The Practice Proposal

by Tracy March

  She grinned and reoriented the hot dog on his stick. Satisfied, she said, “Let’s cook, now that we’ve got our wieners straight.”

  He busted out laughing again.

  They sat on the edges of the chairs, hot dogs roasting in the flames. Darkness had fallen, crickets chirped, and stars sparkled in the sky. Everything seemed idyllic, including Cole’s growing desire to touch her. And despite feeling guilty about Frank’s plan, he had to move things along if it was going to work. He reached over and took her hand, but moments after he touched her, she jerked it away, yanking her stick from the flames and jumping to her feet. “My hot dog’s on fire!”

  She waved it in the air until the flames died and left the charred and blistered hot dog sizzling and popping. Looking defeated, she sank onto the arm of the chair. “Did I mention I’m not much of a cook?”

  Cole couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t really have to.”

  She swatted his arm playfully. “What you see is what you get.”

  Cole couldn’t hope for much more. Even so, he wondered whether he would still be holding her hand if her hot dog hadn’t burst into flames. He switched sticks with her and loaded his up again.

  They sipped beer and ate hot dogs and chips, kicked back in their chairs. The conversation was easy, and mostly about baseball. Cole was amazed how much she knew about the game, even considering her pedigree. Most of the women he dated didn’t know the difference between an ERA and an RBI, but Liza could quote stats for every one of the Orioles and a lot of the Nats, too—including his. He was feeling kind of hopeful after that. Hopeful enough to celebrate with s’mores.

  “Better job with the marshmallows,” he said as she pulled them away from the flames, expertly browned. “No extinguisher required.” He grinned.

  “I’m teachable,” she said as they stacked up their s’mores. She took an enthusiastic bite, and oozing chocolate and melted marshmallow squished out at the corner of her mouth. Staring at the fire, she slowly licked her lips, lingering where the chocolate and marshmallow had been. The firelight lit her face and danced in her eyes. Cole watched intently, shifting in his seat as pressure built inside him.

  The girl was all over the ballpark, but he definitely wanted to kiss her.

  Chapter Four

  The fire burned low, and Liza stared at the nearly full moon that had risen in the sky. Relaxed in her chair—despite the Nationals cushion—she glanced at Cole. After they’d finished eating, he had casually reached for her hand and hadn’t let go since. Not that she wanted him to. He kept skimming his fingers slowly across hers and tracing circles in her palm. No doubt he could seduce a woman with that technique alone. “You have a game tomorrow, right?” she asked.

  He smiled, his eyes dancing with excitement. “One step closer to the division title, then the pennant, then the World Series.”

  “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, mister,” she teased. “Other teams have that same strategy in mind.”

  “It’s going to happen, so I’ll start consoling you now.” He leaned forward in his chair and faced her, looking twelve kinds of sexy by the fire. She tensed, thinking he was going to make a move, which both thrilled and terrified her. It had been so long, and she wasn’t sure she was ready. But he made a goofy face instead and cocked his head. “Poor Liza,” he said, doing a pretty good imitation of Eeyore.

  She laughed and shook her head. “We’ll see. One game at a time. The Os will be in the Series.” She tipped up her chin proudly. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  She realized she was in a perfect position for him to kiss her, and her heart thumped so hard she was afraid he might hear it. Cole gazed at her a moment with a look she couldn’t read and squeezed her hand tightly. “This has been fun.” She stared at his perfect mouth and thought about how incredible it would feel to have those lip on hers—just as she had when she was sixteen. “But it’s getting kind of late. Guess I’d better call Mack.”

  Her heart sank with disappointment and relief—if that were even possible. He probably had no idea what was appropriate to do on a charity auction date, either. “Good idea.”

  They leisurely packed their gear. Mack got there quickly, and Liza wondered where he’d been all this time. She hated to think he’d been parked down near the barn, hanging out by himself, just waiting for them to call. But he seemed to be in good spirits when he arrived.

  She and Cole climbed onto the trailer and sat close in the sweet-smelling hay, and he casually tossed a blanket over their legs. Mack started the truck and they headed back toward the barn.

  “The s’mores were my favorite,” Liza said, more bummed than she thought she’d be that their date was nearly over.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I thought the hot dogs were pretty good. At least your second one was. Not even the vultures would eat that first one.”

  “I told you I’m not much of a cook.” She propped her elbow on the hay bale next to her. “But I can make a mean tiki torch with a flaming hot dog on a stick. Martha Stewart would have to give me some credit for that. I mean, as hard as it is to imagine, isn’t there something you’re just not good at?”

  “Hmm.” He rubbed his forehead. “No.” He grinned and she nudged him with her elbow.

  “Aw, come on. You’re good at everything?”

  He nodded. “And I have specialties.”

  Oh my… She was sure he did.

  “He can’t sing,” Mack shouted from inside the truck. His windows were down, but Liza had no idea he could hear them.

  “You can’t sing?” she asked teasingly.

  “I can,” he said, “just not very well.”

  “Nice to know you aren’t totally perfect.” She nodded. “And a good thing you wanted to be a baseball player instead of a rock star, huh?”

  “Thanks, Mack,” Cole yelled playfully.

