Chapter 3
F abulous. Candice Steele. Savannah had warned her that Alex’s ex was going to be at the gala, but Lucy had hoped to avoid her.
She had changed little, maybe a bit of Botox here and there, judging by how little her eyebrows moved.
But she was still the same tall, almost-anorexic, brittle woman Lucy had met that first day at the picnic at Savannah and Dylan’s house.
Savannah had called her a Barbie doll—plastic, fake, with the illusion of perfection.
Lucy had only had one Barbie doll in her life, and it only taught her one thing: you can’t reattach a head once it’s been ripped off.
Basically, they were easily damaged and couldn’t take the pressure of real life.
Lucy had no body image issues from Barbie or this woman.
She wasn’t tall or slender or whatever passed for high fashion these days.
She liked to eat, though she wasn’t overweight.
She was too active in her jobs and kept a fair amount of muscle on her body, not from the gym, but from hauling trays of food and drinks.
Though Lucy had to admit, Candice was a better physical match for Alex than she was.
Lucy barely reached his shoulder even with her heels, and her everyday life was more about comfort than glamour.
Candice would partner perfectly with him, just a couple of inches shorter and the right image.
Good thing this wasn’t a date.
Candice leaned forward and embraced Alex, brushing a kiss across his lips, either missing or ignoring the fact that Alex didn’t respond but remained wooden.
She stepped back and laid a hand on her date for the evening.
The famous Reid Gale, center for the Savannah Storm hockey team.
He clearly sensed the tension, but reached out a hand and shook Alex’s, greeting him by name.
Lucy tucked her arm in Alex’s, feeling the tension that rode him hard, and her heart gave a twinge.
She remembered Savannah mentioning how Candice had used Alex, how badly the break-up had gone and her heart gave a twinge.
No wonder he wanted someone on his arm tonight.
She rubbed a hand on his lower back to soothe the strain, and Candice’s gaze arrowed in on her actions.
“And who is this, Alex? I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”
Lucy opened her mouth to correct the woman, but before she could say anything, Alex spoke. “This is Lucy Monroe. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now, since the end of the season.”
A light laugh burst out of Candice. “Really? That’s wonderful. You were alone at the reception at the end of the season.”
Lucy froze, Alex’s words tumbling in her brain. Seeing each other? For a while? What the hell?
“Sadly, Lucy had to work. Big event. Savannah wasn’t there either, if you remember.”
Lucy snorted, and all three sets of eyes turned to her. She swallowed. Like Candice noticed which women were at an event. She focused on the key people who could get her somewhere. The men, the players on the team. The sister-in-law of a player didn’t even rank high enough for her interest.
Lucy smiled, baring her teeth in a facsimile of a friendly grin. “Savannah had an adoption event, and I was the photographer.”
Candice arched a cool eyebrow. “Really? How interesting. Just the dogs or other things too?”
“An adoption event? You work with dogs? I’ve been thinking of getting one. Do you have any available right now?” Reid spoke up. He seemed like a decent guy and Lucy would be happy to talk with him all night. He was cute, too, though she preferred the man whose arm she was holding.
Candice squeezed his arm. “Darling. We spoke about this. You travel too much to take care of a pet.”
He turned to her. “You could always watch him. You’re just about living at my place, anyway.”
Alex made a sound like he was choking. She remembered Savannah watching Thor when the team was out of town, even though Candice lived with Alex.
Savannah had been raging after a road trip when a neighbor of Alex’s had called his cell and said Thor had been howling all night.
Candice swore Thor wouldn’t come in for her, but Savannah believed she had left him outside intentionally.
Somehow, Alex tried to make the relationship work, but Thor never stayed with Candice after that.
Reid looked at him questioningly, and Candice glared.
There was no way she was offering another dog to Candice’s not-so-tender mercies.
“You can check the website. Soul Paws. But I’ll warn you, my sister is very protective of her pups.
