by Tracy March
Liza looked at Paige, wide-eyed. Don’t tell him…
Paige cocked her head Liza’s way. “That she’s got way more going on than any airhead angel model you might have dated.” Paige smirked. “And that you’re crazy about her.”
Liza wanted to die. But first she wanted to kill Paige. She quickly popped her on the butt with the damp dish towel.
“Ouch!”
“What kind of friend are you?” Liza tried not to laugh out of sheer embarrassment, and she definitely didn’t look at Cole.
“The kind who knows her stuff.” He walked over to the sink with a lopsided smile on his face.
Liza knew he’d charmed the pants off of who-knows-how-many women, yet she couldn’t help but think he really might like her. Maybe Frank had been telling the truth. Though that would make things way more complicated than she had hoped…
Cole ran his tongue across his bottom lip, mesmerizing Liza. “I wouldn’t wear an apron for just any girl.”
“You should,” Paige said. “That hot chef look was really working for you.”
“Really?” Cole asked.
“For sure.”
He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows at Liza. “You think?”
She shrugged, even though he really was drool-worthy. “If you’re into that kind of thing.”
He gave her a wounded look.
“She’s just pouting because she lost the pie war,” Paige said.
“That reminds me.” Cole gave Liza a lazy, sexy smile. “We need to finish up and get out of here. We’ve got a bet to settle.”
Chapter Eight
Cole pulled his truck into the dimly lit parking lot across from Nats stadium where Liza had left her car after that day’s game. There were only a few vehicles in the dirt lot surrounded by a chain-link fence. He was always struck by how much energy filled the area around game time, and how lifeless it would be just hours later.
“I bet that blue Acura is yours,” he said to Liza. She’d been much quieter since they left the bakery and it was just the two of them. After all the fun they’d had today, he didn’t get why she seemed so tense now that they were alone. Heck, he didn’t get a lot of things about her, but he was glad Frank had picked her.
Maybe once they got that tense first kiss out of the way, she’d calm down—and the Liza he’d known years ago would show up again. He’d gotten glimpses of that girl, so he knew she was still there. She’d teased him with a kiss on the cheek, but she wasn’t getting away tonight without making good on their bet.
“How do you know the Acura’s mine?” she asked as he pulled in next to it and shifted into park.
“Let’s see. There’s a pickup and a minivan, two sedans, and a beater. And then there’s that shiny little Acura.” He nodded and grinned confidently. “It’s yours.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Fooled you. It’s the beater.” She jumped out of the truck before he had time to open the door for her, just as she’d done at the end of their date last night.
He got out and hurried around before she had time to get in the Acura and dash off again. She already had her keys in hand. “Then let me walk you to your car.” He gestured across the lot to the worn-out Chevy.
She bunched her lips, looking sexy and playful, and he almost kissed her right there. All of a sudden he was even more determined to do it. “Busted,” she said. “The Acura’s mine.” She dangled her keys in front of him. He grabbed them as he would an off-line throw to first base.
“Not so fast. I’ve got something to show you.”
She blinked several times. “That’s the best line a player like you can come up with?” she teased, but he could tell she was working hard at it.
He dropped her keys into his pocket. “The only player I am tonight is a baseball player.” He’d heard a lot of her conversation in the kitchen with Paige, confirming again that she saw him that way. Everyone did, and he certainly acted like one. He wouldn’t need Frank’s plan if he didn’t.
But for some reason, he wanted Liza to see him differently. Maybe it was because she’d liked him when he was a nobody-teenager or because her parents had felt like family back then. Seeing John and Sylvia tonight had brought all that rushing back to him and made him a little confused.
Liza scanned the bleak parking lot and the nondescript buildings close by, then narrowed her eyes. In the background, a long arch of blue lights stretched along the bridge across the Anacostia River. Wisps of her hair fluttered in the breeze off the water. “So what do you want to show me?”
Cole took her hand, enticed by the delicateness of her slender fingers. He led her out of the parking lot, along the sidewalk on N Street, and to the center-field gate at Nationals Park. There was no one else around, and it was eerily quiet this time of night.
They stopped in the hazy light right in front of the center gate. “I wanted to show you this.”
The empty park was alight beyond the promenade and the blue wrought-iron gates with rows of curly Ws down their centers. The beautiful ballpark sat empty and quiet beneath the starry sky. It was a spectacular sight, but intimate, too, since he and Liza stood there alone where thousands of people regularly gathered. Cole loved this view of the park. He’d been with the Nationals since the franchise came to DC, and this place was like home to him.
He glanced at Liza, squeezed her hand, and smiled. She fit in the picture perfectly, looking incredible in the half light with her Nats colors on. “Wow,” she said. “This is…”
Cole understood that the words were hard to find—especially if you were a baseball fan. Something about the setting made you all reverent about it.
“I love it,” she said with a little awe.
He was happier than he thought he would be that she felt that way about “his” place. He’d figured she would get it, when so many other girls wouldn’t. “You make the scene just perfect.” He thought he saw her blush, but it was hard to tell in the hazy light.
She gave him a shy smile and quietly said, “Thanks…for showing me this.”
