Catching Heat

by Alison Packard

  J.T. took note of the tightness of Justin’s jaw and his evasive gaze, but didn’t press him. Knowing his brother, he was probably antsy that he was still officially on medical leave. It had to be killing him that he had a couple more weeks of recuperation before he could return to work.

  “How are doing?” Justin asked.

  “Better than you. Does it still hurt?”

  Justin winced as he stretched out his leg. “I might have given up the crutch too soon.”

  J.T. feigned a jaw drop. “Are you admitting the almighty Justin Sawyer might actually be human?”

  His brother shot him a wry grin as he settled back against the recliner. “I’m flesh and blood like anyone else, bro.”

  “Don’t worry,” J.T. assured him. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  Justin studied him with enigmatic eyes. “I’m sorry for the crack I made at breakfast. You know, about Angie.”

  “All right. Where’s my brother, and what have you done with him?” J.T. asked, and then chuckled as amusement quirked Justin’s mouth.

  “Jake said you’re staying with him for a while,” Justin said as he pushed the recliner back into a lounging position.

  “I need some time to think.”

  “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do?”

  “Nope.”

  “For the record, I wish I’d been wrong about her.” J.T. was surprised at the sincerity in Justin’s voice. It wasn’t a common occurrence.

  “You are wrong about her,” J.T. said, and then looked at the television. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to Justin how he’d manipulated Angie into marrying him. If anyone’s motives had been questionable, it was his.

  Later in the afternoon, the drive back to Jake’s house was a quiet one. J.T. sat in the passenger seat of Jake’s Land Rover unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

  “What did I say about Angie?”

  Jake shot him a quick glance. “What?”

  “Last night you said you found me drunk at Timbers back in July and that I was talking about Angie. What did I say?”

  “You were wasted, most of it was gibberish.”

  “If it was gibberish then why’d you bring it up last night?” J.T. shifted in his seat to turn down the radio Jake had set to his favorite classic rock station. “C’mon, man. What’d I say?”

  “Something along the lines that the love of your life and the future mother of your children didn’t even know you were alive. And that somehow you were going to find a way to get her to go out with you.”

  “Shit.” J.T. shook his head. Drinking over his limit never failed to produce some sort of embarrassing situation. “That sounds pathetic and stalkerish at the same time.”

  “Tell me about it. You also said that you were going to knock some accountant’s block off.”

  J.T. couldn’t contain a grin. “That would be Scott. I’d just found out from one of the guys in the clubhouse that Angie was dating him,” he said as he adjusted the strap of his seatbelt.

  “I’m beginning to think you subconsciously forgot to use a condom the night you slept with her.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  Jake shrugged as he idly tapped his index finger on the steering wheel. “Have you ever not used one before?”

  “No.”

  “Then why take the chance with Angie?”

  J.T. stared out the windshield. There wasn’t another soul on the road. The holiday and the unseasonably cold weather had turned Jake’s neighborhood—not too far from J.T.’s—into a ghost town. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. After months of avoiding me, there she was, in my bedroom. I swear, a fucking bomb could have gone off outside the building and I wouldn’t have noticed. But it’s a stretch to say I had some sort of hidden agenda to get her pregnant. Kids weren’t even on my radar.”

  Jake pulled to a stop at a red light. “But Angie was. Look, whether you intended for her to get pregnant or not is moot. You were into her even back then. Just be honest with her and tell her you love her.”

  J.T. raked a hand through his hair. “The trouble is as much as I love her, I don’t want to give up my dreams, and I’m not sure I can successfully manage both a family and baseball.”

  Jake turned and looked at him, his expression somber. “Maybe you need to dig a little deeper to resolve this conflict.”

  “Who are you? Dr. Phil?”

  “Do I look bald to you?” Jake shot him a grin.

  “Give it a couple of years,” J.T. said, and was rewarded with a punch in the arm.

  * * *

  To keep her mind off the fact that she was alone on Christmas Day, Angie had spent most of the day in the kitchen, baking. She started with Grandma Sophia’s cinnamon-apple coffee cake and ended with black and white cookies. In between, she whipped up a few batches of muffins and scones and planned to take them over to Sharon’s café early the next morning.

  She’d just dried the last baking pan when her cell phone rang. Her heartbeat accelerated as she picked it up off the counter and checked the caller ID. Her hopes were dashed when instead of J.T.’s name, it was her sister’s she saw on the small screen.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said as she moved to the kitchen table and sat down. “Was Santa good to you?”

  “I don’t know about Santa,” Livvie said, with a tinkling laugh. “But I loved the charm bracelet a certain sister gave me. Thank you so much. It’s beautiful.”

  Angie smiled, pleased that Livvie liked the gift. She’d picked out a few special charms that reminded her of her sister, but there was still plenty of space on the bracelet for Livvie to make it uniquely hers by adding her own. “You’re welcome.”

  “Did you like your present?”

  Biting her lip, Angie hesitated. She didn’t want Livvie to know that she could barely look at the Christmas tree let alone open gifts. “Not yet,” she said, with false brightness. “I’ve been baking all day. But just as soon as I finish up in the kitchen I’m going to open it.”

