“How about flirting and romancing? Can you do those?”
Brock considered her for a moment. She wasn’t talking to him as a ball player that she wanted to date her daughter. If that was the case, then she wouldn’t care which daughter he chased. What she was doing was looking for Sheila’s happiness. That was her objective—her agenda. Now that he thought about it, Michael had the same one. Sheila’s happiness was an agenda he could get behind, one he could support, even adopt it himself. “Yes, ma’am. I’ve been told I have skills in those areas.”
She patted his knee. “I’ll bet you do. You get to work and let me worry about Kelly.”
“Will do.” He stood up and offered her a hand to help her up too.
She let him escort her to the exit, where Michael was waiting at the curb in their black Lincoln. He lifted a hand in greeting.
Brock grinned. He bet they would have an interesting talk on the ride home.
He wished he had someone to talk to. Someone he could hold hands with as they drove home and bounce ideas off of and who would listen to his thoughts without judging.
He’d continue to breathe—drawing air in and out in steady measure. He needed to figure out a way to romance Sheila, to hit a home run and win her heart. He was considered a heavy hitter, for heaven’s sake. He could do this.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sheila
“It’s stunning.”
Sheila nodded. Her fingers pressed over her lips as she stared at the Eagle costume they’d just freed from the box. “I love it. I love it more than you love Diet Coke.”
Ashley hugged herself. “Not possible. But so close.”
Sheila stepped forward and ran her hand down the silky feathers on the arm of the mascot costume. It had arrived this morning, and she and Ashley locked themselves in the conference room to open it. They’d shut all the blinds to keep prying eyes out. This bad boy wasn’t going to be seen until the big reveal on Saturday.
Ashley sat in a chair and pondered the costume.
For Sheila, it represented more than the culmination of their October project—it was her stamp on the Redrocks team. The mascot would be with the Redrocks until the end of time, andshewas the one who made it happen. That felt darn good.
The Eagle wore a red Redrocks shirt with the logo emblazoned on the front. The shirt color popped against the white chest feathers and the dark brown body feathers. The back had his name, “Rev,” with double zeros for his number. The Rev-Aide logo was on both his sleeves. They’d gone with the full-sized eagle with wings that spread out and bright yellow talons.
Ashley tapped her pen on the table. “So, have you called him?”
Sheila sat and traced the edge of the wood with her fingertips. “No. I have no idea what to say.” She dropped her head to the table with a soft thunk. “The more I think about what I said, the crazier it sounds. I was a basket case. He’s run hard and fast to get away from me, and I don’t blame him.”
“You don’t know that.”
She lifted her eyes, the middle of her forehead numb from knocking it against the table. It was red and she didn’t even care. She should be marked as a weirdo to warn all men she met in the future that she was emotionally unstable. “I threw him into Kelly’s arms, and he didn’t even want to be there. I assumed he’d want her over me, and I made a fool out of myself.”
“Let’s talk about that.” Ashley took the seat across from her at the table.
“I don’t have time.”
“Bull crap. This is the first time in a month that we’ve had time to sit, and we’re not going to waste it staring at this eagle when there are much bigger issues to tackle. Why did you think he’d want Kelly over you?”
Sheila rolled her eyes. She needed much more psychological help than a conversation with her girlfriend could muster. But maybe finally getting the words out would help her get past the rock that was lodged in her heart. “Kelly is Kelly. She’s beautiful, driven, successful, great with kids.”
“You’reall those things.”
“Yeah, but Kelly had him first.”
“He’s not a candy bar you can call dibs on. He’s aperson,and he gets a say.”
Sheila flattened her palm. “He’s aperson.”
Ashley nodded slowly. “A person. With feelings and thoughts all his own.”
