“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” I slid off the seat, planting my feet on the gravel parking lot before shutting the passenger door.

Wes reached into the bed of the truck for his glove and black duffle bag, tossing them over his shoulder as he rounded the truck to stand next to me. He twisted his cap around backwards, revealing that devious smile of his.

“Come on, city.” He nudged my shoulder. “What else were you gonna do tonight?”

“I don’t know…” Maybe search for a job.

It was already more than halfway through my first week here, and I hadn’t applied for a single one. I couldn’t say that out loud, though. I’d learned my lesson about telling the overgrown man-child walking next to me anything.

“Baseball has never really been my thing,” I said. My steps faltered as we neared the ball field, already crowded with half the town of Billingsley. “I thought you said this game was just for fun. Not a big deal.”

He chuckled. “It is, but like I told you, there’s not a whole lot to do around here. Plus, most people in this town would pay to see your boy play.”

I eyed him warily as we slowed near the bleachers. “You’re not my boy.”

Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, Wes leaned in, his lips hovering close to my ear. “I’m flattered you thought of me when I said that, city…but I wasn’t talking about me.”

Dammit.

My eyes immediately scanned the baseball field and sure enough, I found Billy warming up with Aaron.

“Hannah!” Leighton’s voice called from my right.

I glanced her way, signaling with my index finger that I’d be there in a minute before glaring back at a smirking Wes. “You are officially the worst roommate ever.”

Wes mockingly clutched at his heart as he fell into a backwards step. “That really hurt, city. Here I thought you were finally realizing your true feelings for me.”

I rolled my eyes, giving him the finger. He laughed before turning his back to me and heading for the dugout opposite Billy and Aaron’s. A few of his teammates welcomed him with slaps on the back as he entered.

I stepped up onto the first row of bleachers, climbing up a few levels to where Leighton was waiting for me.

“Hey, girl,” she said, shifting down on the metal bench as I took the space beside her. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yeah. I didn’t either.”

She smiled at my disgruntled expression. “Don’t worry. When he’s playing, he’s fully focused on the game and nothing else.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid with me, Hannah Montgomery. I know you two are avoiding each other. I just have no idea why.”

Avoiding her intrusive stare, I snorted a laugh. “I figured it was for the best…you know, with him having a girlfriend and all. Thanks for the heads up, by the way. I thought we were supposed to be friends.”

A few rows down and below ours I could feel the daggers being shot at me by Lauren. It was hard not to notice. I’d felt them penetrating my profile since I showed up. If it were possible, I’m pretty sure she’d light me on fire with that glare of hers.

“Nuh-uh, honey. You don’t get to pull that friend bullshit on me. You’re the only one keeping secrets between us.”

I turned to look at her, my head falling to the side with incredulity, annoyance blowing from my lips in a huff.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She shook her head, looking out at the field in front of us, where Aaron and Billy were jogging to their positions. “Billy and Lauren are not a couple. Far from it. She just wishes they were more,” she grumbled the last part.

Frowning, I glanced from Billy on the pitcher’s mound to Lauren, who was sitting up straighter all of a sudden, clapping her hands and cheering on Billy as he threw a few warmup pitches to a crouching Aaron behind home plate.

“But, you guys all had lunch the other day.”

“Yeah, we did. But not because he wanted to. In fact, I had to force Aaron to trick him into even being there. I knew there was no way he’d show, especially knowing Lauren would be there.”

“Why would you do that? It doesn’t seem like you like her very much.”

“I don’t. But, the last week of school I was assigned after-school detention duty. I wanted out. Desperately. She agreed to take it for me if I got my brother to go on a lunch date.”

I laughed. “You whored out your brother to get out of detention. Does he know?”

“Hell, no! And don’t you dare judge me, Hannah. Those kids can be little shits. Especially when it’s the last week of school. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

Biting back a laugh, I shook my head. “Not judging. Sounds like you and me have a date with a bottle of merlot on your last day of school.”

