Sliding Into Second (3 page)

“Nic.” She brought her freshly manicured thumb to her mouth and chewed on her fingernail as she pondered his request. Could they reconnect in New York in the off-season? Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.

“You still have that bad habit?” He took her wrist and pulled it away from her mouth, but he didn’t release her hand.

“Not for years.” She slipped out of his grasp, because she had promised herself she wasn’t going to fall back into that familiar, old routine. They were both adults now, no longer kids who had crazy things in common. “I have to go.” She headed for the passenger side of the van. “Enjoy this time. You’ve earned it.”

“I want to see you again.”

“Maybe.” She didn’t want to commit to anything. “I don’t know.”

“That’s not good enough.” He stared at her as she opened the van door. “You know that, right?”

“I’m not that girl you left behind.” She hadn’t been that girl for a long time. “You may not even like me now.”

“We’ll see.” He popped his cap back on his head and turned toward the stadium. “You need to give me a chance to get to know her.”

Her gazed followed him, taking in the back of his jersey. Number eighteen, her birthday. How had she never made that connection before now? She must have seen it dozens of times.

She climbed into the van and buckled her seatbelt. “Drive.”

“It’s about time.” Sal checked his mirror before putting the gear in reverse. “What’s the deal with you and the second baseman?”

“Shut it.”

“Oh no, Millan. I want all the details.”

“You would.” She slouched down in her seat. “We’re from the same town in Massachusetts. We went to college together once upon a time.”

Sal drove onto the highway. “Wait...he was your boyfriend?”

“Yup.” She pulled her compact from her purse and checked her makeup. “My one and only. The one that got away. My high school sweetheart, and any other absurd cliché you can think of.”

“You’re still hot for him, aren’t you?”

“Don’t be silly.” She stared out the window as they left the city limits. “It was years ago. Cordova hasn’t been a thought in my head for a very long time.”

“Liar.”

“What do you know?” Obviously more than she wanted to admit.

“I saw the way you looked at him in that locker room, but more importantly, I saw the way he looked at you. Sparks are gonna fly. How’s that for a cliché?”

Chapter 3

Nic made his way out of the busy Manhattan hotel elevator. The city was bustling with the holiday crowds. The past six weeks were a blur. After winning the series, he had many television and print interviews, local appearances, and meetings for endorsement deals. He was one of the longest running team members on the Crushers. He started his major league career there, and hoped to stay for as long as they would have him. He became more of a commodity for endorsements when Pax had to have shoulder surgery shortly after the last game. The pitcher would be out of the spotlight, so the companies were looking for others to fill his shoes. Nic had a ruthless agent who stopped at nothing to make sure he signed the big deals.

New York City wasn’t his favorite place to be around the holidays. It was full of tourists, and during the off-season he liked to stay low-key. The sneaker retailer who he had just signed with was based in the city and they wanted to shoot promo spots with him wearing their brand new line of baseball attire for the upcoming season. The trip worked in his favor, because he had planned to meet Sage in the hotel bar. She didn’t know it yet, but thanks to the help of her younger sister, Rosalie, they were about to have a
chance
meeting.

“Nicky!” A remarkable young woman with long, dark hair and the same unique gray eyes as Sage came running toward him.

Could it be?
Before he had time to verbally respond, she jumped into his arms. His reflexes kicked in, catching her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him just as she had done when she was a kid.

“Rosalie?” He held her tight for a few seconds, remembering her as an awkward teenager before placing her on her feet. “Wow.” He looked over all her curves and everything that made her a woman. “You’re, um...”

“All grown up?” She giggled. “I’m not fourteen anymore.”

“So I see.” He glanced at the bar. “I guess that means I can buy you a drink?”

“Sure.” She took his hand and led him to the posh bar that overlooked Times Square. “I was so excited when you messaged me. I never expected you even knew I was following you, much less that you would send me a direct message.”

He hadn’t realized she was following him on social media, but looked her up a few weeks ago on the off chance that she might be able to help him with Sage.

“I’m glad we were able to connect.” He pulled a stool out for her. “I’m sorry we lost touch.”