“Wanna come back tomorrow? We have an afternoon game, then we leave on a weeklong road trip.”
“Really?” She sounded disappointed, and relief coursed through him.
“We’ve got three with the Fish, Thursday off, and a weekend with the Phillies.” He might be a little disappointed, too. He didn’t want to wait that long to see her again.
She stared into the ballpark and kept him waiting for her answer.
Please say yes.
Frank wouldn’t like it if she said no again. But Cole would hate it even more.
…
Liza gazed at the view of Nats Park, thinking how awesome it was, and how different it felt than Camden Yards, where the Orioles played. They had a game tomorrow afternoon, too, and she’d have to choose which one to go to.
No shenanigans, Frank had said. She guessed that included saying no when Cole asked her on a date—even though a game wasn’t a date.
But she didn’t want to say no. After tomorrow he’d be gone for a week, and she kind of liked having him around. Today had been fun and easy, and now he’d brought her here tonight to share this rare and incredible view of Nats Park. She could tell he was proud of it—like it was part of who he was. Maybe, after all this time, he’d found a place he belonged.
He squeezed her hand, reminding her he was waiting for her answer. His hand was warm and strong and a little calloused, and it felt comfortable in hers, as if she’d been holding it for years, yet it still felt new and exciting. She figured he was going to kiss her soon—this was a perfect setting for it—and her heart raced at the thought of his lips on hers. How many times had she imagined kissing Cole?
Sorry, Wes. She begged herself not to think about him, then felt guilty for willing him out of her mind.
“I’ll come to your game,” she said tentatively, facing him and grasping his other hand.
His mouth quirked up at one corner. “I hear a ‘but.’”
“It’s an ‘and.’” She looked at him coyly. “You have to hit a triple for me.”
He drew his head back, his eyebrows lowered. “Not a home run? A triple is kind of a strange thing to ask for. No guaranteed payoff there.”
“Hit a triple,” she said, “then steal home.”
The stunned look on his face made her smile. His jaw clenched as he thought about it. “That’s the hardest play in baseball.”
And even though I can’t wait, kissing you will be one of the hardest things I’ve done. Liza had unrealistically imagined she’d never kiss another man after she’d lost Wes, and here she was looking forward to it. She’d dreamed about Cole being her first kiss when she was a girl, and in a way, now it was going to come true.
“You’re an All-Star.” She skimmed her finger down the top buttons of his shirt and poked him lightly between his pecs. “You can do it.”
He clutched her hand and pressed it to his chest. She could feel the rhythm of his heart pounding nearly as fast as hers. “I’m a victorious pie warrior, too.” The lights sparkled in his eyes and caught his perfect profile in silhouette.
Liza swallowed hard. He was talking about winning the pie war, so the kiss was coming soon. “Everyone liked my pie,” she said. “They just liked yours a little more.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “C’mon now. It was a total smackdown.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and cradled the nape of her neck, sending butterflies flitting down her spine.
Oh, God…
“But this might make you feel better about it.” He pulled her toward him gently and kissed her—tenderly…tentatively.
Adrenaline and awareness shot through her. She’d forgotten the sensation of smooth lips on hers, the masculine brush of stubble at their edges. He cupped her face in his hands and took the kiss from tentative to tantalizing, his velvety tongue coaxing her to respond.
Lost in the moment, Liza couldn’t stop herself. She’d been so lonely, it had been so long, and she was kissing Cole. Just like her hand in his, it felt so familiar and comfortable, yet fresh and exhilarating, simmering with passion and promise. Tingling heat swirled through her. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, clutching the taut muscles of his back and pulling him closer. He felt so sturdy and strong, so sexy and alive. How had she thought she could live the rest of her life without this?
A siren blared in the near distance, and Cole pulled back. But he stayed forehead-to-forehead with her, his eyes a kaleidoscope of emotions. Desire, surprise…fear? Liza wasn’t sure, but she imagined hers looked the same.
“Wow,” he said breathlessly.
She gazed into his eyes, feeling as if she were falling. Then reality gripped her by the heart and she stepped back.
“You okay?” Cole gently squeezed her shoulder.
What had she just done? She’d kissed Cole because of an auction date, Frank’s deal, and a bet. Not because she was in love or even hoping to be. Her breath hitched as she inhaled, the weight of guilt smothering her. Her eyes welled and she blinked quickly, willing herself not to cry. “I need to go home now.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly swiped it away.
It was all so fake and confusing. Because that kiss had felt so real.
Chapter Nine
Liza went into her parents’ house through the back door, just as she did almost every Sunday morning the Orioles were in town and during the off-season. The smoky sweet smell of bacon and French toast filled the air. She inhaled deeply, thinking that no scented candle could ever match the real thing, and that Dorothy had been right in The Wizard of Oz…there’s no place like home. The feeling of a sure thing was comforting after she’d been so confused and emotional last night.
“French toast today?” she asked, rounding the corner into the large country kitchen. Her mom stood at the stove, and her dad sat at the round kitchen table with newspapers spread all over it, a cup of coffee in his hand.
She kissed her dad on the cheek, feeling like a little girl again when she did.