“When you say a bottle, I hope you mean twenty.”

“Whatever you need. I got you covered.”

“Batter up!” an older man behind home plate called out.

The crowd fell nearly silent as everyone’s attention, including ours, turned to the game, with only a few low murmurs from the spectators as the first player from Wes’s team got ready to bat. Billy lined himself up, nodding at Aaron, a calmness to him as he prepared to throw his first pitch. It happened so fast, I barely saw the ball slice through the air and into Aaron’s glove with a loud smack.

“Strike one!” the overweight ump yelled, his index finger flying out by his side.

Half the crowd clapped and whistled, while others showed their support for the batter. Aaron shook out the hand in his glove, flexing it a couple times before throwing the ball back to Billy with a small, amused shake of his head.

Billy didn’t seem to notice, only focused on his next pitch. Within seconds another flew through the air at lightning speed, followed by another loud yell from the ump, “Strike two!”

The third pitch was no different. The batter was out, and the next two following him suffered the same fate. Three up, three down.

Leighton tucked two fingers between her lips, releasing a loud whistle as the boys jogged off the field. “Way to go, Billy!” she yelled, swollen with pride.

Aaron threw his arms out to the side, giving her a what-about-me look.

“You too, baby!” she giggled, blowing him a kiss.

Aaron grinned, and I chuckled beside her, clapping my hands, unsure which team I should be cheering for as Wes’s team took the field. Wes winked at me, shooting me a grin. I shook my head with a half-amused smile, reminding myself to schedule a doctor’s appointment for that man and his overly active eye.

Without thinking, I glanced over at the dugout where Billy stood, leaning forward, his arms resting on the top rail of the fence as he watched the opposing team take the field. His eyes shifted, connecting with mine, the heat in them sending a prickling across my skin. I rubbed my arms, tearing my gaze away, my stomach rolling with regret as I registered the anguish in his expression. I’d hurt him out of spite, and because I’d thought he was with Lauren. An immature move. One I wasn’t exactly proud of.

“I’m a horrible person,” I whispered to myself, but not quietly enough.

“What are you talking about?” Leighton asked, her eyes flicking to me after cheering for the first hit of the game. The ball went sailing to the outfield and the batter made it onto second base.

I groaned, dropping my face into my hands.

Leighton bumped her shoulder with mine. “Talk to me, girl.”

I lifted my head, looking her straight in the eye. “I may have let Billy believe I slept with Wes.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Did you?”

“What?! No! Are you insane?”

“Oh, come on, Hannah. It’s not that crazy of a question. The man gets around, and it’s not like he isn’t hot as hell.”

“Yeah, until he opens his mouth.”

“True.”

We both laughed.

“How did this even happen?” she asked as our laughter died down.

“I may have opened the door with only a robe on after my shower…at Wes’s house.”

“You have some explaining to do, sister.”

“It’s not what you think… Unfortunately, we’re roommates for the next few weeks. The water heater went out in the house I was staying in and apparently the only other spare house is being remodeled for your brother. Which, by the way, thanks for telling me he worked for the Monroes.”

She shrugged. “Sorry, figured you knew already. It’s pretty common knowledge.”

“Yeah, well I’m not from around here, so no. I didn’t.”

“Why don’t you just stay at Lottie and Tucker’s?”

“Uh”—I squirmed in my seat, clearing my throat—"that’s a story for another day.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “Does this have anything to do with why you’re avoiding my brother?”

I averted my eyes from hers, looking back out at the ball game. And by the grace of god, I was given a way to distract her. “Hey, look your man is up to bat.” I pointed to the field, where Aaron was digging the toes of his cleats into the dirt next to home plate, taking a few practice swings.

Leighton stood, cupping her hands at her mouth. “Let’s go, baby! Hit a homer, and I’ll let you get to home base later tonight!”

Aaron turned to look at her, giving her a sexy grin, his eyebrows bouncing up and down. She blew him another kiss, and the crowd around us whistled.

