Читать книгу Betting On The Rookie - Stephanie Doyle, Stephanie Doyle - Страница 10

CHAPTER ONE

Six months later...

SAMANTHA STARED UP at the house and wondered maybe for the thousandth time why she had felt like this would be a good idea.

Talk about starting over.

Returning to Minotaur Falls seemed like as good a place as any to reboot her life. After all, this was where she’d been raised, and that had worked out pretty well...

Until it hadn’t.

If she was going to stay in the Falls, in her old hometown, then her old home seem appropriate, as well. It had been empty these last years since Duff had died, and Scout had followed her husband, Jayson, to Arizona. Scout was thrilled with the idea of someone actually living here. As if the empty house reminded her of the fact that their father was dead. Which of course would make Scout profoundly sad.

Wow. Had it been almost two years since Duff passed? Some days Samantha felt the grief as if she’d just lost him. Other times it seemed far away, as if those months of reconciling with him, only to then lose him, were a dream from another time.

Back then Sam hadn’t really allowed herself the chance to grieve. There had been Scout to deal with. Samantha had felt it necessary to put her emotions aside to focus on her youngest sister. Scout and Duff had been inseparable through life. There had been worry amongst the family that Scout might not mentally survive his loss.

They should have given Scout more credit. After all, she was pretty tough. Just like Duff raised her to be.

No, no one would have guessed that, of all the Baker girls to lose their grip on their mental faculties...that it would have been calm, cool—practically icy—Samantha Baker.

It was only a small meltdown.

But now you’re back.

Sam’s phone buzzed. It used to go off at all hours of the day in a constant stream of incoming calls and texts but had suddenly gone quiet. Now when it buzzed, it was actually a surprise to her.

“Hello?”

“Are you home yet?”

Scout. Only Scout would refer to this house as Sam’s home. Sam hitched her very expensive handbag over a shoulder and made her way up the porch steps.

“Yes, I’m here.”

She shook out her key ring and identified the one to the house. Pressing the phone between her shoulder and her ear, she unlocked the door and let herself in.

Two years away, and yet nothing had changed. The only thing missing was Duff’s favorite chair. Scout had moved that out to Arizona with her.

“Sandy from down the street has been cleaning it for me once a month. I know it’s a ridiculous waste of money, but I just can’t let it go,” Scout was saying as Sam set her bag down.

“It looks like it’s in really great shape.” She took a moment and glanced around the place. No dust, no smell to suggest the air was musty. Just a fresh and clean house, much like it had been the last time she’d been here.

Much like it had been when Duff was alive.

Sam braced herself for the pang of sadness and let it roll over her. Despite her and Duff’s troubles, the love had always been there. She’d never considered what a hole his absence might mean in her life.

Duff was always supposed to be there.

He was supposed to be here now, telling her that she could do this. She could get back on the horse and get her career back. Her life back.

“Well, it’s a perfect hiding place to lick your wounds for a while. Just ask me.”

“I’m not hiding,” Sam said immediately. “I’m not licking wounds. I’m staging a comeback. That’s totally different.”

“Fine, but listen, if you need me to come home and hang with you...”

“I don’t need anyone,” Sam said, cutting her off. There was no room for sympathy and hand-holding. Yes, she’d had a setback. A significant one, but nothing she couldn’t overcome with some hard work and belief in herself.

“Wow.” Scout chuckled in her ear. “That, my friend, was a very good impression of me. But let me remind you... I did need people. So again, I’m only a phone call and a flight away.”

“It’s the middle of the baseball season, Scout.”

“And you’re my sister, Sam.”

Right. As important as baseball was to the Bakers, family was even more important.

“Understood. Really, it’s not like I’m curled up in ball crying my eyes out.” She had been, but that had been over a month ago. Now she was back.

She hoped.

“The only thing I need from you is prospects.”

Up-and-coming baseball players were Scout’s bailiwick. Sam figured she only needed one solid prospect to sign with her to show everyone she was down but not out.

Someone who would be okay signing with an agent who had loudly and fervently supported a man who’d turned out to be an abuser.

