Playing for Keeps (14 page)

“I happen to like nerd balls.”

“But I was referring to your conversation with little Adam. You certainly made his day.”

Noah shrugged. “Yeah, well, he made mine. It’s been a while since I’ve signed a baseball.”

“Are you really going to his game?”

“I’ll do my best. Hey, do you want to go to his game with me,
Mrs. Falcon
?” he joked, but he was a bit startled when he realized that the thought of her being his wife held a certain appeal. Where in the world did that come from?

“Oh!” Olivia’s eyes widened. “We should have set them straight! Rumors are really going to fly!” She put a hand over her mouth and then chided, “No-ah!” But instead of appearing mortified, she suddenly giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on the receiving end of juicy gossip.”

“Welcome to my world,” Noah responded drily and then helped her up to a standing position.

“Oh, it’s not always fun when rumors fly, I suppose.”

Noah shrugged. “I’ve always tried not to worry so much what people say unless it hurts someone I care about. That being said, I attempted to be a baseball player that kids looked up to, you know? Sports have lost so much of that—I’d like to see integrity brought back, especially to baseball.” He took her hand and started walking. “I talked about that with the players over at Cricket Creek High School. I reminded them that they are representing their team and school when they play.”

“Good for you, Noah,” Olivia said with a serious nod. “Believe me, kids today need positive role models.” She angled her head and then continued. “I’ve given you a hard time from the moment you roared into town, but I misjudged you. I’m sorry for that.”

Noah pulled her to a stop at the street corner before they reached the Dairy Hut. “Hey, I will be the first to admit that I’m no saint, but I try to live by a certain moral code. Being back here really has helped me remember to keep those beliefs intact.” He frowned. “Coming home has been a good thing for me in more ways than one.” He felt a measure of emotion clog his throat and had a strong urge to draw her into his arms, but he suddenly felt overwhelmed at the intensity of his feelings for Olivia. His life was in transition, and he needed to remember that while he was only here for the summer run before going on with his life, Olivia Lawson had made it clear that she wanted to live in Cricket Creek. She was the last person on earth he wanted to hurt, and so he smiled and said, “Well, actually, a little bit of gossip about us could be an added draw for the play, as odd as it seems.”

“Oh, I get it—create some buzz,” Olivia said with a slow nod coupled with a look of disappointment that she quickly masked, confirming his guess that she was developing feelings for him as well. “Smart thinking.” She cleared her throat and glanced away for a second. “Sure, I think we can pull it off—you know, like holding hands and things like that.”

“Right,” Noah replied, and for a heartbeat he considered setting her straight, but then he decided that letting her assume that any advances on his part were all for show was an easy way to be able to enjoy getting close without the risk of hurting her in the end. “What do you think?”

“E
xcellent idea. We can get a little Hollywood-style buzz going. Noah Falcon and the high school English teacher an item? My tumble in the diner was a good start, and like we said, people are already beginning to gossip. This walk to the Dairy Hut was a better idea than I imagined.” Olivia knew she was rambling on, but she couldn’t stop herself. She hid her disappointment with a choppy laugh followed by a wave of her hand. “I consider myself a good actress. We can totally fool everyone.” Except for herself, she thought sadly. “I’m totally down with this,” she added and realized she sounded like she was seventeen. Whenever she tried to tell a lie her Southern accent prevailed, and when she was nervous or upset she tended to play a role instead of being herself. She had learned to act upbeat and happy as a child for the benefit of her father, and she could surely do it for the sake of the play. But right now she sounded like a Southern Valley Girl hybrid, if there could be such a thing.

“Dude, for real?” Noah asked with a slight grin.

“Sorry.” She felt heat steal into her cheeks. “I’m around teenagers all day long, and I tend to pick up their lingo even though I preach using correct English. But yes, getting people talking will add some buzz building up to opening night. Let’s do it,” she said and tugged on his hand. “We’d better hurry or the Dairy Hut will close. Spring hours are earlier than summer,” she added and kept walking, even though she got the impression he wanted to hang back and say something to her. An odd lump had formed in her throat and ice cream no longer held any appeal, but she would do her damnedest to fake it. “I’m dying for a dip top. You?”