  “Anytime.”

  Liza had calmed down little by little since Cole had casually blindsided her with Wes’s special words…just right. But after that, the evening had been just right, with the hayride and the sunset and dinner by the campfire under the stars. There was still some of that teenage guy she’d had a crush on under Cole’s All-Star persona. She’d think a little differently of him next time she saw him on E!.

  The truck took the last bend before the barn, then came to an abrupt stop. Mack got out and hurried around to the side of the trailer. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

  Cole lowered his eyebrows and glanced at Liza, then got up and joined Mack, both of them looking toward the barn. She stood in the trailer and got a view over the cab of the truck. Artificial light radiated from the far side of the barn, illuminating the rear of a television news van and several other vehicles.

  “Reporters,” Cole said flatly.

  Liza’s stomach clenched. “All the way out here?” She was amazed they’d be interested in Cole’s date with her. “Want to try another way out?” Cole asked Mack.

  The crease between Mack’s eyes deepened and he shook his head. “Not a good idea to go headin’ down some makeshift road without a little daylight. It’d be like runnin’ down a rabbit hole.”

  “We could wait them out,” Cole said. “But they’ve spotted our headlights by now. I’m sorry, Liza.” He shifted his gaze between her and Mack.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said anxiously. She wasn’t big on being in front of a camera.

  Cole leaped up onto the trailer, went to Liza, and gently put his hand on her shoulder. He was all tense muscle and tousled hair, and he still smelled smoky from the fire. “I didn’t want a bunch of reporters spoiling our date. I’d hoped to get some privacy for a change.”

  “It won’t be spoiled,” she said. Nothing could ruin the evening they’d had.

  Cole nudged her shoulder and gave her a sidelong glance, looking perfect in t
he moonlight.

  “So you’re up for a photo shoot?” He rubbed his hands together, seeming a little nervous himself.

  She figured they might get some positive press for BADD, and that would be good. Maybe someone would see a news clip about the auction date and decide they wanted to donate. Heck, maybe she could make a pitch—she was nearly that desperate to find a way to meet her fund-raising goal. She shrugged and gave Cole a half smile. “Sure.”

  “No way around it except to face ’em,” Mack said as he got back in the truck.

  She and Cole sat on top of a hay bale and pulled the blanket over their knees. The trailer swayed and bounced over the last bit of dirt road, Cole steadying Liza with his arm around her. He turned toward her, pulled her close, tenderly kissed her on the cheek, and spoke softly in her ear. “Thanks for being such a good sport about this.” Feathery sensations fluttered through her, and she shivered.

  “It’ll be fine,” she said, believing that it would.

  Mack pulled the truck and trailer alongside the barn. Before Liza and Cole had time to move, several reporters, cameramen, and photographers crowded behind the trailer. Liza squinted against the flash and glare of the lights. A middle-aged female reporter—dressed in a business suit and looking too city for an assignment on a farm—took the lead with questions. “Cole,” she said, as if she knew him personally, “isn’t this the date you donated to raise money for the BADD Athletes Foundation?”

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s a good cause. I hope more people will learn about the important work BADD is doing to keep athletes drug-free.” He glanced at Liza. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his eyes sparkled with the reflection of lights from the cameras. “But I’m the one who benefited here. Look who I got to spend an evening with.”

  Liza swallowed hard, thinking it was awesome that he seemed proud to be with her, and he’d pretty much made her donation pitch, too. She probably had a silly-looking grin on her face, but she couldn’t help it.

  The reporter piped up again. “I have it from a reliable source that you might be settling down with Miss Sutherland.”

  Liza’s grin flattened, and her heart raced double-time. What reliable source would’ve told the reporter that?

  “Any truth to that rumor?” the reporter asked. “Inquiring women want to know.” Several of the photographers chuckled.

  Liza couldn’t believe they even had to ask. Cole wasn’t settling down—he probably never would, and certainly not with her. She turned to him, hoping he had a clever answer. He glanced at her with a glint in his eyes, then turned back to the reporters. “Settling down is looking like a pretty good idea.”

  Liza’s stomach clenched. What?

  “Should we expect a proposal soon?” another reporter asked. “I’d love to be there for an exclusive on that.”

  The flash of a camera highlighted the mischief in his eyes, and a wisp of a sexy smile played across his lips. “It’ll probably go something like this,” he said with a drawl. He faced Liza, skimmed his fingertips along her jawline, and guided her head until she met his gaze.

  Her mind swirled with confusion. All she could think was, Please don’t kiss me here…now! She frantically wondered how to react to him in front of these people—in front of everyone, for that matter. Any stupid move she made would be captured on video and posted on YouTube forever.

  He leaned closer, and Liza braced herself.

  “Will you marry me, darlin’?” he asked.

  Liza’s heart lurched. Stunned speechless, she blinked several times, her pulse thrumming in her ears. Cole tipped his head and whispered in her ear, “Just smile.” His warm breath sent another shiver through her, and she smiled with sheer bewilderment. He leaned back and tugged playfully on a lock of her hair, a crooked, coy grin on his face.

