18 - Jordan
18
Jordan
Lucas was fucking things up all over again.
Back in high school, he had a lot going for him. He was a good-looking dude, and charming enough to draw women in. But whenever he dated someone for more than a month, he started pushing them away. He got lazy, took his girlfriend for granted, and eventually sabotaged the relationship entirely. I watched him do it with Haley and a handful of other women.
I thought he’d matured since then, but here he was, sabotaging himself once more. I was certain he had moved back to Vancouver to try to rekindle his relationship with Haley, yet he wouldn’t admit it. The foursome proved that the two of them still had insane chemistry.
But rather than going after her, he was sitting back, too scared to do anything.
The worst part about all of this? I saw all of it clearly. It was the same car wreck I’d seen over and over with the old Lucas. But I couldn’t say anything to him, because he was still too stubborn to admit it when called out—even by me, his best friend.
He needed to figure it out himself.
That was okay. I could force the issue. My accidental run-in with Haley at the park, and now her son’s participation in little league, gave me the perfect opportunity to play matchmaker. Lucas would get FOMO and ask her out himself.
Selfishly, I also wanted to see Haley again. She was fun to be around.
I told myself it had nothing to do with the fact that we had shared a filthy night of sex together, the memory of which I still couldn’t get out of my head.
Yeah. Lucas wasn’t the only one who could lie to himself.
At least I was partially aware of what I was doing.
Bran and Haley were already at the park when I got off work Tuesday afternoon. Before getting out of my truck, I took a moment to admire her feminine form from a distance. The pencil skirt and blouse accentuated her curves in a way that reminded me of our night together. I let the memory wash over me for a few seconds, then hopped out and joined them in the park.
“There’s my little slugger,” I called to Bran. “Did you bring it?”
“Bring what?” Bran asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Your A-game,” I replied, winking at Haley. “Because by the time I’m done with you, I expect you to be the best player on the team.”
His face lit up with excitement. “I’ll try!”
We did some warm-up stretches, followed by lightly tossing the ball back and forth. After that, we worked on his fielding. I couldn’t lie: he was awful at first, never quite able to get his glove on the ball. But he stuck with it, fearlessly getting his body in front of the ball, even when it bounced up and hit him in the leg or chest. He was stubborn—I had to give him that.
Haley sat on the bleachers while we practiced. Hell yeah. Let her watch me being all fatherly with her son. Women loved that kind of thing.
Of course, I didn’t have any real feelings for Haley. I was just doing this to nudge Lucas into action.
There I go lying to myself again .
“That was a great practice,” I said when the hour was over. “Keep this up, and you’ll be even better than Randy Arozarena.”
He gave me a bright smile. “Okay!”
“You’re really good with him,” Haley said. “You were good with all the kids at practice yesterday.”
“You sound surprised,” I teased. “I should be offended.”
Haley shrugged. “I guess I still remember the old Jordan Mayfield who didn’t take anything seriously.”
“Maybe I’m good with kids because I’m still a little boy on the inside,” I joked.
Fuck yes. There was no better feeling than having a gorgeous woman look at you the way Haley was looking at me right now. Wait until she learned what I do for a living.
“I seriously can’t thank you enough for the private lesson,” she said.
“Don’t sweat it! My team was already thin, so I’m glad to have another prospect to help fill the gaps.” I held out a fist to Bran. “See you at the regular practice tomorrow, kiddo.”
Bran enthusiastically bumped my fist. “Thanks, Coach Jordy!”
While they walked to the parking lot, I collected all the baseball gear, stealing a few glances in their direction. Yeah, it should have been a crime to walk around in public in that pencil skirt. She had me thinking all sorts of dirty thoughts.
But when I walked out to the parking lot a few minutes later, her minivan was still sitting there. There was a grinding sound coming from the engine—the battery was dead.
“Need some help?” I asked.
She hopped out of the car and groaned in annoyance. “Bran left the light on in the backseat during practice.”
“I was coloring!” he insisted.
“The sun is out! You didn’t need to turn the light on!” She sounded more exhausted than angry.
“I can give you a jump…” I trailed off. “Crap. Nevermind. I loaned my jumper cables to a buddy last week.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got Triple-A.” She held up her phone. “The app says they’ll be here in an hour.”
“I can wait with you,” I suggested.
Haley shook her head. “That’s okay. I don’t want to take up any more of your time. Unless…”
I cocked my head. “Yeah?”
“I hate to impose,” she said, “but do you think you could give us a ride home? We always have a family dinner with my sister on Tuesdays, and I don’t want to be late. I gave Triple-A the code to my van, so I don’t need to be here while they jump it.”
Trying not to seem too enthusiastic, I said, “No problem. Your house is on my way home, anyway.”
She sighed with relief. “You really don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” I replied with my best smile. “We can’t let Bran miss dinner—he needs his strength if he’s going to be my star shortstop.”
To my surprise, Haley threw herself into my arms. It was only a quick hug, but I savored the way her body felt pressed against mine.
“ Thank you ,” she said. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Seriously, it’s no big deal,” I insisted.
She smiled up at me. “When you’re a single mom, you learn to be thankful for all the help you can get. No matter how small.”
The way she gazed up at me through her eyelashes reminded me of our night together, when she was on her hands and knees, her lips wrapped tightly around…
Fuck.
Just a ride back to her place. It didn’t have to mean anything.
But what if it did?