Page 11 of Catching Her Heart
When I hang up, Tim is watching me with keen interest.
"Job offer?"
I look at him and shake my head. The last thing I’m going to do is admit to my boss I’m going to interview for another job.
"Well that was a lousy piece of lying," he says, his smile sharp. "I guess you better decide what's more important—your career or your boyfriend. Because if you want my recommendation for whatever that was, you'll prove you can deliver the stories that matter. Johnson's getting traded today, isn't he? Dude’s probably finding out right this very minute."
I stare at Tim, realizing he's been playing me all along. He knows about the trade, probably heard rumors from other sources. He's been testing me, waiting to see if I'll cross the line.
"I need some air," I say, grabbing my purse and heading for the exit.
I'm standing outside the building, hands shaking as I dial Ted's number, when I realize what this must look like. I'm calling Ted right after being pressured about the Johnson trade. Even though I'm calling to warn him, to tell him that somehow the rumors are already circulating.
The call goes to voicemail. I try again. Same thing.
That's when I see Ted's truck pulling into the parking lot across the street. He's early for lunch, which we'd planned at a delinearby. I wave, relieved to see him, but when he gets out of his truck, his expression is thunderous.
"Ted?" I start toward him, but he holds up a hand.
"Save it, Piper." His voice is cold, nothing like the warm tone I've gotten used to. "I know what you did."
"What I did? Ted, I didn't?—"
"I trusted you," he says, and the hurt in his voice cuts deeper than anger would have. "I told you something in confidence, and you sold me out."
"I didn't tell anyone anything!" The words come out louder than intended. "Ted, you have to believe me?—"
"Simmons over at the Chronicle just called me for comment on the Johnson trade. Said he heard from a reliable source that it was happening today." Ted's expression is stormy. "Funny thing is, the only person I told was you."
My heart sinks. "Ted, I promise you, I didn't?—"
"Don't." He shakes his head. "Don't lie to me on top of everything else. I saw you on the phone outside your building just now. Right after your editor called about the trade story, I bet."
"You were watching me?" The pieces click together, and my chest tightens. "Ted, that's not what happened. I was calling to warn you that my editor somehow already knew?—"
"Your editor knew because you told him!" Ted's voice breaks slightly. "I'm such a fool. I actually thought... I thought what we had was real."
"It is real!" I step toward him, but he backs away. "Ted, please, just listen to me?—"
"I can't do this, Piper. I can't be with someone I can't trust. And I won't keep feeding you information for your career."
"I never asked you for information!"
"Maybe not directly. But that's what this was, wasn't it? Get close to the naive catcher, let him think it's something special, and wait for him to spill team secrets."
The accusation cuts deep. "You think I've been using you?"
"I don't know what to think anymore." Ted's shoulders slump. "All I know is that I trusted you with something important, and now it's all over the sports world. Whether you meant for it to happen or not... this is exactly why players don't date reporters."
He turns to walk away, and panic floods my chest.
"Ted, wait?—"
"We're done, Piper." He doesn't look back. "I hope the story was worth it."
CHAPTER SIX
Three dayssince Ted walked away from me in that parking lot, and I can barely function. I've written exactly one article—a fluff piece about the team's batting practice routines that even I know is terrible. Every time I try to focus on actual reporting, my mind drifts back to the hurt in Ted's eyes when he accused me of betraying him.
