He shook his head. “I can do better than that. Claire,” Lee called out to a woman as we headed down the main hallway. She wore the same blazer as Justine from the concierge desk and smiled when she met Lee’s gaze.
“Claire, this is Stella. She’s a special friend of mine. Any room behind home plate today?”
“Since this is a day game during the week, yes, we have an entire row.” Claire smiled, looking between us. “Come with me, and I’ll get you a ticket and a pass.”
“Lee, that’s not necessary?—”
“How often does a good friend come see me at work? It’s my pleasure to show off a little.”
That damn smile still melted my insides but thankfully didn’t lock my knees like when I was a teenager. I leaned into the wall just in case, cursing myself and my inappropriate yet visceral reaction to mygood friend.
It had been a long time since we’d seen each other, and I was in a vulnerable place. The melted insides were nostalgia and not real. I rolled my shoulders as if that would get it off me and smiled up at Lee.
“Thank you. I guess I’ll see you later. Thanks for the hookup.” I squeezed his bicep. “Good flex.”
“No problem. Thankyou,” Lee said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
“Thank you for what? Sneaking back to your office?” I teased.
“I’m just really glad you’re here. I’ve been barely keeping my head above water lately and fucking up all over the place. I could use a friend right now.”
He exhaled a long breath, a crooked but pained smile playing on his lips.
“You have one,” I whispered. “You can fill me in later on all of that, too.”
“Deal,” he said, his deep chuckle settling into my belly like old times. He’d always had the best laugh, and it used to be the highlight of my teenage days.
Used to.
“Enjoy the game.” He squeezed my arm and waved before jogging back to the offices.
Now, instead of worrying about whatever nerves were firing down my spine, I was worried about the tortured pull in Lee’s features.
I couldn’t picture Lee fucking up anything. He’d beento hell and back, and yet he never seemed to be anything other than perfect to me.
I’d always look at Lee through those rose-colored, fantasy glasses. When the men in my life would disappoint me, my mind would always go back to how Lee wouldn’t do whatever they did. He’d never cheat, he’d never comment about my weight or make me feel anything less than beautiful.
He’d also never lie or steal—or almost break my nose when I caught him doing both.
THREE
LEE
“How’s the neck?” I walked up to Adrian as the team came off the field and headed toward the locker room. He’d pitched a shutout and stayed on the mound for all nine innings, despite wavering a little at the end. A couple of guys got on base at the end of the ninth, but Silas had let him finish since we’d had a five-run lead.
I’d laughed at Adrian’s full-body exhale when Chris, our catcher, had caught a pop-up for the last out. I suspected that relief was twofold, both from not letting his team down and showing his best to whoever was in the stands to see him today.
“Good,” he said, rolling his shoulders. “Got a little interesting at the end, but Chris got me out of it.”
“You got yourself out of it,” Silas said, coming up behind us to slap him on the back while he kept stride with Adrian. “Don’t lose that focus you had today.”
Adrian snuck a look to me, raising his brow. I hoped he’d be as successful after the game too.
My mind was on a woman in the stands today as well. Iracked my brain for reasons why Stella had dropped everything to move back to New York. She’d never stayed in one place for more than a couple of weeks at a time, working freelance and traveling all across the country. She’d moved in with her boyfriend in Ohio about a year ago, but from what I knew, she still spent most of her time on the road.
Both Stella and Gary had bounced from place to place on a consistent basis since they’d graduated from college. Gary’s military career dictated his next stop, and I’d lost count of all the moves he’d made since he’d enlisted.
They’d always been restless, thriving on travel and always moving around somewhere, although Gary had seemed more grounded since he’d gotten married.
