Chapter One
Sheila
“Just a sliver.” Sheila Weaver held her pointer finger and thumb an inch apart.
Brayden Birks, former pitcher and the new assistant pitching coach for the St. George Redrocks, gave her a dubious look as he placed the small slice of cake on a paper plate. “You might actually have enough there to taste.”
“All I need is a taste.” She forced a smile.Gag!She hated when her older sister’s voice was in her head. The trouble with having a super-successful doctor for an older sibling only started with the constant lectures about the evils of sugar. There were other lectures as well, though Sheila had no desire to review them while enjoying an impromptu party in the physical therapy room of the Redrocks baseball organization—an organization she adored.
Brayden handed her the plate and a plastic fork, and she scooted out of the way in her sensible heels so Juan Castillo could get his cake. Juan winked at her before stepping up. His immaculately trimmed beard was a sexy accessory for his square jawline. He was the spokesperson for an underwear line and darn proud of it. He was also the father of three adorable little girls and a jokester. He couldn’t hold a straight face if it was handed to him.
Sheila shook her head and smiled in return. Juan could also talk the ear off a monkey, so she hurried over to join Ashley, the assistant community outreach specialist and her bestie, near the free weights.
“Were you here in time for Brayden’s speech?” Ashley fanned her face. “If Tilly doesn’t take him back, I’m going to move in on that.” She punctuated her words by jabbing her fork towards Brayden’s general direction.
Sheila laughed. “Sorry, I think his heart is spoken for.” They watched as Tilly serendipitously took an eyeful of Brayden’s broad shoulders and strong arms. When Brayden caught her looking, she averted her gaze.
Sheila and Ashley smothered their giggles. Nothing like love happening on the team to get them in a good mood. The happier the players, the easier they were to work with when it came to scheduling signings and appearances.
When they composed themselves, Ashley let out a gusty sigh.
“What was that for?” Sheila scraped the frosting off the side of the cake and ate that first. She let the sugar roll over her tongue like a forbidden romance. If sugar was so bad for her, why did it have to taste so good?
“Wouldn’t you love to have someone look at you like that?” This time Ashley pointed her fork at Coach Wolfe, who kissed his wife, Harper, on the forehead. His eyes closed momentarily, like he was so overcome with the sensations inside his heart that he couldn’t keep them open.
Sheila’s heart lurched in longing. She swallowed the last of the frosting right along with the sentimentality. “There’ll be time for that later.” The words were as thick as the greasy coating left on her teeth.
“How about now? Now is a good time.” Ashley’s fork did big circles in the air. “When, in all our lives, have we ever been surrounded by so many good-looking men? I mean, seriously. The odds are in our favor.”
Sheila took off her business goggles, the ones she used to block out the mountains of muscles, the chiseled jawlines, the piercing gazes, and the general hotness of the men she worked with on a daily basis. Her breath caught as Brock Mattock, center fielder with a batting average of 290, turned slightly, catching her eye. Butterflies erupted in her stomach, burning through every calorie she’d consumed that day and all five days before. Her cheeks warmed and she looked quickly away, schooling her features in the process. “These guys don’t see me as a potential date. They see me as the woman who ropes them into giving up their free time.”
“For a good cause,” Ashley said, defending her and their community outreach program. The more involved the St. George locals became with the Redrocks, the more successful the team would be. Building a fan base from scratch wasn’t easy.
Sheila cocked a hip and gave Ashley a dubious look. “They run when they see me coming.”
“Not true.”
“True.”
Ashley narrowed her eyes, accepting a challenge Sheila didn’t know she’d handed out. “Fine. If not here, then we need to figure out how to get to Home Depot.”
“Home Depot?” Sheila lifted an eyebrow. “What’s at Home Depot?”
“At 10 a.m.? Men. Usually contractors and laborers. Men with muscles who know how to work—datable men.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Ashley tossed her mass of short black curls off her face. “That’s how my cousin met her husband.”
Sheila shoved her arm. “You’re making that up!”
“I’m not. I swear to you.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m finding her Instagram post right now.” Ashley buried her nose in social media so she could prove her point. Sheila took a bite of chocolate cake.
Harper Wolfe joined their group. Her hair, as always, was shiny and perfectly done in big beach waves. She wore a loose pair of black pants and a flowing blouse. “I think our little matchmaking scheme in Atlanta worked.” She blew on her nails and then brushed them across her shoulder.
Sheila grinned. Brayden Birks and Tilly Creswick had been almost engaged before Brayden fell in a rock-climbing accident. He’d broken up with Tilly to save her from himself. Harper had cooked up a scheme to get the two of them on a road trip together that involved the head pitching coach, the travel coordinator, and Sheila and Ashley to make sure the timing worked out.
“Did you see the way he looked at her?” Ashley melted, her hand over her heart.
