“What?” Zane was innocence personified.
“You’re trying to get me behind the security systems at my apartment before you go out with the guys tonight.”
“You must have me confused with some other overprotective friend. Didn’t you hear Gil and Luke? They’re going home to their wives.”
“Have you forgotten that their wives are my best friends?”
Zane kept up the charade. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means I know they want to see their wives. They didn’t lie. But I also know they have plans to go out with you tonight. Dinner and some time in the batting cages if I’m not mistaken?”
“Maybe?” Zane dropped the act. “Under the circumstances, none of us are okay with leaving you here alone.”
She knew a guilt trip when she saw one. This one had neon signs flashing all around it. Zane was here for only a few days. The guys had missed him and were looking forward to tonight. She could cause a stink about it, or she could go home.
Alone.
Which wasn’t as pitiful as it sounded. Tessa liked being alone. Faith and Ivy had volunteered to hang out with her this evening, but she needed a quiet night in.
“Fine. I’ll go home. Happy?”
“Deliriously.”
She packed up her things, and he fell in step with her as she left the office. “Zane?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you.”
She stopped in the hall. “Why? Aren’t you going out with Luke and Gil?”
“Tess. I can’t go home with either of them. They weren’t kidding about wanting to see their wives. I don’t want to be a third wheel. I’m going with you. We’re stopping for candy. Then any groceries you might need or any other stops you need to make. Then I’ll hang out with you at your place until they come by to pick me up. They’ll drop me back at my hotel tonight.”
“Did it ever occur to you to ask me if I was in favor of that plan? Maybe I want to go home alone. Maybe I don’t want you hovering over me in full protective mode until you’re sure I’m safely behind the security walls of my apartment complex.”
She was prepared for Zane to argue. Prepared for a snappy comeback. Prepared for a well-reasoned argument about why this plan was the best plan and she should roll with it.
She was not prepared for Zane to step toward her, put one hand on her waist, and lean close to whisper, “I promised you we’d get candy on the way home. It’s important to me. Please let me do this.”
This was the second time today that Zane had asked her for something. Asked to spend time with her. Asked to do something for her.
And she found that she couldn’t tell him no. Not when he laid his feelings out there and made no effort to hide what he wanted.
“Fine. Candy. My place. Then you go smack some baseballs around until you and Luke are mad at Gil for being better than you.”
“Thanks, Tess.”
15
ZANE WOKE IN HIS HOTELroom on Tuesday morning and grabbed his phone to call Tess.
“Hey.” Her answer was warm, and he got the impression that she’d been waiting for his call. As she should, since he’d called her at the same time every morning since he’d been in town.
“Sleep okay?” He put the phone on speaker, then climbed out of the bed and made it. He always made his bed first thing, and he never got regular housekeeping while in a hotel. The last thing he wanted was someone entering his room when he wasn’t there.
Her yawn proceeded a muffled, “No.”
