Spring Training (15 page)

Chapter Seventeen

“
Sweet Jesus, Dad!” Adrenaline pushed her heart into overdrive. “You scared the ever-loving crap out of me. What are you doing here?”

She looked around, checking the floor for shards of glass. Feeling relatively safe that she could move without slicing her feet open, she grabbed the wastebasket and pulled it closer.

“I came to see what the hell was going on.” His voice was calm. Too calm.

She straightened, hoping she didn’t look as guilty as she felt. “What do you mean?”

Not wasting any time, TJ waved a newspaper before slapping it down on the coffee table. “This is what I mean. You want to explain that?” He jabbed a finger at the offending paper.

Time seemed to stand still as Jessa went to the table. She didn’t take her eyes off her father as she reached for the paper, gauging his mood.

TJ Montgomery was a large, opposing man. He was usually even-tempered, but Jessa had seen him angry before.

Once.

She’d defied him and snuck out of the house when she was fourteen. It was the first time she’d done anything reckless. A girl at her school had invited her to a party. The girl’s parents had been away. Jessa had wanted to fit in. To be accepted.

She should have known better. The girl had only invited her because she’d wanted a pass for her and her friends to get into the restricted areas of the stadium.

Jessa had been used, and it had landed her at the police station when a neighbor, complaining about the noise, had called the police. Her father had been furious that night. His eyes filled with anger and the muscle in his jaw twitched as if it would jump from his skin at any moment.

Kind of like right now.

Dread filled her as she glanced at the paper, instantly recognizing the photo on the front.

Under different circumstances, she’d have been pleased. They looked so happy. Sitting in the bakery, heads huddled close together as they ate from each other’s forks. Two young lovers sharing a peaceful moment. One of her happiest memories, immortalized in living color on the front page of the sports section. As innocent as it had been at the time, the picture spoke volumes as to the nature of her relationship with Garrett.

How had she not known about this? Because she’d stayed in all day, away from the ballpark and the media, while she prepared herself to leave tomorrow. That’s why.

Did Garrett know about this? He couldn’t have. He would’ve told her, warned her. Something.

There was no way she was getting out of this one. It was damage control time.

“This is nothing.” She’d need to be more convincing if she was going to save Garrett’s job and her ass.

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” TJ sat forward on the couch, bracing his forearms against his jean-clad thighs.

“You’re the one who told me to keep an eye on him. He had a day off. We went for a drive and ended up at the amusement park.” She shrugged, thinking to make light of the situation. “We got hungry.”

She took a step back as his cheeks reddened even more.

“Do I look stupid to you? That,” he pointed to the paper again, “isn’t just being hungry for food.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Jesus Christ, Jessa. What have you done? You weren’t supposed to distract him. You were supposed to —” He stopped, pressed his lips in a tight line.

“Wait. What?” She dug her fingers into her hips. “What was I supposed to do, Dad?”

He stared her down, unmoving. “Don’t take that tone with me, girl.”

Jessa’s stomach turned as a thought occurred. “Do what, Dad? Answer the question.”

His gaze broke, dropping to his lap for a moment. It was long enough. Long enough to know something wasn’t right.

“You have to understand, Jessa. Garrett is one of the most important players to hit the circuit in a long time. He’s the real deal. Chances of us ever seeing a player of his caliber again are, well, slim to none.”

Anger replaced her apprehension. White, hot, liquid fury.

“You can’t be fucking serious.” She closed her eyes, trying to get a grip on the emotional breakdown she could feel coming. She couldn’t deal with this right now. “Please tell me that you didn’t send me here to get close to Garrett for the media attention.”

“Jessa. You’ll watch your language, young lady.”

She’d nailed it. The minute the words were out of her mouth, his face changed, his eyes frantic to lock on something other than her. She knew guilt when she saw it. She’d felt enough of it these last weeks to be a fucking expert.

Her laugh lacked any humor. “You whore out your only daughter and you’re worried about my language? There is something seriously wrong with your priorities, Dad.”

TJ surged to his feet. “I did no such thing!”

Jessa squared off with him. “Are you telling me you didn’t send me here to make nice with Garrett? You’ve warned me off every ball player to ever join your club, yet you send me here to what?” Her voice rose an octave. “To
what
, Dad?”

Her dad matched her stance and his chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. “You’re making too much of this, Jessa,” he said after a minute. “You and Garrett are the same age. I like the man, so I thought maybe it would be nice for the two of you to know each other. I thought it would help Garrett feel more at ease his first time out.”

His expression passive, his gaze dipped down. There was something he wasn’t telling her. Her anger boiled over. Tears formed, blurring her vision. “Then what’s the problem? Mission accomplished. We know each other,” she spat.

His gaze snapped back to hers. “Maybe a little too well, from the looks of this picture.”

