Read Online High Heat (Hard Hitters #1) by Linda Morris - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Linda Morris
Ads: Link
he simply signed, ignored her obvious interest, and moved on to sign a twelve-year-old girl’s glove.
The sight of the young girl in her jersey, holding a glove, made her heart ache. That had been her once, until her mom died and her dad decided it was time to crack down on her “tomboy” ways.
Hopefully the girl had a father who understood her love for the game more than hers did.
“Hey, sweetheart. Are you coming over to me and Mom’s house later for barbecue?”
Her heart sank as she recognized Rich’s voice. She turned to greet him, a smile plastered on her face until she took in his clothes: too-tight denim shorts and a red T-shirt with “USA” spelled out on it in blue glitter letters. Heat rose in her cheeks.
“Ah, I’m not sure, Rich. I’ve got some PR events lined up for Tom and I have to accompany him. Maybe another time?”
His face fell. “You
always
come over for Mom’s barbecue after the parade. She bought sparklers and everything.”
Oh, my word.
Hardly daring to breathe, she shot a glance over to Tom, hoping to see him too involved in autographs to pay any attention to her conversation. Instead, he stood unabashedly eavesdropping, a wide grin on his face.
“I know. I’m sorry. You didn’t say anything about it and I’m afraid that with as busy as I’ve been, I forgot all about it.” Yikes, that had sounded harsh, but she’d been thinking so much about this parade and the other PR events she’d planned, she’d hardly thought of anything else. Tom Cord was like a black hole in human form. He sucked all of her energy, attention, and interest into himself, leaving her none for anyone else.
“I didn’t think I needed to
remind
you of a tradition we’ve stuck with for three years, Sarah,” Rich said with a sniff.
“I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry. Maybe we can do something together this weekend to make up for it?”
His face brightened, and she knew another wrestling match on his couch would be in her near future.
He left on the promise that she’d call him soon, and she bit back a sigh as she turned back to Tom, who had just finished signing the last autograph.
They fell into step on the way to the Little League diamond. Tom said nothing, and she’d begun to hope that he’d let the incident pass when he draped an elbow on her shoulder.
“Quite a boyfriend you’ve got there.” The laughter in his voice was obvious. She didn’t try to hide her scowl. Why had Rich blundered by just then? She wanted to crawl into the nearest storm sewer and hide. Or shove Tom into one and run away.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“How can that be? He called you sweetheart. You spend every Fourth of July at his mom’s house. Eating barbecue and lighting sparklers.”
Of course
he’d heard every mortifying detail. “What were you, taking notes?” She shot him a glare.
“I have a good memory for things that interest me.”
“Why Rich should interest you, I have no idea.” He barely interested her and he was her date.
“Oh, is that his name? No, he’s not interesting. I’m interested in you.”
“Me?” She kept her voice even somehow, even as her heart slipped into a fast beat. “What’s so interesting about me?”
“I want to know why a pretty, smart girl like you has a schmuck of a boyfriend like that.”
Pretty? Smart? Since when? He’d never given her the time of day back when he was in college. Her brain couldn’t process Tom Cord calling her those things, so it snagged on the one part she could understand. “I told you, he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Of course he is. I’m pretty sure eating barbecue at his mom’s every Fourth of July counts as a commitment. God knows I’m not ready for that kind of serious relationship.”
Oh, he was an ass.
“I said he’s not my boyfriend,” she repeated stubbornly.
He looked at her face closely. “You seem awfully sure about that.”
“Because I am.”
“Do you sleep with him?”
“That’s
The sight of the young girl in her jersey, holding a glove, made her heart ache. That had been her once, until her mom died and her dad decided it was time to crack down on her “tomboy” ways.
Hopefully the girl had a father who understood her love for the game more than hers did.
“Hey, sweetheart. Are you coming over to me and Mom’s house later for barbecue?”
Her heart sank as she recognized Rich’s voice. She turned to greet him, a smile plastered on her face until she took in his clothes: too-tight denim shorts and a red T-shirt with “USA” spelled out on it in blue glitter letters. Heat rose in her cheeks.
“Ah, I’m not sure, Rich. I’ve got some PR events lined up for Tom and I have to accompany him. Maybe another time?”
His face fell. “You
always
come over for Mom’s barbecue after the parade. She bought sparklers and everything.”
Oh, my word.
Hardly daring to breathe, she shot a glance over to Tom, hoping to see him too involved in autographs to pay any attention to her conversation. Instead, he stood unabashedly eavesdropping, a wide grin on his face.
“I know. I’m sorry. You didn’t say anything about it and I’m afraid that with as busy as I’ve been, I forgot all about it.” Yikes, that had sounded harsh, but she’d been thinking so much about this parade and the other PR events she’d planned, she’d hardly thought of anything else. Tom Cord was like a black hole in human form. He sucked all of her energy, attention, and interest into himself, leaving her none for anyone else.
“I didn’t think I needed to
remind
you of a tradition we’ve stuck with for three years, Sarah,” Rich said with a sniff.
“I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry. Maybe we can do something together this weekend to make up for it?”
His face brightened, and she knew another wrestling match on his couch would be in her near future.
He left on the promise that she’d call him soon, and she bit back a sigh as she turned back to Tom, who had just finished signing the last autograph.
They fell into step on the way to the Little League diamond. Tom said nothing, and she’d begun to hope that he’d let the incident pass when he draped an elbow on her shoulder.
“Quite a boyfriend you’ve got there.” The laughter in his voice was obvious. She didn’t try to hide her scowl. Why had Rich blundered by just then? She wanted to crawl into the nearest storm sewer and hide. Or shove Tom into one and run away.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“How can that be? He called you sweetheart. You spend every Fourth of July at his mom’s house. Eating barbecue and lighting sparklers.”
Of course
he’d heard every mortifying detail. “What were you, taking notes?” She shot him a glare.
“I have a good memory for things that interest me.”
“Why Rich should interest you, I have no idea.” He barely interested her and he was her date.
“Oh, is that his name? No, he’s not interesting. I’m interested in you.”
“Me?” She kept her voice even somehow, even as her heart slipped into a fast beat. “What’s so interesting about me?”
“I want to know why a pretty, smart girl like you has a schmuck of a boyfriend like that.”
Pretty? Smart? Since when? He’d never given her the time of day back when he was in college. Her brain couldn’t process Tom Cord calling her those things, so it snagged on the one part she could understand. “I told you, he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Of course he is. I’m pretty sure eating barbecue at his mom’s every Fourth of July counts as a commitment. God knows I’m not ready for that kind of serious relationship.”
Oh, he was an ass.
“I said he’s not my boyfriend,” she repeated stubbornly.
He looked at her face closely. “You seem awfully sure about that.”
“Because I am.”
“Do you sleep with him?”
“That’s
Similar Books
