Warning Track (8 page)

Parker looked her up and down, taking in her outfit. The smile on his face and the heat in his eyes indicated that he was pleased with her choice of clothing.
 

Clearing his throat, he said, “Damn, you look good.”

Eating up his compliment, Margo spun in place, giving him a good show of her backside and said, “I would agree with you.”

Parker shook his head and laughed as he locked up the house. “Always the shy one, you are.”

Ignoring his teasing, she was headed for her car when he stopped her, “Do you think you’re driving?”

Margo looked around, “Uh, yeah. You have a car I don’t know about?”

Parker pulled out a garage door opener and clicked the button. Jake’s cars came into view as well as Lexi’s little red BMW convertible.
 

“You really think Jake’s going to let you drive his cars?”

“I know he is. Let’s take the Porsche,” Parker wiggled his eyebrows.
 

“I like you Parker, so I’m going to stop you from getting castrated by Jake when he gets home. Let’s be smart about this and take my car.”

“You’re not driving. I invited you out, I’m driving you.”

“Fine,” Margo tossed her keys at Parker. “Drive my car.”

Parker looked over at her little Smart Car that was parked by the curb and then looked at her as if she was crazy.
 

“I’m not driving that…shoe of a car.”

“Fine, then I guess we’re walking.”

Huffing out his frustration, Parker closed the garage and walked past Margo as he headed for her car. He opened the door and then looked back up at her with the cutest, most irritated look ever.
 

“I’m not going to fit in this damn thing. I have legs, Mo.”

“And what do you think these things are?” Margo asked, while showing off her legs.
 

Parker licked his lips and then bit his bottom lip as he looked at her with pure lust, making her lady parts scream for attention. It had been way too long since she’d had her fair share of male and the way Parker was looking at her awakened every erotic thought in her body.
 

“Those are perfect anchors.”

“Anchors?” Margo asked as she walked up next to Parker and pushed the seat back so he could sit down. When she stood back up, she caught him checking out her ass.
 

He shook his head and said, “Yeah, anchors for holding on to someone’s waist for dear life as you’re plowed into.”

Margo quirked her eyebrow and then playfully swatted Parker in the chest. “There’s something wrong with you.”

They both got in the car as Parker laughed. Margo told Parker where to head to for dinner and on their drive, they talked about Margo’s job. She worked at the local animal shelter as a funding coordinator, raising money for the shelter and putting on some of their biggest events. She first got the job when she was in her senior year of college and, once she graduated, she was hired on full time. Caring for and helping animals was a deep passion of hers, so she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
 

They arrived at the restaurant and were escorted back to their table that overlooked the crashing waves. Margo took off her sandals, since their table rested on top of sand, one of the reasons she picked the place, because she loved burying her feet in the sand while watching the sunset.
 

After ordering some grown up drinks, they enjoyed the salsa and tortilla chips that were placed in front of them as the sun started to set against the crystal line of the ocean.
 

“So, do you like it out there? In Atlanta that is?”

Parker shrugged, “Yeah, it’s alright. I mean, do I wish I was in San Diego with all my friends, hell yeah, but I like Atlanta; the atmosphere of the city is great.”

“Are the boys on the team being nice to you, Kirbs?” Margo teased.
 

“Well, now that I’m no longer a rookie, yes, they’re being nice.”

“Is it true, the things they make the rookies do?”

Parker nodded as he shoved a chip in his mouth, not caring that he dripped salsa all over the table. He had always been a pig when it came to eating. “On our first away trip, they told me to dress pretty for an evening out. After our afternoon game, I got back to my room and found a beautiful floral dress, high heels, size 12, and a dainty pair of pearls waiting to grace my neck.”

Margo laughed as she envisioned Parker in such a get-up.
 

“The worst part was, they made me wear stockings and, not being a seasoned wearer of the blasted things, I snagged them a lot and gave them a lot of runs, making me look like a classless lady wandering the streets.”

“Oh, we can’t have that,” Margo laughed.

“I know, right?” Parker shoved another chip in his mouth and spoke as he chewed, “The guys didn’t get the importance of not having runs in my stockings, so they wouldn’t let me take them off. The embarrassment that rolled through me when people stared, I was mortified.”

Margo had to wipe the tears from her eyes as she continued to laugh. “I’m sure it was the stockings they were staring at, not the six foot, two baseball stud in lady’s garments.”

“Stud?” Parker asked, of course picking up on her slip of tongue.
 

“Get over yourself,” Margo said nonchalantly. “Please tell me you have a picture of this get-up.”

Smiling brightly, Parker reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his pictures for a second and then turned the screen to face Margo.
 

“They called me Darling Daphne.”

The minute Margo focused on the picture in front of her, she couldn’t help the outburst of laughter that escaped her lips, which turned the heads of diners around them. She covered her mouth to stifle her laugh as she pulled the phone from Parker’s hand to get a closer look.
 

“Oh my God, I’m dying.” She started to click around on his phone and he tried to pull it away, but she kept his phone out of reach.
 

“What are you doing?”

“Just sending myself this picture. It’s called my new wallpaper.”

“If you’re trying to embarrass me, it’s not going to work; you can’t see the runs in my stockings in that picture, so I’m good.”

“Yes, I can.”

An outrageous gasp escaped Parker’s lips as he snagged the phone from Margo and took a closer look. His face twisted as he said, “No, you can’t.” Margo just laughed as she held her chest. “You bitch,” he joked, “How dare you joke about such important things?”