“Still thinking . . .”

Ahh . . . she was fooling herself to think that he was truly falling for her. Cricket Creek would never be good enough for the likes of Noah Falcon. He would soon be off to bigger and better things and never look back. The thought made her feel unreasonably upset, and she suddenly wanted to go home.

“Are you okay?” Noah asked and stopped on the corner.

“Sure. Why do you ask?” She tilted her head in a questioning gesture and pasted a smile on her face.

“Maybe because you have a death grip on my hand. Is this making you nervous?”

“Of course not.” Olivia swallowed hard and let go of his hand. “But it is getting late. Real rehearsals at the center begin on Monday night. We should probably head back and practice unless you’re hell-bent on getting a creamy whip.”

Noah chuckled. “Hell-bent? Why, I’m surprised at your language, Miss Lawson.”

“I don’t know where that came from.” Olivia found herself smiling in spite of her jumbled emotions. “Well, are you?”

“I’ve been known to be hell-bent. Yeah, I am really craving a soft-serve ice cream. I can’t remember the last time I had one. I’m thinking chocolate dip top too,” he admitted with a boyish grin that reminded Olivia of how carefree he was back in high school, and it occurred to her that Noah wasn’t as sure of himself as he pretended and that she and Madison were putting a lot of unfair pressure on him to make this play a success and to help save his hometown in the process. “So will you indulge me?”

“Oh, okay.” She rolled her eyes but had to give in. Who could resist those dimples and that smile? Apparently not her.

“Thanks,” he said with another lopsided grin that tugged at her heartstrings. This unexpected vulnerable side drew her to him even more, making her want to pull him into her arms and give him a reassuring hug. When he took her hand again, she didn’t protest. Guarding her heart, she decided, was pretty much pointless, since mistake or not, she was already in love with him and she might as well just face the facts. She was a goner the moment she saw him in the bakery, even though she had put her nose in the air and pretended otherwise. Of course she would never let him know it, but this little farce they were concocting would be her ticket to be with him as his girlfriend, if only for a little while. So from this moment on, she would pretend to be pretending and soak it all up like a sponge until the play concluded at the end of the summer.

“You sure you don’t want sprinkles? I’ve always been a fan of rainbow, although I’m in a chocolate kind of mood tonight.” She had to laugh when his eyes widened before he shook his head up at the blue sky.

“Too many choices,” Noah complained with a long sigh. “But you know what?”

“Probably not, but I’ll bite.”

“I haven’t had this much fun eating in a long time.”

“You mean you don’t miss sushi, steak, and sea bass?”

“Are you kidding?” Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath when they reached the edge of the parking lot, which was surprisingly full. Apparently they weren’t the only ones with spring fever. After a second he raised his index finger in the air. “Cheeseburgers, fries, waffle cones, and chocolate. Oh, wait a minute . . . and hot dogs. I’ve been missing out on a lot. I just didn’t know it.” He opened his eyes and looked at her, and for a heart-stopping moment she thought he meant something entirely different, but then he swallowed and said, “Surely there’s a Dairy Hut in heaven too. Not just Papa Vito’s pizza?”

“Oh, without a doubt and open all year long, not just summertime. And Grammar’s butter cookies.”

“Myra’s onion rings and chili cheese fries?”

Olivia nodded. “And I think I have to add Jessica’s rock soup to the list,” she said. “Oh, and her apple pie,” she said and was startled when she was given a nudge from behind.

“Don’t leave out a dirty martini from Sully’s!”

Olivia glanced at Noah and then laughed. “What? Madison? Jason? How long have you been standing there?”

“We just walked up behind you,” Madison explained, but then she grinned. “But you two
lovebirds
were so into each other that you didn’t notice.”

“We’re not lovebirds,” Olivia corrected, but this time without much conviction.

“Hey, you were walking hand in hand to the Dairy Hut. That’s what all the lovebirds do in Cricket Creek.”

Olivia angled her head at Madison and Jason. “Oh, really, now?”

