“Really? You’re a pro baseball player. I’m a real estate agent in a small town. Do the math.”
“I would but you don’t make sense. Are you saying I’m better than you?”
“Hell no.”
He liked that passion. She pushed her now empty plate aside. “So you’re better than me?”
“What? No.” That flush on her cheeks looked so pretty. And she wore one of his overlarge shirts and panties, nothing else.
He felt possessive and in love and scared to death he’d do something to screw things up. But he also hurt to think she hadn’t wondered about him since he’d been gone, when she’d been on his mind for years.
“I just meant we live in two different worlds.”
“But we won’t always.” He paused. “This is my last year of baseball.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’ve hit all my marks.”
“What does that mean?”
He felt his cheeks heating. “Look. Cade teases me all the time about being an oddball. My teammates think I’m quirky, and the PR department doesn’t like me talking to the press because I tell it like I see it. My whole life is under my control, because I make lists and follow a timeline I’ve created. Some people might think that’s too controlling or weird. But it’s how I’m wired.”
She nodded. “I remember. You used to carry around lists with you when you were younger.”
“I still do. I have one in my wallet right now.”
She grinned. “That’s cute.”
“It’s life.” He would take cute, but he wanted more. “My point is, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to achieve in baseball. Now it’s time for my next list.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not renewing my contract. My agent has been bugging the crap out of me lately. Same with the team heavies. But I’m ready for bigger and better.”
“And what would that be?”
“If I tell you, you have to promise not to laugh.”
She frowned. “I would never laugh at you.”
“Okay. Wait here.” He was sweating when he returned with a large portfolio. He’d never showed anyone his drawings. Not even Cade. He withdrew several sketches to show her.
She stared, wide-eyed, at his favorite. One he’d colored in after sketching, because the drawing had demanded it. His version of Wonder Woman, a character he’d named the Pied Piper. She could fly, had super strength, and could ensnare both man and beast with her voice.
“You did this?”
He nodded.
“You did this.”
The disbelief bothered him. “I did. Why? You don’t like it?”
“It’s amazing.” She stared at the lines of a superhero he’d created with her in mind. “She kind of looks like me.”
“She’s pretty.” He looked at the drawing with a critical eye, still thinking it was the best he’d ever done. “She’s strong and smart, and she always saves the day. My storytelling needs a little work, but the drawing is where I shine.”
“I’ll say.” She gaped at it, then at him. “You did this.”
