Leave the Lights On (14 page)

Good weird. It could be good weird.
She tried to convince herself that nothing would go wrong, but a nagging voice argued in her head.
Or it could be the most awkward evening ever. Oh God.

“You didn’t tell him I was coming, right?” she asked.

“Nope.” Parker stuck his wallet back in his pocket and held up the tickets. “Kinda want to see the look on his face, don’t you?”

The smirk on Parker’s face made her smile. “Can’t wait.”

Sophie followed Parker, her fingers linked tightly in his, as they made their way to their seats. Five rows behind the first base dugout. Sophie had never been inside a major league stadium, but even she realized how great the seats were. “Wow. We could practically reach out and touch the players.”

“I think we’re about to do just that.”

Sophie followed Parker’s gaze and saw that Joey had already spotted them.
Well, spotted Parker.

“You made it,” Joey yelled, voice booming as he waved them down to the low wall separating the field from the seats.

Sophie followed Parker, her heart racing.

“Hey.” Parker reached out a hand, but Joey closed the distance between them and pulled Parker into an over-the-wall hug.

“You look good, man. Glad to see you.”

Sophie stood slightly behind Parker, tugging her jeans down where they’d bunched on her thighs. Her stomach flip-flopped.

Parker turned and gave her a wink. “I brought someone else you might remember.” He stepped to the side, reaching his arm around Sophie’s waist to pull her forward.

She felt herself flush as she made eye contact with Joey, waiting for the moment of recognition. In typical Joey fashion, his eyes swept up and down the length of her body before he settled on her face. His jaw dropped.

“Well, I’ll be fucking damned. Sophie Vaughn.” He leaned over the wall and scooped her into a bear hug so hard he lifted her right off the ground.

Holy shit.
She laughed, half from nervousness and half from the exuberance of his reaction. “Hey, Joey.”

“How the hell are you?” Joey asked, setting her down, but not yet taking his hands off her.

“Good.” She glanced at Parker, who eyed them with a look she couldn’t quite read. “Really good.”

“Still hanging out with goofball?” Joey nodded toward Parker.

Before she could answer, Parker’s arm slipped back around her waist. “Yeah, we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

Surprised by the possessiveness of Parker’s hand, she found herself leaning toward him. It felt good. She noticed Joey’s glance traveling to her waist then to Parker’s eyes. He’d clearly picked up on the meaning and seemed to be processing the information.

“I can’t believe you’re both here. I gotta get back, but hang out after the game’s over, and I’ll meet up with you. We’ll go out, catch up. Okay?”

Parker gave Sophie a quick look and she nodded. “Sounds good,” he said. “We’ll be here. Call my cell and tell me where to meet you.”

“Will do.” Joey clapped Parker on the shoulder and strode away, looking back and catching Sophie’s eye for a second before he turned again and joined the other players.

Sophie rubbed Parker’s back, trying to gauge how he was doing. “Should we sit?”

“Sure.” He gave her a quick squeeze before withdrawing his arm and settling into his seat. “Well, I think we definitely surprised him.”

“I’d say so. I thought his jaw was going to hit the floor.”

“He looks good. Happy.”

Yes. Joey most certainly looked good. Great even.
He’d always been a good-looking guy but he’d grown almost unfairly handsome. His classic, Italian features—strong nose and jaw line, intensely dark eyes, caramel-colored skin—all seemed magnified by his long, nearly black hair. He’d managed to have a swagger to his step by the time they’d hit the fifth grade but he seemed to have perfected that over the years as well. There wasn’t a woman around who’d taken her eyes off him while he was talking to them.

“What about you? You happy?” She searched Parker’s face.

“I’m happy I’m here with you.” He smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

A waitress interrupted. “Have you folks had a chance to take a look at the menu? If not I’ll come back in a bit.”

“You know what you want or do you need a minute?” Parker asked.

“Is it too cliché to say I want hot dogs and beer?”

“Not to me. You still a ketchup girl?”

Sophie’s heart fluttered at the fact that he remembered. “Yep.”

“We’ll take two hotdogs—one ketchup, one mustard—and two beers.”

“I’ll get those right over to you. Your seats also allow you access to the clubroom, so if you’d like to visit at any point during the game just show your tickets. There’s a full bar and buffet, and it’s open for the duration of the game.”

“Thanks.” Parker smiled at the waitress, but Sophie caught the hint of tension in him again.

“I have a confession to make. I can’t remember the last time I watched a baseball game.”

“You used to come to all the games in high school.”

“That’s because some of my buddies were on the team.” She’d meant it as a compliment, but the darkness clouded Parker’s eyes again, and she regretted saying it.

He pecked her on the side of the head. “One of your old buddies is still on the team, and from the looks of the lineup, I think he’s the leadoff man.”

Sophie’s brow furrowed as she squinted at the electronic scoreboard Parker was pointing at. No sooner did she find his name than she heard the announcer say, “Leading off the game will be center fielder Joey Nardo…. Nardo’s hitting.315 with a couple of homers and twenty-six stolen bases so far this season.”

“Leadoff?” Sophie asked.

“First one to hit.”
Jesus. As a rookie.
Parker shook his head to clear it.
Why am I surprised? Solid hitter, super-fast runner.
He’d caught the first few games of the season on TV, before his dad had gotten really sick. Every time he’d watched, Joey had been on fire.

Pride and jealousy battled inside him. Parker shifted in his seat, willing himself to get a grip. “First guy up needs a good hit followed by speed. Joey runs like lightning.”

“Is twenty-six stolen bases a lot?”

“Uh, yeah. Not record breaking, but it’s damn good.”

They stood for the National Anthem, and Parker welcomed the opportunity to focus on something other than the thoughts in his head as he listened to the song.

