Falling Into You (Bachelors & Bridesmaids Book 5)

by Barbara Freethy

  And then the oven timer went off.

  They broke apart, and she immediately moved toward the oven. "They're done." She took the pies out and set them side-by-side on the cooling rack. "They look good," she said, still feeling a little dazed from Cole's kiss.

  "You look good, Maggie," Cole said, staring back at her.

  "Cole, we can't. I told you that before you came in the house."

  "I know, but you just reminded me how good we are together."

  "You're leaving in a few days."

  "I am, but if I've learned anything in the last few years, it's that you shouldn't put off having what you really want."

  "Spoken like a man who's leaving soon." As she finished speaking, her phone dinged. "I should look at that."

  "Of course you should," he said with a sigh. "I think the universe is conspiring against me. What's going to go off next—the doorbell?"

  She moved down the counter to get her phone. The text was from Julie, letting her know that Andrea couldn't make the game, so she had an extra ticket if Maggie wanted to bring someone.

  The text sent her gaze back to Cole, and another really bad idea entered her head. But it wasn't as bad as going to bed with him, right?

  "Are you free today, Cole?"

  "I'm supposed to meet my aunt later, but why do you ask?"

  "My friend Julie's fiancé plays for the San Francisco Cougars. They're in the playoffs, and they have a home game this afternoon. She has an extra ticket and said I can bring someone if I want to. Would you want to go to a baseball game?"

  "A Cougars' playoff game? Hell, yes."

  The excitement in his eyes made her smile. "Okay, good. The seats will be amazing, I'm sure."

  "I don't care if they're in the last row of the outfield."

  "Since Julie's fiancé is Matt Kingsley, I can guarantee the seats will be better than that."

  "Matt Kingsley? Seriously? The guy hit over .400 this season."

  "You follow the Cougars?"

  "I follow the good players, and he is one of the best. Did I say yes yet?"

  "Not officially, but I can tell that you are in."

  "All in. What time do we leave?"

  She glanced at the clock. "About an hour. That should give us plenty of time to get to the city. I'm driving, by the way. No motorcycle trips to San Francisco for me."

  "You got it. I just need to call my aunt and tell her I'll meet her later."

  "Will she be upset?"

  "If I tell her I'm with you, I doubt it. I'll be right back."

  "Okay," she said, wondering why he felt the need to make the call in private, but since she could use a few minutes away from him, she let him go without comment.

  She picked up her phone and smiled as she texted Julie: "Going to bring a hot, single guy with me then."

  Julie's answer came back almost immediately. "Who is he?"

  "You'll meet him when we get there."

  Maggie smiled to herself. That should keep her girlfriends guessing for a while.

  Chapter Nine

  "I'm not going to be able to spend time in the hotel office today," Cole told his aunt as he stepped on to Maggie's porch. "I'm sorry, but something has come up." He knew he was letting her down, but there was no way he wasn't going to the game with Maggie. It was the playoffs. And it was with Maggie. He wasn't actually sure which he found more irresistible.

  "Really?" Ida said, disappointment in her voice. "But Mr. Stone is gone today, Cole. It's the perfect time for you to snoop around the office."

  "I know. I'll do it tonight. He won't be back in the office until tomorrow morning, right?"

  "I guess that will work. I hope whatever came up is good," she added.

  "It's very good. I have the opportunity to go to the Cougars' playoff game in San Francisco."

  "Well, that sounds like fun. You know, Maggie's friend is marrying someone on the Cougars."

  "I just found that out."

  "So you're going with Maggie. How did that happen? I thought you weren't going to see her again."

  "I'll tell you later. I have to go now."

  "Say hello to Maggie for me."

  He slipped his phone into his pocket and went back into the house.

  "Everything okay?" Maggie asked, curiosity in her blue eyes.

  "All good. So, I think we're ready for the moment of truth."

  She drew in a deep breath. "Yes, it's time for pie. I really, really hope mine is better than yours."

