“If you can get them to think it’s your money, I’ll pay you back.”
I nod, and we walk up to the breakfast buffet. I choose some scrambled eggs and fruit. When we return to the table, Jeremy’s plate is piled high with scrambled eggs, biscuits with sausage gravy, several links of sausage, and several slices of bacon with a side of what looks like a half of a loaf of toasted bread slathered in butter. Where does he put it all?
“Tell me how last night went,” I begin as he settles in to eat.
“It was crazy. I must have been sprayed down with twenty bottles of champagne, and you know how many reporters I talked to.”
I pull out the newspaper I picked up in the hotel lobby on my way in. “You made the front page. According to this, you threw thirty-three pitches faster than the record yesterday.”
“It would have been better if it was a no-hitter.”
I sit back and shake my head. “You want it all, don’t you? Never satisfied.”
Jeremy looks down at his plate and takes a big bite of his eggs, avoiding an answer.
“Who’s your roommate this trip?”
I get a single shoulder shrug. “Jonas Raymond, but he stayed with his agent last night, so I had the room to myself.”
“I flew down yesterday on Nate Lancaster’s plane.”
“Slumming it, I see,” he ribs.
“Absolutely. You have a lot of support. Nate had a surprise for me on the flight—Thomas Luck. I think Thomas was trying to get more playing time for Jonas Raymond. With both of us on the same plane, it seems Nate was making a point that he supports the team leadership’s choices.”
Jeremy’s shoulders relax. He nods.
“What are you doing today before you have to be at the park?”
“I’m not sure. Probably just hang out in my room. I wanted to go to the zoo, but no one wants to go with me.”
“Maybe my friend would like to go, and we can all go together. Would that work?”
He looks up at me, his eyes bright. “Sure.”
Me: Any interest in a trip to the zoo with Jeremy today?
Mia: That sounds great. Yes.
“My friend is in. Her name is Mia.”
“Are you hanging out with a girl?”
I nod. “It’s new. She’s a huge baseball fan.”
“Do you two want to go alone?” Jeremy suddenly seems unsure of himself.
I tousle his hair like a big brother might. “No, we want to go with you.”
He nods and goes back to cleaning his plate.
When we’ve finished, I sign for the meal and we head back toward the lobby. “Okay, let’s meet here in half an hour I tell him.
“Sure.” He nods, but I watch him walk away, and I know something’s off.
When I return to my room, it smells of roses and vanilla. Mia has definitely changed clothes and is busy staring at her computer. She’s so focused she doesn’t even seem to hear me enter. She’s piled her hair on her head with a pencil holding it in place and tendrils falling, and she’s put on a soft, green sundress that shows quite a bit of leg.
“Hello?” I call.
Her hand shoots to her heart. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I noticed. What has you so focused? I mean, I could have brought the entire team in and you wouldn’t have looked up.”
She smiles. “I’ve been like that my whole life. Sometimes I just tune everything out and focus. It’s not always a good thing. In college I sat through a second lecture with a whole new professor and didn’t realize it.”
“That takes some serious concentration. What are you working on?”
“My old company is having a development problem that I’ve been asked to look at.”
“What did you do before Flirt?”
She turns back to her computer. “I still work for a data-mining company I started.”
“What does a data-mining company do?”
“We help our client companies turn raw information into something they can use. The software I designed looks for patterns in large batches of data. Businesses can learn more about their customers to develop more effective marketing strategies, increase sales, and decrease costs—whatever their goals are.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but I’m sure that’s a great use for your love of math.”
She smiles and nods. “You know me well.”
“What else do you love besides baseball and math?”
“Girl stuff—shopping, clothes, shoes, purses.”
I nod. “Interesting… I get the impression you know Nate better than you know Lilly.”
“I knew Nate before his first wife was killed. In fact, I was with him playing poker in Las Vegas when she disappeared.”
I’ve heard about that game and the group that plays regularly. It has some serious players, and it makes sense that she and Nate are tight if she was there when he lost his wife. It also makes her a pretty heavy hitter. Hmmm… “Wow, that must have been rough. I can’t even imagine.”
“It was pretty intense. It still is. The person behind it was finally arrested almost a year ago, and they’re preparing the case against her, which has all of us involved. We liked it better when we just played cards.”
I nod. “I’m sure. And what kind of poker do you play?”
“Mostly Texas Hold’em,” she says. “But I can play whatever. Do you play?”
“I’ll play on occasion. Usually I’m watching the sportsbook, seeing the odds-on games. Cards are not particularly my forté. My ability is being able to look at a player and determine how they’re going to play depending on how they walk or hold themselves. Of course, they can get a bad or a good call, and it all changes in a minute.”
She turns and rests her arm on the back of the chair. Damn, she’s beautiful.
“I bet that makes you a good sports agent. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I do. I have a younger sister. She’s thirteen months younger, so we’re what they call Irish twins. She’s married to a guy who was my high school best friend and is currently one of my clients—Marco Hammond. He surfs in the World Surf League. He’s probably going to retire this year, and I’m trying to convince Alana to move to my place in Santa Cruz. She has four boys under seven years old, and I think she’s tired of living out of a suitcase.”
