Catching Mine (Boston Blues #4)

1. Adam

Adam

Beck named the conversation: Top Secret Partyville

Beck

Adam, let us know what Mia says about Winedown. We’ve decided collectively as a team that the party has to happen there so if she gives you a tough time I have a connection we can use.

Will

Did you seriously name the group chat top secret partyville?? Do you know the definition of subtle?

Dex

No he doesn’t.

Beck

What? It’s not like I added Callie to the chat. Do you know how hard it was to not add any of the girls?

Tripp named the conversation: Subtle Party Planners

Will

Why did I think I could keep this engagement a secret?

Adam

I don’t know, you’ve told the whole team already so that’s on you. I’m walking up to Winedown now. Just let me fucking handle this and you all just worry about showing up.

Adam named the conversation: I’m in charge so shut up

When Will and I got traded from Seattle to Boston last year, I didn’t hate the move. The idea of a challenge and getting to know a new team was exciting.

I didn’t realize it would also bring Will falling in love with my sister, and him planning on asking her to marry him. But they’re happy, so here I am, helping plan their engagement party.

I also didn’t plan on the group we’ve formed now either.

As the team catcher I’ve always been heavily involved with the players and how everyone’s dynamics work on the field, but now I have this whole group that extends past baseball—and shit, if I can’t do anything without them around or their input.

Not that I mind. There’s something about Boston that has felt more like home than Seattle ever did, and a lot of that has to do with this team.

Reaching the door at Winedown, I pull up my email fully prepared to go over all the details Mia and I have discussed, but the door swings open.

“Hey, you’re early.” Mia’s auburn hair glistens as the sun rays hit it.

It takes me a bit by surprise, considering I’ve only seen her in the dim lighting of the bar. I always thought it was darker.

Her eyes draw me in next, with the gold shimmer in her bangs her eyes are a shade of blue I thought only truly belonged in the sky.

I clear my throat as I shove my phone back in my pocket. “Yeah, sorry, a habit of mine. I don’t mind waiting if you’re in the middle of something. Ten minutes early is my on time.”

“No, this is a pleasant surprise, actually. Come on in.”

Stepping inside, I give her a nod. I’ve always thought Mia was beautiful, but oddly enough I think this is the first time we’ll actually be having a conversation outside of emails or her serving us.

In the beginning, any extra attention she had, she spent flirting with Beck, until he told her he was only interested in Jensen.

But I guess there’s no ill-will over that, considering this has become a regular spot for us, and everyone is set on this being the place for the party.

“So, you mentioned in your email that you want to rent out the entire bar for the night?”

“If possible. We’ll take the upstairs if that’s not doable. I know you have employees who probably rely on the tips.”

While the color of her hair and eyes might have surprised me, one thing I’ve always noticed about Mia is her height.

Being six four, I usually have to crane my neck lower to meet other people’s eyes, but not Mia.

I can’t say exactly how tall she is, but if I had to guess, I’d say five eight-ish.

The bonus for me is that she never shies away from heels.

Right now, she’s only a couple inches shorter than me.

She huffs a laugh. “Considering the tips you all leave on a regular basis are enough to give everyone a good nightly bonus, I don’t imagine my people would be hurting with the full team here.”

“Don’t you and Jensen usually wait on us?”

“Well, yeah, Jensen insists she only takes tips from the girls and Beck, so anything else she gives to me. As the owner, I don’t take the tips, I split them with everyone on shift that night.

Anytime you guys walk in the door, morale goes up.

” Mia steps around me, sending her hair behind her shoulder.

“Come on, we can talk more in my office.”

“Alright.”

She doesn’t spare me a glance the whole way back through the kitchen or through the double doors as we take stairs up and down a hall to her office. I can tell from the confidence in her walk that she knows I’m following.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels different. Her hair falls over her shoulders, when, now that I think about it, she’s usually wearing it up in a ponytail. Maybe that’s why I never fully noticed the color, but it feels more than that.

Jensen’s always said Mia’s a great person to work with and for, but once she sits in the chair behind her desk, she looks every bit the woman in charge.

“Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking…given that you mentioned money’s not an issue, we’ll close the restaurant for the party after our lunch rush.

I’ve factored in the hourly rate for all staff needed, then the average sales we have on a Thursday night, and add in our catering fee to start.

” Mia jots down something on a sticky note, then looks at me.

“Want me to say the number or will seeing it in writing make it less painful?”

I chuckle. “Neither. I told you, whatever the cost is fine. I want my sister to have the night she deserves.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of Mia’s mouth.

“You really love your sister, huh?” Before I can respond in agreement, she looks back down at the sticky note.

“I’m sure you’re about to say ‘of course, I love my sister’ but I wrote a pretty nasty number, and you don’t even want to look…

That’s next-level sibling love in my opinion. ”

“I said money isn’t an issue, Mia. Doesn’t mean I’m careless with it or don’t want to be involved.”

She chuckles as she reaches for a notebook and flips it to a blank page. “Oh, I assumed as much with the way you talked in your emails. Come on, let’s get the list out and we can go point by point.”

“My list or your list?”

Mia gives me a blank stare. “Adam, I could tell from your emails you’re type A as hell. I clocked you as Mister Serious About Things the moment you walked into my bar months ago.”

There’s this warmth taking over my chest. I didn’t realize she’d been watching me. I thought her only interest was in Beck, so I never even thought of attempting something with her—I am now, though.

“The moment I walked in, huh? I captured your attention that quickly?”

Mia doesn’t blush, doesn’t roll her eyes, or tell me that’s not what she meant. She simply gestures up and down at me. “Uh, yeah, have you looked in a mirror, or are you too tall to see in them?”

“I’m too tall, can you tell me how I look?” I quip back, and that earns me a laugh I want to hear again.

