“You ladies should join me for dinner tonight,” he was saying. “I’m preparing for a big award ceremony and maybe one of you lovely, lovely girls can be my date to the big event.”
Wow…someone thinks highly of himself…
Apparently, the women were eating the attention up because they got all giggly and started asking all kinds of questions.
“What kind of award?”
“Are you going to be in the Hall of Fame?”
Hall of Fame? Evie paused and tried not to be too obvious, but it would be one heck of a coincidence if this guy was who she thought he was.
“Someday,” he said. “But it’s going to be quite a thrill to have an entire day dedicated to me! Wouldn’t you love to come to Cal Slater Day?”
She froze, and the gasp was out and louder than she intended, so loud that Cal heard. He turned around and smiled at her.
“Well, hey there, darlin’. Are you a baseball fan too?”
Evie turned her head slowly and found herself staring up at a man who looked like Slater if Slater had been built entirely out of ego and old leather.
Cal Slater.
“Oh, um…” It felt like the temperature had gone up about twenty degrees, and she had no idea what to say.
He got disrespectfully close. “Don’t be shy, sweetheart,” he cooed, pulling her in like they were old friends. “I’m Cal,” he added, flashing a grin that probably charmed entire stadiums.
Evie didn’t smile back.
The man clearly couldn’t take a hint because he just kept talking on and on and on about himself, practically right in her ear. Her stomach literally lurched as his warm breath hit her cheek. Evie made to move away, but his arm went around her. Without her permission.
Oh. Absolutely not.
Maybe it was a reflex, or maybe she was feeling some sort of something on Slater’s behalf.
Or maybe she was just tired of guys who thought it was okay to touch women without being asked.
“So tell me, what’s a pretty girl like you doing vacationing here at this resort? You look a little more like a city girl than a rustic one. Although I bet you look good in a pair of snug blue jeans.” His hand squeezed her waist even as his arm stayed exactly where it was.
Still.
On her.
Without a flicker of hesitation, she drove her elbow sharply back into his midsection, right into the soft spot beneath his ribs.
Cal’s grin collapsed into a startled wheeze. “Oh!” He staggered half a step back, clutching his side, blinking at her like she’d just broken some universal law of admiration.
Evie took a calm step forward, smoothing her sweater as if nothing had happened. “Hi,” she said politely. “You don’t know me well enough to touch me.”
He stared at her, stunned, breath hitching once more before he straightened with as much dignity as a man who’d just been elbowed by a five-foot-something woman could manage.
“Well,” he coughed, adjusting his jacket, “that’s… a first.”
Evie gave him a bright, unrepentant smile. “Touch me again and it won’t be the last.” Her need for a snickerdoodle was gone, and she turned and walked right out of the lodge, smoke steaming from her ears, and stormed her way down to Slater’s cabin. She stomped up the porch steps and nearly kicked the door open before stepping inside and slamming it.
And came face-to-face with a very startled Slater.
“Bad day?” he asked, but he was somewhat distracted.
“It wasn’t until a few minutes ago.” Tossing her satchel onto the couch, she let out a tiny growl of annoyance. “Your father is seriously the worst!”