Their food arrived just as they sat back down. Parker took a long drink of beer and settled in to watch the game.

The teams were evenly matched, keeping the score tied inning after inning. Parker and Sophie cheered extra loudly for Joey but that was hardly necessary. He seemed to have an inordinate number of fans shouting his name. As much as he still loved the game, being there, watching live, was taking more of an emotional toll than Parker had anticipated.

By the end of the fifth inning, Parker was ready for both a break from watching the game and an opportunity to stretch his legs. “You want to go check out the lounge?”

“Sure.”

As they made their way through the crowds, Sophie’s fingers slipped between his. Her touch warmed him more than he thought possible.

The VIP lounge was bustling. Parker had only been inside the VIP areas at a few stadiums. Once with his dad and Joey as a graduation present, and a few times in college when he and Joey had been able to finagle tickets from various friends.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“A little. Plus I love checking out a buffet. Gives me ideas for weddings.”

They perused the spread. There was a seafood table with heaping mounds of shrimp cocktail and enormous crab legs. Two carving stations boasted roast beef and ham. Chafing trays filled with Buffalo wings, assorted pastas and some sort of stuffed chicken breasts graced the remaining tables. He saw Sophie eyeing the dessert table.

“Dessert first?” he asked.

Sophie grinned from ear to ear. “How did you know I was going to suggest that?”

“I’m pretty smart for an ex-jock.”

She squeezed his hand. “You’re pretty cute too. Now let’s get some sugar.”

Parker surveyed the table, trying to decide what to take. Sophie went straight for the tower of miniature chocolate-dipped cannoli. “What?” she asked, catching him watching as she placed the third pastry on her plate.

“I didn’t say a word.”

“I like cannoli.”

“So I see.”

“You don’t?”

Parker tried to remember the last time he’d had one. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time.”

“Let’s see if these are any good.” She lifted one and took a bite, her tongue sweeping out to catch a bit of filling that caught on the corner of her mouth. “Oh my God. Very good. You have to try these.”

She held the other half in front of Parker. Watching her lick her lips, he wanted to drag her and the plate of cannoli into the nearest vacant room. Instead he opened his mouth. Her thumb grazed his lower lip as she popped the pastry into his mouth. Crunchy, creamy, sweet, chocolaty.

“You’re right,” he mumbled as he chewed. “That’s awesome. Grab some more of those.”

A plate of chicken wings, two dozen shrimp and several miniature pastries later, Parker felt both full and much calmer. Talking to Sophie was like a magic tonic. He’d never met anyone who was easier to be with. Or more fun.

“I can’t believe how many of those you ate,” he teased, watching her lick the chocolate from her thumb.

She grinned at him. “Why do you think I make it a point to go to Zumba at least twice a week?”

“So you can eat as many desserts as you want?”

“Can you think of a better reason?”

Parker popped another brownie bite into his mouth. “Not right this second.”

Sophie’s leg brushed against his under the table, and he felt her ankle lock around his leg. She rubbed her foot against his calf. He’d seen people do that in movies and TV commercials and always thought it looked like such a fake gesture. Like the woman was trying too hard to be some stereotype of sexy. When Sophie did it to him it felt sweet. Intimate. And sexy as hell.

He cupped the back of her head and drew her in for a kiss. Her soft lips molded to his, parting the second his tongue touched them. Feeling her respond, so immediately, so openly, he couldn’t think about anything beyond the sensation of kissing her. He breathed her in, her scent, her breath. Her hands slithered around his neck.

For that moment there was no stadium, no room full of people—it was just the two of them.

The eruption of clapping and cheering startled them, and they jumped apart just as the announcement came from every speaker in the room. “A home run for Joey Nardo.”

Parker looked up at the nearest TV screen, and sure enough, the instant replay was up showing Joey. “Jesus.”

“Cool,” Sophie said, still stroking the back of his neck as she leaned closer. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered. “But Joey’s not the only one who’s going to score tonight.”

The game had been over for half an hour, and Joey had yet to text Parker. Sophie could tell he was getting antsy as he repeatedly checked his phone.

“We can go, you know,” she said. “I’m sure we can catch up with him some other time.”

“No, it’s okay. We said we’d wait. They won, so I’m sure there’s tons of press waiting to talk to them.” Parker glanced at his phone again just as it lit up with an incoming message. He read aloud. “Taking longer than I thought. Want to head to Godfried’s and I’ll meet you there?”

“That’s fine with me. Why Godfried’s of all places?”

Parker shrugged. “My guess is that anywhere near the stadium will not only be packed, but he’ll be mobbed by people. Godfried’s is mostly locals, less glitzy.”

“Tell him we’ll see him there.”

Parker typed back a message, and they headed for the car. He opened the car door for her, waiting until she was seated before closing it for her too. Had anyone besides him ever done that? Not that she could recall.

She felt so completely safe with him it scared her. Trust wasn’t easy for her, even more so since the divorce, yet with Parker she felt safer than she’d ever felt in her life.
Stop being ridiculous.
She knew the beginning of all relationships were smooth sailing. It was way too early to feel so secure and way too early to think that things would stay so blissfully good.

As they drove to Godfried’s, Parker slipped his hand into hers. The touch of his fingers sent tingles all through her as his skin skimmed along hers. So light yet so potent. She could have continued having him stroke her palm like that all night.

“Was tonight as bad as you thought it was going to be?” She heard herself ask the question before she thought about it.
What the hell is wrong with me? Am I trying to wreck his mood?

Parker paused before answering, and Sophie spent the time cursing herself for opening her big mouth.

“No,” he finally said. “It really wasn’t. It was weird. I don’t even know how to explain it. I mean, I’m happy for Joey. Really happy. He’s doing exactly what we’d planned to do since we were kids. And he’s fucking great at it, just like I always knew he would be.”