Clutch Hit Faith O'Shea (red queen free ebook txt) 📖

right fielder who’d been groomed in their minor league system in the Dominican Republic and had come up last year than she had Mateo, who’d come from a far different environment. She should have given him the daily monitoring she would have given anyone else in his position, but instead she’d dropped the ball, no, ignored it completely, in order to keep her distance.

It had to stop.

Now would be good.

Bringing her eyes back to meet her friend, she asked, consumed by curiosity, “First, I want to know what he said earlier?”

Casey pushed her glasses up with her index finger as a breath stuttered out.

“That whatever happened here with us would stay here. He seems to have a chivalrous streak a mile long. The man’s here a few days and is already willing to keep Greenie secrets. And we both know he’s keeping a big one.”

Alicia glanced back to Mateo to see him doing his push-ups one-handed. Just like in the Rocky movies. “Eye of the Tiger” began playing in her head as she watched the steady movements, the muscles bunching then rippling. A spark began to flare in her lower gut.

“He’s a good guy, Allie. You might want to rethink—”

She jerked her eyes back to Casey.

“Um, you might, too.”

Casey gasped, “What do you mean?”

Allie fingered her forehead. That comment had been buried deep, but Casey had made her decision and she was not going to harp on it. It didn’t have as much to do with Seb as it had to do with Greg.

“Nothing. It was just a flash of payback. That hit too close to the bone. Sorry.”

Casey was tugging at her fingers, her expression giving away her anxiety.

“Greg’s not taking it well at all. We had a big argument about it last night. He told me I might have to make a choice soon. Him or my father.”

Son of a bitch. Allie had just been handed another reason to dislike the man her friend had agreed to marry. Casey’s family was her life and Greg was demanding a Sophie’s kind of choice. He came across as a nice, reasonable man, big, engaging smile, but in her book, he was controlling and selfish.

“He said that when we’re married, he expects me to put our family before Mac’s needs.”

Casey hadn’t known Greg that long, had met him at a fund raiser for one of the city’s homeless shelters that Mac hosted every year. She’d been there with Casey that night, always invited to Mac’s causes, as a soft touch willing to make a sizeable donation, and she’d watched him come across as smooth as an eel, all but sweeping Casey off her feet. Not dating much since Seb left, Case had been vulnerable to attention and flattery and he’d all but kissed her feet. After dating only a few short months, he’d proposed, and to her surprise, Casey had said yes. She still didn’t understand why. Case had it all. Family support if she wanted it, a good job, a head on her shoulders and had been doing fine all on her own. Now, it seemed, she’d attached herself to a man who wanted her to give up part of who she was, and it was annoying as hell.

Anyone who wanted to extricate Casey away from her family was a not a good match.

“You had this job when he proposed. He wants you to quit?”

“He doesn’t mind if I keep working here. He just doesn’t want me in Florida.”

Anger began to boil in Allie’s blood. He didn’t mind? How obliging. Casey had taken over the management of the facility when she’d graduated from college, had gone back nights for her master’s, worked hard to make it the financial success it was, spread herself so thin she all but disappeared. Allie bit her tongue so she wouldn’t say what she felt, but a light bulb went on.

“He has a problem with your being with the team or just Mac?”

Casey walked to the window and stared out into the distance.

“He doesn’t know about Seb.”

Allie took the steps needed to stand beside her, relieved to know that gem hadn’t been uncovered.

“Does Mac know? About the ultimatum?”

Casey flashed her a look. “No. And I don’t want him to.”

Not yet understanding what kind of opinion Casey wanted, she walked out on the tightrope and asked, “Because he might insist you stay behind?”

Casey nodded.

“And you want to go.”

Casey nodded again as if saying it out loud might mean confessing something she didn’t want to confess.

“Why won’t you admit that you still love him?”

Casey turned and met her eyes. “Because it doesn’t do any good. There are too many reasons we can’t go back.”

“I can think of one why you should. I know how you feel about it, but—”

“Don’t. I made that decision years ago and I haven’t changed my mind.”

“People change, Case. He might take to commitment better this time around.”

“Sure, he might, but the situation hasn’t changed at all. I still don’t want him to feel cornered.”

“He has a—”

Casey cut her off as her assistant walked toward them.

“Ms. Calipari there’s a call for you on line two. Someone from the high school asking about renting the space for the girls’ soccer team. Do you want to take it?”

Allie glanced up at the clock and noticed they’d gone over their hour allotment and it was time for both of them to get to work.

Casey must have noticed as well, a frown on her face.

“Yeah. I guess I can skip the shower. I haven’t even worked up a sweat.”

Before leaving, she gave Allie a hug and said, “I’ll figure it out. Thanks for listening. I guess I’ll see you when you drop Mattie off for the meeting with Dad.”

Placing her hand firmly on Casey’s arm, she said, “Don’t let Greg talk you into something you don’t want.”

She gave her a half-hearted smile. “I wish I could be more like you. If you want something you go after it.”

Allie almost laughed outright at that. There was a definite