Oh, dear. Pretend really did have to end. She managed to keep her face expressionless.
Zeke, on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed at the implication, his hand slowly moving up and down her arm possessively. She wanted to hate the sensation, but, damn it, she didn’t hate it at all. Still, she didn’t look up at him, too terrified to see what she might read in his eyes.
There was no way they’d need a new right fielder because of her. She simply couldn’t get in any deeper than she already was.
* * *
After dinner, the party moved inside as the breeze picked up and rain threatened. While Zeke and Mandy chatted with Meredith about the latest addition to the shark tank, Garrett joined them and wrapped a loving arm around his wife to whisper in her ear.
Zeke watched the exchange, aware of the tug of envy for what they shared. His friend had been lost and lonely a few years ago, bouncing from woman to woman and bed to bed. Then Meredith had appeared, and wham, Zeke had witnessed Garrett transform from playboy to peaceful.
Zeke had never been much of a player, though the women were available at every turn. That wasn’t what he wanted. Under his possessive arm, he stroked Mandy’s bare shoulder, the contact getting far too familiar, too good. Could she fill the hole in his heart? Did he dare give another woman a chance, after—
“Gotta steal Zeke for some business,” Garrett said to the group.
Meredith reached for Mandy’s hand. “I’ll entertain your beautiful girlfriend, Zeke. Go talk shop with my husband.”
“I’m fine,” Mandy said, though he had to say there’d been a subtle shift in her demeanor since Nate and Elliott had made their stupid jokes about losing a right fielder. Nothing he could exactly pinpoint, but he didn’t relish the idea of leaving her.
Still, he knew Garrett’s invitation to the dinner party hadn’t been strictly social, so he owed this time to his host. “I won’t be long,” he whispered, adding a kiss to her soft hair.
She glanced up and smiled, that wariness that had shown up earlier still taking her eyes from grass-green to the dark shade of a raw Colombian emerald.
“We’ll be in the study with Nate and Elliott,” Garrett told his wife. Then he gestured toward the window. “Looks like Mother Nature refused to cooperate with your plans for an after-dinner cruise.”
Meredith waved her hand. “Can’t control the weather. We’re fine inside, but…” She gave another look at the sky. “I think some of you will not be getting in a helicopter tonight.”
Zeke had already thought of that but hadn’t suggested turning the evening into an overnight—not with Mandy so skittish. He let Garrett lead him away to the study before they could start that discussion.
In Garrett’s oversized and over-masculine two-story library, Elliott and Nate lounged, talking.
“We were just making friendly wagers,” Nate said, as Zeke joined them in another leather chair.
“On what Garrett’s latest insane scheme is?” Zeke asked, grinning at their host, who had a reputation for outrageous ideas. Obviously, they paid off, but it took balls of steel to do a deal with the guy. Zeke had done many, of course, all profitable.
“No, we’re betting on how long until you’re off the team.”
He didn’t answer, but Garrett brought over a bottle of port and gestured toward crystal glasses, eyeing Zeke. “She’s a lovely young woman.”
“She is that,” he agreed.
“You sure she’s legit?” Nate asked.
“Legit?” He scoffed at the word, using it to avoid confirmation or denial. “Coming from you, I suppose you’re asking if she’s got blue blood that can be traced to Plymouth Rock.”
Nate angled his head in consent. “I never heard of Lockharts.”
Had she introduced herself that way? Why did she insist on using that name? “That’s a married name. She’s divorced.”
Elliott leaned forward. “I like her, Zeke, but you have to be careful.”
In other words, watch out for money-grabbing gold-diggers. As if he didn’t know that. “I am.”
Garrett had his phone out, tapping the screen, almost as if he weren’t listening. “I’d like to be sure she isn’t going to break our boy’s heart.”
The other two men laughed softly, but Zeke put his hand on Garrett’s phone, pushing it down. “No need to run a search on her. We’re safe in that department.” Except, he knew for damn sure his heart wasn’t safe at all. It might already be a lost cause. “And if not?” he added, digging for a certain kind of casual he didn’t exactly feel. “I don’t like to play things safe, as you all know.”
“Good,” Garrett said, settling into the fourth chair. “Because I have one hell of a dangerous proposal, and you are the three to make it happen.”
Happy that the conversation was off Mandy, Zeke shifted his attention to business. “Let’s hear it.”
Garrett folded his arms and looked from one to the other. “I’ve heard each of you on different occasions proclaim that you’d like to own a professional baseball team.”
He had all of them instantly. They didn’t bother to share a look; they’d talked about this over post-game beers many times. Elliott, Nate, and Zeke shared a love of the sport and deep desire to be team owners.
“Oh, baby.” Nate leaned forward and put his knees on his elbows. “You got that right. The only problem is there isn’t one in the entire country interested in selling right now. Trust me, we’ve looked.”
“What about starting one?” Garrett asked.
“Too much legwork,” Elliott said.
“And years before you have a competitive team,” Nate added. Of course, that would matter to Nate, who didn’t know the definition of defeat.
“Not to mention that buying a Major League team would take more money than the three of us would part with that easily,” Zeke said, already doing the math in his head and coming up with...astronomical.
But Garrett ignored the arguments. “I didn’t say Major League.” They all started to speak, but Garrett waved them off. “Hear me out. I’m talking about a privately owned minor league baseball team.”
“None of those for sale right now, either,” Nate said.
“You can buy equity stakes, though,” Zeke told them. “I’ve looked into a couple of teams. Quite profitable. But...” He gave a shrug. “Not the game we’re interested in, right?”