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Chapter One
Kate Andrews loveda man in uniform. She especially loved Nick Mancini in his softball gear. The pants lovingly hugged his tight ass, and the short-sleeve jersey showed off muscular forearms honed from years of manual labor in construction. His mahogany hair, messed beneath his baseball cap, looked sexy, and his yummy brown eyes were dark and intense as he kicked at the dirt on the pitcher’s mound.
Nick was the sole reason she’d let her best friend talk her into coming to the last softball game of the season. Not that she’d admit as much to anyone. Kate barely liked to confess her feelings for Nick to herself.
Normally, Kate didn’t have an excuse to come to the games, but Faith had offered to take her husband’s half-sister to see her brother, Dare Barron, play for the cops. And Kate couldn’t resist the opportunity to watch Nick from afar. It was as close as she’d let herself get to the man who made her skin tingle and her pulse race, but from whom she had to keep her distance in order to protect her heart.
Tonight, the Serendipity cops were playing the Mancini Construction Crew, and the competition was fierce yet friendly. Mid-September, the summer had already ended, and the turnout was big for the last outdoor event before the cold weather roared into their Upstate New York town.
“Thanks for taking me tonight,” Tess said, showing Kate that the hard-edged teen who’d shown up in Serendipity was softening by living with her brother and Faith.
“My pleasure,” Faith said with a genuine smile.
“But it sure wasn’t Ethan’s. Boy, was he pissed when he found out what we were doing tonight.” Tess practically clapped her hands in glee at causing trouble.
“And there’s the Tess we all know and love,” Kate said with a chuckle.
Faith frowned. “Don’t encourage her. And your brother wasn’t angry.”
“He just wished someone else could take me to watch all the men on the field. Especially that Nick Mancini,” Tess mimicked her brother with a snicker, having no idea she was rousing deep-seated emotions in Kate.
But Faith knew and shot Kate an apologetic look. Faith and Nick had been high school sweethearts, and when Faith recently returned to town, Nick had tried to rekindle their romance. Faith only had eyes for Ethan, and things between she and Nick hadn’t a prayer of working out, but everyone knew he’d wanted them to. So how in the world could Kate believe he was interested in her now? More importantly, how could she get her feelings to turn off before she caused herself real pain?
“Eavesdropping again?” Faith asked Tess, oblivious to Kate’s thoughts. “Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Faith raised an eyebrow at Tess.
The last time the teenager managed to overhear something that was none of her business, Faith had broken up with Ethan, and Tess blamed herself. She’d acted out, and Faith ended up being hit by a car, sustaining a concussion. Everyone hoped the teenager had learned about causing trouble and jumping to conclusions. But Tess liked to stir the pot.
The teen flushed at Faith’s reprimand, her pale skin turning bright red. “It’s not eavesdropping when I can easily hear him talking through the walls,” she muttered.
Faith took pity on her and tugged her hair gently. “Just watch the game, okay?”
Tess turned away, and Faith sighed.
“Hey, look! Dare’s up at bat!” Tess said, conversation forgotten and her focus now on her brother.
“And look who’s pitching,” Faith said under her breath. “It’s Nick.”
To Faith’s credit, not only was she sensitive to Kate’s feelings about her past with Nick, insisting things between them were over as of ten-plus years ago, but she also tried to match-make for them now.
“I hadn’t noticed.” Kate’s hands gripped the bleachers harder.
“Liar.” Faith leaned closer. “Why do you keep turning him down when he asks you out? The chemistry between you two is off the charts.”
She shifted uncomfortably on the metal bench. “We talked about this. He’s not over you, and even if he is, I’d still be his rebound girl.” And Kate had too much self-respect to go that route again. At least now she was aware of how much it hurt to be that girl, and she refused to repeat the past mistake that haunted her still.
“And if you tell him what I said, I may never forgive you.” She knew the two were still close, but Kate trusted Faith to keep her secrets as long as she knew where Kate drew the line.
Thankfully, Faith dropped the subject, and the rest of the game passed quickly. Mancini Construction won 5-2, thanks in no small part to Nick’s stellar pitching. The teams took the win and the loss in stride, agreeing to meet at Joe’s Bar for drinks.
Faith had to return home with Tess, but she offered to drop Kate off at Joe’s first, where it would be easy enough for her to get a ride home later.
“I can take you,” Nick said, coming up behind Kate and standing way too close.
He ought to smell sweaty and disgusting. Instead, he smelled like Nick and a hot, sexy man. Kate gritted her teeth, prepared to turn down his offer.
“Awesome!” Tess said. “Then we can get home to Anna’s dinner that much faster.”
Thanks for throwing me under the bus, kid, Kate thought. “I think I’ll go straight home.” She treated Faith to a pleading look, hoping her friend would chime in.
