Page 39 of Stealing Kisses

Teddy opened his mouth to ask how he could help, but she brushed past him.

He couldn’t blame her… She felt blindsided.

But at the same time, he’d never lied, never meant to hide who he was. In fact, they’d done nothing but talk as they worked together every minute of the past week. And while the specifics of his upbringing and his job never came up in conversation, Baylin probably knew Teddy and his personality better than anyone else on earth.

“I thought you knew,” he called after her.

She halted.

“I told you my name,” Teddy added, catching up to her in the hallway. “That first night.”

She spun around to face him, anger glowing in her eyes.

“And I should’ve just known your name?”

“Well, I am kinda famous,” he said with an innocent shrug.

That defense failed; her fury escalated.

“Didn’t you google me? Isn’t that the reasonable thing to do before letting a stranger stay with you?”

“In the barn,” she emphasized. “And no, I didn’t. You seemed trustworthy. And harmless. You seemed like a good guy.”

“Iama good guy,” he countered.

“Oh no,” she said in a voice teetering on hysterical. “I’ve done my research now…rich and famous, celebrity playboy, a girl at every major league stadium in America!”

“Playboy isn’t quite right, and the girlfriend part is a huge exaggeration.”

That didn’t help the situation, either.

Baylin spun back around, took a step into the pantry, and slammed the door in his face.

Yikes.

He stayed put, leaning against the wall, listening to her shuffle boxes and bins.

When she opened the door to find him there, a frown creased her beautiful face.

“I don’t need your help,” she informed him, although the crate she carried looked to weigh as much as she did.

“Too bad,” he replied, taking the crate from her whether she liked it or not. “You’ve got it.”

They loaded the truck with items to replenish what she’d sold from her booth and drove into town without a word.

“Go straight to the Conrad Hotel,” he ordered when she put on her blinker to turn down Main Street toward Jax Fielding’s garage. “Please,” he tacked on, trying for a gentler tone. Man, could she push his buttons.

Teddy carried the heaviest tubs and crates from the truck to Baylin’s booth, but word had spread:Teddy Gwenn has come to town.Every few steps, someone stopped to meet him, show him their baseball card collection, ask for an autograph, or take a selfie.

When the expo hall opened to the public, things got exponentially worse.

“Do you mind taking your entourage elsewhere?” Baylin asked, when shoppers couldn’t get past his fans to see her displays.

He did as she asked, guiding the group around him to the middle of the exhibit hall, where there was open space.

But he wasn’t happy about it.

As a boy, Teddy vowed that if he ever made it to the bigs, he’d always be friendly and kind…no matter how tired he was, no matter the score, and no matter how much he needed to be somewhere else. He’d developed a reputation for being accessible and approachable, arriving early to batting practice and staying late after a game. The people who supported him deserved that. But that day —theentireday — the constant flow of people tested his patience. He wanted and needed to be by Baylin’s side.

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