  “I’m really sorry about last night.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, sweetie.”

  “Angie, I’m worried about Mom,” Livvie said in a low voice. Probably because the walls of her bedroom were paper thin and their mother had excellent hearing.

  “Why?”

  “She never used to be this bad, or maybe I just wasn’t old enough to notice. What she did last night was rude times twenty. I was so embarrassed.”

  “Me too.”

  “Is it true that J.T. is cheating on you?”

  Angie’s grip tightened on the phone. Damn her mother. “Why would you think that?”

  “Mom told me ballplayers have groupies in every city.”

  “Some of them do, but J.T. isn’t like that.”

  “You mean he’s not like Daddy?” An awkward pause ensued before Livvie continued, “You don’t have to protect me anymore, Angie. I overheard you and Mom talking a few months ago. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going on. And I’d suspected for a while that Daddy was seeing another woman and that’s why they split up.”

  More like seeing dozens of other women. But Livvie didn’t need to know all the gory details. “He hurt her badly.”

  “She could have left him.”

  “That’s true. I’m not sure why she didn’t.”

  “But it’s wrong to assume all men are like he was. I mean, J.T. is super nice, and Josh is too. Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”

  “He just broke up with his high school girlfriend. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason,” Livvie replied quickly. “He just seems like the kind of guy who would have a girlfriend.” After a short silence, Livvie continued in a pensive tone, “Are you and J.T. getting a divorce?”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  “So, it’s not true then? You didn’t plan to leave him after the baby’s born?”

  “No. That part is true, but that was before I discovered what a wonderful man he is. I love him, L
ivvie, and I’m going to do my best to make our marriage work.”

  “If anyone can do it, you can.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Angie said, absently twining a lock of hair around her finger. “I hope you know you can do anything too. Even become a fashion designer, if that’s what you really want to do.”

  “Mom says that’s a tough business to make a living in.”

  “She’s right, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t be successful at it. If it’s what you love to do and you’re passionate about it, then you should go for it. Don’t give up on your dreams.”

  * * *

  Not long after her conversation with Livvie, Angie left the kitchen and headed for the living room to turn off the lights on the Christmas tree before going up to bed. J.T. had set them up so that they could be turned on or off by tapping a device placed near the base of the tree with her foot. She was about to tap the button when she noticed a small gift box nestled between two of the several presents that she and J.T. had wrapped and intended to take over to the Sawyer house this morning. She assumed that J.T. had gone to his parents’ house for breakfast as they’d planned, but he hadn’t stopped by to pick up the gifts. And since she didn’t have the nerve to face J.T.’s family, here they sat, a sad reminder that the lovely Christmas she’d anticipated had been ruined.

  Bending slightly, she retrieved the mystery gift and studied it. The silver foil wrapping paper was different than what she’d purchased and the blue ribbon and small bow didn’t match any of the bows she’d fashioned by hand for each gift under the tree. Years ago, Grandma Sophia had shown her how to make the perfect bow, and to this day. Angie remembered her grandmother’s infinite patience as she tried over and over again to make hers just as beautiful as the woman she adored and looked up to. So many of the things she loved to do were a direct result of her grandmother’s influence. The only thing Grandma Sophia hadn’t been able to do was prevent Angie from becoming almost as bitter as her mother. Sadly, it turned out their shared distrust of men had been the only thing that Angie had in common with her mother. Without that to bond them, could they ever have a relationship again? And more importantly, did she want one?

  Moving to the couch, Angie sank to the cushion and turned the present over to find a small envelope—the size that usually came with flowers—tucked snugly under the ribbon. She pulled it out and her pulse heightened as she saw her name written on the envelope in J.T.’s handwriting. She set the gift on her lap and lifted the flap to pull out the card.

  Angie,

  What’s inside this box reminds me of your eyes. Clear, blue and sparkling.

  Merry Christmas to my beautiful wife, and the mother of my child.

  J.T.

  Tears filled her eyes until the words in front of her blurred. She blinked to keep them from spilling down her cheeks and exchanged the card and envelope for the small box on her lap. As she slipped off the bow, it occurred to her that J.T. might have changed his mind about giving her the gift, but that didn’t stop her from tearing off the paper and lifting the lid—emblazoned with the name of a well-known Sacramento jeweler—from the box.

  She gasped at the sight of the pendent nestled inside. The white gold swirl filigree resembled a backward S and in each curve there was an oval aquamarine gemstone set inside. Attached to the pendent was a chain. Angie tucked her finger underneath it and lifted the necklace from the box. Holding it up, her heart swelled with happiness at J.T.’s thoughtfulness.

  With shaky fingers she undid the clasp and after pushing aside her mass of hair, she managed to put it on. Lifting her hand to her upper chest, she caressed the pendent and wished with all of her heart that just like her wedding ring, she’d never have to take it off.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The day after Christmas, Angie pulled her Jetta into an unoccupied parking space directly in front of River City Coffee and turned off the engine. A few minutes later, she’d retrieved the two plastic containers from the trunk and entered the café to find her mother-in-law behind the counter helping a customer.

