TEN
THE SUN CAME OUT
AGAIN AND BASEBALL RESUMED. Elizabeth was glad to get out of the
house. She’d always hated being cooped up. Even in Saint Louis,
she’d go out in the rain or snow if she had to.
Now that the
preseason was in full swing, she actually enjoyed the crowds and
the atmosphere of the games. For the past few days the Rivers had
played on the road, which meant Elizabeth had stayed at the beach
house while Gavin traveled. It gave her time to catch her breath
and do some work.
Today was the
Rivers’ first day back on their home field. Gavin had come home
late last night. She’d been asleep. He’d woken her up by crawling
into bed and making love to her. She hadn’t minded that at all. In
fact, waking up to his warm hands and mouth on her, bringing her to
orgasm before she was fully awake, had been an amazing surprise.
He’d slid inside her while she was still climaxing, and he’d fucked
her with a slow and lazy rhythm, kissing her neck, whispering that
he’d missed her, until they’d both come, then fell asleep wrapped
around each other.
She could get used
to having him around.
Dangerous
thought.
She sat with
Shawnelle and Haley, and watched the game. Well, she had her laptop
on and her face buried in it. But she was really paying close
attention to every aspect of the game. Gavin just didn’t know that.
No sense in giving his already healthy ego too much of a boost. He
already had her heart. She didn’t want to give up her soul to
him.
“Nice to see you
back here,” Shawnelle said. “Gavin’s playing much better now that
his lucky charm is back where she belongs.”
Elizabeth dragged
her gaze away from profit-and-loss statements and Gavin’s position
at first base to frown at Shawnelle. “What are you talking
about?”
“Oh, everyone knows
you’re Gavin’s good-luck charm,” Haley said, leaning forward from
Shawnelle’s left side. “He played like total shit while you were
gone those few days last week. You come back and boom—suddenly his
batting improves.”
Elizabeth laughed.
“I don’t think my presence has much to do with his batting
average.”
“Uh-huh.” Shawnelle
dipped her sunglasses down to her nose and gave Elizabeth a look.
“Honey, you have everything to do with how that boy plays ball.
We’re not blind. We see how he glances up here to see whether
you’re paying attention or not. So pull your head out of that
laptop and look at him. Let him know you’re rooting him
on.”
“Oh, I’m rooting him
on. And I’m definitely paying attention. I just don’t want him to
know that.”
“Huh?” Haley’s
confused expression told Elizabeth the girl knew nothing about
power plays.
“If he sees me
hanging on his every play, then he’ll think he owns me. It’s bad
enough I agreed to stay down here during preseason. I can’t give
him everything.”
Shawnelle arched a
brow. “Seems to me you already have, haven’t you? You love him,
don’t you?”
Elizabeth looked
around, glad no one else was sitting near them. “I do
not.”
“Liar. Even I can
see it, and I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed,” Haley
said.
Elizabeth sighed.
“You’re not dumb at all, Haley. And, Shawnelle, you’re a pain in
the ass.”
Shawnelle smirked.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that. I’m right, aren’t
I?”
“Yes.” She stared
down at her laptop.
“How
long?”
“Five years.” She
lifted her gaze to Shawnelle and Haley. “He doesn’t
know.”
“Of course he
doesn’t. Men are obtuse. You have to beat them over the head with a
frying pan to get them to notice things.”
“I proposed to Tommy
because he was too shy to ask me, even though I knew he loved me
and wanted to marry me. He’s dumb as a cow.”
Elizabeth snorted
out a laugh. “What did he say?”
“He said he was
gettin’ around to askin’ me.” Haley rolled her eyes. “I figured by
the time he got around to proposin’, I’d be too old to have sex.
Good thing I took matters into my own hands.”
“Good thing,”
Shawnelle said. “And speaking of, how are . . . things between you
two?”
Haley’s eyes
widened, and her lips spread into a devilish grin. “They’re great.
After that night on the dance floor, ooh-wee did we have some
smokin’-hot sexin’. We got to talkin’, and he really opened up
about what he likes and asked me what I like, and well . . . let’s
just say the dam got to burstin’ and it’s been really smokin’ hot
ever since.”
“That’s just
excellent,” Elizabeth said, really happy for Haley. “Have to keep
those fires of lust burning.”
“I’ll say.” Haley
fanned her face with the game program. “And as far as you and
Gavin, honey, if you want him, then you have to be honest with him.
Tell him how you feel.”
“I don’t think
that’ll work for me.”
“Why not?” Shawnelle
asked.
“Our situation is
complicated.”
“Bullshit. You’re
just scared.”