Madison raised her palms in the air. “We weren’t holding hands,” she informed everyone, but the color in her cheeks suggested to Olivia that the two of them were getting very close. Yes!

“I offered a piggyback ride,” Jason said, “but she declined.”

“You offer a lot of things that I decline.”

Jason put his arms behind his back and stretched. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“In your dreams,” Madison shot back, but Olivia could feel the sexual tension humming between them. They weren’t fooling anyone. Madison turned her attention to Olivia. “What were you two talking about so intently?”

“The fine cuisine in Cricket Creek,” Noah replied and rubbed his abdomen. “Wait. What’s this I hear about a dirty martini at Sully’s? Are you kidding me?”

“It’s a long story, but trust me and try one,” Madison replied. “You won’t be sorry,” she said and grinned up at Jason.

Jason extended his hand to Noah. “Hey, man, heard you’re working out with the Cricket Creek baseball team.”

“Yeah. They’ve got a talented roster this year. How’ve you been, Jason? Haven’t seen you in Myra’s in a while.”

“Been busy, but doin’ all right.”

“Working too hard,” Madison said with a shake of her head. “He barely takes the time to eat. The promise of a hot fudge sundae was the only way to get him to take off his tool belt for the night.”

“I could think of a better reason,” Jason answered and got an elbow jab from Madison.

“Jason!” Madison looked at Noah in apology. “I think he’s been hanging around my aunt Myra a little too much.”

“Man’s got a point,” Noah said and got the same exact treatment from Olivia, but he only grinned, gave Jason a knuckle bump, and blew it up. “What can I say? We’re guys.”

When Jason lifted his hands in innocent agreement, Madison groaned. “Olivia, I feel like we’re trapped in a beer commercial.”

“Hey, I resemble that,” Noah said and got a round of laughter.

“Ya think?” Madison asked with a grin and rolled her eyes at Olivia.

“I know,” Olivia agreed, but she was amazed that a major-league baseball player turned soap star could make the people around him feel so at ease, and it occurred to her that she truly had misjudged him.

“Oh, hey, Noah, I’ll be drawing up the plans for the dugouts over at the baseball field right after I’m finished framing the sets,” Jason informed him.

Olivia looked at Noah with surprise. “You’re funding building new dugouts at the high school?”

Noah lifted one shoulder, shrugging it off. “The ones there now are falling apart. Those kids work hard and they deserve better.” Noah gave Jason a nudge. “And Jason’s bid was way under what it should have been.”

“I’m not surprised,” Olivia commented and gave Madison a look that said that Jason was a good guy. “He did the same thing for the sets, which happen to be beautiful, by the way. The art students at Cricket Creek have been painting them.”

“It’s all coming together,” Jason said and gave Madison’s arm a squeeze. “I think it’s safe to say that we all want the best for Cricket Creek.”

Olivia was glad that Jason seemed to be a shoulder for Madison to lean on, since her young friend was fiercely independent to a fault. “Opening night will be here before we know it. Which reminds me, we should get our ice cream and head back to read through the script. Come on, guys,” Olivia said and started walking toward the Dairy Hut.

They quickly became the center of attention and made the Dairy Hut patrons stop in mid-lick. “If you love ice cream, raise those cones in the air and give me a yee-haw!” Noah said.

“Yee-haw!” was the collective response from families and couples standing in groups or sitting at picnic tables.

When Noah looked Olivia’s way with another boyish grin, she shook her head. “You are something else, Noah Falcon.”

“You mean that in a good way, right?” he asked.

“Sure,” she assured him but then rolled her eyes.

Madison gave Noah’s shoulder a shove. “Don’t worry. I get that all the time too.”

“But in a good way as well?” Jason asked and got a much harder shove from Madison.

“Why, of course.”

Olivia had to laugh and then shook her head at Madison and Noah. “Along with your mother, Madison, you are the shot in the arm that this town needed. There hasn’t been this much excitement about summer arriving in a long time.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Jason grinned at Olivia and then draped his arm over Madison’s shoulders. “Can you, baby?” he asked Madison.

“Nope,” Madison answered, drawing a chuckle from Jason.

“You agree with me? Now that’s a first.”