If you’re traveling a lot, a dog might not be for the best. They do better when their owners are around more. ”
Candice turned back to Alex. “Where are you sitting? You must join us for the dinner. I don’t think they assigned seats, which it refreshing. So, we can sit wherever we’d like.”
He gestured to a couple of his teammates who had already found a table. “I had planned on joining my teammates.”
Candice pouted in a way men often found charming. Lucy didn’t know why; it looked childish. “But I had hoped to catch up with you and your new girlfriend. Besides, I think someone just took the last two seats at their table.”
They glanced over and, sure enough, an older couple took the last two seats. The Knight’s second baseman, Nick Backus, someone Lucy had met a few times, shot them an apologetic look, but there was nothing to be done.
Alex sighed. “We’d love to join you.”
Speak for yourself.
C ue the second circle of hell.
His ex-girlfriend on one side, asking about their relationship and talking about how glad she was that he had found someone, full of sympathy and oozing concern.
And on the other, the one woman he was quickly realizing that he could fall for, if she weren’t off-limits.
He was stuck in an impossible situation, like coming into a ball game, bottom of the ninth, tie game, bases loaded and no outs.
Except this wasn’t something he normally had to navigate.
Alex was a starter, which meant they brought in a relief pitcher to deal with the messes he got himself into—and sent him to the showers.
A cold shower was in his future. A distant future. Only if he survived the rest of tonight.
He had barely tasted the wedge salad, the soup course, or the beef tenderloin. It could have been shoe leather for all he knew. Every time he took a bite, Candice would say something to him, or lean close to Reid and run her hand over his arm, and anger would simmer inside.
Lucy kept up a running commentary with everyone at the table, effortlessly including everyone in the conversation.
She charmed an older couple next to them, a judge and his wife whom Alex had met a few times at these events.
And she kept Candice from monopolizing Alex’s attention, for which he was eternally grateful.
She also played the part of the doting girlfriend, which was torture on its own.
She’d run her hand along his back, rest her hand on his thigh, and lean into him.
Those casual touches set him on fire, ratcheting up his arousal so that he was grateful for the long tablecloth to hide the evidence of his hard-on.
Fortunately, because of the sharp eyes of his ex and the illusion of a relationship to maintain, he got to touch Lucy, too.
He draped a hand across her shoulders, allowing his thumb to caress the soft, bare skin of her shoulder.
The subtle scent of her perfume drifted across to him, teasing his senses and tormenting him further.
All he wanted to do was find the darkened coat room and kiss her—and more—but the several courses of the damned meal seemed to take forever.
He allowed Lucy to direct the conversation, though he interjected as needed, and even talked sports a bit with Reid.
He’d done some charity and publicity events with the younger man.
Playing for two major teams in the same city meant they couldn’t avoid seeing each other at events.
He liked Reid and hoped he had a solid head when it came to Candice, though she seemed to genuinely care about the guy.
Alex had thought that once upon a time, too.
Lucy laid a hand on his knee and leaned over. “Are you okay? You seem tense.”
He smiled at Lucy. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
She eyed him dubiously, clearly not buying his story. The orchestra chose that moment to play, giving him an opportunity to finally have her in his arms and all to himself. He folded his napkin and stood, holding out his hand. She eyed him like his hand was a rattler about to strike.
“Dance with me.”
She lifted her head, and she stared at him warily. So he added the one word he’d never had to use with a woman since they discovered he was good at baseball. And other things.
“Please.”
She put her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor. He placed a hand on her waist and curled his other hand around her fingers. Lucy was oddly wooden, her gaze unsure and apprehensive. He pulled her close and swayed gently to the soft tones of the music.
“Relax, Lucy. I’ve got you.”
“I’ve never danced like this.” Her confession was quiet, almost imperceptible, and he skipped a step.
Damn it. She’d been so confident all night that it hadn’t occurred to him she might be nervous.
Her clenched hands in the car, her tense body language as they walked in the building, her wide eyes when they entered the ballroom.
