Page 13 of Home Run

Rhett was from Indiana and had one brother, the one with the nephews headed to London for Christmas. Because Rhett was fairly famous in the baseball world, there were lots of articles written about him and dozens of news clips and interviews. According to all of that, the brothers were close, and while Reid Ryan didn’t play professional baseball, he was an executive for the team in Atlanta.

I played one of Rhett’s interviews from after their big win. He wore a nice navy suit similar to the one he wore the night we met. He sat like the chair was uncomfortable, but it was probably having a camera in his face that was the problem. He grunted and answered in short sentences until the interviewer asked him about his future.

Rhett stared at the camera for several seconds, shook his head and said, “I’m looking forward to Christmas.”

Was that about tonight and our auspicious second…well, it wasn’t technically a second date, was it? Although we did eat at least one meal. And ice cream. And spent a whole night together.

Was that a date?

Or an experience.

I sighed and put the iPad away.

“Dreaming of dreamy Rhett Ryan again?” Daphne asked. Marissa slept beside her. We were all on our way home for the holidays on the Riley family jet.

“I’m more anxious I think.”

“He’ll either be there or he won’t. If he isn’t, then fuck him. You can erase him from your mind and move on. And if he is there…”

Butterflies took off in my belly. I’d never done this before. Never felt like this before. I liked guys because they were fun. Work was my life. Well, that and ice cream. I loved ice cream. I sometimes obsessed over it, wondering how to make a new flavor combination. I never, ever obsessed over a man.

And while I wouldn’t classify my thoughts and feelings for Rhett Ryan as an obsession, he certainly liked to capture my attention when I slowed down.

“I think the two of you make a lot of sense.”

I turned to my best friend. “How can you possibly know that? You met him for all of five seconds.” And that was part of my anxiety. I didn’t like feeling things for a man I technically didn’t know.

It felt dangerous, but not in a fun way.

“Because I had Bull look into him.”

I blinked several times. “You had your family security advisor look up the guy I slept with?”

“Of course,” she shrugged. “I do it all the time. I just don’t tell you about it.”

“Wait, what do you mean you do it all the time?” Daphne’s family had been amazing and welcoming and wonderful, but this was new.

“Wherever we go, whoever we race with, whatever fan suddenly starts popping up on every single media post? I have them checked out. I’ve only come across two truly dangerous people.”

“Who?”

She shrugged again. “One was a hotel manager where we were all put up for a race. In Belgium, I think? And the other was a fan of Marissa’s.”

I let that sink in for a minute, letting myself grasp this new reality. Then I saw the advantages. “So what did you find out about Rhett?”

She smiled and closed her eyes, settling back into her seat. “He’s boring. The only fights he gets into are on the field. Oh, and one dustup at a club where someone was harassing a woman. He stepped in and punched the guy out. Bull said he seems to keep his anger focused on the game and that makes him a better ballplayer. No other arrests or even gossip. All his teammates look up to him. His parents aren’t really in the picture, but he and his brother are close. Helped each other get where they are now. I think he’s a good guy all in all. An anchor to your bubbly balloon personality.”

“You just said he was boring.” And that made my insides slosh around. Why?

Because it was wrong. Rhett wasn’t boring. He was multiple-orgasms-interesting.

“In this case, boring is a good thing. It means he’s not bad. He might even be good. For you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I didn’t know why I was suddenly so offended.

She took in a slow breath and blinked her eyes back open. “You’re brilliant, Hope. Truly. I’m so happy for you and all your success, but there’s more to life.” She slid her hand over Marissa’s and smiled. “Maybe Rhett Ryan isn’t your soulmate, but he’s a good place to start looking.”

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