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Chapter One
June 23, 2007—ten years beforeOn the Ropes
Abbey Jayne blew out an exasperated breath as she held up yet another dress, hoping for her older sister Cassie’s approval. This was the third, and, she hoped, the last. A pretty white summery sleeveless number with a lovely flowered print that ended just above the knee. If Cassie didn’t approve, she’d tell her to take a flying leap. How she’d let her sister convince her to go on this not-really-a-double-date, she wasn’t sure.
Abbey held her breath as her sister’s baby blues, nearly identical to her own, analyzed her third dress choice.Please let this be the one so we can get on with it.
When Cassie nodded her approval and smiled, Abbey sighed, relieved. “Finally. If you said no tothisone, I would tell you to forget it and stay home with Mom and Dad and order pizza for dinner.”
With her hair and makeup perfectly done up already and wearing a lavender robe, Cassie rolled her eyes, flung her glossy blonde locks over her shoulders, and rummaged through Abbey’s closet in search of shoes to go with her now approved not-really-a-double-date dress.
She emerged a minute later with a pair of strappy, white, high heeled sandals perfect for said dress. Only a year older than Abbey at nineteen, Cassie had a fashion sense Abbey sorely lacked. A professed computer nerd, Abbey felt at home in jeans, a t-shirt, and makeup free.
Shaking her head, Cassie handed her the sandals and placed her hands on her hips. “Nope. You agreed, and Jake and Luke will be here soon. You can’t back out, Abbey. Come on. Please don’t back out now. Youneedto come out with us.”
Abbey carefully placed her dress on her bed with the sandals beside it. Showered and in her own robe, a powder blue one, she turned to her sister, anger simmering. “It’s yours and Jake’s six-month anniversary. Why would I or Lukeneedto be there?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Because, like you, Luke needs a break. All he does is study, practice, and play. You’ve got a couple of months before you start classes at U of I. Don’t you want to have fun, some adventures before you buckle down for the next four years?”
Abbey shrugged. She was shy, unlike her sister, the social butterfly. She preferred to read and loved working with computers. Activities that didn’t involve other people. She was a computer science major at U of I Champaign-Urbana, for Pete’s sake! But her sister had a point. Her life up to this point had been boring, primarily focused on her studies. But why did Luke Stryker, of all people, have to join them?
“I know. You’re right. But doesn’t Luke have better things to do? Why would he want to go out with us?” She’d bet he could have his pick of dates. He was two years older than she was, rich, and a pitcher for his uncle’s baseball team, the Chicago Cobras. He was super cute, too. Six feet tall with golden blond hair, sparkling blue eyes and dimples. Luke “Strike ‘em out” Stryker seemed larger than life when she saw him play on TV. She was just Cassie’s dorky younger sister.
Cassie frowned and held both her hands tight. “Are you nervous about meeting him?”
Abbey’s face heated. She was awkward with boys. And Luke was a man. A professional athlete. She bethewasn’t still a virgin. Two seconds after Cassie had met Jake six months ago Cassie had lost her virginity.
“You don’t have to be. Luke’s really nice. Don’t let what you’ve seen on TV influence you. The players have to ham it up for the fans, you know? And with the team’s children’s foundation and his uncle’s real estate firm, they’re in the public eye a lot. Don’t let that intimidate you,” Cassie said, like it was no big deal.
Abbey’s stomach churned. “Thanks. I feelsomuch better now.” She pulled away from Cassie’s clutch and sat on the edge of her bed, her stomach tied up in knots.
Cassie sat down beside her and nudged her with her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I promise. Just be yourself.”
Abbey snorted. “Right. Your nerdy little sister?”
Cassie sighed. “I’m sorry for always calling you that. I really don’t mean it. You’re smart, sweet, and beautiful. It’s not actually a date, remember? Luke’s lucky you’re coming along, instead of some crazed out fan who’ll just gush all over him. Okay?”
Cassie thought she was beautiful? She didn’t know what to say. She considered her older sister pretty enough to be a model. With her confidence slightly boosted, Abbey nodded, feeling a little better. Maybe she could pull this off and not make a fool of herself.
“And since I was able to convince you not to work at Office Supply Galaxy this summer and you’re gonna be a little more adventurous, come with Jake and me to some Cobras home games. The corporate VIP box is so much fun! The food is great, and most of the time a few celebrities are there.”
That sounded fun, Abbey thought. Adventurous. Yes, she’d definitely give that a try. She liked baseball. It was something she and her father liked to watch together. They’d attended Chicago Cubs and White Sox games quite a few times over the years. They hadn’t wanted to take advantage of Jake’s friendship with Luke and hadn’t attended a Cobras game yet. Abbey nodded and smiled, determined to shake things up a little.
Cassie stood and headed toward her bedroom door. “Good. Now let’s get ready. The guys will be here soon. You love Cucina Antonetti’s. Maybe we’ll get there in time to catch the Kiss song. And maybe wear a little makeup?” With that Cassie dashed out of Abbey’s room to get dressed.
“You’re pushing your luck.” Abbey called out. She found she was now looking forward to their not-really-a-double-date after all. Let the adventures begin!
****
Luke Stryker stared out of the car window as his best friend, Jake Tyler, drove from his parents’ place in Elmhurst, Illinois, to pick up his girl Cassie and her sister for dinner. He took one last look at what used to be his family home, nestled in between Jake’s and their friend Heath Jackson’s folks’ place.
He closed his eyes and sighed. Ten years. It had been ten years since his parents were killed in that fucking car wreck while his father was on leave from the Army and his Uncle Darren had assumed guardianship and moved him to Chicago’s Gold Coast. His parents had now been dead for as long as he’d had time with them. God, he missed them.
“I’m sorry, man. My parents hadn’t seen you in a while. I should have told them you were meeting us at Antonetti’s,” Jake said, regret in his voice.
Luke turned to Jake, his lifelong friend of eighteen years. He’d met him and Heath, when he was only two years old. Heath was now serving in the Marines. They were two important people in Luke’s life, and so were their families. “Don’t be. It’s all right. It was great to see them. And Leah, too. I can’t believe she’s fifteen. She’s almost all grown up, huh?”
Jake scoffed. “She thinks she’s thirty.”
