Winning Streak

by Alice Ward

  I moved out of the way, motioned for her to enter, and grabbed the other wine glass from the counter. “Wine?” I asked.

  She nodded, looking around the room with judgment in her eyes. “What? It’s probably bigger than your new place,” I snapped, hating myself for being so cold. “I’m sorry.” My eyes filled with tears as I quickly apologized and handed her the wine.

  Her nails were still perfectly manicured, her makeup looked professionally applied. I wondered if she was doing it all herself now, but after my last comment was afraid to ask. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched her expression soften on me. “Honey, I’m so very sorry about what happened,” she said softly.

  Tears fell down my cheeks, burning my skin with their heat. “He’s such an asshole,” I scoffed as her arms reached out and pulled me into her full chest. The perfume was unfamiliar, probably a knockoff brand from a designer I’d never heard of. Yes, things were changing. Soon Janice Delaney would be exposed, just as I was. Her expensive makeup would run out, her clothes would become outdated, and someone would catch her walking into Great Clips to get her weekly haircut. The thought of it made my stomach turn.

  “He’s not an asshole. He’s a good man, a good father. He’s just looking out for his little girl.”

  Her hand brushed my hair, spreading it down my back and straightening it with her fingers. “How can you be so calm about this?” I asked.

  “I love your father. It was never about money,” she replied.

  “It’s not about Todd’s money, but he’ll never believe that now,” I sobbed into my mother’s arms.

  “If it’s meant to be, it will be,” she said so calmly that it felt like it must be true.

  She kissed me softly on the cheek, squeezed me tightly, then gave me her favorite motherly look. I hated it at that moment. It was the one that said everything would be okay. I didn’t believe that. No part of me believed that.

  This wasn’t even my secret, and yet here I was, the one suffering from the lie I had to keep.

  I promised to forgive my dad, kissed my mother goodbye, and fell onto my bed. It was so empty, larger than I remembered without Todd beside me. I thought about him lying alone in his room, probably sick. He needed me, but he was too stubborn, too mad, too betrayed to admit it.

  When my eyes opened to a new day, I decided to put everything behind me. What my mother said was true… if it was meant to be, it would be. There was nothing I could say or do at this point to change how Todd felt. He’d have to decide if he wanted to trust me again.

  My agenda pointed to Kane Steele for the next interview. He was at the bar last night, and in the light of day, I hated to face him. Suck it up, Katrina. You have a job to do.

  The guys had an off day, so I knew I’d find Kane in his room. I dialed his extension, but almost hung up when his deep voice uttered, “Hello.”

  “This is Katrina Delaney.” I felt foolish as I said it. Of course he knew who I was.

  “Hey, Katrina. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. It’s great. I just have you set for an interview. I thought since you’re not practicing today it’d be a good time.”

  “Absolutely. How about lunch by the pool around noon?” he asked.

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “Hey, Katrina. Are you sure you’re okay?” The concern in his voice made my eyes start to well up with tears.

  “Yes. Thank you for all your help last night,” I said, quickly hanging up before I began to cry.

  I shoved my knuckles into my eye sockets, pushing back the flood of tears fighting to escape. A deep breath, a sip of the wine from the glass left on the table, and I was ready to dig into everything I knew about Kane Steele.

  What did I know about the man? First baseman, one hell of an arm, and a switch hitter. He was recruited personally by Rhett, fresh from the minors. He was hot, real hot. His personality oozed charm, but he was quiet most times, not a ladies' man or player like Ace Newman in his hay day.

  I scrolled through the social media pages, searching for everything I could find on Kane. A younger brother, just as cute as him, parents who looked to be happily married, and a dog named Sam. He seemed to be perfect. This should be an easy interview.

  He wasn’t exactly the player that Rhett needed me to micromanage, but I knew he’d want to have something edgy to show off. Players without some sort of edge just weren’t Beasts, so why did Rhett choose Kane? And what was he hiding?