“You’ve been busy.” She set her small clutch down on the bar. “We’ve watched you ever since you left Florida. My mom still points you out when she sees you on TV. She loves seeing you.”

“We?” He couldn’t imagine Sage keeping track of his career in those early years after they broke up. And her father was never a fan of his. Nic wasn’t even sure he had any interest in sports.

“Don’t let Sage fool you. She never gave up on you.”

“I find that hard to believe.” He waved the bartender over. “She didn’t seem real pleased with me back in October at the stadium. She couldn’t wait to get away from me.”

“Well, she’s still strong-willed. That hasn’t changed.” Rosalie studied the drink menu. “You did break her heart.”

“I never meant to.”

“It was a long time ago. She was younger than me when that happened. I don’t know what I want in life, so how could you have? You had so much going on. You were kids. It wasn’t supposed to work out then.”

“And now what do you think, insightful one?”

“I think you’re friggin’ hot.” She let her gaze take in every inch of him. “Much hotter than I remember. You’ve improved with age.”

“Thank you.” He laughed. “So have you.”

The bartender placed two beverage napkins in front of them. “I’m Joe,” he said in a husky voice. “What can I get—” He stopped and stared before speaking. “Hey, Cordova.” He laughed, his Brooklyn accent apparent.

“Hi,” Nic said to the older man who was gawking at him.

“A World Series champ right here at my bar.” He smiled at Rosalie. “What can I get for you, beautiful young lady?”

“I’ll take the snowflake martini, please.”

“Nice, the house specialty for the season.” He slipped another napkin in front of Nic and handed him a pen. “Would you mind? My grandson is a huge baseball fan.”

“Of course not.” Nic took the pen. “What’s his name?”

“Joey, after me,” he replied. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll take a Stella.” He sprawled his name across the small napkin. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” The man looked down at the signature before tucking it neatly into his pocket. “You’re a class act. I’ll be right back with the drinks.”

“I can’t believe you’re a celebrity.” When she smiled, she looked just like her sister. “How cool is that?”

“It has its perks.” It had taken him some time to get used to people asking for his autograph, but now things like that came naturally, especially since his team had won the series. “So, does she know I’m coming?” He saw no reason to stall. Rosalie helped him put this plan in motion.

“She should be here in about five minutes.” She smiled at the bartender as he placed their drinks in front of them. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Joe said, before walking to the other side of the huge rectangular shaped bar to take another order.

“That’s a fru-fru drink,” Nic teased her. “When Sage was around your age, she was throwing beer back from a bottle. Not some dainty martini with flavored vodka.”

“Yeah, well, she was dating a rough baseball player back then.” She sipped her drink. “She would have done anything he asked her to do. Gone anywhere he said to follow.”

He chugged his beer, letting the bitterness of the ale slide down his throat as Rosalie’s words sunk in.

“But the past is in the past,” she said. “You need to focus on today.”

“Did you tell her I was going to be here?” he asked again.

“We wanted her to come, didn’t we?”

“Is she still that mad at me?” Sage was a stubborn girl, but could she still hold that much of a grudge? “I tried to reach out to her in the beginning, but she wanted no part of it. You were a kid, so you probably don’t remember.”

“I remember it all, Nicky.” She swirled her finger around the sugared rim of her glass. “It took her years to recover from your break up. She became cold and distant. She buried herself in her education, and then, when she graduated, she became so determined to succeed in the sports industry that she gave up almost all of her twenties trying to get where she is today. She’s never forgotten you.”

“Or forgiven me.” He finished his beer, signaling for another. “That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

“I know why you did it.”

“I’m not even sure why I did it, anymore.” He gave Joe a thumbs-up when he replaced his empty beer bottle with a new one. “I was young and stupid, I guess.”

“You listened to my father.” She stared and him, waiting for his reaction, but he played it cool.

He wrapped his hand around his bottle, still not confirming her suspicions. He couldn’t blame Dr. Millan for the choices he had made before heading to Rhode Island. They were all his to own.

