His parents lived on the family ranch in Texas. They came up on occasion when they could, and would often drive up for his games in Dallas and Houston. But he was an adult and certainly didn’t need his mom and dad to attend all his games. His brothers had pro careers of their own, though they sometimes flew in for his games as well, and now that he played for St. Louis, Grant would show up for games, which was nice.
But Grant was doing a PR thing in New York this week, so he was out of town.
Not that he expected his brother to come to all of his games. As a baseball player, he played a lot of damn games, and Grant had a life.
Still, he wondered what it might be like to have a . . . someone. Someone he knew would be there when he walked out that door after every home game.
“Tucker.”
He turned around at the sound of his name, smiling when he saw his agent, Victoria Baldwin. She was with Elizabeth Riley, who was also a sports agent, along with being married to the Rivers first baseman, Gavin Riley.
He walked over to them.
“Hey, Victoria. I didn’t know you were at the game today. Hi, Liz.”
Victoria shook his hand, while Liz kissed him on the cheek.
“Tough loss today,” Liz said. “I know Gavin will hate it. And Garrett will, too.”
“Yeah, Garrett’s not happy. Are you here to see him, Victoria?”
She nodded. “We have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, though I’m sure he’s not going to be in any mood to talk business.”
“He’ll be fine. We shake off a loss pretty fast and look forward to the next game.”
Victoria laid her hand on his arm. “Of course you do, because you’re all superstars. That’s why I represent you.”
Liz laughed. “Only the best for us, right Tori?”
“Indeed. And speaking of my clients, do you mind, Liz? I’ll take a few minutes with Tucker.”
“Not at all. Good seeing you.”
“You too, Liz.”
Liz walked away and Victoria led Tucker over to a quiet spot away from the crowd. “Just checking in. I know we talk regularly, but I want to be sure you’re happy here since signing with the Rivers, that things are going well.”
“It’s great. I’ve settled in, I like the team and management. Nothing to complain about.”
She smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. I knew this team would be a good fit for you.”
“You were right. They have great talent and everyone gets along. Management is willing to spend the money to get the right players, and the coaches know what the hell they’re doing. I couldn’t have asked for a better fit.”
Victoria nodded. “Plus, one of your brothers lives here in town.”
“Well, you can’t have everything.” He cracked a grin.
She laughed. “You’re so bad. There’s Garrett now so I have to run. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
“You got it. Thanks, Victoria.”
He watched her walk away. She was smart, had been in the business for a long time now, and she was an absolute shark in contract negotiations. He couldn’t ask for a better agent.
He laid back and watched her scoop up Garrett and walk away with him, then he lingered awhile longer. Liz was there to greet Gavin, throwing her arms around him and giving him a long kiss and hug. Gavin had told him Liz used to be his agent, until the two of them got involved, and eventually married. Then they had to sever their professional relationship, but it sure looked like they had a great personal one. Gavin spotted him and waved as the two of them walked away, along with several of the other guys and their wives or girlfriends.
Nice.
He shook his head.
He had no idea why he was even thinking about all the other couples today. Not having a significant other had never bothered him before. He always worked his way past the crowds without a second thought.
So what made the idea of a . . . someone . . . pop into his head today?
He got into his car and started the engine. Was it because he’d never heard back from Aubry? Why did that bother him? He pulled out his phone. It had been two days, since he’d texted her. He punched in her number, figuring maybe this time he’d call.
She didn’t answer, which meant she was probably at work.
Rather than heading home, he turned his car onto the highway in the direction of the hospital. He’d just stop in and see if she was there.
He was sure she’d be happy to see him.
IT HAD BEEN A GRUELING DAY ALREADY. SHE WAS nearing the end of her shift, and Aubry found herself watching the clock, counting down every minute.
Chen had ridden her ass about a case she’d worked this morning. A mother had brought in a child with a broken wrist. No matter what she’d done or said, the kid wouldn’t stop screaming. It happened sometimes. The little girl was four, in pain, and utterly inconsolable. And the parent was nervous as hell about her little girl’s broken wrist, so instead of being the rock her little girl needed, the mother had only added to the tension.
So Aubry had had a screaming child with a broken wrist, along with an extremely upset parent, and she was trying to set the arm when Chen had chosen that moment to walk in on her.