Page 35 of The Bad Boy's Homecoming
“I’m not interested in any bad boys; I just need this hand to heal so I can get back to my art.”
“Good.”
She didn’t even realize what she was sketching until Declan let out an exasperated sigh and set the tablet down.But as her sketch came into focus she knew Levi wasn’t going to be seeing it.For some reason she’d drawn the tree in the front of the Hart property.The same one Levi had tattooed on his back.Flipping the page she set the sketch pad aside.
“Bad contract?”
“Depends on what the client wants.”
“Am I the client?”Levi said, popping his head back into the art studio.
“I’ll leave you two to discuss it.I think I need to walk around a little,” Missy said.Levi was there in a flash with one hand on her elbow as she stood.Then he moved the footstool out of her way.“Lunch is served in the kitchen with Gran,” Levi said.
The warmth from his touch lingered on her arm and she didn’t dare look at Declan because she knew he’d be annoyed.Instead she headed into the kitchen to find a fresh bowl of pasta, and her medicine sitting with a big glass of water.
“Levi made some lunch for us, and then I thought you may need a nap.”
“I don’t feel sleepy.I was thinking how nice it’d be to get some fresh air.Maybe we could go for a walk on the beach?”
Mrs.Hart laughed.“Honey, you are crazy if you think we’re going to let you walk on the beach with that hand anytime soon.”
She swallowed the pill and then took a big bite of the cheesy garlic-infused pasta.“I don’t know who taught your grandson how to cook, but they probably deserve an award,” Missy said between bites.
“That would be my late daughter-in-law, Levi’s mother.She was a wonderful cook and he always followed her around in the kitchen.After she died he didn’t seem to have much interest in cooking anymore, but it looks like he’s been perfecting his old talents.”
Missy wondered about Levi’s mom and if she’d been like her Aunt Honey, warm with endless amounts of kindness and love.She hoped for Levi’s sake she had been a fantastic mother.It was tough losing a parent young, and that might be the only thing they had in common.She had the feeling Levi had a completely different experience than she had growing up, before a tragedy took his parents away.As much as he intrigued her, she knew the only reason he was being nice to her now was because he felt obligated to.He was more tender with her than she would have expected such a large, untrusting man to be, but that didn’t mean it meant anything more.And she was better off not worrying about why she felt so connected to him.The last guy she fell for ended up being a bad guy, and she’d had more than enough of that.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Levi
One Number Away
Levi sat acrossfrom Declan and couldn’t help but notice how huge the man was, and Levi was six foot three.But Declan barely fit in the chair.His shoulders were wide like a linebacker’s, and his hands made the tablet look like a child’s toy.
“Have you ever played professional sports?”Levi asked.
“Nope, I joined the army in college.They sent me to law school, and I gave them six years.”
“I guess your size came in handy there too.”
“Let me ask you, Levi, do you want to keep playing for Atlanta?”Declan said, looking him in the eyes.His face was void of any emotion.
“Yes, it was always my dream as a kid to play for Atlanta, and I’ve been with the team for nine years.”
“Then I don’t understand why you didn’t sign this contract the second they sent it over and packed up your things.I’ve followed baseball long enough to know this is one of the best contracts any shortstop has ever been offered, and I suspect one of the largest signing bonuses ever.Not to mention this gets you four more years of guaranteed salary even if you get injured.”
“But what about that persona clause?”Levi asked.
Declan leaned forward in his chair, with his forearms on his knees, and now he studied Levi.
“It means I still have to let them call me the Bad Boy of Baseball, play my part, and not refute the ridiculous storyline they come up with every season,” Levi said.
“Are you saying you’re not the Bad Boy?You didn’t sleep with your friend’s girlfriend, get into a bar fight last year, or fly an entire cheerleading squad to Ibiza?”
Levi cringed inside.Having a man like Declan judge him based on mostly lies was exactly why he couldn’t deal with the persona clause anymore.Then Missy popped into his mind.
“I’m not saying I haven’t played into this role, but it was all manufactured from the start.Ever since my first contract, they had this plan to create more hype and develop new types of fans.Ones that are more interested in the players’ personal lives than the game.In some cases the fans don’t even care about the actual baseball or if we win or lose.If I’m dating an actress they like, they buy tickets to the games.If I’m linked to some scandal they buy even more tickets.”
