Read Online Love Bats Last (The Heart of the Game) by Pamela Aares - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Pamela Aares
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Jackie a tentative smile. “We don’t need any raising of the gentleman bar around here.” He plopped the slice of blueberry cheesecake onto Alex’s plate. “You’ll make us manly men look bad.”
Jackie was grateful for Gage’s deflection. Sometimes he did just the right thing.
“It’d take more than poor manners to make either of you look bad.” Bev chuckled as she rose to talk to a volunteer calling to her from the next table.
“You look like you could use a break,” Alex said. “I can get you tickets to the Giants game next week.”
A ballgame was the last thing she needed.
“ Giants game?” Gage said as he forked in a mouthful of lasagna “You’re on!” He looked from Alex to Jackie. “That is, if I’m invited?” He shot Jackie a pleading look. “The Giants are in the running for the pennant, boss, but of course you wouldn’t know that.”
“You’re both invited,” Alex said.
“Boss?”
She looked back to Gage. The yearning in his face was almost boyish. What was it about sports that turned men to mush?
But Alex was right—they did need a break. Against her better instincts, she nodded.
Gage let out a whoop of delight.
“But I’m not eating any of that food you come back here talking about,” she said. “Hot dogs and cheese on corn chips and the like.”
“Nachos,” Gage said, still grinning. “They’re called nachos.” He shot a sheepish grin to Alex. “Never had a player invite me to a game before. It’ll be great to see you in action.”
She stopped chewing. Surely she hadn’t heard right. Michael had told her Alex was a vintner.
“The game looks pretty much the same no matter where you get the tickets,” Alex said with a light laugh. “My tickets are just closer to the field.”
He looked from Gage to her. Her confusion must’ve shown because he looked quickly back to Gage.
“Thought you knew, boss.”
Heat flamed up her neck and into her face. “You knew?”
“ Everybody in San Francisco knows.” His brow wrinkled. “I assumed you did.”
“Dr. Brandon!” one of their volunteers called out to her as he rushed up to the table. “I was out checking on Charley in pen six, and I saw the door to the necropsy lab was hanging open. It looks an awful mess in there, Dr. Brandon.”
“It’s usually an awful mess in there,” Gage said as he forked in an enormous bite of cheesecake.
“ Your mess,” Jackie said as she stood, grateful for the diversion.
“Women never seem to appreciate the nuanced elegance of my style,” Gage said with a shrug. “Want me to come with you?”
“You’re doing what you do best,” she said, nodding toward his piled-high plate of food. “I’ll page you if I need help. It’s probably just the wind.”
Without looking back at Alex, she headed for the door.
“She has her good moments,” she heard Gage say behind her. “But if you blink, you’ll miss them.”
As she stepped into the cool, dark night, Jackie wondered if those moments really were all that rare.
It hadn’t been the wind.
Jackie stood at the door to the necropsy lab and blinked. Cabinets gaped open and her scalpels and saws were strewn across the floor. She opened the freezer and gasped. The top shelf was empty. The tissue samples she’d so carefully collected from the North Bay harbor seals were gone. So were the water samples.
“We should call the cops,” Gage said as he came up behind her.
“No.” She swallowed hard, but it didn’t ease the lump of tension in her throat. “An investigation will alert the Department of Agriculture. Though we know we’re up to snuff and good enough for the animals, the USDA inspectors might not think so.”
She’d sweet-talked her way around the regulations for the fish kitchen and had ramped up the filtration system for the pools, but they needed more time and money to address the other items on the USDA’s list and the necropsy lab was at the top of it. Just because she thought their
Jackie was grateful for Gage’s deflection. Sometimes he did just the right thing.
“It’d take more than poor manners to make either of you look bad.” Bev chuckled as she rose to talk to a volunteer calling to her from the next table.
“You look like you could use a break,” Alex said. “I can get you tickets to the Giants game next week.”
A ballgame was the last thing she needed.
“ Giants game?” Gage said as he forked in a mouthful of lasagna “You’re on!” He looked from Alex to Jackie. “That is, if I’m invited?” He shot Jackie a pleading look. “The Giants are in the running for the pennant, boss, but of course you wouldn’t know that.”
“You’re both invited,” Alex said.
“Boss?”
She looked back to Gage. The yearning in his face was almost boyish. What was it about sports that turned men to mush?
But Alex was right—they did need a break. Against her better instincts, she nodded.
Gage let out a whoop of delight.
“But I’m not eating any of that food you come back here talking about,” she said. “Hot dogs and cheese on corn chips and the like.”
“Nachos,” Gage said, still grinning. “They’re called nachos.” He shot a sheepish grin to Alex. “Never had a player invite me to a game before. It’ll be great to see you in action.”
She stopped chewing. Surely she hadn’t heard right. Michael had told her Alex was a vintner.
“The game looks pretty much the same no matter where you get the tickets,” Alex said with a light laugh. “My tickets are just closer to the field.”
He looked from Gage to her. Her confusion must’ve shown because he looked quickly back to Gage.
“Thought you knew, boss.”
Heat flamed up her neck and into her face. “You knew?”
“ Everybody in San Francisco knows.” His brow wrinkled. “I assumed you did.”
“Dr. Brandon!” one of their volunteers called out to her as he rushed up to the table. “I was out checking on Charley in pen six, and I saw the door to the necropsy lab was hanging open. It looks an awful mess in there, Dr. Brandon.”
“It’s usually an awful mess in there,” Gage said as he forked in an enormous bite of cheesecake.
“ Your mess,” Jackie said as she stood, grateful for the diversion.
“Women never seem to appreciate the nuanced elegance of my style,” Gage said with a shrug. “Want me to come with you?”
“You’re doing what you do best,” she said, nodding toward his piled-high plate of food. “I’ll page you if I need help. It’s probably just the wind.”
Without looking back at Alex, she headed for the door.
“She has her good moments,” she heard Gage say behind her. “But if you blink, you’ll miss them.”
As she stepped into the cool, dark night, Jackie wondered if those moments really were all that rare.
It hadn’t been the wind.
Jackie stood at the door to the necropsy lab and blinked. Cabinets gaped open and her scalpels and saws were strewn across the floor. She opened the freezer and gasped. The top shelf was empty. The tissue samples she’d so carefully collected from the North Bay harbor seals were gone. So were the water samples.
“We should call the cops,” Gage said as he came up behind her.
“No.” She swallowed hard, but it didn’t ease the lump of tension in her throat. “An investigation will alert the Department of Agriculture. Though we know we’re up to snuff and good enough for the animals, the USDA inspectors might not think so.”
She’d sweet-talked her way around the regulations for the fish kitchen and had ramped up the filtration system for the pools, but they needed more time and money to address the other items on the USDA’s list and the necropsy lab was at the top of it. Just because she thought their
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