Once he was gone, I looked over to her and said, “I gotta be going too, doll. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Her eyes flashed with annoyance as she snapped, “Thanks for the offer, but I won’t.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off her ass as she headed over to the dugout to meet up with her brother. I was still gawking at her when Colton came up behind me and asked, “Is she the reason why you were in never-never land earlier?”
Shaking my head, I answered, “Hell, no. A chick like that is way out of my league.”
“Umm-hmm.” He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and reached for his duffle bag. “I’m going to put this in the car. Take a look around and make sure we didn’t leave anything behind.”
The practice had taken a lot out of me, and my leg was feeling a little tender as I made my way around the field. After I made sure we had everything, I headed towards the parking lot. I had my hands full of empty water bottles and was tossing them in the dumpster, when I heard a woman’s voice say, “Well, damn! What am I supposed to do now?”
I glanced over my shoulder and found Kaden standing beside his sister. They were both staring at her back tire that was completely flat, and it was clear from the expressions on their faces that neither of them had any idea how to fix it. Considering my present medical condition, I had no business messing with her tire, but I couldn’t just leave them. I walked over and asked, “Everything okay?”
She looked at me with a scowl, and I had no doubt she was about to tell me to buzz off when Kaden answered, “We’ve got a flat.”
“I see that. Do you need a hand?”
“No, thanks. We’ll manage.”
“Come on, Kaci. You just said you didn’t know how to fix it,” Kaden protested.
“I’m sure Mr. Michaels has other things he needs to do, Kaden. We’ve already taken enough of his time.”
Seeing that she was going to be stubborn about it, I walked over to the back of her car. “I’ve got some time. Why don’t you open the trunk, so we can see if you have a spare and a jack?”
Following right behind me, Kaden smiled and said, “Thanks, Mr. Tucker.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Kaci did as I requested and popped the trunk. I was relieved to see that there was, in fact, a spare tire and everything else I’d need to fix the flat. I was just about to pull it out of the trunk when Colton walked up behind me.
“I’ve got this little brother.” A wicked grin crossed his face as he skirted by me and grabbed the spare, dropping it next to the car. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Kaci’s irritated demeanor had quickly dissolved as she said, “Thank you so much for helping, Coach. I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem.” Then he extended his hand. “You must be Kaden’s sister.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m Kaci. It’s really nice to meet you,” she told him as she shook his hand. A twinge of jealousy ran down my spine as I watched her lips curl into a sexy smile. Not once had she smiled at me like that. Not once. Fuck.
“Let me get this fixed for you, and then you can be on your way.”
“Can I help you do anything?”
“No. I’ve got it,” he told her as he knelt down and started removing the flat. My brother suddenly looked like a knight in shining armor while I stood there looking like a fucking putz. To make matters worse, he started making small talk with her. “So, Kaci … do you have a job that you need to get to, or are you still in school?”
“I’m still in college.” She complained. “But I only have four semesters left before I graduate.”
“Don’t rush it. Enjoy the freedom while you can.” He smiled. “You have plenty of time to start a career.”
He put her flat in the trunk and as he closed it, he said, “Well, you’re set to go.”
Ignoring me altogether, she smiled at him. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help.”
“No problem. Glad I could help.”
Colten and I watched as they got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot. As soon as they were gone, he turned to me and said, “I can see why she had you rattled.”
“Rattled? What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, little brother.” He started walking towards his car as he went on, “That girl has something special about her, and if you have a brain in that head of yours, you’ll go after her.”
“You’re out of your damn mind, Colt. I’m leaving in two weeks.” Since I couldn’t drive, I had to hitch a ride with him, so I got in his car and shut the door. Adjusting my knee brace, I said, “I’ve got no time for a chick like that.”
“I don’t know, man … Girls like that don’t come around very often. She might be worth making the time for.”
Kaci
I’d like to say that when I left the park with Kaden, I went to my class and never gave a second thought to the pretentious, egotistic Tucker Michaels, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I couldn’t get him out of my head. I don’t know why he’d taken over my every thought. It wasn’t like I was actually interested in the guy. I’d never been one to go for the sexy player type. I’d always been more comfortable with safe guys, the type I could trust—guys like my ex-boyfriend, Lucas. He was my high school sweetheart and was known for being an all-around good guy. Lucas was the kind of guy who would help little old ladies cross the street and pick up strays from the pound. While he was attractive, he was no heart-throb. Actually, I’d never really dated anyone who I would consider to be a heart-throb. I dated men who were harmless, and Tucker Michaels was far from harmless. Knowing a guy like him would only bring me a world of heartache and frustration, I returned my focus to my English professor and continued taking notes, pushing all thoughts of the sexy ballplayer to the back of my mind.
By the time I arrived home from class, I was worn out. All I wanted to do was to take a shower and go to bed. Unfortunately, Jessie, my roommate and best friend, had other plans. When I walked into our apartment, she was already in her pajamas with her hair twisted on top of her head, and was propped up on the sofa with the remote in her hand. There was Chinese takeout on the coffee table, and as I walked into the living room, she gave me one of her looks. Without asking, I knew it was time for a movie night. It was something we’d do whenever one of us had had an exceptionally bad day. I dropped my bag on the floor as I sat down beside her and asked, “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” She rolled her big, brown eyes and whined, “Just an all-around crappy day. I bombed my Biology exam. I’m bloated. I have the world’s worst cramps … and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a zit on the inside of my ear.”
“That’s gross, Jess.”