Stealing Second

by Alison Packard

  “You’re welcome.” She paused. “I hope Trey’s…okay.”

  “That’s kind of you, considering the nature of your relationship.”

  Jade sighed. “He’ll never be my favorite person, but I don’t believe he did what he’s accused of. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably get drunk too.”

  Five minutes after she’d said goodbye to Jade, Katherine walked into The Gladly and silently thanked the brilliant minds that invented air-conditioning. As the blessedly cool air washed over her, she quickly surveyed the trendy urban-themed restaurant with its floor-to-ceiling windows and brown-and-white interior. She had to hand it to him, Trey had picked a nice place to get his drink on.

  As it wasn’t yet the traditional lunch hour, the restaurant was fairly quiet, with only a handful of the tables occupied. Opposite the bank of windows was the bar—and there was no way to describe it other than to say it looked like half of a large rectangle attached to the wall. Built-in mirrored shelves held the usual bottles of liquor, and in the middle of the bar, on an island of sorts, were more shelves that held even more liquor.

  So far all she was seeing was a lot of booze, but no Trey. It would be just her luck if he’d bolted after talking to Jade. She could only hope he believed Jade didn’t care enough about his welfare to tell anyone where he was. Or he was too drunk to care.

  Moving forward, she navigated around the tables and spied a thatch of sandy-blond hair on the other side of the bar. She skirted the corner for a closer look and breathed a sigh of relief. The man with the sun-kissed hair was indeed Trey. He sat alone, near the wall, and hadn’t noticed her arrival. Probably because he was staring morosely at the bottle of beer sitting directly in front of him.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” she said, keeping her voice light as she slid onto the stool next to him.

  “I’m not interested,” he said brusquely, not bothering to look her way.

  “Neither am I. You’re not my type.”

  Trey’s head snapped around, and his vivid green eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s just so darn nice outside.” She gave him a bright smile. “I couldn’t help but take a walk,” she added, then motioned for the bartender. A cold drink was in order. As quickly as possible.

  “Nice? It’s fucking hot out there.” He looked at her like she was insane, then wrapped his fingers around his bottle and shook his head.

  Stifling a laugh, she set her purse on the empty stool beside her. Although her body had cooled, she had to tug at her blouse to loosen the sweat-drenched fabric from her skin. Forget the cold drink, she needed a cold shower.

  “Hello.” She smiled at the cute bartender as he sidled up to her. “I’d like a virgin Bloody Mary, please. And a glass of water, if you would be so kind.”

  “Coming right up,” Cute Bartender said with a flirty smile. Interesting. Maybe she didn’t look as limp and bedraggled as she felt.

  “You could have just said tomato juice,” Trey grumbled.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Katherine shifted on the stool and searched her purse until she found her travel tissue packet. “How do people survive in this heat?” She blotted her moist forehead and temples, then stuffed the tissue into the side pocket of her purse.

  “Air-conditioning.” Trey lifted the bottle to his mouth, but didn’t take a drink. “Jade called you, didn’t she?”

  “So you remember talking to her?”

  “Yeah. I’ve had a few beers, but I’m not that drunk.” He took a pull from the bottle. “She doesn’t like me much.”

  “For what it’s worth, she was worried about you.”

  “She’s paid to worry about me. I’m Logan-Johnson’s biggest client.”

  Before she could reply, Cute Bartender returned and presented her with her virgin Bloody Mary and a tall glass of water.

  “Thank you.” She gave him a grateful smile and picked up the water glass as he moved away to tend to another customer. Lifting the glass to her mouth, she took a long thirsty drink and followed it up with a satisfied sigh. “I really needed that.” She had an urge to press the ice-cold glass to her forehead. Deciding against it, she took another long drink, then set the glass on the gleaming wood-grained bar.

  “You’re here to read me the riot act, aren’t you?”

  Katherine shifted toward Trey and absorbed the onslaught of his fierce scowl. A part of her wanted to take him to task for his behavior, but the dark circles under his eyes and the defeated slope of his broad shoulders tugged at her heart. Despite his prickly attitude, she felt sorry for him.

  “No. I’m not here to lay into you about leaving the hotel and scaring us half to death. I’ll leave that to Tom. Or Seth. I’m here because I’m worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  Trey snorted, then took another swig of his beer. “You know what this investigation is, don’t you?”

  “Wrong? Ridiculous?” She tossed out the first words that came to mind.

  “No. It’s karma. Or maybe payback is a better word.” He let out a mirthless laugh and pointed the mouth of the bottle at her. “If my father was sitting where you are, he’d slap me upside the head for being such a self-absorbed prick.”

  “Is that what you’ve been?” she asked quietly.

  “Pretty much. The last two years have been all about me. About what I wanted or believed I deserved because of my so-called celebrity status.” He shook his head in disgust. “It’s not like the attention from women was new to me. I’m not bragging, but that’s been happening since high school. But when you play pro ball, it’s seriously on a whole different level. And not just with women. Suddenly I’ve got all these people in my life acting like they’re my best friends, offering me stuff for free when I have plenty of money to pay for it myself. It’s fucking unreal.