“Get’er done, Bradley!” an old man in the bleachers behind us yelled out.

Aaron saluted the man, touching the bill of his hat before focusing his eyes back on the pitcher.

Good grief was nothing sacred in this town?

* * *

I had no idea when I started to actually enjoy baseball or how. Maybe it was the contagious excitement of the fans surrounding me. Maybe it was because for the first time, I actually knew a few of the players I was watching. Maybe it was because the current pitcher was only one out away from pitching a perfect game and everyone was on the edge of their seats, including me… Or maybe, and most likely, it was because that certain pitcher was Billy Miller, the one man I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the last few hours no matter how desperately hard I tried.

“He’s on fire tonight, huh?” My eyes remained glued to the game as I asked Leighton.

“Who? Billy?”

I nodded.

“Seems that way. Something’s definitely sparked him to play like he used to. It doesn’t bode well for the other team either that their star player is currently on his honeymoon.”

A smile lifted the corner of my mouth. Lottie had told me once Tucker was a natural at every sport. “Like he used to?”

“Yeah.” She turned to look at me. “Billy didn’t tell you?”

I faced Leighton. “Tell me what?”

“That he had a shot at being drafted to the majors. At least, until his injury in college.”

Shaking my head, I looked back over at Billy. His eyes were glued to the next batter. I held my breath as Wes made his way to the white-outlined box. Even though his team was being shut out, he was his happy, carefree self, all smiles and winks and all of them aimed my direction as he stepped up to home plate.

Wes got into stance, knees slightly bent, preparing to knock one out of the park. I was conflicted: part of me wanted to cheer for Wes, purely out of roomie obligation, and another part of me wanted to see Billy strike him out the way he had been all game.

I swore the whole crowd was holding their breaths as Billy prepared for the throw. My heart pounded in my chest, and I almost closed my eyes, unable to watch.

“Strike one!” The ump hollered louder than he had all game as another fastball soared across home plate, landing in Aaron’s glove.

The crowd collectively released their breaths, random calls of encouragement for Wes and Billy echoing through the ball field. Wes took a step back out of the box and practiced a few swings as Aaron sent the ball gliding into Billy’s glove.

Wes adjusted his hat, his eyes finding mine, a slow smile curling his lips. “This one’s for you, city.” He stepped back into the box, and it was as if the hot, humid air thickened.

My teeth dug into my bottom lip as my eyes connected with Billy’s, a hurricane of tension rolling off of him. With a tight grip on my knees, I leaned forward, waiting for him to throw. The ball went flying fast as ever but veering from its normal path down center plate, curving to the right. Wes ducked, jumping backwards, barely avoiding the ball connecting with his tall frame.

“Ball one!”

Mutters, whistles, and hollering erupted through the crowd. With the ball in hand, Aaron stood from his crouching position and walked toward Billy.

“What’s going on?” I asked Leighton, while keeping my eyes on Billy and Aaron. “Is he hurt? Are they going to pull him?”

Leighton chuckled beside me. “No, Han. Billy is just fine. And you better hope for Wes’s sake he’s got it out of his system now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That pitch was a warning.”

“A warning for what?” I glanced over at her.

“Come on, Hannah”—she faced me, head tilted—“I know you aren’t that dense.”

My heart thumping erratically, I sucked my lips in as I looked back out at the sexy pitcher on the field. “Message received,” I breathed.

“I think the message was for Wes.”

She was probably right, but something told me it was a message intended just as much for me.

I never understood why some women ran knowingly toward heartbreak. It was like they thought somehow they could change the inevitable, only to end up with their souls crushed anyway. I didn’t understand those women at all. Until now. And a small part of me, the stupid girly part of me, felt thrilled at the idea that Billy Miller might just be making it known he wasn’t losing the end game—me.

“You coming to Dudley’s for drinks tonight?” Leighton asked, garnering my full attention.

“I don’t kno—”

“Let me rephrase that…you’re coming to Dudley’s for drinks tonight.”