  Shit! It was eleven forty-five, and I wasn’t even dressed. I’d gotten lost in Kane’s pages, scrolling through his friends list looking for any skeletons that might be lurking in the shadows. I couldn’t find anything. He had a high school sweetheart, Sara. She was blonde, petite, and of course, a cheerleader. Their prom picture was adorable, and from what I could tell they were still great friends. No other women in the past that I could see, at least not anyone substantial. Hmm, guess I’d have to ask him myself.

  My eyes were puffy and red, my hair still frizzed from sleeping so restlessly. I looked dreadful. I slapped on some foundation, a small amount of lipstick, and slid on a pair of shorts and tank top before running out the door. I dragged the brush through my hair as the elevator lowered me to the lobby and dabbed on perfume as I rushed through the long corridor to the pool area.

  Two women walked by me as I neared the wide glass doors leading to the patio. “I’d like to climb that tree,” one said, the other giggled.

  Of course, Kane sat at a table with the umbrella drawn. He was obviously the tree the woman spoke of. He was striking. His tanned skin rolled over the ripples his muscles formed, his green eyes glistened in the sunlight, bright and full of mystery. I fussed with my hair, pressed the wrinkles from my tank top with my fingers, and headed in his direction.

  He stood, tall, intimidatingly handsome with no shirt. I’d never seen him with so little clothes. I'd learned to stay out of the men’s locker rooms after practice, having caught a glimpse of Ace’s cock for a brief second during my first week. Wow.

  “I remembered you liked crab cakes, so I ordered for us if that’s okay,” he said sweetly.

  I’d add attentive and thoughtful to my list of things I knew about Kane Steele. “Of course. I’m starving.”

  Normally I’d have found a man ordering for me pretentious, but not today, and not Kane. It was sweet he’d remembered something I’d ordered on the one occasion I’d eaten with the team. Given the fact I’d skipped breakfast, not having to wait was perfect.

  “So how do we do this?” Kane asked, pulling out a chair for me to sit next to him.

  “I have to admit, I stalked your pages. You have a pretty squeaky clean life.”

  “Well, that’s great for you, isn’t it?”

  “Sure. But there has to be something edgy going on with you,” I said as playfully as I could without sounding pushy.

  “Not a lot of edges here,” he laughed, laying a hand on his stomach.

  Plenty of ripples though.

  “I noticed you’re still friends with your high school sweetheart.” I jumped right into it.

  He laughed. A waitress with huge breasts and her top opened enough to expose her deep cleavage showed up with two plates of crab cakes and two Bloody Marys. “Hair of the dog,” Kane said with a smile.

  The woman lingered, glaring at me with a fake smile, and fawning all over Kane as she asked him what else he needed. Not you sweetie, move along.

  “Yes, we’re still friends. Is that bad?”

  I watched him sip on the drink, pushing the umbrella to the side. “Not at all, but why didn’t you stay together?” I asked.

  “She went to school in Boston. I stayed in California to play in the minors. She wanted kids, I wanted a baseball career.”

  His answer was so levelheaded. I couldn’t believe he was still only twenty-four. He oozed maturity. Especially for a major league baseball player.

  “So, no girlfriends since…?” I pushed a little deeper.

  His laugh was so dee
p it vibrated my soul. I shoved a bite of the crab cake into my mouth to avoid jumping from the topic. I wanted to hear this answer.

  “Yes, there have been women,” he said with a slyness that intrigued me.

  “I said girlfriends, not women.”

  That laugh again. I didn’t understand why I hadn’t felt any sexual attraction toward him, and still didn’t. He was one of the sexiest men I’d ever laid eyes on, almost as sexy as Todd.

  “I’m not ready for that,” he said quickly, too quickly.

  Not ready for a girlfriend, at twenty-four? I hadn't asked him about a wife, a family…

  “Okay, fair enough.” I decided not to push.

  Women walked by, all ogling in his direction, but he didn’t seem to notice. His attention stayed on me, even when the big-busted waitress returned with our second drinks.

  “I get the feeling there aren’t any skeletons in your closet,” I teased.

  His eyes narrowed, his chin tightened, and a small, faint smile appeared on his face. I watched as his eyes sized me up as if he was ready to spill something juicy. “We all have skeletons,” he said softly.

