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You’ve never been a real beauty outside but at least you were pretty inside
How did Kyle know just the thing to say to get into her head for the entire damn day? Katie loathed herself for being so superficial. For letting a comment about her looks get to her so much. It didn’t help that she’d spent a whole lot of time lately thinking about the bevy of beauties at the disposal of a certain shortstop.
Kyle's text also reminded her of something else. Something he’d said that night. Katie went still, right there in her office chair, hands halfway to the keyboard, eyes squinting at the wall as her brain searched for those words. What had he said? If she could just remember one detail, one thing he’d said, maybe she could remember everything else.
"You did this, Katie." "You asked for this." "You pushed me. You know just how to push my buttons, don’t you?"
But he could have said those any number of nights. What else?
"I’d say this covers it."
And the curtain. Beige with a swirly pattern.
Her eyes narrowed to slivers, her subconscious battling it out in a struggle to both remember and forget at the same time.
Beige with a swirly pattern, swishing across beige carpet. And Kyle’s shoe…
The door to her office swung open and Katie whipped her head up. Landon sauntered in wearing his uniform pants and a tank top, cap turned backwards, a wad of gum in his mouth, carefree as a kid. He shifted one hip to slide a butt cheek onto the corner of her desk.
Katie sprung to her feet, head and eyes swiveling wildly around the empty office. "What are you doing here?!" she yelled as loud as a whisper would allow, then scurried around the desk to pull him off his way too friendly perch.
Landon gave the room a confused scan. Nope, no one around. Not even a single person visible in the hallway through the office window.
"I came to get my key. What level did you park the truck?"
She snatched the fob out of her top drawer and smacked it into his open palm.
"The truck is still at my apartment. How could you even think that I could show up here in your truck? Lori probably has every security guard in this place sucking up to her. Just you coming here right now doesn’t look good. If someone saw us talking they might think something’s going on. Guess who loses their job then? Not the all-star shortstop with a three-thirty-eight batting average."
"Three-thirty-nine," he answered automatically with a proud smirk and an eyebrow waggle.
Katie scowled and crossed her arms across her chest just as his eyes wandered to her desk. Her heart caught in her throat, a split second too late to distract him from noticing the baseball with his signature tucked beneath her computer monitor, right where it had been since he’d thrown it to her at the meet and greet. Why? She had no idea. She could have taken a hundred signed balls from him or any player at this point.
"Ahhh, you saved this, huh?" The corners of his lips curled up in smug delight.
Katie snatched the ball back from him. "It’s not funny, Landon. Either you haven’t heard anything I’ve said about how important it is for me to keep this job or you flat out just don’t care. This isn’t some game, it's my life."
Landon’s chin pulled back and his palms came up. "Ok, one, I figured you’d park in public parking or something with the truck. You were sleeping so hard I didn’t want to wake you."
Oh geez. What did that mean? Had she been snoring? A blush crept up Katie’s neck.
Landon continued his explanation. "Two, the only reason anyone would think we’re having anything other than a work-related conversation is because you’re scowling and throwing your arms around like something worth gossiping about is going on. Three, I have been listening to you and I do care. I’ve been waiting all day for the right moment to come here and get the key from you. I just saw Lori, Ellis, and that huge intern kid down on the field, so I gave it a shot."
Katie’s self righteousness deflated, a balloon popped by the pin of logic and reason. She looked at her desk and rolled the baseball around in her palms.
"I’m sorry, I’m just on edge. I’ve never done something like this before," she said.
"Like what?"
She shot another look out the window down the empty hallway. "Snuck around. Broken the rules."
"Take it from me, baby, being bad can be pretty damn fun." She cut off his grin with a venomous look and he straightened up. "Ok, ok, sorry, so I guess I’ll see you later at the game? You’re working right?"
"Yes, yes, now go before someone comes back." Katie shooed him towards the door.
"What if I hit a home run just for you? Will you forgive me then?" Landon asked, walking backwards.
"Just a regular ol’ home run?" she asked, intrigued as any fan rooting for the Mavericks to win.