  He grinned. "I feel the same way." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he didn't actually feel that way at all, because beating Maggie was probably going to put disappointment in her beautiful gaze, and he hated to be the one to make her feel bad. But it was too late to call off the contest.

  Maggie grabbed four small plates from the cupboard. She cut two pieces from each pie so that they could each taste both pies and handed him a fork. "Let's try yours first," she said.

  He scooped up a large bite of his pie, happy that the crust was crisp, the apples were soft and warm, and there was the perfect blend of sugar and cinnamon. He swallowed, watching Maggie's thoughtful expression as she ate his pie.

  She let out a sigh. "Well, that was…"

  "Good?" he suggested.

  "Amazing," she admitted. "Maybe the best apple pie I've ever had."

  "We haven't tried yours yet."

  "I can't imagine my pie is going to beat this one."

  "Let's find out." He tried Maggie's pie, happier that it wasn't as bad as the last pie he'd tasted, but the apples were a little too crunchy and there was some odd flavor that just didn't blend well with the fruit.

  Maggie swallowed her bite, then took her plate over to the garbage and dumped it into the trash.

  "It's not that bad," he said.

  "Don't lie. It's terrible. Why were your apples more done than mine? They cooked for the same amount of time."

  "I cut the slices smaller, and I used a different brand of apple that was juicier. Did you add something besides cinnamon and sugar to the filling? There's a taste I can't place."

  "I added some caramel to the filling and some oats to the pie crust."

  Which explained why the crust tasted off, too. "Why don't you use my recipe, Maggie? I can show you how to make it."

  "But then it won't be mine—it will be yours."

  The keen disappointment in her voice told him her emotional reaction was about more than a pie. "What's this really about, Maggie? Because I know it's not about pie. Is it about your mom?"

  "Yes. I want to keep some of my mom's traditions alive, but I can't seem to do that. I wish I'd paid more attention when she was baking. I wish I'd asked her more questions. I should have been more willing to let her teach me what she knew."

  "So, you feel guilty about the time you didn't spend with your mom."

  "I was a selfish kid. I took her for granted."

  "Every kid does that. You told me you and your mom were close."

  "We were close but obviously not close enough, because I can't make her damn pie." She furiously blinked the moisture from her eyes.

  "I know that I can't talk you out of feeling guilty, Maggie, but I have to say that I don't believe your mother's dream for you was to be able to make her apple pie. I'm sure she wanted you to have your own dreams, to be yourself, not her. Don't make the pie more important than it is. If you can't replicate it, so what? You probably do a lot of things better than her." As he finished speaking, he realized he hadn't felt so determined to make someone feel better than he did right now. He also hadn't gotten this involved in someone else's personal business in a very long time—if ever.

  "You're right, Cole. My mom always wanted me to reach for the stars. She wouldn't care that I couldn't make a pie. In fact, she knew I was pretty bad at baking. Why am I trying to honor her memory by pretending to be her? I need to be me."

  "That's what I'm saying."

  "It all began when I moved out of the city and into this house. I starte
d thinking about settling down, making a home for the rest of my family the way my mom did." She met his gaze. "And for some reason, I missed her more when I got here, maybe because I didn't have any roommates to distract me, and because my dad and brothers are so far away."

  "You're always going to miss her. Just don't keep kicking yourself for not being the perfect kid, because no child is perfect. I certainly wasn't. And I'm betting your brothers weren't, either."

  "They were far from perfect," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But they do honor my dad's legacy by following in his footsteps. I guess I was trying to follow in my mom's footsteps, but we just aren't good at the same things." She drew in a breath and let it out. "Okay, I'm done with the pie."

  "Hallelujah."

  She smiled. "But I'm still taking the pumpkin to the Harvest Festival. I didn't spend all summer babysitting that pumpkin for nothing."

  "You should do whatever you want to do—that's the point."

