Sonny’s eyes went round and she stopped knitting. “So he’s playing at the club, and you’re buying it? That’s great! I’ll definitely come see him.”
Ugh. This was the awkward part. She should have kept her mouth shut. “Um, well, not exactly.”
Lorelei gasped and slapped her knee again. “Is that what you two were doing on Halloween when you both disappeared?”
Sonny dropped her knitting needles. “Wait. You slept with Peter?”
Damn it. Stupid mouth. Leslie cringed. “Sort of, yes.”
Both women just stared at her, their mouths open. Neither spoke for a good minute. It was making her self-conscious.
Finally Lorelei blurted, “Was it good?”
Leslie’s gaze flew to her. When she saw the mischievous glint in her eyes she relaxed, smiling playfully. “Everything you think it would be, plus some.”
Sonny murmured, “He does have big hands.”
It was Leslie’s turn to gasp. “Sonny!”
The woman shrugged delicately, her eyes sparkling. “Just sayin’.”
“Seriously,” said Lorelei. “How do you feel about him?”
Did she have to answer that? It was all so confusing.
Just then her sister-in-law shot out of her chair. “Be right back.” Then she bolted across the great room and down the hall to the bathroom.
“Poor thing.” Sonny’s voice was full of sympathy.
“Yeah. It’s a shame men can’t be the pregnant ones.”
She snorted. “Good thing. It’d be the end of our species if they were.”
Leslie laughed. So true. Women were the real warriors. Every single one who gave birth to another human being. “Yeah. Take Mark, for instance. He can’t even handle a hangnail.”
Lorelei came back into the room several minutes later looking pale and picked up the conversation thread. “Hey now. He can too. It’s paper cuts that make him whine like a sissy.”
Her brother, the hero.
Sonny spoke up then. “What are you holding, Lorelei?”
The brunette glanced down. “Oh. Here, Leslie. I found this behind the toilet.” She pulled a face. “Don’t ask what I was doing when I found it.”
Holding out a hand, Leslie took the piece of paper and frowned. It looked like a shipping confirmation tag. Quickly scanning it, she saw that it was indeed a receipt. For a plumbing fixture. From overseas.
Dated three weeks ago.
Her blood ran cold as all the possible ramifications hit her. Jerry had told her they were still waiting on the overseas part and she was positive it was the only one. She remembered him saying so. But if that was true then it could only mean one thing: She had been played by a pitcher. For weeks.
And that made her very, very angry.
“THANKS FOR THE wonderful night, John. It was great to catch up.” Leslie rummaged around in her clutch for her keys, eager to get inside and kick off her shoes. It had been a long evening.
Perfectly pleasant, John Crispin had been a fine date. Intelligent, well read, courteous. He was everything that she normally went for in a man. But for some reason her appreciation for Armani just wasn’t the same lately.
That reason was Peter.
She was still fuming over his little stunt. After Lorelei and Sonny had left she’d marched down to the superintendent’s office and pounded on the door until he’d opened up. Then she’d waved the incriminating evidence and rained all kinds of hellfire down on him until he’d come clean and admitted the truth.
Her apartment had been finished two weeks ago, but Peter had inspired him to hold her off until the first of November.
Ugh! It still galled her because she knew he’d set her up hard. By keeping her at his place it had given him the opportunity and time to seduce her into bed, to stack the deck against her.
It was signature Kowalskin. Dirty pool all the way. And because she was just so mad at him, she’d decided that she wasn’t in love with him anymore. Done. The end. Completely over it.
Over him.
As proof of her new liberating decision she’d called John up and asked him for that date after she’d found out he was still in town visiting friends. Seemed appropriate and like a fine way to forget about her brief foray into emotional stupidity. “Well, thanks again.” She put her key in the lock and felt the tumblers click.
“Do you mind if I come inside for a minute? There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you,” the big, masculine ballplayer said softly from right behind her. She could feel his broad chest brushing her back slightly as he reached around her and pushed the door open.
Actually she did mind—she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to change into her pajamas and flop onto the couch for an hour with Missy and a book. But that wasn’t the polite thing to do. Her Southern manners chose the oddest times to kick in and start dictating.
Leslie stepped through the door and forced a smile. “Not at all. Come on inside.”
Dropping the keys on her kitchen counter, she spotted her kitten waddling toward her, meowing with her tiny voice, and Leslie set her purse down and scooped her up. “Hi, sweetheart. Did you miss me?”
A deep male voice said behind her quietly, “I did, Leslie.”
Uh-oh.
Turning with the kitten in her arms, she took in John’s serious expression and heard warning bells go off in her head, spiking her anxiety. She played it cool. “That’s a sweet thing to say.” Hopefully if she didn’t encourage him he’d ask his question and leave.
Maybe going on a date with him hadn’t been the best idea.
“Leslie,” the ballplayer started, “I know that we went our separate ways when I got traded to Boston, and I get it. I don’t blame you for breaking it off.”
Crap. She could tell where this was heading, and her stomach sank. “John—”
He held up a hand and cut her off. “Let me finish.” She clamped her mouth shut and he continued, “It was a lot for me to ask you to uproot and move with me when there was no firm commitment between us—no future plans.”
Oh no.
Leslie’s heart began pounding and she looked over her shoulder, held the kitten to her and began petting her furiously. “It’s okay, John. Really. We just weren’t meant to be.” She flashed him a wide smile, hoping that he’d just shut up and stop talking. No, no, no. Don’t do this.
He took a step toward her and she took one in retreat. “I can see that you’re nervous. And I think I know why.” He took another step toward her and she stepped back, coming flat up against the refrigerator. Damn it.
Another step and he was directly in front of her, taking Missy out of her clenched, clinging fingers and setting her on the floor. Her breath went shallow and her brain scrambled for a way out of this. But she was so frazzled that she couldn’t think of anything.
Large, hard hands cupped hers and brought them to his chest; his brown eyes went warm with invitation. “You’re nervous because of the chemistry. It’s still there, Les.”
That wasn’t why she was practically shaking.
“John,” she said a little helplessly. It had definitely been a bad decision to call him up for that date.
A thick finger covered her lips and she gave a tiny squeak. “Shh, let me speak. I’ve been thinking on this ever since my trade and there’s something I need to ask you.”
Please don’t!
The ballplayer dropped to his knee. “You’re an incredible woman. Strong, feisty, intelligent.”
“John—” she croaked weakly. God, don’t do this to me.
Brown eyes filled with hopeful expectation looked up at her as he shifted both her hands to one of his and reached into the front pocket of his slacks. “I love you, Leslie Ann Cutter.”