I know Beck’s only had eyes for Jensen since he met her, but for some reason I think of all the times Mia flirted with him, and it kind of makes me want to punch him.

What made her flirt with him and not me?

Shuffling in my seat, I switch gears back to the party. “First off, there’s nothing wrong with lists. I can tell by the five notebooks on this desk that you like them, too.”

Mia snorts a laugh as she holds her hands up. “Never said I didn’t like them. Was only stating the obvious. So, are we going to talk about the things you want done for the party, or are you going to keep defending your love of lists?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to switch sides and argue with reasons why lists are ineffective?”

Mia doesn’t skip a beat. “Oh, one hundred percent. Be prepared, I was head of the debate team in high school.”

Well, well, so was I.

I lean back with a smile. “Well, in that case. For my opening argument, here is why lists are important…”

Mia’s full laugh has me trailing off. Shit, I like that sound.

“Oh, come on, I thought we were debating? You know, I gotta ask, were you the head of debate who liked to be captain or president?”

“I was captain for sure.”

“I should have known you’d be the type who wanted to be called Captain.”

Mia’s jaw drops. “Hey, it was the title the school used, I didn’t pick it. What were you, the arrogant type who leaned into being president?”

I swear I get a hit of dopamine from the pure readiness to argue shown all over her face. Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I pull up my list of things I didn’t want to forget to talk about for the party then hand it over to her. “Here, why don’t you take point on these?”

Mia’s shoulders relax as she grabs my phone. “I didn’t expect you to be the debate club type.”

“I’m not,” I clip, then try to soften my tone a bit.

“Wasn’t exactly my favorite place. Preferred the red dirt and baseballs to arguing over topics.

The experience comes in handy at times, though.

I’m usually the go-to guy for press conferences, and sometimes I get to use it with business owners to prove a point. ”

Mia looks up at me with a small tsk before writing down a few things on her own notepad.

I hoped the hint of a Callie ramble was a good enough recovery. I didn’t intend to come off rude, but I’d rather not go into that history. I took a few punches to the ribs then got signed up for four different clubs by my father in order to overrun my time so I couldn’t make baseball practice.

I live to spite that man so much that I did every school club he put me in to the best of my ability, then put everything else into baseball.

Mia’s eyes look me over cautiously. “Maybe Jensen’s teddy bear comment is true after all.”

I let out my breath. Her what? “I’m sorry, teddy bear?”

She looks back at my phone then shrugs. “When she said you were wanting to plan this party, I said you seemed super serious. Which I still stand by, by the way, but Jensen said you have this teddy bear side to you, too.”

“Mia, I’m dead serious when I say this, I’m going to need you to tell Beck she said that next time he comes in.”

Mia shakes her head. “I knew you were too serious. There’s no need to add dying to the mix.”

Hell, this is fun. That feeling of wanting to punch Beck has shifted into wanting to thank him. I can’t say for what yet, but there’s this feeling of gratitude sitting in my chest, and not just with Beck, but every man who’s struck out with the woman sitting across from me.

“I think you misplaced my seriousness. I can take things very seriously and like things done a certain way—”

“But you’re also a teddy bear that wants to plan a limitless party for his sister.”

I know she’s teasing me, but I’m still liking it.

“You could say it’s a bit of making things up to her—” I meet Mia’s curious eyes as the mood takes a bit of a shift. “Can’t say I was always there for her when she needed me.”

Mia’s head tilts with a smirk. “I’ve waited on Callie several times, Adam. Something tells me she’s not one to require a knight in shining armor. Even if she has one now.”

I hear her, I do, but she doesn’t know what we went through. “Also doesn’t mean she didn’t deserve one. Plus, Jensen assured me you were the best person to help run this. So, here we are.”

Mia picks up her pen with this smile on her face. “Well, she’s not wrong.”

“Seems that way to me.”

Her eyes lock on to mine. “Hold on to that thought, we’re just getting started.”

I couldn’t agree more. Shuffling in my seat, I cross an ankle over my knee and hold out a hand for her to kick us off.

I can physically see the shift from this flirty, playful Mia back to this powerful woman, completely in control of everything around her.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. Since you’re renting the whole place for a large number of people—we don’t want it to feel like two different parties.”

“Agreed. Both bars need to be open so they don’t get overwhelmed.”

“Not a problem. Do you want a specific drink menu or full open bar?”

“Drink menu. Callie loves specialties and wine, but Will doesn’t drink so we’ll need nonalcoholic options, too.”

Mia nods as she writes everything down. Part of me wants to ask if she has an extra notebook so I can do the same, but I’m not sure if that would impress or insult her. She seems so in her element.

“Okay, let’s rapid fire these real quick. Tell me, upstairs or downstairs for food?”

“Downstairs.”

Mia nods. “Good answer, and bars open at both. Okay, music?”

“Sound system downstairs, band upstairs for dancing.”

Mia writes my answers in two different columns on her paper then peeks up at me. “Are you going to dance?”

“Not unless my sister forces me to.”

Mia lets out a small laugh. “Okay, what do you think about a photo booth? We have one that I’m getting repurposed, should be a good fit for Callie.”

“How much are you going to charge me for that?”

“I thought money wasn’t an issue?” Mia raises an eyebrow with this adorable smirk on her face.

“Upstairs, but I want a discount since it’s broken.”

“It won’t be broken at the time of the party.”

“It’s broken now, though—time of purchase, Mia.”

She shakes her head. “Fair enough. I forgot to mention there’s a price difference between bartenders and waiters so that’ll make up the difference.”

I huff in amusement. “Maybe I do want to see your breakdown of numbers since they’re subject to change.”

Mia tsks. “We’ve just scratched the surface.”