Sam’s stomach rolled, and she wondered when the self-disgust would stop. When she might consider forgiving herself for trusting Richard Stanson.

No one had believed her, of course, that she’d actually trusted him.

Then again, no one had thought she would be so stupid as to stand in front of a room filled with reporters announcing that her client was the victim if she’d known there was video proof.

Richard had known about the video. He’d seen the camera and had paid the hotel security person two hundred thousand dollars to erase it. Apparently that hadn’t been enough.

She’d lost all of her female clients first. No one wanted to be associated with someone who would support a man like him. She couldn’t blame them. Then, her male clients had started to drop her, one by one. Some had been afraid of guilt by association. Others had simply had a concern about her judgment.

In the end she’d been left with Richard, who she’d severed ties with immediately.

He and Juliette were in counseling now. The wedding was still planned for late August.

“I’ve got one, but I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this.”

Sam focused on what Scout was saying. She needed to start putting the past behind her and work on her future. This was about rebuilding, not tearing herself down just because she’d made a mistake and believed a man who lied to her.

Twice. You’ve made that mistake twice.

“Who? Give me a name,” Sam said, not acknowledging her own thoughts.

“Okay, remember Evan Tanner?”

The name sent a bolt to Sam’s stomach. It wasn’t disgust. Not fear or anxiety. If she had to label it, the closest she might have come was lust, but even that didn’t seem right.

She’d met Evan two years ago when Scout had picked him out as a draft prospect for the New England Rebels. At the time, he’d been a twenty-seven-year-old former college football player who had just taught himself the game of baseball so he could coach a high school team.

Evan Tanner had cost Scout her job with the Rebels; he’d been such an unlikely pick. But there was one thing Scout knew better than anyone, and that was baseball and baseball players. He’d ended up being drafted in the third round, but that was the last Samantha had heard about him. Which made sense if he was bouncing around in minor ball.

Players didn’t make it on to Sam’s radar until they hit the majors.

“Vaguely,” Sam said, because she in fact remembered him vividly. There had been something about him that made it hard for her to look away. It wasn’t just his straight-up good looks or his golden brown eyes. There had been something so nice about him. And when she’d given him her full ice princess shutdown when he’d flirted with her, he hadn’t seemed the least put off or intimidated.

Everyone quaked at her ice princess face.

“Well, guess what? He just got traded to the New England Rebels organization. He’s going to play for the Minotaurs, and while that’s just their minor league team, the talk is he’ll be playing in The Show by the All-Star break.”

That made Sam’s jaw drop. “You’re kidding me. The team that fired you over even suggesting this guy, and they traded for him?”

“Please, you know baseball. A lot of short memories when it comes to this kind of stuff. Especially given Evan’s talent. I’m sure Reuben had no problem spinning his way out of that even a little bit. And it’s not like Evan has a say in where he goes. He’s got to take his chances as they come. He’s blowing it up big-time in the minors, hitting over .350. Once they call him up, he’s going to need an agent. Someone ruthless, too, if he’s going to negotiate with Reuben.”

Great, Sam thought. Her first shot at a real client, and it had to be Evan Tanner.

“Plus, Evan owes me. I put in a good word for you, and it’s a done deal.”

“No word!” Sam snapped. “First, I’m going to investigate the hell out of this guy, and when and only when I decide he’s worthy of my services, then I’ll do the work of landing him. It has to be that way, Scout. I can’t be taking on pity clients. That won’t accomplish anything.”

“Okay,” Scout said, relenting. “No word from me, but it’s not like he doesn’t know who are you. You can’t help that.”

Would he even remember her? Nearly two years seemed like a lifetime ago. A few conversations, some flirting on his part. Ice princess on hers.

Of course he would know her by name. He would certainly know about the scandal. But that was an obstacle she was going to have to overcome with any potential client.

I made a mistake. I believed a man. But give me one more chance, and I swear I’ll never make that mistake again.

She was going to have to work on her pitch.

“The Minotaurs are traveling now, so he’ll join the team on the road. But he should be back in the Falls by the end of the week. That should give you plenty of time to do your research.”

“Thanks, Scout. This could be the break I need.”

