Something I know she doesn’t do much. You need to keep an eye on her, bro. Kick Lannigan’s hotshot ass, if need be. Well, at least pose that threat.”
Ty tilted his head to the side and was glad that Owen and Jason had gone over to get some cake. “Why, again, is this my problem?”
“It’s obvious that you’re into Jessica. Come on, you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her, so why are you sittin’ over here while she’s over there? What gives?”
“She pissed me off,” he admitted, even though
hurt my
feelings
was probably closer to the truth. But he wanted to keep his man card intact.
“How? I know she puts on a tough-cookie act, but in reality Jessica is a sweetheart.”
“Except when it comes to me.” Ty stared at the label on his beer bottle and then leaned closer, so that no one but Noah could hear. “Noah, when I put it out there that I can’t get her out of my mind, she basically blew me off by responding that I was a smooth operator. That she’s seen me in action.”
“Has she?”
“Well, yeah. Back in Chicago. So what? Those days are done. I know I had a big rep, but most of it was blown up and the rest of it wasn’t even true.” Ty inhaled a deep breath. “Look, I wanted to play baseball and not have any baggage ruin my career, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to screw over some trusting woman the way my jackass father did to my mom. I saw way too much of that crap. So I played around and never got serious. Nobody got hurt.” He shrugged and picked up his beer. “It was better that way. End of story.”
“I hear ya. I pretty much had the same reaction from Olivia. She thought I wasn’t anything more than beefcake and baseball.”
“So what did you do to convince her that you’re for real?”
“Starred in a play with her.” Noah grinned. “Built the stadium and saved the town she loves from going under.”
“Great.” Ty scrubbed a hand down his face. “Just what am I supposed to do?”
Noah lifted his shoulders. “You’re the manager. Bring some excitement to Cricket Creek by giving us a championship season. That will impress Jessica for sure.”
“No pressure there,” Ty answered with a long sigh. “You know this is all your damned fault. Bringing me here to this cute-ass little town. Being so gag-me happy with Olivia.I’m starting to want the very things I avoided all my life. Thanks, Noah. Thanks a whole hell of a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” Noah replied, but instead of grinning, he seemed serious. “Now go keep that young shit from pawing all over your girl.”
“She’s not my girl. It’s not my business,” Ty stated flatly, but his heart was thumping double time.
“Then change that fact and make it your business.”
When Ty looked over and saw Logan pop a strawberry into Jessica’s mouth, he muttered a low expletive.
“She’s no match for him,” Noah warned.
“Really?” Ty drained his beer. “She had no problem shutting my sorry ass down.”
“Ty, she didn’t shut you down. She stated a fact.”
“It wasn’t a fact. It was a perception.”
“Yeah, one that you admit you created. Can you blame her?”
Ty lifted one shoulder and then took a silent swallow of his beer. “Why the hell am I going after a woman who has made it clear that she wants no part of me?”
“For exactly that reason. Ty, you were used to women throwing themselves at you. It comes with being a celebrity. Jessica isn’t like that and you know it. She doesn’t have an agenda. Olivia was the same way, and it’s one of the reasons I love her so much. But you’re dead wrong about her not wanting any part of you.”
“You think so?” he asked, and then shook his head. “God, I sound like such a girl.”
“Then man up.” Noah leaned forward on his elbows and sighed.
Ty shook his head firmly. “I’m staying out of it.”
“Are you seriously going to let your pride get in the way of doing the right thing?” He angled his head toward the
Ty tilted his head to the side and was glad that Owen and Jason had gone over to get some cake. “Why, again, is this my problem?”
“It’s obvious that you’re into Jessica. Come on, you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her, so why are you sittin’ over here while she’s over there? What gives?”
“She pissed me off,” he admitted, even though
hurt my
feelings
was probably closer to the truth. But he wanted to keep his man card intact.
“How? I know she puts on a tough-cookie act, but in reality Jessica is a sweetheart.”
“Except when it comes to me.” Ty stared at the label on his beer bottle and then leaned closer, so that no one but Noah could hear. “Noah, when I put it out there that I can’t get her out of my mind, she basically blew me off by responding that I was a smooth operator. That she’s seen me in action.”
“Has she?”
“Well, yeah. Back in Chicago. So what? Those days are done. I know I had a big rep, but most of it was blown up and the rest of it wasn’t even true.” Ty inhaled a deep breath. “Look, I wanted to play baseball and not have any baggage ruin my career, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to screw over some trusting woman the way my jackass father did to my mom. I saw way too much of that crap. So I played around and never got serious. Nobody got hurt.” He shrugged and picked up his beer. “It was better that way. End of story.”
“I hear ya. I pretty much had the same reaction from Olivia. She thought I wasn’t anything more than beefcake and baseball.”
“So what did you do to convince her that you’re for real?”
“Starred in a play with her.” Noah grinned. “Built the stadium and saved the town she loves from going under.”
“Great.” Ty scrubbed a hand down his face. “Just what am I supposed to do?”
Noah lifted his shoulders. “You’re the manager. Bring some excitement to Cricket Creek by giving us a championship season. That will impress Jessica for sure.”
“No pressure there,” Ty answered with a long sigh. “You know this is all your damned fault. Bringing me here to this cute-ass little town. Being so gag-me happy with Olivia.I’m starting to want the very things I avoided all my life. Thanks, Noah. Thanks a whole hell of a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” Noah replied, but instead of grinning, he seemed serious. “Now go keep that young shit from pawing all over your girl.”
“She’s not my girl. It’s not my business,” Ty stated flatly, but his heart was thumping double time.
“Then change that fact and make it your business.”
When Ty looked over and saw Logan pop a strawberry into Jessica’s mouth, he muttered a low expletive.
“She’s no match for him,” Noah warned.
“Really?” Ty drained his beer. “She had no problem shutting my sorry ass down.”
“Ty, she didn’t shut you down. She stated a fact.”
“It wasn’t a fact. It was a perception.”
“Yeah, one that you admit you created. Can you blame her?”
Ty lifted one shoulder and then took a silent swallow of his beer. “Why the hell am I going after a woman who has made it clear that she wants no part of me?”
“For exactly that reason. Ty, you were used to women throwing themselves at you. It comes with being a celebrity. Jessica isn’t like that and you know it. She doesn’t have an agenda. Olivia was the same way, and it’s one of the reasons I love her so much. But you’re dead wrong about her not wanting any part of you.”
“You think so?” he asked, and then shook his head. “God, I sound like such a girl.”
“Then man up.” Noah leaned forward on his elbows and sighed.
Ty shook his head firmly. “I’m staying out of it.”
“Are you seriously going to let your pride get in the way of doing the right thing?” He angled his head toward the
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