Charlotte’s financial advisor, otherwise known as her best friend, flew in as promised as soon as she heard Charlotte was ready to get her salon open. Jill was the perfect person to help her iron out the business aspects of running a salon, since Charlotte was only trained in the actual business of making people beautiful. All the things that gave her a headache, like taxes, overhead, and pricing, made Jill as happy as a cricket.

And once Jill got a look at the actual building with its cute shutters and baskets of purple petunias, she flipped with excitement. But when Charlotte told her the whole dramatic story about the salon, Jill sat her down with a firm expression and extracted every single detail before demanding to see the contract.

Fortunately, Sam’s contract met with her approval. She even laughed at the Sam Clause, as Charlotte had taken to calling it. “You have a strange knack for meeting overbearing rich men, girl.”

“Is there any other kind?” she asked.

They didn’t discuss it again because they got so busy with getting the salon set up, which was a relief for Charlotte. She knew the crazy ideas Jill would get if she even suspected Nate was someone Charlotte was…well… attracted to. Which, she had to admit, she was.

Even after their big blow up. He’d given her space, but texted her occasionally to ask how things were going. And each time her phone dinged with a notification, and she saw it was him, her heart gave a telling lurch. Now that they were communicating more, she realized that he was a very busy man, always going to Tampa where his main offices were located. And yes, she hated that he was so far away. Because Jill would read way too much into her feelings, Charlotte was determined to keep it under wraps.

So when it was time for t-ball practice on Tuesday, Charlotte tried to slip out with Taylor and leave Jill at the house going over purchase orders. Unfortunately, Taylor said, “Coach Nate said he might have to miss practice today. I hope he doesn’t.”

Jill’s ears perked up. “Coach Nate? Like as the Nate Haverton who bought your salon? Your domineering sugar daddy?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Stop calling him my sugar daddy. He’s no such thing. I’m paying him back. And there is definitely no sugar involved.”

“Unfortunately,” whispered a little voice in the back of her mind.

As usual, Charlotte climbed a few steps up the bleachers and plopped down behind the magpie mommas. Jill followed, announcing loudly, “Okay. I’m ready to meet this rich guy of yours.”

Delynn heard her, of course, and twisted around. “Hey there. You a friend of Charlotte’s?”

“Besties since high school,” Jill answered, smiling brightly. “I’m here for a quick visit.”

“And you came to see the sights, huh?” Delynn wiggled her thin eyebrows. “Can’t blame you there.”

Jill’s manicured eyebrows shot up. “Sights? Charlotte, have you been keeping something from me?”

Misty, who sat next to Delynn, laughed. “She didn’t tell you the coach is hotter than a spittin’ griddle?”

Jill turned to study Charlotte. “No. She failed to mention it.” Then, with a mischievous smile on her lips, she leaned forward for more gossip. “Details, ladies, please.”

Delynn was happy to oblige. “He’s six-foot-three, near as I can figure. He’s built and athletic. Then there’s that lady-killer smile of his. Best of all, his hind-end fills out a pair of jeans as well as any butt on a wrangler ad.”

Misty stopped chewing her gum long enough to drawl, “My husband thinks I requested this team because my son’s friend was playing on it. Nope, it’s because I get to watch Nate bend over and pick up balls for an hour every week.”

Jill was fighting hard not to burst out laughing. Her lips twitched. “Charlotte, dear, what do you think of the coach? Is he hot?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, knowing it was pointless to refute it. “Why don’t you decide for yourself. Here he comes.” She pointed toward the outfield. Nate had jumped the fence facing the parking lot, and was jogging toward the infield. Where he got his boundless energy, she’d never know, but every line of him was as graceful as a cat.

Jill leaned towards her, her eyebrows disappearing behind her bangs. “Yeah…I’ve got some questions for you, girl.”

“Later,” Charlotte said.

When Nate arrived at the dugout, he dropped his duffel bag in the dust, and scanned the bleachers. His eyes landed on her, and he smiled and gave her a manly chin flick like she was the only person around. She blushed as she felt the full weight of all the incredulous female eyes that turned her way. Blast the man. But her embarrassment didn’t stop her heart from pounding with the intense pleasure of having him single her out like that. Even though she was still mad at him. A little.

Charlotte heard him thank Josh for starting practice for him as he walked up. “My plane got delayed a bit. Thanks for covering for me,” Nate said.

Josh tossed a ball out to the kids again. “No problem, man.”

“Let’s divide ‘em into teams. They need some playing time since their game is next week,” Nate said. “Will you take a team?”

“Sure.”

Nate walked back over to the dugout, and as he passed, he looked at Charlotte and asked, “Did you miss me?”

Charlotte blushed as the magpies turned around to look at her with surprised expressions. Was he flirting with her? In front of all these people? But she didn’t want him to think he could win her over that easily. “You’d have to be gone a lot longer than that.”

Nate laughed. “Well, I don’t mind admitting I missed you.” Then, he jogged back over to home plate as if he hadn’t just made her the object of everyone’s curiosity.

Charlotte felt a strange sensation, and looked over toward the dugout, where she caught Justine glaring at her with venomous eyes. The woman turned away sharply and started yelling at the kids to stop flipping their water bottles.

When Charlotte looked away, feeling unsettled, she found Jill staring at her with a meaningful expression. “What?”

“You know what,” Jill whispered. “He missed you while he was gone?”

“He was just teasing me.”

“Okay. You’re in denial, and I want to know why. Because if that man had smiled at me like that, you can bet I’d be owning it.”