“No problem, and if you do sign him, please, give the New England Rebels hell for me. Take every penny out of their pocket you possibly can.”

Sam smiled. “That I can do.”

Sam ended the call and suddenly felt a thrill of excitement. This was it. She was back in business and on the prowl for a new client.

Maybe she would get lucky. Maybe she would see him again and realize he wasn’t as remotely nice to look at as the last time she’d seen him. Because it wasn’t the greatest idea to be attracted to a potential client.

Yes, she was sure her memory was exaggerated.

After all, at the time, she thought he’d been one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen.

That had to be wrong.

* * *

EVAN TANNER WAS pulling into the Minotaurs’ baseball field parking lot with his father still talking through the speakers in his truck. It was a new truck, red with black interior. Something he had absolutely no need for but had always wanted.

As a high school teacher and coach, it had been a pipe dream. Conservative used cars had been more his style. Now, he could afford this truck easily. Something he acknowledged was completely jacked—getting more money to play a game than to teach kids. Because he could swing a bat and hit a ball. Life was crazy sometimes.

“You’re going to think about what I said.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“I mean, it’s time, son, we’re talking about the big leagues.”

“I know, Dad,” Evan said, trying to be as patient as he could. After all, his father couldn’t help it, he was just excited for him. The reality was that this next climb into the majors was going to happen...it was just a question of when.

“I worry about you getting taken advantage of because you’re not the prototypical baseball player.”

Evan understood that. There was no doubt the Rebels would lowball any contract they offered him, given his significant age. At least his baseball age.

No, Evan knew an agent was necessary. The hard part was going to be finding the right one. Someone he could trust. Whose first concern was what Evan wanted, not how much money was in it for the agent.

“I promise. I will start looking. Hey, I’m here now. I want to drop my stuff off in my locker and get set up before the game tomorrow.”

“Play sharp.”

Evan smiled. That’s what his dad always told him. Not play well or hard, play sharp. It was his dad’s way of saying to use all his abilities. Not just his physical ones but his mental ones, as well.

“Got it.”

“Oh, and one last thing... I wasn’t going to mention it, but it seemed odd...and I guess I thought you should know. Kelly called me.”

It took a second for the name to register. “Kelly? My ex-girlfriend, Kelly?”

“Yep. She said she was wondering how you were doing and decided to call to catch up. Mine was the last number she had for you. She wanted to know why you weren’t on Facebook.”

Evan grimaced. Because he hated the idea of social media. Because of things just like this. Kelly was part of his past. A long-ago past. There was no reason they needed to be internet friends. He hoped she was doing well but felt no need to catch up with her.

“Anyway, I wasn’t sure I should tell you. The timing...well...let’s just say it’s suspicious.”

Evan understood his father’s concern. It had been Evan’s decision after college not to try and make an attempt at a pro football career. That had ultimately ended the relationship between him and Kelly. She seemed so convinced he would be drafted despite his size and that, by not at least trying, he was walking away from a future that would be radically different than that of a schoolteacher.

Kelly hadn’t wanted to be the wife of a schoolteacher.

Evan would never forget her saying those exact words to him. They deserved better, she had said. It had devastated him and destroyed them as couple. Only months before, he’d actually been thinking about proposing.

Although he couldn’t imagine there would be any way she might know what was happening with him now. They weren’t from the same hometown, having met in college. She was from Florida originally, if he recalled. As far as Evan was aware, none of their mutual college friends knew that he was now playing baseball. Certainly no one knew he was as close to the majors as he was.

Because he wasn’t out there on the internet talking about himself every day.

“It was probably just a coincidence. Don’t worry about it, Dad.”

“I’m not worried. You’ve got too good a head on your shoulders to get distracted by Kelly, of all people. You know, I never liked her.”

“Yes, Dad. I remember.”

“Okay, son...well... I’ll see you soon. You’ll call me the minute you get called up, and no matter where you’re playing I’ll be there.”

His dad, now retired, had spent the last year following Evan around the country to various different minor league ball clubs. Including all the way to Puerto Rico when Evan had played fall ball last year.

Evan had always encouraged his dad, a widower for over ten years now, to find a hobby other than his son. His father had never listened.

