy there, Jamesy. I was just introducing myself to hot teacher. Cool your jets.”

  “Cool my jets?” Ryan snorts before shaking his head. “Dude.”

  “I’m trying to cuss less, alright? It’s part of operation turn over Brocky’s new leaf.” Brock cuts his eyes at Ryan, and even I can’t help but laugh.

  The guys a nut, that’s for sure. But he seems mostly harmless, and I’ll give it to him. He is pretty freaking hot.

  He looks more like a surfer than a baseball player, with his dark tanned skin, white blond hair that’s just a bit too long, and crystal clear blue eyes.

  His smile is infectious, and his body is amazing.

  Brock Edwards is gorgeous.

  But he has player written all over him.

  No thank you.

  “We’re going to head to the field now. Are you ready?” Ryan pulls my attention from Brock by gently touching my elbow.

  The second that I feel his skin on mine, all the air inside of my lungs get knocked out in a single whoosh. My heart begins to race, and every hair on my body stands at attention.

  What in the actual fuck?

  As if he feels it too, his eyes darken for just a second, before he releases my arm and takes a step back.

  “The hotel is connected to the field by a tunnel. Keep your head down, unless you want your picture flashed all over the place. The tunnel is always infested with reporters who are aching for a good shot.”

  “Ok.” I nod, before reaching down and taking Isaac’s hand in mine.

  “You and I are going to be together during the game, alright buddy?” I sink to my knees so that our faces are on the same level. “This is my first game, so you’re going to have to show me the ropes. Do you think that you can do that?”

  He smiles wide, showing off his missing front tooth before nodding enthusiastically.

  “Yes! I can Miss Mendez. I will show you what to do.”

  “Perfect.” I wink at him. “And, Isaac, you don’t have to call me Miss Mendez anymore. We’re not in
school, right?”

  He nods again.

  “Call me Isabelle. That’s my name. Isabelle, Miss Isabelle, whatever you want. Does that sound ok?”

  He nods again, slipping his little hand in mine.

  Ryan nods at me, before turning around and heading to the front of the pack with the rest of his teammates.

  I trail behind the group, following along with the wives, girlfriends, and probably other nannies, trying like hell to look like I belong in a group where I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.

  I’m seated right behind the dugout in a box designated for family. On the bright side, it’s all roped off, and the seats are far plusher than they appear to be in the rest of the stadium.

  On the downside, it’s not enclosed, and as the night wears on, the air only grows colder.

  My teeth are chattering as I watch the game, and I’m so cold that it’s hard to even enjoy it.

  Isaac got cold right at the start of the game, so he currently has my jacket on, leaving me in just my long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt.

  Avery glances over to me and smiles.

  “Not exactly home, is it?” She bends over and rifles through a bag, producing a blanket and handing it over to me.

  “Oh, goodness. Thank you. I’m freezing.”

  “I can see that.” She holds up her mitten covered hand and points to the ski hat on her head. “I come prepared for all games in the north.”

  “This is my first time visiting the north. I’ve always been a southern girl, for obvious reasons.” I motion towards the cloud that my breath is leaving in the cool night air.

  “The south does have its benefits, but for me, I like this kind of weather. I love all of the seasons. I’m originally from Michigan, so I’m used to April being cold.”

  I stand up and wrap the blanket around myself.

  “Do you follow baseball much?” she asks, and I shake my head.

  “Not at all. This is the first baseball game that I’ve ever been to. I’m enjoying it, although if it were about twenty degrees warmer, I would be enjoying it a lot more.”

  “I hear ya.” She focuses her attention back to the game, and I do the same.