“Who can blame her? Where are they now?”
“Just finishing up down in Australia. He didn’t score well enough to make the next two big contests, and I think they may be stuck down there. They might have enough sponsor money to get them to Hawaii, where they can stay with some friends. I’m not sure. I don’t ask anymore. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“I have a sister who’s eighteen months older than I am. She lives in Shanghai.”
“Wow. Do you speak any Mandarin?”
“No, though people often think I do. I’m Chinese the way you’re…Dutch, maybe?”
I nod.
“My family came over to work on the rail lines in the early eighteenth century. I speak some French and Italian, but nothing more than that.”
I’m formulating my next question when my cell pings.
Jeremy: The team security has taken me out through the kitchen. If you can meet me in back with a car, that’s what they’d prefer.
“The team security has Jeremy meeting us behind the hotel. Are you ready for the zoo?”
“Yes, I’m all ready.” Mia closes her computer down, tucks it into the room safe, and we walk out.
Me: We’re getting the car now.
We grab the rental car I picked up earlier and drive around to the back. I can see Jeremy talking to Nate.
“That was a really outstanding job,” Nate tells him as I open the door. “I’m happy you’re part of the team.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Nate turns to me. “Hey! I hear you’re headed to the zoo.”
“Is it okay if Jeremy comes with?” I ask. It didn’t occur to me that it could be a p
roblem as long as he’s back at the field at the appropriate time.
“That’s up to his manager. I don’t get involved. I learned with my first company to hire people who know what they’re doing so I can sit back and reap the rewards.”
“I think that’s a great attitude.”
Lilly goes around and starts talking to Mia through the car window.
“Would you guys like to join us?” Mia asks.
“I think we’re going to walk the waterfront,” Nate says. “I went to the Naval Academy, and one of my college buddies has his name on a Marine Corps fighter jet parked on an aircraft carrier down there. We’re going to check it out.”
“That sounds fun. Enjoy,” Mia says.
As Jeremy climbs into the car, I introduce him to Mia.
“So, you voluntarily hang out with this guy?” Jeremy teases.
“I know. He’s such an eyesore, isn’t he?” Mia chuckles.
“You know that’s why I like hanging out with him.” Jeremy smirks. “All the women shun him, and it helps me seem better looking.”
She laughs. “Somehow I doubt the girls see you as an ugly duckling.”
He blushes, and she grins.
When we arrive at the zoo, Jeremy pulls on a Nebraska Cornhusker’s hat and a pair of sunglasses, and we make an easy walk toward the entrance. It’s crowded, but Clear Security is close in case there are any issues.
“I’m not dressing for tonight’s game,” Jeremy announces.
“Why not?” Mia asks.
“George Jordan asked me to meet with team sponsors in the VIP box tonight. Mendez wasn’t happy, but the GM is his boss. We always do what the boss says, right?” He punches Axel in the arm.
Mia pulls out her phone. “I bought tickets already so we wouldn’t have to worry about lines.” She shows the attendant her screen, and the three of us walk through with five bodyguards in tow.
“What do you want to see first?” Mia asks Jeremy.
“The gorillas?” he says.
“Oh, they breed gorillas here. They have an incredible habitat. It’s in the back. Are you ready to do some serious walking?”
He nods, and we’re off.
Mia and Jeremy walk and talk, and I’m so impressed with the way she’s able to get him to open up. He tells her about his parents’ farm and how he’s supporting them and misses them and his younger brothers and sisters. He talks about the struggles of being so much younger than the other players. And he talks about living alone for the first time.
“That would be really hard.” She reaches out and touches his arm. “Who do you hang out with?”
“Other than Axel, I hang a lot with Crispin Meyer and Jake Garcia, but they’ve both met girls, so they’re less interested in hanging with me.”
“Really? When did that happen?” I ask. That’s news to me.
“Crispin met a girl, and she had a friend for Jake and me, but I’m not interested. They just want to drink and have sex, and I don’t do those things right now.”
“That’s okay. You have plenty of time to hang out with girls,” Mia says.
I guess it’s time for a reminder talk with Crispin and Jake about underage drinking and the media—and to reinforce wrapping it up. “What did I tell you about the girls you meet?” I ask Jeremy.
He turns a bright shade of crimson. “Wrap it up.”
“That’s so smart,” Mia agrees. “I have some friends who seem to attract women looking for a free ride, and they’d agree. Plus, you can never believe a girl you’ve just met if she tells you she’s on the pill and not to wear a condom.”
We work our way through the park. We don’t see even half the animals—the place is huge—but we still have a great time. Afterwards, we sit at a high-end restaurant in the zoo’s main building and enjoy lunch.
“What was your favorite exhibit?” Mia asks me.
“Definitely the big cats. They’re beautiful, and their habitat is so big. What about you?”
“I liked the koala bears. They look so soft and cuddly, but they’re still wild animals.”
As we walk out of the park, we stop at the gift shop. Jeremy buys some postcards and things to send his brothers and sisters, and I buy Mia a stuffed koala bear.
