Claire blinked at his back. She wouldn’t allow herself to believe she was in. This was probably the first hurdle.
She snatched her sunglasses from the grass and followed him toward the two men in front of the dugout. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, the taller of the two was easily recognizable even out of uniform. Slade MacInnes had graced the cover of every sports magazine last season. But the man by his side, leaning heavily on crutches and sporting a smile that didn't reach his eyes, captured her attention. Dark brown hair tousled by the wind begged for her hands to smooth it. And his eyes, as rich and deep as her favorite triple-chocolate brownies, burned with an intensity that was almost magnetic, daring to draw her in and hold her forever. The nerves zinging her stomach shifted into high alert, buzzing through her blood as she continued to hold his gaze.
Raymond gestured to the man. "Claire, I'd like you to meet Liam York. He's the resident mascot and will be your go-to person. You'll be working with him closely. And Liam, Claire here was clearly the best of the try-outs, as I'm sure you agree. She graduated from Anaheim State a few years ago and was their original Anaheim Annie."
Liam's brows rose, then he smiled and his eyes danced with laughter. "No way. I didn't recognize you without the fifty-gallon cowboy hat and pair of six-shooters. Annie was a genius idea. One of the best college mascots I've seen."
She grinned. "I loved that costume. And the job, playing Annie for three semesters was so much fun. I was pretty bummed when I had to turn in the cowboy boots." She hadn't had a choice, she'd been needed at home.
Liam adjusted his crutch and extended his right hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"You, too. I get a kick out of Fin's antics. You're really good." She slid her palm against his and then his fingers wrapped around hers, warm and strong and firm. Her pulse ticked faster and awareness skittered through her like a gentle brush of a butterfly's wings. His grip tightened a fraction before releasing his hold. Her first impression had been right—he radiated heat and intensity. She tilted her head back to hold his gaze. He towered over her five-foot frame by at least a foot. A black T-shirt stretched tight across defined shoulders and strong muscles attained only through hard and frequent work. Work that wouldn't be quite so frequent now—thanks to the broken ankle. "I'm sorry about your injury."
"Thanks. I'm going to miss playing Fin. But I hope he'll be in good hands. Or maybe I should say fins." He cracked a smile and she laughed.
Smiling and shaking his head, Slade nudged Liam's shoulder. "So, Claire. I'm Slade. Where did you learn those moves? You looked like an Olympic gymnast out there."
Claire dragged her focus to Slade. What was the first baseman doing at a mascot audition? She shook his hand. "I was in gymnastics from the time I was six until I graduated from high school. Then I worked part-time as a coach at my gym through college."
Raymond nodded and added more notes to his tablet. "I know you have experience performing in front of a crowd, but our games frequently sell out. It'll be more than you experienced at your college football games."
"Our team was terrible and we weren't in a good division, so I didn't feel a lot of pressure out there. But I have competed in large gymnastics competitions where I had a lot of pressure to keep myself together and execute a detailed routine. I won't choke in front of the Riptide fans."
"Still. You've been away from performing for, what, six years?" Raymond waited while she nodded. "Being our mascot is a big responsibility. Liam will teach you everything you need to know. During games, you'll have a head set. He'll be there to talk you through it if you need help. I know it's a lot to ask you to jump right into the job, but I feel with your resume, you'll be the best fit."
"I won't let you down." She didn't fail at things. Ever. Except romance. "Does that mean I officially have the job?"
"Yes. Welcome to the team."
She wanted to cheer and turn cartwheels across the field. Instead, she clasped her hands together and stayed in place. "Thank you. I'm excited to get started."
Raymond typed in another note and then pulled his phone from his pocket. "We only have a day and a half until the home opener. If you can stick around today to fill out paperwork and work with Liam, I'd appreciate it. We don't have much time to create the shark costume. I'll call our costume designer and ask her to come in now to do your fitting. She'll need to make everything. No part of Liam's costume will fit you."
Claire glanced from Raymond to Liam. Her new co-worker's smile was gone, replaced by stoic features.
Slade rested a hand on Liam's shoulder. "If you're making a new costume anyway, Liam could still wear his and help out."
Liam's brows shot high and the spark returned to his eyes. "I can't do the stunts, but I can still walk around and greet people here. Or drive around in the golf cart or ATV so people don't bang into me." He gestured to his cast and crutches. "And I can keep my commitments to the hospital and charity."
Raymond shook his head. "We can't have two Fins running around at the same time."
"Not two Fins. Create a new character." Slade's voice was like steel but he winked at Claire. "Can't Fin have a friend?"
She didn't think that was such a bad idea, especially knowing how much pressure she'd be under to do as good a job as Liam did. "As Fin's friend, I could shadow Liam until I have a better idea of what to do and