“Jill, can you please stuff a rag in it till later?” Charlotte motioned to the ladies below them, and leaned closer. “I’d rather my business wasn’t being gossiped about while they smoke a cigarette in the parking lot later.”

“Fine. But it’s going to test my patience.”

“What patience?”

For the rest of practice, Charlotte enjoyed having Jill there to cheer for Taylor with her. He blossomed under the attention. It surprised Charlotte how far along Taylor had come from the enthusiastic, but awkward player he’d been a few weeks ago.

When practice was over, Taylor ran up to her and Jill. His cheeks were red and beaded with sweat, and his grin bright. “Coach says I have an arm,” he said proudly.

Charlotte laughed, and said. “Last I checked, you had two of them.”

As Taylor rolled his eyes, Charlotte looked over his shoulder and saw Nate heading towards them. Taylor spoke, pulling her attention back to him. “No, he means I can throw it really far. I would have gotten Zander out at first if Ryan had caught the ball.”

Nate reached out and pulled the brim of Taylor’s cap down to his nose. “Now you need to work on your batting stance.”

Taylor fixed his ball cap and grinned at him. “You can come over and practice with me. And Mom too. Her stance is terrible.”

“I’d love to help your mom with her batting stance.”

Nate’s words sent shivers down Charlotte’s back. The thought of being close to him like that, with his arms around her, sounded delicious.

“That’s alright, Taylor,” Charlotte said. “I’m not planning to take up the sport anytime soon.”

“Yeah. You’re kind of old for it. But that’s okay, I bet you and Nate can go on a date instead.”

“What?” Charlotte asked, both surprised and appalled.

But Taylor kept talking. “Mrs. Johnston said he wanted to be your boyfriend, remember? I asked my friends at school what a boyfriend does and they said they take you on dates. And they said dates are for giving hugs and eating at restaurants. And you like hugs and restaurants, right Mom?”

Throughout Taylor’s speech, Charlotte opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, looking for an opening to jump in and stop the flow of words. Nate wasn’t even trying to disguise how much he enjoyed her embarrassment.

His eyes gleamed wickedly at her. “That’s great info there, buddy. She likes hugs and restaurants, huh?”

“Yeah. And she likes to cuddle—mostly at bedtime. Right, Mom?”

Charlotte wanted to gag the kid. Seriously. Why didn’t six-year-olds come with a mute button? “Taylor?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“Go play for a minute. Far away.”

He shrugged and picked up his ball and glove from the bench in front of him. “Okay.”

As he ran away, Charlotte shouted after him, “But stay where I can see you.”

Then she looked up at Nate, who was grinning at her. His arms were folded across his chest, unfairly drawing attention to his great biceps, and making him look much more relaxed than she felt. “Jill, this is Nate Haverton, Taylor’s coach and the thorn in my side.”

Jill smiled and held out her hand for Nate to shake. “Nice to meet you. I hope you were taking notes while Taylor was making suggestions.”

Nate nodded. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll remember every detail. In fact,” he said, his eyes glancing over to Charlotte, “I was going to ask her out tonight, but I didn’t know she had a friend visiting.”

“Yeah. Sorry,” Charlotte said, grabbing onto the excuse. “Jill is only here for two more days and I have to make the most of her visit. She’s helping me get all my business stuff sorted out.”

Jill yawned, rather enthusiastically. “You know what, though? I’m actually beat. I think maybe Taylor and I could chill out at your house while you and Nate go get some dinner.”

Charlotte glared at Jill then glanced up at Nate, trying to gauge his reaction. He was grinning, drat the man.

“I like you already,” Nate said, nodding at Jill. “How long can you stay?”

“I didn’t say I was going,” Charlotte interjected.

Nate met her eyes, his own intense and questioning. “Well, will you? I mean, you’ll have to choose between a plate of nachos at the soda shop or chicken fried steak at the diner, but I’ll splurge on dessert afterward.” Then he winked, and Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on. What is wrong with you?” Jill asked in a fierce whisper. “It’s one little date.”

“Can’t it just be two friends grabbing dinner together?” Charlotte asked.

Shrugging, Nate said, “Sure. Call it whatever you like as long as it means you sitting across a table from me with good food in the middle. Oh, and don’t forget, Taylor thinks we should cuddle before bed.”

Charlotte shot him a death glare. “Not happening.”

Nate laughed. “I aimed high, because I knew you’d shoot me down. I’ll settle for a hug.”

Relaxing a little, Charlotte said. “I can probably allow that. But, I’m warning you—I don’t like to share my dessert. You’ll have to get your own.”

“Wow. If I’d have known you were that stingy, I would have asked Jill out.” Nate turned to Jill. “Are you single?”

Jill grinned. “Yes I am, as a matter of fact.”

Even though she knew he was joking, Charlotte pulled on Jill’s arm. “Too late,” she said to Nate. “You already asked me. You don’t offer a girl nachos, and then take them away.”

“Oh sure,” Nate called after them. “It’s the nachos you want.”

“You didn’t think it was anything else, did you?” Charlotte called back, walking away quickly.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Charlotte nodded and turned her back so he wouldn’t see the silly smile she couldn’t keep off her face. What was she doing? Nate was the last person she should be dating. He’d already been high-handed with her twice, pushing his way into her life, and using his money to pave the way. And he was out of town all the time. As much as her traitorous heart wanted to forget about all of that, her brain wouldn’t.