“Something to remember this trip by.”
She gives me a quick kiss. “Thank you. I love it.”
“Get a room,” Jeremy teases.
Once we’re back at the hotel, we take our time changing for the game. The three of us arrive halfway through the second inning to avoid the crowds, and we head up to the visitors’ VIP box, which I notice immediately isn’t as crowded today.
Jonas is pitching, and he’s struggling. Mendez ends up pulling him after the third inning. I don’t see Thomas, but I can imagine he’s disappointed.
Crispin makes a spectacular play during the fourth inning, throwing out a runner from left field. And Jake is playing third base. At one point a slider tries to knock him off the bag feet first, and his spiked metal cleats draw blood. But the runner is still out.
“Damn, you’ve got some good players,” Nate says, coming up next to me.
“Thanks. I’m talking to a few others that might be of interest. I’ll let you know.”
After the game, the team heads to their busses, which will take them back to the airport. We circle back to the hotel to pick up our things, and then ride to the private terminal with Nate. Surprisingly, there’s no sign of Thomas and Candy on the flight home.
I look over at Mia as we descend, and I think I have a permanent smile. This was a great trip.
As we drive back into San Francisco, Mia reaches for my hand. “Thank you again for inviting me this weekend. I had a spectacular time.”
“I did, too. I need to see my dog, but do you have any interest in hanging out tomorrow night? I know it’s last minute, but I would love to see you again.”
She smiles. “That sounds fun. If you and SoBe want to come to my place, I live in the Marina not far from Pier 39. We can wander around down there. I know it can be touristy, but it’s fun and we can find a place to eat outside so you don’t have to worry about the dog.”
“You think of everything,” I tell her. “I think we’d like that.”
“We can meet about six, if that works?”
We drop Mia off at her place, and Peter from Clear Security gets out to walk her to her door. I’d prefer to do that, but she gives me a soft kiss and seems to be asking me not to. “We have tomorrow night,” she assures me.
I can’t wait. “See you then,” I tell her.
Chapter 9
Mia
“You slept with him on the first date?” Toni screeches.
I know Toni through Claire, and she’s a good friend, but also the most man-crazy woman I’ve ever met. I knew I shouldn’t have told her, but she kept pressing. I just got back in town last night, but when she called, I couldn’t pass up the chance to enjoy lunch at an outside café on one of the rare sunny days in San Francisco. Toni’s puppies are curled at our feet.
“It wasn’t a typical first date,” I tell her. “It’s not like we met for coffee.”
She takes a drink of her pink martini and picks at her salad. “I know! It just isn’t your style.”
“What’s my style?” I ask, confused.
“You met Justin in college. You knew him for four years, and then he was easy but unavailable.”
I shake my head. “He wasn’t seeing anyone. He was single and available.”
She crosses her arms. “He wasn’t available to you. He lives in Austin. You didn’t date him in college. Why? There was no chemistry. Then you meet again at a conference. You keep in touch for a few months, and when you decide you need to bring a date to a poker event in Hawaii, you invite him along. He comes and meets your friends and you play, but you don’t do the deed—”
“We did everything else but the deed, thank you.”
She huffs. “Exactly what I said. Then you moved on to exchanging late-night saucy
texts before meeting again in Montana for poker. And only then did you do the deed. It’s not like it was an affordability thing. You’re a billionaire, and he did well with his startup, so you could have met anywhere in the world or spent weekends together, but you didn’t.”
“We met down in Cabo for a week,” I remind her, getting mad all over again about my disastrous relationship with Justin.
She shakes her head. “You didn’t see him every weekend. If it was important to you, you would have made plans. And you just had basic missionary sex, once a night, while you were together. You didn’t have morning sex, and he didn’t go down on you.”
“It got better each time we did it,” I protest.
“You’re both over thirty. He should know his way around a vagina, and we should never settle for a guy who won’t go down. If he doesn’t love eating pussy, we should just move the fuck on. Because God knows they love it when we deep throat until our eyes water.”
“Who are you dating?” I ask, not sure I want to know.
“I went out with that guy I met at the Flirt event. I thought he was interesting because of his travel goals. He said he wanted to go dog sledding up at the North Pole and climb Kilimanjaro, but then I realized he didn’t even have a passport. So how much of that is for show?”
“Did he hint at you taking him there?”
She sets her drink down on the napkin. “No, thank God. I have a signal with my bodyguard, Mike, so he can come get me and tell me I have an emergency if something like that happens.”
“What’s your signal?” I ask. Does she pretend to choke? Maybe he tells her that her house is on fire.
“I see what you’re doing. You think you can change the subject and we won’t go back to you and Axel having lots of sex on your two-day first date.”
“We spent forty-eight hours together. That is longer than five dates. I think I’m okay with my good-girl card. Plus, there were extenuating circumstances. Jeremy Hamilton broke the record for the fastest fastball. The endorphins were high, and the guy is gorgeous.”
“And he went down on you, so we know he’s at least worth keeping around for a while.”
Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series Page 9