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“Well, you ain’t lookin’. I am.”
Cool.
Well this is officially weird. I was at the game of my ex-boyfriend-boss’s estranged brother, having a weird stand-off with said brother whom I’d never actually met, and someone’s grandpa had elected to give me the play-by-play of his every look in my direction. He was actually having a grand ol’ time, giving that wheezy, old man laugh over my every look of visible discomfort.
Thankfully, the old man left before the final out, volunteering his explanation to me on his way out. “Gotta beat the crowd. Good luck with twenty-four,” he said, clapping my shoulder before he walked off.
I said goodbye to him and admittedly heaved a huge sigh of relief once he was gone, because it was easier to finish watching the game alone. Without a witness, I could go back to pretending Cole didn’t notice me staring, and wasn’t looking back as a way to basically tell me he could sense something fishy about me.
See? You’re good. It’s all good, I told myself once the game was over. The Wolves had won 5-2 and my client hadn’t gotten the win, but that was okay, because everyone was starting to leave. The players were giving high fives on the field and I was on my feet, getting ready to go.
But I had one foot on the steps when I heard
a whispery hush fall over the chatty women across the aisle from me. And when I looked at them, I saw them whispering furiously to each other while gawking at the field.
Ah… shit.
I turned around, both surprised and not when I saw Cole standing there at the edge of the field, those blue eyes locked unapologetically on me. His face was stoic, but I was sure I didn’t imagine the amusement in his eye as he got an up-close view of my not-fully-disguised awkwardness.
“Hi,” he finally said.
I noted that his voice didn’t sound like Adam’s. It was similarly low, but not as smooth.
“Hi,” I said. My eyes shifted awkwardly as I turned fully around, because I was unsure exactly what Cole was doing here, and I didn’t want to presume that he wanted to talk to me, especially with how thoroughly blank and disinterested his expression was right now.
But he was here. And he wasn’t moving.
So…
I headed over to the railing, glad that the stands were emptying despite the handsome third baseman standing right there. Maybe it was the fact that he was from the other team. Or the fact that he was chewing his gum and eyeing anyone trying to rubberneck with casual looks of disgust.
Okay... I can see how he and Knox would get along, I thought with amusement.
Even the whispering girls left after awhile—or at least they gave what Cole deemed enough space to start talking.
“You were mad-dogging me the whole game, so figured I’d come say hi,” he said, so completely deadpan that I thought he was serious for a second. But then came that glimmer in his eye that I knew well.
“I was not mad-dogging you,” I snorted.
“You were staring into the dugout before the game even started.”
Okay. Didn’t realize he saw that.
When my mouth opened and closed a few times without a sentence happening, he smirked.
“I know you’re Adam’s assistant.”
I didn’t try to contain my surprise. “How… did you know that?”
He snapped his gum then looked at some goings-on down the field before returning his attention to me. “I’ve Googled him,” he said.
I lifted my eyebrows. Well, well, well. Look who actually does give a shit. Even if it’s the tiniest one.
I must’ve looked too visibly pleased, because Cole hit me with a look that was a cross between vaguely annoyed and amused.
“Adam send you here?” he asked, prompting that twisting in my chest again. Please not now, I asked my heart politely as I shook my head no.
“I was here to watch my client pitch. I’m an agent at Ace now. I left Engelman in March.”
