She blushed, realizing how it might come across that she was implying more than a change of hairstyle. “I, uh …” Was there a good way to explain that she only meant her hair without making it sound like she was shooting him down? She was about to try, when she felt Brayden’s glare. The scowl wasn’t directed at her, but at Gunner, and she only got the slightest singe from standing so close. Brayden had never looked so dangerous, so livid.
So amazingly hot. She loved it when he focused. On the mound, when his mind was only on the next pitch and his eyes were intense, her body lit up.
There would be no lighting here. Not now. Definitely not with children around.
Tilly spread her arms out and began gathering up the kids. “All right, we’re ready to move on. Let’s go see the field.”
The visiting team was out on the field, going through warm-ups. She had to walk the kids through the dugout, along the wall, and through the small gate, all the while doing her best not to distract the players. She sucked her stomach in. She’d be lucky if she had a job tomorrow. This was so, so bad.
The grounds crew was going to kill her for all the footprints, but all she could think about was how amazing Brayden looked, how much he looked like her defender, like the man she’d thought he was before he’d broken up with her.
She was just getting the kids settled when Brayden called her name. She folded her arms across her middle and handed her clipboard to one of the teachers. “Can you give me a second? There are trivia questions on there.” The woman nodded, and she stepped back on the dirt. “Is there something I can help you with?”
He ran his hand through his hair and cursed. “Are you into Gunner?”
She stared at him, her mind splintering to a thousand replies.
There was reassurance: Of course not, darling. I only have eyes for you, you big hunk of burnin’ love.
There was shock: Gunner?!
There was indignation: What gives you the right to ask?
“Because he’s not what he seems. He’s a punk kid who’s had the world handed to him.”
Tilly scoffed. “Weren’t you the one who said the minors weeded out the weak?”
“He got a lucky break.”
She sucked her lips in. Gunner’s lucky break was Brayden’s bad luck.
Brayden held up his hands. “I just … I just want to talk to you for a little bit. There’s so much going on and … can we just talk?”
“About what?”
“Not here.” He glanced around. The Toronto players were finishing up and the Redrocks would take the field soon. There was hunger in Brayden’s eyes, a need to be on the field, to be a part of this game that made her ache for him. “Will you meet me on the golf course later tonight?”
She’d cherished their time on the grass, the soft tickle of the blades, the sound of his heart beating next to her cheek. If she met him between the earth and stars, she would want to kiss him, and he’d made it clear that they couldn’t be together. “No.” The word came out so quietly she almost didn’t hear it.
“No?” he asked, shocked.
He shouldn’t be shocked, because he. Broke. Up. With. Her. She ground her teeth. “You can’t have bits and pieces of me, Brayden. I’m not a, a buffet.” That was actually a great slam. Brayden loved buffets. Not only was there a lot of food, but he didn’t have to choose just one thing off the menu. Well, she was not going to let him pick and choose her. “I need to get back to my class.”
She left him standing there and didn’t look back. If she looked back and saw him hurting at all, she would crumble. She couldn’t crumble. She had to be strong. Be strong, and one day her heart would forget that it had ever belonged to Brayden.
Chapter Seventeen
Brayden
Technically, the pregame spread was for players, but since Brayden was a special assistant to the manager, he got to eat with his buddies on the team. There were a few other staffers like him scattered throughout the tables. Elise would eat with them after the game, if she had time. He’d brought Tilly here a couple of times, and no one said a word.
He didn’t have to stick around for the game, but there wasn’t much else to do at home, and it felt strange to be a part of the Redrocks and not be there for the game.
Besides, his dad was on a date. Some lady from the church he’d gone to on Sunday. Brayden hadn’t met her or anything. He wasn’t even sure it was more than a distraction while his dad was in town. It was nice that Dad was making friends. Maybe he could convince him to buy a place of his own, stay close.
He walked into the clubhouse and found a buffet set out. Abuffet.
Tilly was not a buffet.
