Chapter 22
It felt like an invading army when Parker Black and his team walked into the store on Monday past packages and boxes of books
that still had to be put out for the next day. Nola was on hand to watch over the proceedings and Alice was glad she was.
Her heart was thumping wildly and she felt like it was going to bang its way out of her chest any second.
She was aware of how put together Parker looked in his jeans and button-down shirt and how frumpy she looked in her pants
and sweater. And the mascara and lip gloss weren’t enough to make her feel sexy. Nothing was enough for that.
She didn’t know what to say to him. Welcome? Glad you’re here? She had no idea, so she said nothing.
He didn’t look much more comfortable than her. He was stiff-shouldered and unsmiling.
His partner in crime was the first to speak. “It’s good to see you ladies,” he said. He held out a hand to Nola.
She didn’t take it, and he shrugged and let it drop to his side.
“Again,” she said. “The last time we saw you, you were here in front of our store, trying to scare away our customers.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, water under the bridge, right?”
Neither woman responded to that. Instead, Nola turned to Parker. “Mr. Black, we are looking forward to having you in our store.”
“I just bet you are,” he said.
Alice realized the third man with them was holding a fancy video camera. “Are we going to be filmed?” She hadn’t thought her
heart could beat any faster. It could.
“I know all our followers want to see you both in action,” Jay said. “And promotion is part of the deal. Parker, move over
next to her. Let’s roll it.”
“Sorry,” Parker said, then went into instant smile mode. “So, Alice Willoughby, representing HEA Books, how do you feel about
trading places with me this week and hosting a sports show?” he asked.
“Probably about as excited as you feel about working in my store and talking about romance novels,” she replied.
Had she been too honest? Should she have said something more diplomatic, like, “I’m looking forward to visiting your station”?
Now, in addition to a heart on overdrive, her face was turning into a stove burner set on high.
Parker came up with a laugh that sounded fake. “There you have it, guys. I’m going to be undercover in a romance bookstore.
Maybe I’ll be able to teach these ladies a thing or two about sports.”
Yep, here came the insults.
“Maybe they can teach you a thing or two about love,” she said, her smile just as fake, and suddenly Parker’s face looked
a little overheated, too.
“So, there you have it. Guys, Alice will be in my seat tomorrow, with my uncle, Jerome Riddle, on hand to help her along.
Try and teach her a few things while I’m away.”
Then he had the nerve to hold out a fist to bump. What could she do but make contact? Her heart started jumping hurdles.
“Let’s have a clean fight,” he said.
What was that supposed to mean?
“That’s boxing language, by the way,” he explained. “No hitting below the belt, right?”
He was smiling for the camera. She forced herself to keep her smile, too, as if she was perfectly at home doing this. “Right,”
she said, and gave two thumbs-up.
“There’s the million-dollar shot,” Jay approved after the cameraman lowered his weapon. He beamed on the two of them like
a proud papa. “That was great, you two. This is good stuff.”
Good stuff. Good for whom?
“Okay, Butch, we’re done. Thanks.” The third man nodded and left, then Jay turned back to Alice and Parker. “Now, let’s talk
a little about how the program’s gonna go tomorrow.”
“You can use our back room. I have coffee ready,” Nola said, and led the way.
Alice fell in step with her, and she whispered, “You were perfect, darling, but it’s not too late to back out. You can stay
here in the store, and I can insist on going on the show.”
Going on the show and talking to people she couldn’t see or being around Parker Black and never having him out of her line
of sight. Which one would wear off every speck of her deodorant?
“I’m fine with doing the show,” she said and tried to believe it.
Her mother nodded, resigned. “Okay. You will have Jerome Riddle with you.”
That would be good. He’d be chivalrous and helpful. Which was more than she could say for Parker Black.
“If you want out at any time let me know and I’ll step in,” Nola said.
Alice appreciated the assurance. She also wondered if her mother doubted her capabilities. Was Mom worried she would fold
up like a fruit roll and get eaten alive by Parker Black’s fans? If so, Mom wasn’t the only one.
But Alice was determined to show both her mother and herself that she was up to the challenge. “I can do this,” she whispered.
“Okay.” Nola smiled at her but it didn’t hide the worry in her eyes.
Alice, Parker and Jay settled around the little table, Nola providing mugs of coffee and hovering like a guardian angel.