“Well, excuse me. You should’ve been more specific about my job responsibilities.”

He didn’t acknowledge the sarcasm that dripped from her voice. “What were you thinking? Garrett doesn’t need this kind of distraction right now.”

“Garrett doesn’t?
Garrett
doesn’t?” Jessa stuttered, unable to finish the thought. “Is that what this is about? You’re worried that
I’ve
distracted
him
?” Jessa fought against the insecurities that had plagued her whole life.

God, she was such an idiot. No matter what she did, she’d never measure up. She’d tried to be what he’d needed. She’d let him drag her to endless sporting events and business meetings. She’d devoted herself to the game he loved. She’d done it to have a place in her father’s life. She’d done it because she loved him. And it wasn’t enough.

She wasn’t enough. She was a distraction.

“Jessa,” her father warned.

“You orchestrated this whole thing. You could have told me, you know? You could have explained what you wanted. Instead, you lied to me. You
used
me.”

“Stop it, right now. You’re being ridiculous.”

“Oh, I’m being ridiculous? And pimping me out to one of your precious ballplayers is rational behavior? I hope that picture gets you the attention you wanted. That it —” she broke off.

Bile rose in her throat as another thought took hold.

Garrett.

Her father’s golden boy. The one her father had given advice to. Had he advised him as to why she was here?

Jessa thought back to the day they’d met. The way he’d flirted with her, teased her. Told her she smelled like strawberries. He’d come to her room and kissed her silly.

All on the day they’d met.

Who does that? What was it he’d said that morning in the limo?

“I know all about why you’re here.”
Oh, God.

She was going to throw up.

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed since Jessa had left the restaurant
and Garrett was out of patience. He’d have left fifteen minutes ago if Dan Baker, sportscaster from the local TV station, hadn’t stopped and offered to buy him a drink so they could chat about the upcoming season. One drink, Garrett had told him. He hadn’t promised not to slam it.

Yes, he was looking forward to the upcoming season. No, he wasn’t nervous about playing in the big leagues. Excited, but not nervous. Yes, he was looking forward to playing in New York. The questions were all the same. He’d never been much for the media scene, but his agent had insisted he stop hiding in his room and let people talk to him.

If he’d only known what Garrett had been doing in his room, maybe he’d back off his ass a little. Not that Garrett had any intention of sharing that information. Instead, he’d made nice with the reporter until he couldn’t take it any longer. He had to find Jessa.

“Thanks for the drink, Dan.” Garrett turned on his barstool and extended his hand, his intent to end this impromptu interview clear.

“Any time, Garrett. I appreciate your time. I know you’re a busy man.” Dan shook his hand with a smile.

“Yep, gotta run.” Garrett slid from his seat. “Next time I’m in Tampa, how about we meet up for dinner?” His agent would love it.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Dan replied, clapping Garrett on the back.

Garrett laughed, genuinely liking the guy. Under different circumstances, Garrett thought it might be fun to hang out with him.

Another time. ‘Cause right now, he was done. Was through waiting.

It took him several minutes to escape the restaurant. There seemed an endless supply of people who wanted a piece of him tonight. He hit the lobby and kept moving. Jesus, would he ever get used to that? It was part of the deal, he knew, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He was a low-profile guy in a high-profile job. He was confident though, that he’d find his groove, a balance between what he wanted and what the world wanted from him.

That was another reason he and Jessa were so perfect together. She knew the business. Hell, she didn’t know any other way, having been raised in ballparks. She liked the quiet of their room more than the nightlife of Tampa. He was sure it wasn’t just because she thought their time was limited and wanted to make the most of it. They both preferred curling up on the couch to dancing the night away.

God, he made them sound like an old, married couple.

He rounded the corner and stopped dead when Jessa stepped from the elevator. The jean shorts she wore showed off her incredible legs. Toned and tanned, his mouth watered at the thought of licking every inch. He drank her in, content to enjoy the view. She’d exited, only to stand in place, people moving around her as she stared at the floor. Was she mumbling to herself?

Unease washed over him as he approached. Slow. Steady. Wary. “Jess?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing with anger and pain.

Garrett felt it like a sucker punch to his gut. He’d hurt the son of a bitch who’d put that look on her face. And he’d enjoy it too.

Garrett wrapped his hands around her biceps, resisting the urge to pull her to his chest. “Baby, what it is? Was someone bothering you?” He glared around them, searching for anyone who looked in need of a good ass-whoopin’.

She laughed then. Laughed so hard he was forced to release her as she grabbed her stomach and curled over. Male instinct shot off warning bells in his head. Women who laughed like that were on the verge of something … not fun. He’d seen it before. His sister had laughed like that once after his brother-in-law had been killed. The fallout hadn’t been pretty.