Now there was a very real chance before the season was over that his father would be watching Evan at his major league debut game. Evan felt goose bumps at the mere idea of it.

Stay cool. You’re not quite there yet.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too, son.”

The call ended, and Evan sat in the truck for a moment to appreciate this time and this moment. The stadium where he had tried out loomed in front of him. The bull situated over the entrance seemed like a fierce thing under the new summer sun. He’d made it to Triple A, one step away from The Show. The irony that he was back here where it all started wasn’t lost on him, either. Karma, it seemed, had a sense of humor.

Scout Baker, a New England Rebel scout at the time, had seen something in the swing of a high school baseball coach. Her belief in him had cost her her job. But her belief in him was what had told him he should continue trying. So he had.

Now he was one step away from fulfilling a dream of being a professional athlete. Something he thought he’d left behind after college.

Evan got out of the truck and grabbed his equipment bag from the cab in back. It was an off day, so the lot was barely filled. Probably mostly with just the support staff who ran the park and the general manager.

Maybe that’s why the ice-blue Mercedes caught his attention. Or more likely the woman leaning against it.

Sleek body, long heels, blond hair that just hit her chin. And even though he couldn’t see them from this distance, the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen.

He would have known her anywhere. He wondered if she might look at him and guess that she had starred in several of his fantasies over these past months. If it would somehow be written on his face that he had dreamt about taking her every way a man could have a woman.

“Samantha Baker,” he called.

He could see that startled her a little. They’d only shared a few casual conversations not quite two years ago. Maybe he should have forgotten her.

He hadn’t. Not even a little bit.

She straightened and came walking toward him. He could hear the distinctive click of her no-doubt very expensive heels hitting the pavement. A woman on a mission.

“Evan Tanner,” she said, holding her hand out. “It’s good to see you again.”

He nodded and then slowly took her hand. It was small in his, and he held it for a second too long.

“What brings you here?” he asked, even though he had a pretty good idea.

“You,” she said succinctly. “I took a chance you might want to come down to the stadium before your start tomorrow, so I’ve been camping out here.”

“That’s some serious dedication.”

She flashed a smile. “A long time ago I told you that if you moved through the ranks, I could offer my services. Here you are on the cusp of stardom with a contract that’s expiring. So here I am.”

“You said you could or could not offer your services. You claimed you were very exclusive,” Evan reminded her.

“I am,” she said, raising her chin. “I’ve done a pretty thorough background check on you. You’re the kind of client I’m looking for.”

It was a shame, Evan thought. A real shame that someone who looked like her could be so completely disgusting on the inside.

What made it worse was that even though he knew what she was, standing here in the hot summer sun of a baseball parking lot, she still looked so cool and sophisticated he wanted to take her on the hood of her fancy car. Pull her blouse out of her pants and push his hands through her hair. Kiss her, until her lips were red and swollen.

“Sorry, Samantha. I’m not sure what kind of client you’re looking for. But I know what I’m not. That’s someone who would ever hit a woman or cover up for someone who did. So, no, I don’t think I’m your type.”

He watched her body jerk at the verbal assault. Then he watched as she quickly hid behind a mask of indifference. As crazy as it was, it made him think that this was how she might react if he had physically hit her. Which made him feel less sanctimonious and more like an ass.

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry. It’s just...”

“No, I understand,” she said quickly. “You don’t believe I didn’t know about the cover-up. Most people don’t. The clients I take on will have to believe me. Just like I will have to believe in them. Sorry to have wasted your time.”

She turned and quickly walked away, and with each step Evan felt a twinge of regret. Maybe he should have at least asked to hear her side of things. Hell, he owed that much to her sister, Scout, if nothing else.

He was about to open his mouth and call out to her, when she turned around in an elegant move and started walking backward. A feat he admired in such high heels.

“Oh, and Mr. Tanner...good luck dealing with the Rebels. I understand Reuben is a remarkably fair man to work with and will assuredly want to compensate you accordingly.”

She smiled, and it was the smile of a wolf.

“Your loss.”

She gave him a jaunty salute and then did the pirouette thing again and was once more walking away.

His loss.

His loss, indeed.