Official papers were signed, and then Jay began to walk Alice through the process of being a host on a radio program. There
were ads to read, buttons to push. She’d have to talk about the Mariners and spring training and remind fans that Parker would
still be going, as soon as he’d hit a home run at the bookstore.
Home run at the bookstore. Haha. Parker was pleased with how he was managing to spin this, as if he was in total control,
as if it had all been his idea. He sneaked a look at Alice. She appeared to be calm and confident. He wasn’t sure if she really
was or if she was putting on her game face. Either way, he admired her. And he liked looking at that cute face.
He wished he didn’t though. It was a waste of eye time. He and Alice would always be in different camps, looking at each other
from across a vast divide.
“Spring training starts next week so you’ll be talking about that,” Jay said to Alice.
Jay should have been the one working in the bookstore. He was the one who’d done all the behind-the-scenes damage.
And Parker was doing cleanup. Three days of misery followed by a Jack and Jill wrap-up on Friday before he could catch a plane to Arizona.
He was going to miss the first exhibition game.
He was supposed to have flown out on Thursday and been set up to broadcast from sunny Arizona on Friday, opening day.
Instead, he was going to be stuck in Seattle, doing time in this pink prison.
And then stuck sitting in close proximity to Alice on Friday morning, trying to focus on their callers and not her curves.
He wasn’t sure which was going to be harder to endure.
You got this, he told himself.
“The Mariners will be doing spring training at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, and sharing the space with the
San Diego Padres,” Jay explained to Alice.
“The Padres,” she repeated as if trying to commit the name to memory.
Parker admired her determination to succeed. She’d been thrown into this just like he had. But she was determined to get through
it.
Jay handed her a printout. “Here’s some info on the Mariners and the Padres—about their key players, the coaches. Read up
on it so you’ll be able to discuss it with Jerome tomorrow.”
She nodded. “I can do that.”
“Parker will meet with you after you two are both done with your jobs to talk about how it went and go over the program for
the next day.”
She nodded again but didn’t look at Parker. The big, bad romance hater. Okay, so he championed men. Did that make him the
devil incarnate? No, but everything he’d said and done sure did.
“You might find you enjoy doing this,” he said, making an effort to be nice.
“I’m willing to try,” she said.
This time she did look at him. No smile.
She probably wouldn’t, not until he was laid out like a fallen buck and she was sitting triumphantly on top of him.
“We’ll have you both together for the show Friday morning, Alice, and you two can talk about how it felt to trade places,”
Jay said.
Parker already knew how it was going to feel, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Okay, that does it for us,” Jay said. “And don’t worry, Alice. You’ll be great.” He turned to Nola. “Have you got any instructions
for Parker?”
Nola Willoughby smiled, politeness wrapped in a sheet of ice. “Your job here will be easy. You just have to help ring up sales.
I’ll teach you how to work the cash register tomorrow. It’s not hard.”
Hard would be facing a hostile tribe of women, but he could do it.
“I’m ready for it,” he said. As much to himself as her.
“We’re good to go then,” said Nola.
And Parker was ready to go. He and Jay said goodbye and left. He felt like he’d been released from prison.
“That was tense, man,” said Jay. “Mama bear doesn’t like us.”
“Can you blame her? You should have to be in there right along with me.”
“I know. Thanks for taking one for the team,” said Jay.
“As if I had a choice,” Parker grumbled.
“It’ll all be over soon.”
Which would be fine with Parker. And at least he wouldn’t have to spend his time in the bookstore working alongside Alice
with those big eyes. And the freckles. What was it about freckles, anyway? They made a woman look so girl next door.
If he’d grown up living next door to Alice, would they have been friends?
Would she have come to his high school baseball games?
Would she have understood what a big deal it was to have seen his dream of a career in the big leagues vanish with the rude awakening of a ruined shoulder?
Did any of the women in those books she read ever stay with a man through that kind of hard stuff?
Maybe he’d find out when he reported for work the next day.
Come nine o’clock Tuesday morning Alice was seated in a sound booth behind a huge microphone with Jerome Riddle by her side,
a big, burly comfort as she made it through the opening remarks that had been scripted for her.
There had been plenty of promotion ahead of her arrival. A still shot had been lifted of Parker and her sharing a fist bump,