“Princess.” He moved to wrap an arm around her back, his intent to lead them somewhere more private. Whatever was going on, he was certain she wouldn’t want to share it here, in a busy lobby, with a restaurant full of reporters and cameras around the corner.

“Stop calling me that.” She jerked away and sneered up at him. “My father knows.”

Garrett felt the blood drain from his face. Fuck. He kept his voice low. “What does he know, Jessa?”

“Are you going to stand there and tell me you haven’t seen the paper today?”

Garrett didn’t appreciate her haughty tone. Frustration fired his temper. Why the hell was she attacking him?

“As a matter of fact, I’m going to tell you that very fucking thing. I’ve been busy all day, Jessa. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“We made the cover of the sports page.”

He took a step back, his brain turning to instant replay. They’d been careful. Hadn’t they? How bad could it be?

“Oh, it’s bad, Garrett,” Jessa said, having read his expression. “Stolen moment of intimacy, New York’s newest hotshot feeds boss’s daughter pastries.” She mocked a headline, adding, “film at eleven.”

“Shit.” He refused to panic. Drawing on the focus he used on the field, Garrett forced his shoulders to relax, willed down the knot in his throat.

Christ. He should’ve called TJ the minute he realized his feelings for Jessa. He should’ve trusted himself for the man he was instead of acting like a complete jackass, forcing them to act as though they’d had no right to be together. For a guy who hated playing games, he’d done a helluva job where Jessa was concerned.

“That being said, it seems my father’s main concern is that I’ve distracted his precious golden boy from his job. Funny, he didn’t seem concerned in the least that his golden boy violated his daughter.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw set in anger.

“Hold up. You’re mad at
me
?” Obviously, TJ’s reaction had hurt her, but Garrett didn’t see how that was his fault.

He leaned in, putting them nose-to-nose. “If I can’t call you princess, then you will damn well stop referring to me as golden boy. And I didn’t violate you. I fucking worshipped you.”

Her eyes softened a bit before she pushed away from him again. “Did you know?”

Garrett was getting tired of her snapping at him.

He felt as if he’d stepped into an alternate reality. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and damn if it didn’t rip his guts to shreds. This isn’t how he’d imagined their evening. He wanted her screaming in pleasure, not in anger. And not in the middle of the fucking lobby.

“Did I know what?”

She grabbed his arm, a little too forceful for his liking, and tried to drag him along behind her. “Jessa.” He pulled her to a stop, the leash he’d held on his temper loosening. “Slow the fuck down and tell me what the hell is going on. Where’s your dad?”

Jessa looked around. “Really, Garrett? You want to do this here? In front of all these people?”

He cursed, realizing they’d drawn attention. He laced his fingers with hers and plastered a smile to his face. “No need to make a bigger scene than we already have. There are meeting rooms down the hall. We can talk there. Can you smile and be nice while we walk over? This place is still crawling with media.”

She squeezed his fingers. “Oh, we wouldn’t want to make a bad impression, would we? That would defeat the purpose.”

He shook his head in confusion and led her back the way he’d come, circling around to the empty conference rooms. He entered the first one he came to, pulled her in, and shut the door. Once he closed the blinds to give them as much privacy as possible, he turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well?”

She didn’t waste time. “Did my father tell you why I’m here?”

“Other than to babysit?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, tired of this cryptic conversation. “Quit with the twenty questions and spit it out, Jessa. Say what you need to say.”

“Fine. It’s come to my attention that my father sent me here to do more than oversee your progress. He
planned
the whole thing, Garrett. You and me.” Her lip quivered as the tears began to fall.

Garrett shook his head. “That can’t —”

“And I think you knew about it.”

Garrett didn’t move. Ice filled his veins, a chill that turned his spine to steel. She couldn’t be serious. After everything they’d shared?

He’d risked everything to be with her and now, she blamed him for something he’d had no part of. Without even asking for the truth.

This is what happens when you play games.

Jessa swiped at her cheeks. “You flirted with me from the first moment we met.”

“I’m a friendly guy,” he gritted out.

“You came to my room, tempting me with pizza. And you kissed me. Why would you do that, unless you had an ulterior motive?”

His temper broke its leash. “Tempting you with
pizza
? Ulterior motive? Are you listening to yourself, Jessa? You can’t possibly believe, first, that your dad would do something like that, and second, that I’d agree to it. What kind of man do you think I am? You think I’d use you like that?”

She took a step back as his voice echoed through the room.

“I think it doesn’t matter one way or another.” She motioned between the two of them. “We knew this thing between us was temporary. If that picture in the paper gives my dad what he wants — to start your career off with a bang and bring attention to the team — then so be it. No harm, no foul. You don’t have to worry about losing your job and I don’t have to worry about … well, anything. Never let it be said that I’m not good at my job.”