She laughed. “That,
too. But I’ll think about it. It might just take a little
time.”
She focused her
attention on the game, and that got Shawnelle and Haley off her
back about Gavin. She checked his stats, and his batting average
had plummeted to the basement during
the few days she’d been out of town. As soon as she’d gotten back,
though, he’d been hitting at almost every at bat.
Interesting.
She seriously
doubted there was any correlation, though.
Elizabeth didn’t
believe in luck. The players she managed had success in their
respective fields because they were good at what they did. Luck
played no part in it. If Gavin sucked, it was because there was a
glitch in his swing. If he started to play better when she came
back from Saint Louis, it was purely coincidental, because she was
no one’s lucky charm.
“We’re going for
manis and pedis after the game. You interested?” Shawnelle
asked.
Girl stuff? With
girls? So not Elizabeth’s thing. Then again, she liked these women,
and that was a first for her. She had no girlfriends, could never
relate to women at all. But there was just something about
Shawnelle and Haley that made her feel comfortable.
“Sure. I’ll buy
lunch.”
“You are so on,
honey. We’ll leave the men in the dust and have ourselves a ladies’
afternoon out.” Shawnelle whipped out her cell phone. “I’ll text
Dedrick, and he can pass the word on to Tommy and
Gavin.”
“I know this great
spa,” Haley said. “I’ll call and make us
appointments.”
Elizabeth smiled.
“Sounds absolutely perfect.”
She did text Gavin
and let him know what she’d be doing, even though Shawnelle told
her Dedrick would pass the word along. She just felt better about
telling him herself. By the time they arrived at the day spa, he’d
texted her back and told her to have a good time.
She intended
to.
The spa was
heavenly, private, and deliciously decorated in creams and beiges.
They were whisked away and pampered by their own personal
attendants. They were seated next to each other for their pedicures
and manicures, and Haley had them laughing hysterically with
stories of her backwoods life back home and the girls she’d gone to
school with, who thought the hottest thing to do was to get
pregnant before you graduated high school.
“I’m telling’ ya, it
was like a contest with these girls to see who could get knocked up
first. Those poor guys didn’t know what hit’em. The smart ones
dumped the girls as soon as possible and offered up child support.
The dumb guys married the hos.”
Elizabeth was
appalled. “That was their long-term plan? Babies and
marriage?”
Haley nodded. “Yup.
And they were mad when I said that’s not what I wanted. I was
dating Tommy by then, and he was older than me. They thought I
should get pregnant so he’d marry me. He loved me and wanted to
marry me anyway, but we didn’t want to get pregnant. I went to
Planned Parenthood and got me some birth control. No babies for me
for a long damn time. I want a degree first, and want to be
self-supporting. No way do I want kids for a while.”
“I knew there was a
reason I liked you, Haley,” Shawnelle said. “You have a brain.
That’s how I did it. I went to college, fell in love, got married,
had a career, then had my babies. And I still have a
career.”
“I don’t know how
you manage it all,” Elizabeth said to Shawnelle. “You’re an
attorney. Your husband plays Major League Baseball, and here you
are supporting him, plus you have two children under the age of
six.”
Shawnelle smiled. “I
have a wonderful, supporting family. We both do. His mother is
watching the kids right now, so I can be here for a couple weeks
and enjoy a little vacation. When I head back to Saint Louis, it’s
back to work for me. And when Dedrick travels and I have to work,
my mom and his mom and my aunt pitch in to help with the kids. I
couldn’t do it without them. We’re very lucky he got drafted in the
city where our families are from.”
“You’re very lucky
to have such a great family.”
“Believe me, I know.
They’ve allowed me to have it all. The man, the kids, and the
career.”
“Tommy’s family is
great,” Haley said. “My family sucks. Not sure what we’ll do when
we have kids. I know Tommy’s mother will move heaven and earth to
be wherever we are so she can be near our kids, so I know she’ll be
there to help. But that’s a long time in the future, so I’m not
even thinkin’ about it.”
“What about you,
Elizabeth?” Shawnelle asked. “Any thoughts about marriage and
kids?”
Elizabeth turned her
gaze to her toenails, which were being painted a beautiful shade of
pink. “Wow, look at our toes. Aren’t they pretty?”
“Avoider.”
She grinned at
Shawnelle. “Expert at it, as a matter of fact.”
After the spa,
Elizabeth took them to a trendy bar and restaurant. It had gotten
late, and they were all thirsty and starving. They ordered food and
margaritas, though the margaritas turned out to be way more fun
than the food. By the time their lunch—though it was closer to
dinner—arrived, they were on their second pitcher of margaritas,
and Elizabeth was feeling every one of them. Her skin tingled, her
lips were numb, and she was laughing at everything the women
said.