  “After my rookie year, I began to believe all the hype and took advantage of what was being offered to me. Then I began to expect it.” He grimaced. “Jesus, when I think of some of the things I’ve said…and done. How can I blame people for believing the worst of me after the way I’ve behaved?”

  “Attempted rape and having consensual sex with groupies isn’t the same thing, Trey.”

  “You’re right. It’s not. I’ve never forced myself on a woman and I never will, but I have been disrespectful to plenty of them.” Something resembling regret flickered in his eyes. “I’ve been everything my father taught me not to be.”

  She put her hand on his forearm. “I’m sure he’d be proud of you for being able to admit you regret your behavior.”

  “Maybe. But what sucks is that I had to be investigated for a crime I didn’t commit to come to that realization.”

  Katherine smiled and patted his arm. “Better late than never.”

  * * *

  At nine that evening, Katherine walked into Harlan’s and inhaled the deliciously comforting aroma of French fries and grilled burgers. Spying an empty booth in the back, she snagged the lone waitress’s attention and pointed to it. The waitress gave her a nod and a smile, then continued to take the order of a couple sitting together at the counter.

  Humming along to a Motown classic playing on the restaurant’s stereo system, she made her way to the booth, slid onto the red vinyl bench seat and set her purse next to her. She glanced at the menus tucked behind the stainless-steel napkin holder, but didn’t bother to reach for one. She knew what she wanted.

  As a general rule, she didn’t eat this late. But a lot of hours had passed since she’d had breakfast with Tom, and after being on the road for over a week, she was a little afraid of what might be growing in her refrigerator. Besides that, she was starving.

  Leaning back against the padded booth, she studied the black-and-white photos of the 1950s and ‘60s actors and actresses hanging on the wall, and smothered a laugh when her gaze fell on the infamous shot of Sophia Loren side-eying Jayne Mansfield’s extremely well-endowed chest, showcased to perfection in a low-cut evening gown. It was
hard to tell if Sophia was envious or afraid Jayne’s bountiful breasts were about to pop out of her dress and spill over the table.

  A second later she was smothering something else. A yawn. To say she’d had a full day was an understatement. After getting some coffee into Trey at The Gladly, she’d called a cab to take them back to the hotel, and then turned him over to Seth. Once she’d checked out, she’d watched the remainder of the game from the visitors’ clubhouse, and after the Blaze defeated the D-Backs, she and the team had finally returned to San Francisco, where the temperature was much cooler. So cool, in fact, that she’d put on a light sweater before leaving her condo.

  Now that they were back in the city, she couldn’t help but wonder about the status of her and Tom’s relationship. Or more to the point…did they even have a relationship?

  Yes, they’d been manipulated into a breakup neither of them wanted. But that was years ago. It wasn’t like they could pick up right where they’d left off. A lot of time had passed—maybe too much time. Granted, their sexual connection was stronger than ever, but sex wasn’t a strong enough foundation to build a relationship on, or rebuild one that had been demolished years ago.

  With so much going on today, she and Tom hadn’t talked alone since breakfast, and before they boarded the plane Lily had begged her to sit with her and Dorie. Not wanting to hurt Lily’s feelings, she’d taken the middle seat between mother and daughter. Lily’s continuous chatter eased her fears, but Katherine still missed Tom’s comforting presence in the seat next to hers.

  The last she’d seen of him was after the team disembarked from the charter bus in the underground parking area, when Tom and Trey had disappeared through the double doors leading to the clubhouse. She hadn’t heard from him since.

  “Want some company?”

  Pulled from her reverie by the familiar voice, Katherine looked up and found Tom standing next to the booth. After the game he’d changed out of his uniform and into the same slacks and shirt he’d worn at breakfast, and judging by the weariness in his eyes, it appeared the long road trip had taken the same toll on him as it had on her.

  “Hey.” She smiled up at him. “I’d love some company.”

  “Have you ordered yet?” he asked as he eased into the booth and settled across from her.

  “No. I’ve only been here a few minutes.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Did you just leave the ballpark?”

  He nodded. “I was on my way home to crash and saw you through the window.”

  “How’s Trey doing?”

  “He’s not too happy with me right now. I sympathize with his situation, but that doesn’t mean he can violate my rules. He’s lucky you found him before the media tracked him down. He’s so angry right now, he might have gone off on them, and that wouldn’t have helped his cause at all. I told him if he pulled another stunt like that, he’d be looking at a hefty fine.”

  “Did he say how he got out of the hotel undetected?”

  “He said he went out the same service entrance we used when we went to Denver.” His gaze sharpened on her face, and a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Your nose and cheeks are sunburned.”

  She lifted a hand briefly to her cheek and grimaced. “I bought some sunscreen while I was out looking for Trey, but I forgot to put it on my face. I’ll probably start peeling in a few days.”

  “That reminds me of the time…” He trailed off, and the amused light in his eyes faded.

  “What?”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning, and you were right. We’re different people now. The thing is, it’s easy to reference our past. I know what we meant to each other then.” He paused, and studied her with a thoughtful gaze. “What I don’t know is what we are now.”

  Her heart stuttered at the sudden intensity in his eyes. “What do you want us to be now?”