  “Todd will come around,” he said, resting his hand on my bare knee.

  Goosebumps spread across my skin, not from his touch, but his words. I’d done well to not think of Todd during our interview, but now it was unavoidable. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to fight them away. “I think my skeletons were too much for him to bear.”

  “I don’t think it was the skeletons, just the fact you didn’t tell him,” Kane stated sternly.

  “I couldn’t,” my voice choked as I spoke.

  There was no use fighting the tears, they were already rushing down my cheeks. Kane leaned in, wrapped his strong arms around me, and pulled me close. My sobs grew quickly in his comforting arms, my body vibrating with pain as the hurt from losing Todd surfaced once again.

  “Do you love him?” he asked.

  His hand brushed my hair flat against my back, then moved to pull the stragglers away from my wet face. “Yes,” I gasped, admitting it even to myself for the first time.

  His squeeze tightened as he pulled me closer to his chest. I could feel the compassion, the empathy in his embrace. “I didn’t realize it was serious,” he whispered.

  I guess I hadn’t either. It was fun, but serious? It was Todd Morris, adrenaline junkie. I guess I'd assumed he would tire of me once the thrill of sneaking around was gone, and it was best not to get too close. But I did. I let my guard down, and my heart now bled for him.

  “After seeing him drown in alcohol last night, I wondered if it was more than just a hookup.” Kane’s deep voice vibrated through his chest against my cheek. “I’ll talk to him for you,” Kane promised, caressing my back gently with his large hand. I didn’t want to let go. He was comforting, warm, and it felt good to have someone understand my side. I didn’t lie, not really. It was just a huge misunderstanding.

  Kane’s body tensed, and his grip around me loosened. My heart raced as I slowly pulled away, turning to see Todd standing behind my chair. Not again! I was practically in Kane’s lap as I sucked up the sympathy he offered. It wasn’t what it looked like, but I knew what it looked like.

  Todd’s eyes were dark and empty, and a strange smirk spread across his face. He shook his head, chuckled, and turned to walk away. I knew better than to chase after him. I let him go. This was a mess. One I continued to make bigger and bigger. There was nothing I could do, except watch him walk away from me, out of my life for good.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Todd

  What the fuck did I do?

  My head was killing me as I stepped into the elevator. Thank God we didn’t have practice or a game today. As the lights passed Kat’s floor, my heart sunk a little deeper into my chest. Those strings she’d tied to it were tugging hard this morning.

  Why did I let her leave?

  Orange juice, maybe a splash of vodka to ease the pain, and a couple aspirin, then I’d hunt her down. We needed to talk. After last night, her display of selflessness in front of the guys, that meant something. I knew it. I was just too angry to deal with it last night. In the light of day, things were a little clearer.

  “Good morning,” a little blonde behind the bar spouted with a perkiness that made my head pound harder.

  “You have any aspirin back there?” I asked.

  “Sure. Hair of the dog?” she asked, still far too perky for my tolerance level this morning.

  “Please. Orange juice, just a splash of vodka,” I ordered.

  I watched her pour the vodka into my glass. It was more than I'd ordered, more than I wanted. But, maybe I needed it. I left a twenty on the bar, took my glass, and headed outside. Vitamin D from the sunshine always helped soothe a hangover, and this one was a doozy.

  My eyes squinted at the bright sun as I walked out by the pool. Several women were lounging in chairs, tanning even though it was still considered cool in Florida. I looked for a table, something with an umbrella to block the sun from directly blasting into my eyes when I saw her, them.

  Kane Steele, that smooth son of a bitch had Kat nearly in his lap while he embraced her, caressed her, and comforted her. What the fuck?

  I popped the aspirin in my mouth, downed my drink, and walked toward them. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna say or do. The closer I got, the more my mind raced with doubts about Kat.

  “Go with your first instinct, kid.” Words from my first coach rang in my head. What was my first instinct about Kat? Was it when we first met, when I trusted her? Or was it yesterday, when I overheard her lies unfolding? It certainly wasn’t earlier, when I was on my way to find her, to listen to her, to apologize for being a dick.

