“Do you see her often?”
“Yeah. She should have been with me in Cancun but Mac… or Greg…not sure who, talked her into staying home.”
“Greg?”
“Her fiancé. She got engaged a couple of months ago, on her birthday.”
“So, she’s over him. Seb.”
She cocked her head to the side, looked out into the distance, through the glass sliders to the sea.
“I honestly don’t know. She’s moved on, yes, but…” Her eyes returned to meet his. “Does anyone ever get over their first love?”
He could tell she hadn’t. Was it the man who’d betrayed her? She hadn’t spelled it out, but she’d insinuated she’d been cheated on. Was that why she felt a certain admiration for the way Seb had handled the break-up?
“I wouldn’t know. I have not been in love.”
She gave him an incredulous stare. “Never?”
“What I thought was love was only a passing fancy. I realized quickly I didn’t want to spend my life with her. I haven’t met anyone yet with whom I do.”
The irony wasn’t lost on either of them. He’d sworn before a priest to spend his life with her.
As if that sentiment made her uneasy, she drained her beer and rose. “Want another?”
“Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”
“I should be asking you that. I didn’t buy this, you did.”
“I will share whatever I have with you. Help yourself.”
She paused in mid-stride before she moved into the kitchen and retrieved the beers. After handing one over, she reclaimed her seat on the coach. She sat silently again until he asked,
“How long have you been with the Greenliners?”
“Close to eight years. I worked part-time while I was in college and was offered a permanent position when I graduated.”
“The one you have now?”
“No. That promotion came after my predecessor’s retirement.”
“What exactly do you do?”
“Take care of the daily operations of the team, the club house, the minor league affiliates, contract tenders, player transactions, payroll, insurance, and I handle the immigration program.”
“Seb tells me you are the one he goes to when he’s got a problem.”
She guessed she could have added confidante, friend, critic to every guy who played for them. They’d given her the hashtag Ursus, whose meaning included every kind of bear. She wasn’t just mama, but part grizzly, guardian, and nourisher.
“Most of them do. I not only help guide them through the process but help through rough patches by keeping tabs on what they’re doing, how they’re handling their finances. I’m mental health coach and all-round cheerleader for the team. I have a feeling I’ll be holding Seb’s hand quite a lot from here on in.”
“Don’t leave out the ultimate sacrifice. You even marry players who are trying to defect.”
Although she couldn’t deny it, she could dismiss the notion she would have done it for anyone.
“Must admit, that’s a first. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”
Just as she finished with that declaration, the local news station news broke the story about Mac, and they both turned their attention to the ten-minute briefing.
CHAPTER SIX
Allie watched but wasn’t really listening. She was back to the fact that she’d exchanged vows with this man to acquire a third baseman. If truth be told, it had nothing to do with in-depth analysis of what she could bring to the team but more to do with how he made her feel. She never would have suggested it if she hadn’t felt some kind of attraction. That he was a ball player made it impossible for her to develop any kind of relationship but marrying him hadn’t been noble. She’d acted on crazy impulse. She usually called it going with her gut, and more often than not, it worked out well. This time? It had just been crazy. She was actually tied to a man who made her quiver when he looked at her with dark and mysterious black eyes, whose voice sent a ripple of sensation along her spine. And the kiss was still a vivid memory. She’d been shocked by her response to him, wanted to take the kiss deeper, see where it led. Only her pride had kept her from doing so.
The weather had just come on, meaning she’d missed the entire segment on the Greenliners. Didn’t matter. She knew it all.
Mateo said, “You don’t like marriage. How do you feel about divorce?”
It had no bearing on the clip he’d just watched and the jump in topic had her stumbling around for an answer.
She shrugged. “One’s the same as the other.”
“Why is that?”
She was studying him beneath her lashes, sensed he was trying to get to know her. She wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but for some reason, she answered him. Maybe seeing how dysfunctional her family was, he’d understand why she did the crazy.
“Let’s see. My parents married, stayed together until I was four. Separated. Dated others. Got back together when I was eight. When I was twelve, they divorced, and my mother remarried. That lasted close to three years but when it ended my parents got back together again. Are you following?”
“I must admit, I’m a bit dizzy.”
“Translation? Marriage doesn’t mean forever, but, from my standpoint, neither does divorce.”
“That must have been hard for you.”
She shrugged. It had been difficult, but she’d survived it.
“Funny thing. We, my brothers and I always lived in the same home. It was my parents who did the musical-chair routine. We lived with our father when he was around, and when he went out on the road, our mother moved back in, new husband, when she had one, and all. When that marriage went belly-up, she moved back in for good. They’ve been back together close to ten years and it looks like it might last, but who knows. Oh, and they had another kid. My sister, Scarlet, is nine.”
“Why did she leave in the first place?”
“She told us she was lonely. With my father on the road so much of the year, and with three kids at home, she didn’t really have much of a life.”
She’d
