“Whoever said I was normal?” he asked as he reached up and grabbed her by the waist with his good arm, pulling her down from the truck. He gripped her hand and began tugging her toward a side door.

“We can’t do this. I’m not good enough to do this,” she said, digging her feet in, which at least stopped him.

“We’re just going to have a little fun,” he said with his “trust me” smile.

“Falling on my face in front of the Seattle Mariners is not my idea of a little fun,” she said.

“How am I going to show off in front of you, sugar, if I can’t even get you on the field?” he said with a laugh.

“Do you play?” Was there anything he didn’t do would be the more accurate question.

“A little,” he said with a shrug.

“What’s a little?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

“I played in high school, and Duke offered me a full baseball scholarship, but I was a moron back then and didn’t take it.”

“Duke? Like the Duke?” she said in shock.

“Yep, one and the same. My life ended up taking a different path. I’m grateful I joined the Air Force, even more grateful I fly F-18s, but I sure wish I would’ve played ball. I have some great friends here, though, and come play with them once in a while to get the bug out.”

“Wow, just . . . wow.” She didn’t want to be in awe of this man, but it was getting more and more difficult not to be.

She was deathly silent, though, as they made their way inside the stadium. He took her down tunnels she’d never even dreamed of walking through before, and then he pushed his way through a door that she knew instantly was the locker room. That smell was something they couldn’t disguise no matter how fancy a place was.

“Cover up, boys, I brought a lady,” was the only warning Mav gave before he turned a corner.

Lindsey was both fascinated and embarrassed as she entered the sacred locker room of athletes she’d admired for years. Baseball was her favorite sport, and to be in the locker room of the Mariners was about as cool as it got. She went to as many games as her schedule and budget would allow.

“Dang, Mav, how did you get such a hottie to go out with you?” one of the guys asked as he sat shirtless on the bench tying his cleats.

“I’ve got charm,” Mav said with a grin. “Aren’t you girls ready yet? We’re running late. I figured you’d be on the field by now.”

“Half the team’s out there. A few had to drag their butts in. We had a long week on the road.”

“Sounds good. We’re meeting with John and then we’ll be out to kick some butt. Where’s Lindsey’s stuff?”

“John put it over there,” the man said and pointed, and much to Lindsey’s delight, Mav took her over to a pile where a jersey and hat were sitting.

She had to fight tears as Mav handed them to her. It was authentic gear from the team.

“These are mine?” she asked, feeling foolish as she fought not to cry.

“Yep. You’re part of the team tonight,” he told her.

Without a second thought, she threw her arms around his neck and hung on tight. This was truly the greatest present anyone had ever given her.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how I could possibly ever pay you back for this,” she said as she stepped back.

There was something burning in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read so she turned and looked away. She didn’t want to feel confused, and whatever that look was, it was certainly making her head spin.

“No prob. I needed you to see how fun this can be,” he said with a chuckle as he caressed her cheek.

“This is bribery, you know,” she said, feeling as if she were going to burst.

“Then my plans are working. I know your weaknesses now,” he told her with a wink.

She really was caving far too easily. But she couldn’t find it within herself to care. She threw the jersey on over her shirt and then got her hair tucked up under the hat before sending a beaming smile to Mav. She didn’t even care if she fell on her face. It would be worth it. Just getting to go out on the field would be the greatest night of her life.

“Maverick, you’re just in time.”

Lindsey turned to see a man dressed in a suit walking up to them.

“Good to see you, John. Let’s get business out of the way so we can go hit some balls,” Mav said as he walked up and shook the man’s hand. “This is Lindsey. I’m trying to talk her into chairing the event. Bringing her here has given me some good points,” he added with a laugh.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lindsey. Let’s step into my office.”

They followed John through some more tunnels and then sat with him for a half hour speaking about numbers and projects. What shocked Lindsey was that she was able to keep up with the conversation. What shocked her even more was that she found herself jumping in and coming up with her own ideas.

By the end of the conversation, as Mav led her back through the tunnels, she was ready to commit. The cause truly was something she felt she could promote. But fund-raising was pushed out of her mind as they made it back to the locker room.

“Now that work is out of the way, are you ready to play?” Mav asked.

“More than ready,” she told him.

He took her hand again, but this time he didn’t have to drag her. She practically dragged him as they made their way out onto the field where the players were already hitting and throwing balls. She stood there on the edge and watched the magic for a few minutes before the rest of the team joined them. Then they split up.