Ashley snorted a laugh as she settled behind her desk.
Sheila opened her email and stared at the screen. She wouldnotthink about how good Brock’s arms had felt wrapped around her, how the space they’d created seemed custom-made just for her. His chest was so strong, so firm at her back. He had the kind of body a girl could lean into when her drive was running low.
She’d been cocooned there just long enough to get a taste and start to rethink her desire to have a man in her life at the moment when he had to go and open his mouth. Did he have any idea of the intricacies of running a community outreach program? The sense of rejection when an event flopped? The work that went into each and every one of their public appearances? Of course not. He just showed up, waved his hat to the crowd, and then took off to his fabulous life. Well, he wouldn’t have to show up anytime soon. She’d rather eat scorpions than ask Brock for a special appearance.
The monthly visit to the children’s wing of the hospital was coming up in a couple days. She needed to confirm with the assigned player before sending an email to the hospital to verify that they’d be there. Her older sister liked to show them around pediatrics. Sometimes—not every time they visited, but sometimes—Sheila got the feeling Kelly volunteered as tour guide to rub it in that she was a doctor and Sheila was not.
It wasn’t like Sheila couldn’t have been a doctor. But that argument was in the past, where Sheila wanted it to stay.
A few keystrokes had the volunteer list up on her screen. With a groan, she sent it away again. Brock was scheduled for the hospital tour this Wednesday. That was just great. Her overbearing older sister and the guy who thought her job was as crooked as a used car salesman would be in the same room. Peachy.
Chapter Four
Brock
The hospital doors whooshed open, hitting Brock with the scent of cleaner and new paint. He scanned the entrance, looking for a familiar face, or at least someone who was looking for him. Usually Sheila or Ashley was around, ready to usher him to his spot and tell him when to smile for the camera.
The hospital was decorated in muted shades of cream and blue. There were probably studies done on calming colors for patients, but it all just seemed kind of depressing—like life wasn’t fully lived within these walls.
He veered right when he saw Sheila chatting with Julia, the social media guru from marketing, in the waiting area. Sheila wore a pair of tight jeans and a V-neck Redrocks shirt. She also had on a ball hat, her short, white hair flipping out in the back and strands framing her face. That was not how a guy was supposed to wear a ball hat, but it was exactly how a woman was supposed to wear one. In fact, she wore it so well, she might have been the reason ball hats were invented. He was mesmerized by the way the rim shadowed her eyes. It gave him the feeling she was checking him out from under that brim, even though that was ridiculous. If anything, she was glaring daggers for what he’d said to her the other day.
He really didn’t mean to insult her with his comment about angles. Everyone in the business had an angle. His agent was probably working twenty right at that moment. It had just surprised him that someone so sweet-looking, with soft brown eyes and charming red lips, wasn’t as innocent as she first appeared. There was a sharp mind behind that sweet face, making her all the more interesting and hard to forget. He had thought about her at least once an hour, probably more, since holding her close. If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose his focus on the game.
Julia noticed him first. Her dark eyebrows climbed her tall forehead and disappeared beneath heavy bangs. At first, the contrast between her strawberry blond hair and her nearly black brows had shocked him. But she was everywhere at the stadium, and he hardly thought about it anymore.
She grinned and pulled up her phone, no doubt taking several pictures of him in the lobby. “Don’t worry,” she assured, “I’m not posting these until after the event. We don’t want to swarm the hospital with your adoring fans.”
Sheila snorted delicately and then quickly tried to cover it up by clearing her throat.
He mentally sighed. On the outside, he smiled politely. She gave him an equally distant smirk in return. So that was how it was going to be.
“We should get going. We’re going to pediatrics.” She reached behind a set of chairs and wheeled out a red sports wagon full of merchandise. “Here.” She handed him three black sharpies. “Don’t lose those. They’re all I have for today.”
Right. Because he couldn’t hang on to a few pens. He tucked them into his back pocket. “I’ll be careful.”
Her lips formed a straight line, and she flipped forward, ignoring him.
Brock lengthened his stride so he was right alongside her—just to burrow further under her skin. Why? He had no idea. He was going on instinct here.
“I hope some parents are here to sign release forms.” Julia patted her purse. “It’s so frustrating when I can’t use pictures.”
Brock gave Sheila a pointed look and mouthed the word “angle.”
Sheila glared ahead.
He wasn’t sure why he was pushing her buttons, except that it got her attention. They rode the elevator to the fifth floor, and Sheila talked to the security guard, getting them clearance and badges for the afternoon.
“Sheila!” A tall doctor with golden-blond hair pulled back in a braid hurried down the hall towards them.
“Kelly.” Sheila smiled, opening her arms for a hug. It was a hug for someone close, but Sheila didn’t pull her in tight.
Did she keep everyone at arm’s length? The question that popped up right after that was, why? What had happened to her that she couldn’t let people in?
Brock puffed out air, frustrated with himself for reading so much into a brief exchange and for caring at all about Sheila and what may or may not have happened to her. He needed to finish out the season and concentrate on fixing up his house.
“It’s Doctor Weaver around here,” Kelly scolded lightly before twittering a laugh.
Sheila drew in a breath through her nose as if she were trying to keep her calm. They began to chat about “Mom” and “Aunt Jenny” and the upcoming holidays.