But her burrito
tasted heavenly, and she managed at least a few bites of it, even
if she’d lost her appetite since she was now drinking her lunch. Or
dinner.
The waitress brought
another pitcher of margaritas, and Elizabeth turned to
Haley.
“Okay, tell us about
the sex, Haley.”
Haley’s eyes
widened, and she grinned. “It is so awesome now that we’re talkin’
about it. Who knew all we had to do was communicate what we both
liked and wanted? Tommy thought I was shy, and I thought he was
sexually ignorant. Once we broke the ice, it turned out he’s a
sexual animal in bed, and I sure as hell have no problem telling
him how I want it. And he has no problem giving me exactly what I ask for.”
“Woo-hoo!” Shawnelle
said, lifting her glass. “A toast to great sex and a man who knows
what to do with his cock.”
Elizabeth giggled
and raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
“So tell us about
your sex life, Elizabeth. You’re typically closed up about
Gavin.”
She took a long
swallow of her margarita, then refilled her glass. “Mmmm. It’s
good. Really good. He has great hands. A very talented tongue. And
one hell of an awesome cock. His stamina is out of this world. I’m
not sure I’m going to know what to do with myself when we’re not
together anymore. I was in a sexual drought for so long it’s like I
can’t get enough now. I’ve easily fallen into this pattern of
sharing the beach house with him, sleeping with him, fucking
him.”
Haley rested her
chin in her hands and blinked, a dreamy expression on her face.
“Sounds nice.”
“Why does it have to
end?” Shawnelle asked.
Elizabeth shrugged
and lifted her glass. “ ’Cuz. It does. We’re just playing house,
you know? It’s not serious.”
“It isn’t? Who
says?”
“We do. I do. I
don’t know. It just isn’t.”
“It’s serious for
you, doll, isn’t it? And it has been for years.”
Elizabeth laughed
and took a drink. “Well, yeah, but he doesn’t know that. And he
never will.”
Haley wrinkled her
nose and lifted her empty glass. Elizabeth tried to focus on
filling it, even though there seemed to be two glasses in front of
her.
It was entirely
possible she was drunk.
“I think you should
tell him how you feel about him,” Haley said.
“Oh, no. That would
be bad. If I told him how I felt, he’d have power over me. I can’t
give him the power.”
“Bullshit.”
Shawnelle said, pointing her finger at Elizabeth. “See, this is the
problem with men and women and relationshits. Shit. Relasinsips.
Dammit. Relationships. There, I got it. Lies and games and
positioning. You should try honesty. Communication.” She tilted her
head at Haley. “Look how well communication worked for Haley. She’s
having great sex now.”
“I’m already having
great sex.”
Shawnelle snorted.
“You know what I mean, missy. Don’t try to double-talk me. I’m a
lawyer.”
“Yeah, but you’re a
drunk lawyer.”
“True that.”
Shawnelle emptied her glass and refilled it.
Elizabeth signaled
the waitress for another pitcher, then pulled out her phone to call
Gavin. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey. Having
fun?”
“Yup. Really drunk
here though. Think you can swing by Bernards and pick up three
toasted women and give us all a ride home?”
He laughed. “On my
way. Don’t drive.”
She saluted the
phone. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m serious. I’ll
be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, Gavin. Love
you.”
She closed the phone
and lifted her gaze to Shawnelle and Haley. “I called Gavin. He’s
going to give us all a ride home. We’re drunk, you
know.”
Haley’s eyes
widened. “We are?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“We totally are.”
Haley covered her
mouth with her hands. “That’s so funny.”
“Hey, drunk girl,”
Shawnelle said, patting Elizabeth’s hand.
“What?”
“You just told Gavin
you loved him on the phone.”
She frowned. “Did
not.”
“Yup. You did. I
heard you,” Haley said.
“I
did?”
Shawnelle nodded.
“You so did.”
Elizabeth snorted.
“That’s fucking hysterical. I’ll bet he passed out from shock. Good
thing the waitress is bringing another pitcher. Our ride might be
delayed.”
“You’re not
worried?” Haley asked.
“About
what?”
“About telling Gavin
you loved him.”
She waved her hand.
“Honey, I’m drunk. Anything you say when you’re drunk is bullshit
and doesn’t mean anything. He won’t think anything of
it.”
Shawnelle gave her a
sideways look. “Uh-huh.”
Elizabeth grinned
when the waitress came, so damn glad she was drunk and she would
forget what she said to Gavin. “Oh, look, ladies, it’s
margaritas!”