  "Thanks, Cole. I must admit, I really didn't think you were going to be the person to hold a mirror up for me to look into."

  "I'm not usually the person who does that, but here we are."

  "Here we are," she echoed.

  The air crackled between them. He wanted to kiss her again. And he was even tempted to say to hell with the playoffs if he could take her to bed, but she was already talking again.

  "We should get going," she said. "There could be a lot of traffic heading into the city. I'm going to grab a sweater and change my top. Do you need to stop by the hotel?"

  "No, I'm good. I'll clean up in here."

  "I can do that later."

  "Go," he said, waving her away. "It's the least I can do."

  She paused in the doorway. "You've done a lot more than you might think."

  "It's easier to see what other people are doing wrong."

  "Well, maybe someday I can return the favor and hold up a mirror for you to look into."

  "I hope not," he said somewhat fervently.

  She laughed. "Better at dishing it out than taking it?"

  "You know it."

  He smiled to himself as she left the room, and as he rinsed the plates and set them in the dishwasher, he couldn't help thinking that Maggie's charming little cottage felt more like a home than the mansion he used to live in. But he couldn't get too comfortable. He was done with home ownership, lawns that needed mowing, rooms that needed decorating, mortgages that needed paying. Maggie might want all that, but he didn't, and he couldn't forget that.

  * * *

  The drive to the San Francisco ballpark took about an hour and a half with only the Bay Bridge traffic slowing them down. On the way, Cole entertained Maggie with tales from the road. He'd definitely been a lot of interesting places over the past few years, and he had met some crazy people. One thing she was beginning to realize about Cole was that he'd didn't just travel and observe; he participated. He talked to people because he was genuinely interested in their lives.

  "You have something in common with your aunt," she said, as they drove into the parking lot at the ballpark.

  "What's that?"

  "You like to get to know people for who they are. She always makes a point of talking to the staff, asking them questions, learning about their families. It makes her feel like a friend, not just a boss, and you do the same thing."

  "I didn't for a long time. I was caught up in spreadsheets and profit and loss estimations. The part I enjoyed most about being a venture capitalist was being able to make someone's dream a reality, but that was about fifteen percent of my job, and the rest was cold-blooded analysis. Although I rose high within the firm, I didn't have the final say, and sometimes the people I wanted to fund I couldn't."

  "That must have been disappointing."

  "It's always disappointing when you can't convince someone of your point of view."

  "Very true. Looks like a big crowd," she added, as she slowly maneuvered her way through the crowded lot.

  "Big game today," he said, a light of excitement in his eyes.

  "You look pretty happy to be here."

  "There's nothing better than a playoff game. Do you know Kingsley pretty well?"

  "Well enough. He's a great guy, very down-to-earth, not at all cocky. And he treats Julie like she's gold. I'm so glad they found each other. It was a little rough at first, because Julie's dad was a ballplayer and he wasn't a great family man, so Julie wasn't sure she wanted to give Matt a chance. But he persuaded her to do so, and they're getting married in December. I will be a bridesmaid for the fourth time in a year and a half."

  "Seriously? That's a lot."

  "And there's no end in sight. One of my other friends, Isabella, just got engaged, so that will be number five. I don't think she's set a date yet, but it will probably be around Valentine's Day. I was part of a really close group of friends in college. We met freshman year in the dorms. After graduation, we vowed that we would stay in touch, and no matter where we were, we'd stand up for each other in our weddings."

  "How many are in the group?"

  "Eight including me, so that will be seven bridesmaids dresses."

  "Hope you're saving some of your paychecks for weddings."

  "I am. It does get expensive, but I love my friends. I want to be there for them on an important day in their lives. You'll get to meet a couple of them today. Along with Julie who will, of course, be there to root on her soon-to-be husband, Liz is coming with her husband Michael, and Kate and Jessica will be there, along with Jessica's seven-year-old son Brandon."

  "Sounds like a crowd. What can you tell me about the others?"