“Mornin’, Slugger.” He’d given her the nickname years ago when they’d signed her up for softball and found she couldn’t hit.
She crossed the kitchen and hugged her mom.
“We didn’t know whether to expect you this morning or not.” Sylvia winked, a glimmer in her eyes. “You and Cole looked pretty cozy last night.”
“Mom!” Liza shook her head quickly, blushing. “It’s not like that. Besides, I remember a time when you discouraged that kind of behavior.”
Liza couldn’t help but think about kissing Cole last night—she hadn’t thought about much else since—and what a wreck she’d been afterward. He’d walked her back to her car and hadn’t even made a game of giving her back her keys.
“I don’t understand,” he’d said as she swept more tears from her face.
She’d shrugged. “I’m not sure I do, either.”
Before she’d even gotten back to Baltimore, he tweeted.
Cole Collins @ColeCollins
@LizaSutherland Best bet I ever won. #piewar See you tomorrow…
She had no idea what she was going to do about the mess she’d gotten herself into. But after today, he’d be gone for a week. She could use that time to try to figure it out.
“You two made the Post and the Sun today.” Her dad held up two sections of newspaper.
Liza joined him at the table and had a look. The Washington Post had a picture of her kissing Cole on the cheek. The mostly eaten Nationals pie still looked like a pastry chef’s creation sitting on the cart in the foreground. The headline read, “Collins Hits Home Run with Nationals Pie.”
Liza thought about that literally and smiled, kind of liking the idea of Cole’s pie being smacked to smithereens with a baseball bat.
The Baltimore Sun had a picture of Cole taking a bite of Orioles pie, with Liza playfully looking on. They’d gone with the headline, “Orioles Pie Tasty, but Not a Hit with Nationals’ Collins.”
Both articles detailed some of the funnier moments of the pie war, and gave Sweet Bee’s a shout-out, along with information on how people could order the pies.
“Paige will be thrilled,” Liza said, happy that she’d gotten some good publicity.
Her mom brought three plates to the table piled with sizzling bacon and golden-brown French toast. “It was a nice thing for Cole to do for her.”
Cole’s nice… Cole’s crazy about you… Cole rocked your world with that kiss. Liza was inundated with reasons to take a chance with him. But memories of Wes filled her heart, and she couldn’t shake her guilt over the deal she’d made with Frank. Cole had probably trusted her to be genuine, and look what she’d done to him.
Her mom brought over the warm maple syrup and joined them at the table. Liza quickly took a bite of crispy bacon. The smoky, spicy flavor always reminded her of home. “This is delicious.”
“We certainly enjoyed the pie war last night.” Her mom looked pleased that she’d used some hip lingo.
“Even though you didn’t vote for the Orioles one?” Liza joked.
“Fortunately,” her dad said, smiling and gesturing toward the newspapers, “they left that little detail out of those articles.”
“It was nice to meet Mack and Brenda,” her mom said. “Frank has always been all business with us, so I had no idea how lively he could be. And Mack is so quiet. It’s hard to believe they’re brothers.”
Liza stopped chewing a buttery-sweet morsel of French toast. “They’re brothers?” she asked, covering her mouth.
Sylvia nodded. “That’s what Brenda said.”
Cole hadn’t mentioned that to Liza,
although she couldn’t think of a reason he would have. She supposed it didn’t really make a difference that the two men were related, although she couldn’t help but wonder if Mack knew about her deal with Frank. Mack seemed like a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy who would never go for that kind of thing, and he wouldn’t think much of Liza for going along with it, either. And Mack just might tell Cole.
Liza swallowed hard. Guilt came at her from everywhere. She was leading Cole on, lying to Paige and her parents, and not being true to herself. Her intentions had been good—hadn’t they? Frank’s donation to BADD would help a lot of kids.
“You missed a tight one yesterday, Slugger,” her dad said, referring to the Orioles game. “But we’ll take a win any way we can get it, even on an error.” He drank some coffee, looking lost in thought and shaking his head. “The Blue Jays are tougher than they were early in the season, though. Wait till you see their lineup today.”
Liza hated to tell him and her mom she wasn’t going to the Orioles game. She was sure they’d understand, but the games were part of their family routine and they looked forward to going together.
Liza glanced at her mom, who gave her a knowing look, seeming to suspect what Liza was about to say. “Um, Cole asked me to go to the Nats game this afternoon.”
Her dad lowered his eyebrows a bit. “Is that what you’d rather do?”
Crap. Had she hurt his feelings? She debated telling them the truth right now and ending all this stress. But then she wouldn’t get the donation or see Cole again after Frank told him about their deal. “I think so.”
A bright smile lit her dad’s face. “You really like him, don’t you?”
Her parents gazed at her eagerly, thinking she’d reached some meaningful crossroad. She hoped her conflicted emotions didn’t show on her face. She might be approaching that crossroad—but right now she was completely lost.
“I like him a little,” she said, relieved to tell the truth for a change.
“We do, too.” Her mom reached over and squeezed Liza’s hand. “We always have, even though we’ve drifted apart.” She gave Liza’s dad a sidelong glance.