Margo continued to chuckle to herself as they both ate their oversized burritos and sucked down a couple of margaritas. It was the night she’d always dreamed of…enjoying a night out with Parker, joking and checking each other out, but she never thought her dream would actually come true.
 

Once they finished their drinks and meals, Parker paid the bill and Margo went to slip her sandals back on. Parker was around her chair in no time and held out his hand to her. Unsure of what he was doing, she tentatively took his hand in hers, letting him entwine their fingers together.
 

“Come on, I’m not ready for this night to end yet.” He tugged her toward the beach where the restaurant had access and took her down to the shore, while grabbing one of the blankets the restaurant offered for their beach goers.
 

They walked a ways from the hustle and bustle of the diners until they were in a secluded area, overlooking the ocean and the moon that reflected in the waves.
 

Parker set the blanket on the sand and then sat down, pulling Margo with him. They sat next to each other, side by side, both hugging their knees as they watched the waves tumble in.
 

“Do you ever miss playing ball?” Parker asked.
 

Did she ever miss it? Hell yeah, she missed playing softball. She had played competitively since she was in fifth grade; softball was her life and after college, to just have it ripped away from her was hard. There were “leagues” to join but they were all for drunk idiots who thought catching the ball with their beer cups was better suited than an actual glove. She lived for the moments where a ball was hit at her with such strong force that she wasn’t sure the leather glove she had on her hand was going to be good enough. She relished the moment her bat hit the ball, sending it into right center, letting her stretch a single out to a double, while sliding into the base head first. She missed the feel of the dirt, the camaraderie of the girls and the way her cleats felt sinking into the batter’s box. It was a time she wished she could revisit.
 

“More than you know,” she answered, as she played with a bracelet she was wearing.

“Ever thought about coaching?”

“That stuff is not for me. I’d be way too intense and, with my job, I work nights with all my events so it wouldn’t work out.”

“I can’t imagine what it would feel like to just stop playing. I don’t think I could handle such a loss in my life. Baseball is a necessity, like eating and breathing, without it I’m not sure I’d be able to function.”

Their love for a sport that required a great deal of talent and mental stability was a common connection between her, Parker and Lexi; it was what initially bonded them all together. When they were in college, they spent many days out on the field, just tossing the ball around, hitting balls to each other, or playing pepper.
 

“I know the feeling.”

Parker reached out and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together. He looked at her and said, “I wish you could continue to play like I can.”

Margo just shrugged as she willed her hand not to turn all clammy and gross while Parker was still holding it.
 

“Are you happy, Margo?”

Margo was not in the mood to go all deep into conversation, but apparently Parker was, and given the fact that the man would never let anything go unsaid, she decided to dive right in.

“I am. I like my job and I have my friends and parents close when I need them.”

Parker nodded his head. “What about your love life?”

“That doesn’t seem like much of your business, now does it?” Margo said with a smile.
 

“Isn’t it, though?” Parker asked as he squeezed her hand.

Alright, shit just got real. She gulped and turned to look at him and she was about to answer him when he cut her off.
 

“I mean, you’re one of my best friends, at least I thought so, so of course it’s my business. I care about you, Margo; I want to make sure you’re happy in your life.”

Poof!
 

Just like that, the burning flame of passion Margo felt the minute she picked Parker up at Jake and Lexi’s house was extinguished. The dreaded mention of friends hit her again, bringing her back to the moment before she’d said goodbye to Parker in college, when he told her she was like a sister to him.
 

Pushing back the anger and disappointment she was feeling, Margo put on a brave face and said, “Oh, don’t worry about little old me. I can handle myself.”

Parker nodded and released her hand, leaving the bond she’d felt with him hanging in the air. The moment he let go of her hand, it was like they were stretched a mile apart. Their night that was going so well was put to rest; it was time to go home.
 

**Brady**

Hauling the bags of miniature clothing out of the back of his car, he took the steps to his house two at a time as excitement oozed out of him. He’d gone a little overboard when he’d stopped at a baby store, but he couldn’t help himself; he’d never been so excited about anything in his life before. Scratch that, marrying Jane was, by far, the most exciting thing in his life; his baby girl was second.
 

“Jane?” Brady called out as he took the stairs up to the second floor two at a time. He knew she was home, her car was in the garage and she didn’t tell him she was going anywhere. “Jane?” he called out again, still no answer.
 

The hairs on the back of his neck started to prickle as he set the bags down in the hallway and went to their bedroom. She wasn’t napping, which was a common occurrence these days. She wasn’t in the bathroom, which would have been nice…if she was in the shower, he would have joined her.
 

“Jane, babe, where are you?” Brady’s heart rate started to pick up as he searched the rooms in the house and didn’t find her. Frantically looking through the house, Brady checked one last room and the minute he opened the door, his breath caught in his chest.
 

Sitting in the rocking chair, in the baby’s room, Jane rocked back and forth with a stuffed animal in her arms while listening to music on her phone. A feeling of relief overwhelmed him as he watched his beautiful wife sing to the music on her phone and practice being a mom. The scene made his throat tighten as he watched his wife, the girl who was once so scared and tentative, see her dreams of having a family come true. If Brady could give her one thing, this was it, this was the one thing she wanted and there wasn’t enough pride in the world to fill Brady’s chest at being able to provide his wife what she wanted.