He thought about that day. He and Sage had flown to Boston. He wanted to tell his parents in person that he’d been drafted to the minors. Sage went home to tell her parents they were relocating to Rhode Island so he could pursue his career. Nic wanted to ask her father for his permission to marry his daughter. She was giving up so much to follow him on the road. He wanted her to know how serious he took her dedication by asking her to marry him. He wanted her to know she was his one and only. Her father put a stop to his aspirations.

“I was in the hallway when you went into his study that day. You wanted to marry her.”

“You misunderstood.”

“No, I didn’t,” Rosalie said. “I didn’t mean to overhear, but I thought it was so romantic that you went to my dad to ask for Sage’s hand. It was like a fairytale. I could see the two of you standing at the altar, the dress I would wear when I was the maid of honor, and your first dance. I could even hear the song in my head.”

“You always had an active imagination.”

“I couldn’t believe he said no. I was crushed for you and Sage. Every part of me wanted to run upstairs and tell her, get her to make Daddy stop, but my mother caught me outside the study door and told me to stay out of it. That my father knew best.”

“I think your memories are convoluted,” he said, although she couldn’t have been more accurate in her recollection. Sage’s father was furious with Nic when she said she was leaving college to follow him. After Nic left the study that afternoon, he knew he had to make Sage stay behind. He often wondered if her father had appreciated the sacrifice. “How is Dr. Millan?”

“He’s doing well. He and my mom are here in the city for a few days.”

“That’s nice.” Sage’s father had never been very fond of him. Nic didn’t come from money. His parents weren’t educated like the Millans. If it weren’t for baseball, he probably wouldn’t have gone to college. Dr. Millan made it clear that afternoon what he expected of Nic. Sage would not be going on the road with him. Nic was young and so focused on his career, he didn’t have any fight in him. He had regretted that for years.

“I know what I heard that day, but you never told Sage so I couldn’t—” He stood as Sage made her way into the lobby with some guy by her side. They looked very comfortable with one another, laughing and holding hands as they strolled into the bar area looking around. “Who is she with?”

“Who?” Rosalie turned and stared at her sister. “No, she didn’t.”

“Is she seeing someone? You didn’t mention that detail.”

The guy who was holding Sage’s hand looked really happy to be with her. The man was tall and well-dressed, but appeared at least a decade or more older than her.

“That’s Jason Arnet.”

“The sportscaster?” Upon closer look, he recognized Jason. He was respected in the industry, and they had crossed paths quite a few times over the years. Nic had always admired Jason’s reporting style.

“Yes, he and Sage have been in an on-again, off-again for years. More off than on, but they are very good friends.”

“He’s like twenty years older than her.”

“That’s why they’re usually off-again.” Rosalie waved them over. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to bring him tonight.”

“No big deal.” He sipped his beer as Sage and Jason made their way over. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous to see her with another guy, but he had to keep his temper in check. Sage hadn’t been his in a very long time. He had no right to stake a claim.

Sage smiled at Nic, but she didn’t appear to be surprised that he was in New York. As she led Jason over to the bar area, she continued to hold Nic’s gaze.

“Sorry we’re late.” Sage kissed Rosalie’s cheek. “Jason had to finish some things up at the station, so I waited for him.” Sage directed her attention to Nic. “Nicky, how lovely to see you again.”

“Sage.” Nic stepped forward and politely kissed her cheek as he caught the invigorating scent of her peppermint scented shampoo. That smell had stayed with him for weeks after he experienced it in the parking lot of the stadium. “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

“Jason mentioned you were in town. When Rosalie called and asked me if I could meet her at this hotel, I figured it was a set-up.” Sage glared at her sister. “You should know better.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rosalie finished her martini. “Hey, Jason. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good.” Jason kissed the top of Rosalie’s head. “Nice to see you again.”

“Jason Arnet, this is Nic Cordova,” Sage said.

“No introduction is necessary.” Jason extended his hand. “It’s great to meet you.”

“You too.” Nic shook his hand. “Although, this is not the first time we’ve met.”