Yet somehow, she had relaxed, engaging the rest of the table in conversation while he sat next to her, more focused on himself than being a wonderful date.
He was done with that. He was going to give her the star treatment and give her the attention she deserved. Even if it was just for this one night.
And he had the perfect opportunity. His friendship with her brother-in-law prevented anything long term, but for tonight, he could pull her close, hold her in his arms, and pretend that this wasn’t just for show.
He peered into her eyes. “You look amazing. And you’ve got this, Lucy. Trust me and follow my lead.”
He held his breath and wondered why it was so important that she trusted him.
It had never bothered him before, but for some reason, he wanted her to trust him.
Her blue eyes were wide and unsure, and he gave it a fifty-fifty shot that she’d run from the dance floor.
Slowly, her muscles relaxed, and she nodded, her eyes never leaving his face.
“I trust you.”
He exhaled heavily, not even realizing he had been holding his breath.
He pulled her close and moved to the music.
After a couple of missteps, they eased into a rhythm, gently swaying to the music.
He closed his eyes, letting the subtle scent of her perfume settle over him.
Her body felt sweet pressed against his, and an overall feeling of rightness washed over him in that moment.
“You want to tell me what that was all about?”
It took a moment for her words to penetrate the peace that had settled over him. When they did, he lifted his head and peered down at her. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t look pissed off, just curious, so that was good. “Just wondering what possessed you to pass us off as dating to your ex-girlfriend and how long this charade will continue.”
He let out a breath. “Only for tonight. Neither of us will ever have to see her again, so just a few more hours.” A horrible thought occurred to him, for more reasons than one. “Was there someone you were interested in here tonight? Have I gotten in the way?”
She laughed. “God, no. I left dating behind me over a year ago when I focused on building my business. You may not believe it, but I’ve gotten my shit together, Alex. No longer partying every night, dating loser guys. I’m too busy for that now.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Lucy. I saw the website you designed for your sister, with the pictures of the dogs.
Savannah said they had a significant increase in site hits on the pups since you took over the pictures.
They’re fun, inventive, and lively. So much better than the typical blah pictures of rescue dogs. ”
Her smile widened, and her entire expression brightened.
She had never been beautiful in the traditional sense.
She was more girl-next-door cute, with a curvy body, adorable pixie features, and a personality he always likened to a word his grandfather used to describe his grandmother.
Spitfire. It fit Lucy to a T. But when she was passionate about something, she glowed.
She was so beautiful, and his body responded.
“The dogs are the stars of the show, really. And you guys on the team were great about coming around and playing with them, lending us your faces and bodies to show off the dogs to their best advantage. I think the most popular picture was of you cuddling that sweet terrier.”
A laugh burst out of him at the memory. “God, she was a terror, in the purest sense of the word. She hated everyone and was scraggly looking at best.”
“But she fell in love with you, following you everywhere. It was the perfect picture. An older couple adopted her, and I hear she is living the life of a pampered pooch now.”
He sighed. “She deserved it. She had a rough life.” He cocked his head at Lucy. “You did good, Lucy. How is the business?”
They continued to talk, then headed back to the table for dessert. Alex and Reid talked about sports, and Candice and Lucy chatted about her businesses.
As they got up to leave, Candice turned to them, hugging both Alex then Lucy. “You two are adorable! I’m so happy that Alex has found someone. I’ve been so worried.”
Alex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He’d been the one to break up with her. But if it would end this night sooner, he’d let it go. He took Lucy’s elbow, and they walked for the exit.
“I have a brilliant idea!” Candice announced from behind them. “We should have dinner. The four of us.”
Alex froze and slowly turned. “Say again?”
He and Lucy slowly turned, horror dawning on him.
Candice was clinging to Reid’s arm, who was sending Alex a commiserating look.
“Dinner! We should get together, just the four of us. I would love to get to know Lucy better, and you and Reid already have so much in common. It will be like old times.”
Old times? Yeah. Like a baseball to the skull.