When Trevor took the field, her heart skipped a beat. She’d seen him play on TV, of course, but never in person. He was so tall, and God, he looked mouthwateringly good in uniform as he trotted out to the field to warm up. She’d thought she was over the crush she’d had on him in college.
As she watched him run, she realized what she felt was nothing more than the rush of close proximity, the fact that she had one time with him. He was paying attention to her, giving her his time. If there was one thing Trevor had, it was charm, and he knew how to use it. He’d always had a reputation with women, and for all his talk about focusing on nothing but sports in college, that hadn’t been the case at all. He’d had plenty of girlfriends—or at least he’d gone through a lot of women.
From the initial research she’d done about his adult life, it appeared he was still going through them. Approaching thirty, he remained unattached and hadn’t had a serious girlfriend. She wondered why. She made a note to ask him, then focused on the practice.
They got into positions while the pitcher warmed up. Trevor was in left field. She knew a lot of these players, though the team had made a few changes in recent years. Gavin Riley was still at first base, anchored by Dedrick Coleman at third, the veterans who were still the glue that held this team together. They’d traded for a hotshot shortstop, Chase Henderson, who looked to be an up-and-comer.
She had high hopes for the team this year. The Rivers were currently in second place with two weeks to go until the end of the regular season. They were three games out of first and in the hunt for at least a wild card spot.
She loved sports, and always had. Maybe it had been a product of her growing up around sports players, being around them all the time because of her parents. The sports dorms had housed players of so many different sports—football, baseball, lacrosse, tennis—any sport imaginable. And her parents had treated every boy who’d gone to college there as one of their own. They’d often gone to the games, and if there was one thing her father had been good at, it was spotting a boy in trouble—someone who needed a little extra TLC.
Haven remembered her dad spending a lot of time with Trevor, though she hadn’t known why, by that point not paying so much attention to Trevor because she’d been in college herself, focusing on her own studies, her own social life. Whatever pitiful social life she’d had, anyway. One would think she would have been incredibly popular since she’d known all the jocks.
Not so much. None of the guys had wanted anything to do with her. She might as well have had Off-Limits tattooed across her forehead. Being the daughter of the dorm parents was just as bad as being the daughter of one of the coaches. No one had touched her. Not that she had wanted any of them.
Except for Trevor, who continued to wow her with the distance on his throws. He had one hell of an arm.
He was simply too good at this. Which, she supposed, accounted for his popularity, and the reason the teams made allowances for him playing two sports.
Seats were filling in all around her, but she barely paid attention because the teams were taking the field. She focused on Trevor in the outfield as the Rivers were on defense first and Chicago came up to bat.
Garrett Scott was pitching today. Her mom said Garrett had come by a few weeks ago to visit, along with his fiancée, Alicia, who also worked for the Rivers as a physical therapist.
Mom had loved that visit. It had brightened her spirits.
Haven saw Alicia out on the field working with one of the players. Very pretty woman, and, as it turned out, she was Gavin Riley’s cousin. Alicia and Garrett were getting married at the conclusion of the baseball season. She couldn’t wait to go to the wedding.
Closing her laptop, she focused on Garrett. His shoulder looked completely healed because he was throwing a combination of pitches out there, all of them hitting the mark. The first batter grounded out to second base. Garrett struck out the second batter, and the third batter hit a pop fly that Trevor ran down and caught.
Easy top of the first. Now the Rivers were up. Trevor batted fifth in the lineup, so she wasn’t sure she’d get to see him in action this inning.
The first batter grounded out. But when the second batter singled and reached first base, and the next doubled, unless Gavin Riley hit into a double play, she’d get to see Trevor hit.
Gavin took two pitches low and away for balls, the next right in the strike zone. He hit the next one into left field, which scored the two runners and sent Gavin to first base.
The stadium erupted into wild cheers. The Rivers were up by two runs, Trevor was up to bat, and there was only one out.
She could see how serious he was as he stepped into the batter’s box. Her stomach twisted in knots as she waited for Chicago’s pitcher to throw the ball.