  “I don’t know. But I want to find out.” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. The warmth of his touch heightened her pulse. “Do you?”

  She looked at his handsome face, and for a moment she couldn’t seem to breathe. “Yes,” she said softly.

  A slow smile curved his firm mouth. “Good.”

  After enjoying a fabulous cheeseburger and perfectly seasoned fries, Katherine stood next to Tom outside Harlan’s and wrapped her sweater closer to her body.

  “Are you cold?” Tom asked, and she was sure if he’d been wearing a coat he would have offered it to her. He’d always been chivalrous that way.

  “A bit.” She smiled. “But yesterday, after almost fainting from heat exhaustion, I promised myself I’d never complain about San Francisco weather again.”

  Tom chuckled, then inclined his head. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your building.”

  She didn’t protest as he put his arm around her shoulder. His body heat warmed her as they headed toward the corner. Although her building wasn’t far and she could make it home on her own, she didn’t want to say good-night. Not yet.

  Over dinner, they had talked about a host of things, and not all of it related to the team, or Trey. For instance, she discovered he now enjoyed reading for pleasure, which amazed her since when they were together, the only things he ever read were his textbooks or sports magazines. She also learned that he liked tinkering with his truck in the off-season, and still preferred country music over any other genre.

  In return, she’d confessed her Crazy Hearts addiction, and her propensity to binge-watch old television shows on Netflix.

  Now that there was no animosity or underlying tension between them, she relished every second of their conversation. To be able to talk and laugh freely with him again only underscored how much she’d missed having him in her life.

  More quickly than she would have liked, they reached her building. He opened the thick glass door for her, then followed her into the lobby. Unlike the more expensive building across the street, hers didn’t have a doorman on duty. The lobby, although spotless, was unimpressive and only used by the tenants to enter and exit the building and to retrieve their mail from the built-in mailboxes installed on one of the walls.

  Acutely aware of his hand at the curve of her back, Katherine walked beside him toward the elevator. “Will you take advantage of the off day tomorrow and get some rest?” she asked.

  “Off days are for the players. I’ll be in my office tomorrow morning, as usual, preparing for Saturday’s game. We gained ground on the Dodgers during the road trip, which means the remaining series are critical.” A wry smile quirked his mouth. “I’ll relax when the season is over.”

  They stopped in front of the elevator. His gaze dipped to her mouth, or maybe her beauty mark, and heat flared in his eyes. Heat scorched over her skin, then shot straight to her core. “If you don’t have plans tomorrow night, I’d like to take you to dinner. Maybe somewhere on the wharf?”

  “I don’t have plans. And I’d love to go out with you.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her, slow and deep, like he was savoring the taste of her. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered against her mouth, then pulled back and reached around her to hit the elevator call button. The doors slid open immediately, and reluctantly she stepped inside the elevator.

  “Good night.” She smiled at him, then pressed the button for her floor.

  “Sweet dreams, darlin’,” he said huskily, and the heat in his eyes promised that tomorrow night neither of them would be sleeping alone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, Katherine stood at the window in her office and stared at the empty baseball diamond below. Today, the unique charm of Blaze Field didn’t fill her with a sense of peace, ease the knot in her stomach, or loosen her tight grip on her phone as she waited for her father to answer her call.

  Although she would much rather speak to him in person, the phone call would have to suffice. She couldn’t wait until her next visit to Dallas, or his to San Francisco, to talk to him about his role in her and Tom’
s breakup. She needed to know now why he’d lied to her and manipulated her like she was an insignificant pawn on a chessboard.

  She swore softly when the call went to voice mail, and then after listening to his greeting, she left him a short message asking him to call her. Staring at the pristine field below, she wondered what defense he would summon up when she confronted him. She also wondered if she could find it in her heart to forgive him. After her mother died, she and her father had formed an extremely close bond. To find out now that he’d betrayed her trust and outright lied to her was something she hadn’t fully processed yet.

  A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts. Katherine turned to find Kelly standing in the doorway. She managed a smile and moved to her desk. “Were you able to get us on Martha’s calendar today?” she asked, and set her phone near her closed laptop.

  “Yes. She’s available at eleven.” Kelly looked down at the notebook she carried with her almost everywhere. “I also spoke to Doug. He wants to meet with all of us at two. He’d like to discuss the Trey Gentry situation.”

  “I’m not surprised.” Katherine stepped behind her desk and sank down in her chair. “Until I hear differently, it’s a waiting game when it comes to the investigation. But Martha can at least give Doug an update on Trey’s sexual harassment claim.” She lifted a hand and rubbed her temple. It wasn’t even nine and Ava was already giving her a headache. “How can one woman cause so much harm?”

  Kelly shrugged, then moved to sit in the chair across from Katherine’s desk. “We may never know what motivates Ava McCandless.”

  “Honestly, I don’t want to know. In fact, I’d like to forget she ever existed.”

  “That makes two of us.” Kelly smiled and rested her notepad on her lap. Today she’d forgone her usual blazer and pants for a navy blue knit wrap dress, and she looked lovely. “Thank you. And welcome back, by the way. We all missed you.”