  After a beat, he faced the reporters and winked as the cameras clicked and whirred. “That’s as close to an exclusive as I can give you.”

  …

  Cole was relieved that Liza had remained tight-lipped. He’d gotten caught up in the moment, always eager to tease the reporters. Mack had immediately sensed trouble and pulled the truck and trailer away from them. They continued calling out questions as Cole and Liza disappeared up the road and out of view. The reporters had cleared out from the farm pretty fast after that. Now he, Cole, and Liza weren’t far behind them, back in the truck and headed to Baltimore.

  “That was…pretty awkward,” Liza said, then bit her bottom lip. “I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen.” Cole should’ve guessed that Frank would send the media, but his strategy might’ve backfired. Things had been going pretty well between him and Liza up until then, and he’d been feeling pretty confident about getting a second date. After that, they’d be off and running with their so-called romance.

  But Frank had sent the press in way too soon, and Cole had tried to wing it. Now that he’d teased the reporters into thinking he wanted to settle down with Liza, he needed her to play the part. Deep down, he wanted her to play the part. Besides, if he showed up with another girl anytime soon and said the same thing, he’d ruin his credibility and the Nats would catch on to him.

  Cole flexed his shoulders, trying to ease his tension. He’d faced some of the toughest pitchers in major league baseball and hadn’t felt as knotted up as he did right now. He looked at her sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mind the sports reporters, but the others who are obsessed with my personal life get too personal. They claim they have ‘insider information�� that mostly comes from their imagination, so it’s tiring dealing with that all the time.” He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s so ridiculous I just have to go along and make fun of it. As if I’d want any of them around when I did something as personal as propose.”

  He watched her face in the darkness, looking for signs that she understood, but it was hard to tell with the changing light and shadows.

  After a while, she nodded. “I can understand how you feel about the reporters. They’d probably get to me after a while, too. Asking if you were settling down was kind of ridiculous considering…”

  Cole stiffened. “Considering what?” He knew what she meant, but he wanted to hear her answer just the same.

  “That you’re a player.” Man, she sure got straight to the point.

  He sucked in a deep breath. “I can’t deny that.” He couldn’t say much more without revealing more to her than he wanted to.

  “There’s nothing wrong with it if it works for you,” she said, “especially since you’re up-front about it. But I guess I’m a little more…traditional.”

  Cole winced. He caught Mack’s eye in the rearview mirror. Just a glance told him Mack didn’t envy his position but that he was there for him, as he had been for years. He’d seen and heard a lot, and he knew a lot of secrets, but he’d never betrayed Cole’s confidence.

  “Since that’s your reputation,” she said, “none of what you did back there made sense.”

  Cole didn’t like where this was going, and he hated that they’d lost that easy feeling they’d had going after dinner back at the farm. “I can see how you’d be confused,” he said. “But believe it or not, settling down is looking better to me all the time.”

  She gave him a small smile. “Then I hope you find someone to settle down with, if that’s what you really want. But I just got caught in the middle of something that I’m not even involved in. Who knows what those reporters are going to do with that news, whether it’s true or not.”

  Cole furrowed his brow. Plan or no plan, he really wanted to make things right with her.

  He looked out the window and got his bearings. They were just minutes from Liza’s condo, and soon she would be gone. Whatever he was going to do to save this situation, he had to do it now.

  “I really screwed up.” He rested his head in his hand for a second, th
en dragged his fingers down his face. “It wasn’t the smartest move I’ve ever made back there.” He risked taking her hand and she didn’t pull away. It occurred to him that this might be the last chance he’d have to touch her, and he started to panic a little, surprising himself. “I really had fun tonight, and I’d like to go out with you again. Maybe we can pick up where we left off before—” He tipped his head back in the direction of the farm. “All that.” He brought her hand to his mouth and lightly kissed her palm.

  She blinked several times, then stared at him for a long moment. He just might give his Gold Glove award to know what she was thinking.

  “Come to my game tomorrow,” he said, unable to stand her silence any longer. “I’ll leave tickets for you at Will Call—and we’ll go out afterward.”

  Liza furrowed her brow and rubbed her glossy lips together slowly, reminding him how much he wanted to kiss her.

  She shook her head just as Mack pulled the truck in front of her building and stopped. “Thank you for tonight. It was good to catch up with you after all this time.” She squeezed his hand and released it. “But I won’t be there tomorrow.”

  She might as well have punched him in the gut. Admittedly, he’d been a little worried, but her calm attitude about the media mess had him fooled into thinking she’d say yes to another date. Cole’s stomach clenched. Frank was going to kill him, but only after he beat himself up over what he had done.

  Liza didn’t waste any time waiting for him to open her door, and within seconds she was out of the truck.

  “It was nice to meet you, Mack,” she said, then gently closed the door.

  Cole got out quickly, but she hurried inside the building and disappeared from view. He stood in her wake for a little while, trying to get his head around what had just happened.

  Mack rolled down his window. “You goin’ after her?”

  Cole raked his hand through his hair and pulled at the back of it until it hurt. “Not tonight.” He got in the front seat, more comfortable riding shotgun than staring at the back of Mack’s prickly gray head all the way home. “That was worse than a strikeout.”