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“Oh okay. That doesn’t mean you can’t look the part. How would you like your own jersey, hat, ball and bat, all autographed, of course?”
Crystal’s eyes turned wide. “Really?”
“Sure.” Dara winked. As Crystal’s bright eyes – and smile – widened more, she grabbed her cell phone ordered a variety of child-sized souvenirs. She hung up the phone and gave the little girl a soft tap on the arm. “Now no one will know whether you’re a visitor or our new star player.”
“Thank you so much.” Kelsey, the friendly woman Dara had misinterpreted as Jason’s friend, came next to the girl, wearing a warm smile and a volunteer badge Dara hadn’t noticed earlier. She was carrying a huge pitcher of red fruit punch.
Dara sighed. “Let me guess – the good stuff?”
Kelsey winked. “You know it.”
“Thank you,” Dara said genuinely, biting down stark remorse. She’d immediately assumed the worst about the woman… and Jason. She was overly sensitive to his transgressions because of her past, yet it was no excuse. She handed the woman her business card. “Our charity liaison usually deals with this sort of thing, but if you ever need anything, please feel free to contact me.”
Kelsey took the card. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much we appreciate all Jason has done for us.” She ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Crystal, there’s your favorite pitcher. Why don’t you run and say hi?”
As Jason watched the child skip to the other players, Dara watched him. His smile was soft yet genuine, revealing how much he truly cared. Dara cleared her mind, turned back to Kelsey. “Do you want us to take photos? We could probably get Crystal in the local newspaper.”
Kelsey’s smile faltered. “I’m sorry, but I asked Jason to skip photos this time. Crystal used to love being in pictures, but now she’s a bit sensitive about her appearance.”
Raw emotion tugged at her. “I understand.”
“But her treatment is going great.” Kelsey brightened. “There’s every indication she’s going to beat this. In a few months, she can even return to school.”
Now that made her day. “That’s wonderful. Why don’t we set up a date for her to come back later in the season? Then – if she’s comfortable – she can get that chance to be in a newspaper.”
“That would be amazing. Thank you so much, to both of you.” She gave them each a hug before heading off to Crystal, who was giggling heartily at Chance’s antics.
Even Dara laughed as the happy-go-lucky player made a silly face. Why hadn’t she fallen for the charismatic athlete instead? He was fun, charming and kind. Yet Chance did nothing for her, unlike a certain catcher who was now gazing at her. “You know what you have to do.”
The only thing her rebellious mind was thinking of doing was kissing him. Again. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“No? Aren’t Kelsey and Crystal the reason you burst into the locker room?”
Yes. Exactly. Grade: A+. “What was I supposed to think? Kelsey talked about being satisfied like never before.”
A slow smile came to Jason’s lips.
“I just assumed…” She took a deep breath. “Now I realize she meant satisfaction in a completely different way. That wouldn’t have made sense anyway.”
Jason folded his arms across his chest.
Woops. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure you can satisfy any woman–” What was she saying? “I mean your actions are satisfying.” That was definitely worse. “I mean who wouldn’t be satisfied by you?” Way, way worse.
She halted, and his smile grew. “Please continue.”
There was no way out of this. “Not on your life. And if you ever mention any of this…”
“What?” He took a step closer. “What are you going to do?”
There was nothing she could do, even if there was plenty she wanted to do. She had to resist this ridiculous attraction. Perhaps a change of subject could quell her unruly urges. “Why didn’t you tell me about your charity work? That’s exactly the sort of thing that could rebrand your image. Of course, we wouldn’t use any personal information about the children, but we could highlight your efforts for the community.”
Jason headshake was immediate and firm. “I’m not doing this for an image.” He pointed to Crystal, who was now sporting a new Dragon’s jersey. “I’m doing it for her.”
As difficult as it had been to resist Jason the bad boy, withstanding the altruistic version was even more challenging. Kelsey had indicated he did far more charity work than today. What other things didn’t she know about? “You’re different than I imagined.”
He stared at her for a moment, but didn’t say anything. Then the assistant coach gestured him over, and the moment was broken. He donned his cap and jogged out of the dugout, giving a high five to Crystal as he passed.
Dara stayed in the dugout as the game progressed, watching the Dragons – okay, watching Jason, okay, watching Jason’s ahem. The home team scored run after run against Atlanta, dominating the field like they’d been doing all season. Jason contributed three of the runs, going three for four with two home runs by the sixth inning. Now it was the bottom of the eighth, and the Dragons were up by six. Jason was on second, and power hitter Benjamin Collins was at bat. The first two balls whizzed by him as strikes. Then the third one came… and crack.