  Watching her cuddled up in Kane’s arms, sniffling like a wounded kitten made my stomach flop. I guess fear of heights worked for me, but now she had to pull out the helpless little girl routine to win over Kane. Good luck, buddy!

  When Kane’s eyes met with mine, it was obvious he was uncomfortable. When Kat’s eyes finally turned to me, she was obviously mortified. Good. Good riddance.

  There was nothing to say. I shook my head and walked away. Don’t be played a fool twice, Morris.

  I didn’t want to go back to my room, and I certainly wasn’t going back out to the pool. I needed something to take this edge off, to mask the pain. I pulled my phone from my pocket and began scrolling through nearby activities. Richard Petty’s Driving Experience looked good. I dialed the number and spoke to a woman on the other end who informed me it was booked for the day. Fuck!

  My heart raced and sweat formed around my brow. Skydiving? That was risky, but I didn’t care. Fuck baseball, fuck everything!

  Out of season bastards were either closed or booked. The closest place I could find was over a hundred miles away. While scrolling through the tourist pages, a Harley rental ad popped up. A bike ride always managed to calm me down, and Volusia County provided a variety of fun roads to travel. My thumb hit the call button. A man answered, he was helpful, agreeable, and told me to come on in. I’d already returned the Corvette so a cab would have to do.

  I wondered if Kat was still out there with Kane, in his arms, crying even harder about how bad she felt. Yeah right! All part of the game, kitten. I’m on to you.

  Finally, my cab arrived. A dark-skinned man with a turban wrapped tightly on his head greeted me with a thick accent. “Ahhha, I know who you are,” he said, his smile displaying the yellow teeth in his mouth. I nodded, not in the mood for small talk. “You’re the big baseball star. Morris, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” I said, sliding into the back seat.

  The man rattled off stats the entire drive, telling me how big a fan he was of mine. Usually, I was friendlier to my fans, but today I just didn’t give a shit. I scratched my autograph on a brochure I found in his backseat and handed it to him. “Thanks,” I said, handing him a twenty and climbing from his musty backseat.

  I wasn’t exactly
dressed for a bike ride, jeans, t-shirt, and yeah, fuckin’ sandals. I had my credit card, so that was an easy fix. “You the one I spoke to earlier about the Super Glide?” I asked the large man behind the counter.

  “Sure am.” He perked up when he looked up and saw me. It was obvious he recognized me.

  “Shit, you’re not gonna get me in trouble are ya?” he asked with a chuckle.

  I reached for my wallet, pulled out my card, and handed it to him. “I’m gonna need some socks, boots, a jacket, and charge me for whatever it will take to change my name to Dave Peters or Marty Perkins.” I laughed.

  I knew this game, I’d played it plenty. They all loved to point out that what I was doing could earn them some cash. It wasn’t about trouble, it was about money. It was always about money. Just like Kat.

  “You need any pointers?” the man asked as I slid onto the bike.

  “No.”

  I started the bike, feeling the rumble beneath me, the vibrations between my fingers made the hair on my neck stand tall. A rush of adrenaline shot through me as I pulled out of the parking lot, leaving a bit of tar behind and plenty of smoke. On the road, I started to calm, and I wondered if my brother felt like this when doing his drug of choice. Maybe we weren’t so different after all.

  I crossed the Intracoastal Waterway, the High Bridge, and ran along the Halifax River. I made my way to Ormond Beach, which seemed pretty dead, even for this time of year. The sand dune environment was calming, but I still had that edge grinding against my skin. I revved my engine, took off toward A1A North to Flagler Beach. The cool ocean breeze nipped at my face, and the vibrations from the grips tickled my fingers. My body was relaxing, finally releasing the tension of the last twenty-four hours as I entered the old beach town.

  Finn’s Oceanside Pub looked interesting with bright red and blue umbrellas opened on the rooftop bar. Only a couple cars were in the parking lot, and as I walked in, I realized they both must’ve belonged to staff.

  “Howdy.” A cute brunette greeted me with a thick southern accent. “Just one?”

  I nodded. “I’ll just sit at the bar if ya don’t mind.”