  "Liz is in public relations with her husband Michael Stafford. Michael used to play football before he had to retire due to an injury."

  Cole raised an eyebrow. "Another pro athlete?"

  She smiled. "Yes, but Liz and Michael actually fell in love in high school; they just didn't realize it until they met up again last year. Then there's Kate. She's a wedding planner and single. She lives in San Francisco. Jessica is a teacher and lives in San Diego, but she's apparently thinking of coming back to the Bay Area. She's a single mom. She married her college boyfriend in a civil ceremony our senior year, and none of us were in the wedding. You can say it's a coincidence…but she got divorced a year later."

  "I could also say it was a case of being too young," he said dryly.

  "That, too," she agreed. "Anyway, after we all missed her wedding, we made the agreement not to let that happen again. Hopefully, Jessica will get married again someday and we can do it right." She pulled into a spot, and they got out of the car.

  As they walked toward the ballpark, Cole slipped his hand into hers, and she liked his warm grip a lot. She couldn't remember the last time she'd held hands with a man. It was such a simple thing and yet it felt intimate, as if she and Cole were alone in the middle of the huge crowd. Only, she wasn't alone. She had a gorgeous man walking with her.

  But for how long?

  She shoved the question aside. Today she was going to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow.

  Chapter Ten

  Cole squeezed Maggie's fingers as they made their way through security and into the ballpark. The stadium was packed, and the atmosphere was energized. He hadn't been to a baseball game in a while, and he was excited to be part of the playoff action.

  The San Francisco Stadium was only five years old, so he'd never been inside, and he had to admit he was impressed by the layout of the seats set close to the action and the views out to centerfield and the San Francisco Bay beyond.

  Maggie led him down to a box of eight seats just behind the home team dugout. Two pretty blondes and a rugged-looking male greeted them.

  After Maggie hugged her friends, she made the introductions. "This is Julie, Matt's fiancée, and Liz and Michael Stafford. This is Cole Hastings."

  "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking hands with Michael and smiling at the women.

  "Hey, don't leave us out," a da
rk-haired, dark-eyed woman interrupted.

  "Sorry, I didn't see you guys," Maggie said, stepping into the aisle to greet the new arrival and her son. "Cole, this is Jessica and her son Brandon. This is my friend Cole Hastings."

  "Jessica, Brandon," he echoed, very aware that Maggie's friends were giving him the once-over. That was fine. He liked protective friends, especially where Maggie was concerned. She might be a little too friendly and trusting for her own good.

  "I'm so glad you could all come," Julie said. "These games are getting so stressful for me. I need some friendly distractions, or I'll bite my nails down to the quick."

  "We're here for you," Maggie said.

  "Who wants food and drinks?" Michael asked. "I'm going to make a snack bar run."

  "I'm good," Julie said. "I'll eat later when the Cougars have a comfortable lead and Matt has had a couple of good at bats."

  Maggie looked at Cole. "Are you hungry?"

  "Starving. How about you?"

  "I would love a hot dog and garlic fries."

  He laughed. "A girl after my own heart."

  She smiled. "Sometimes I have the diet of a twelve-year-old."

  "Me, too. I'll go with Michael," he said.

  "Thanks."

  Cole followed Michael up to the snack bar where they found a very long line. "So how do you know Maggie?" Michael asked as they settled in for a wait.

  "We met a few days ago. My aunt owns the hotel where she works—the Stratton."

  "I love the Stratton. Liz and I got married there. We had our reception in the garden. It was wonderful. Your aunt is Ida Stratton?"

  "Yes."

  "She was amazing. She gave us a free room and sent champagne and chocolates to us just because we were Maggie's friends."

  "That sounds like my aunt. She's very generous, and she loves love and weddings."

  "What woman doesn't?" Michael asked with a laugh. "Liz's friends are starting to make a lot of trips down the aisle. Every time we get together we're talking about someone's wedding plans."