  “I told you the muffins would be here shortly,” Sharon said to the woman bundled up one of those puffy parkas that made whoever wore them look five times bigger than they actually were.

  The woman turned and smiled at Angie. “Are you the baker?” she asked as she drew off her gloves.

  “Yes.” Angie moved to stand beside the customer and slid the containers onto the counter.

  “I love everything you make.”

  “Thank you.” Angie returned the woman’s smile, unexpectedly pleased by her sincere compliment. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

  “What did you bring me today?” Sharon asked.

  “Mixed berry muffins, apple-cinnamon coffee cake and chocolate chip scones.”

  “I’ll have a muffin. I’d love to have one of each.” The woman’s smile turned sheepish. “But my hips don’t need it.”

  Angie laughed and looked toward the door as it opened and a gust of cold air blew in. Her smile faded as Justin entered and closed the door behind him. As evidenced by his sullen expression, he was just as displeased to see her as she was to see him.

  Sharon nodded at her son then gave her customer her full attention. “Would you like your usual coffee, Terri?”

  “Yes. I’m early today. I think I’ll drink my coffee and eat my muffin here rather than go to the office.” Terri opened her purse, pulled out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to Sharon.

  “Why don’t you grab a table? I’ll bring your order over. Shall I warm the muffin for you?” Sharon asked as she rang up the coffee and muffin on the cash register and then gave Terri her change.

  “I’d love that.” Terri dropped her change into her purse and turned toward Angie as Justin moved to stand behind them. “Do you do special orders?”

  “Oh, I’m not in business for myself. I’m just helping out for a while.”

  Terri frowned. “That’s too bad. I arrange a lot of meetings where I work and your stuff would be a big hit. If you ever set up shop let me know.” Terri reached back into her purse and pulled out a business card.

  “Thanks. I’ll do that.” Angie took the card and slipped it into her coat pocket. Terri cast a smile at Justin before moving to a table near the window. Another customer, a woman sitting nearby, looked up from her laptop and gave Terri a friendly nod before lowering her gaze to the screen in front of her.

  “Looks like you’ll have a profession to fall back on when J.T. divorces you,” Justin said, with a smirk.

  “Justin.” Sharon’s tone held a warning. She popped a muffin in the microwave, pressed a button and then picked up a to-go cup and began to fill it with coffee from a pot next to the microwave.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” He turned as the door opened and as two young men wearing black knit caps and baggy gray sweatshirts entered the café. They stopped near the entrance and looked up at the chalk board that listed the menu selections. Justin’s gaze narrowed and lingered on them for several seconds before he returned his attention to her. “How was your Christmas?”

  “I think you know how my Christmas was.” Angie shot him a death stare. Justin didn’t seem particularly bothered. He glanced at the two men again and then moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the two new customers.

  “Mom! Get down!” Startled by Justin’s urgent command, Angie let out a yelp of surprise as his strong fingers wrapped around her forearm and he hauled her around the counter. “Damn it, get down,” he yelled again. Angie saw the two men draw guns from the pockets of their sweatshirts and point them toward the back of the store. Icy fear gripped her body as a hail of bullets shattered the glass of the display counter and the shards flew everywhere. Something hot and sharp stung her upper arm as Justin pushed her down and she fell to the floor in a heap. The noise was deafening. She heard feminine screams and shook with fear as the two gunmen continued firing. With Justin’s solid weight shielding her, she buried her face
to the floor and prayed for the shooting to stop.

  * * *

  Usually when he ran, J.T. was able to clear his mind and focus on getting his miles in. Unlike Matt, he wasn’t a fan of distance running, but in his profession it was a necessary evil. Although he preferred to do his miles outdoors, today the freezing temperature had kept him inside and he was one of only a handful of people at Jake’s gym who were exercising the day after Christmas.

  As he sprinted on his favorite treadmill in the back of the cardio room, J.T. stared straight ahead, ignoring the bank of flat panel televisions mounted high on the wall at the front of the room. According to Jake, the televisions were a big hit with his members. Each one was tuned to a different channel. If a member wanted to watch and listen to one of the channels all they had to do was plug their earphones into a remote device attached to whatever piece of equipment they were using and press a numbered button for the corresponding television.

  J.T. preferred to listen to music when he ran, but not the classic rock that Jake had piped in to the entire gym. Instead, J.T. had attached his audio player to the waistband of his sweats and was listening to Metallica. There was nothing like heavy metal to drive everything else from his mind. And that’s exactly what he needed—a blank mind. He didn’t want to think about Angie, or that he still had three miles to go before he was done.

  But even the driving beat of Enter Sandman couldn’t stop him from thinking about his marriage.

  He wanted to believe that Angie loved him and that she was committed to their marriage. But he didn’t want to wake up one morning, months from now, and find that she resented him. He wasn’t a normal husband with a predictable nine to five job. His schedule during the season was erratic, which made it tough to have a relationship, let alone a family. It would kill him if he came back from training camp, or a long lonely road trip, only to find she’d taken their daughter and left him.