Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series Ainsley Claire (primary phonics books .TXT) 📖

“Already taken care of. As soon as Marco Hammond enters customs, he’ll be taken to a waiting room where my process server will be on site to serve him. He’ll be made very aware of what he can and cannot do. He’s fled the Far North Queensland jurisdiction in Australia and has jumped bail. That will help our case.”

“Thank you. I have contact information for the officer who helped Alana get out of town, if you end up needing it.”

“I don’t know if they’d have him return for domestic battery, and it looks like someone wired the money to pay off his debts.”

I sigh. “That would probably be my parents.”

“They’ll be served within the hour,” Fiona assures me.

“That was fast,” I note.

Fiona snickers. “I have a friend who’s a judge, and he was able to slot me in.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

“No worries. I’ll be in touch.”

I disconnect the call as I approach the gate at the stadium. Pulling my badge out, I flash it to the guard and walk into the bowels of the stadium. I see Jeremy warming up and wave. As I walk over, I try to put my sister’s drama—oh, and the disaster with Mia—out of my head for a least a little while.

“How’s he doing?” I ask the guy working the radar gun.

He spits his tobacco into a cup. “He has the speed but not the accuracy today.”

A ball hits the boards in front of us.

Jeremy looks at me and smiles. He knows what he’s doing. After a moment, he approaches. “Hey there.”

“How’s it going?”

“Not too bad. I have a slight twinge in my hamstring.”

I hone in immediately on his leg. “Do we need the trainer here to work it out?”

“Naw, I’m good.” He winks with a silly grin. “Just seeing if you’re listening.”

“You’re really funny.”

His lips curl, and he shrugs. “I try.”

“Go back and give me five of each of your pitches.”

“Sure.” He grins.

Jeremy returns to the mound and throws five balls that hit the dirt before the catcher. “That would be five balls.”

I laugh. “Don’t get too smart.”

Then he throws five fastballs, each over one hundred and ten miles an hour and each smacking loudly into the catcher’s mitt. “Better?”

“Yes.” I wave and walk toward George, the GM.

“Your boy’s in a good mood today,” he says as we shake hands.

“I told him I’d be talking to you. He’s homesick. I know the series will run three days before he gets a week off. Any chance I can talk you into letting him fly home to Nebraska and miss the next few games since he’s not pitching? I think he could use some family time. I’d be sending Bryan with him.”

He nods. “I suppose that’d work. He’s not in any trouble and probably could use a break.”

“Thanks. I’ll get him scheduled to depart in the morning.”

He nods. “Don’t tell him until after the game. I don’t want him or anyone on the team to know until then.”

“No problem.”

George spits some tobacco into a cup. “I would have thought you’d be with Mr. Lancaster and his friend this weekend.”

“Excuse me?”

He turns and scowls at me. “Aren’t you dating his friend?”

I look away. “I was, but I… I’m not sure anymore.”

“She’s quite the looker, and damn, if she isn’t smart.”

“She’s got a lot going on right now.”

“You’re not kidding. Her company is trying to squeeze her out, but she’ll land on her feet. She’s the reason Jeremy, Crispin, and Jake are here.”

I can feel my brow furrow. “What do you mean?”

“Nate brought her with him when we were planning for the season. They’ve been tight for a long time—but you don’t have to worry. His fiancée adores her too. Anyway, she brought in an empirical analysis and baseball statistics to help us fill out our roster.”

“Like Billy Beane did across the bay with Moneyball?”

“Exactly like that. But unlike the rest of us, she was doing the math and knew Jeremy and Jake’s stats from the minors. She insisted that Crispin come along because of how tight they were.”

“They were breakout stars,” I point out.

He shrugs. “We were looking at all sorts of plug-and-play ideas. Ron, our recruiter, thought we should trade Jeremy away, but she made the case that if we were to keep Peterson at first base and Jimenez at home plate, Jeremy was our guy. She actually advocated for Raymond to be traded. We stuck with both, and you know what?”

I know the answer. “She was right.”

“Exactly.” With his arms crossed, George watches Jeremy throw. “Don’t let that silly dating app fool you. That woman is not only beautiful and rich, she’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.”

And also, dummy, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, I remind myself. I’ve been lost in my own world with all of this. I really needed some perspective. He’s just a kid—how come Jeremy sees things so much clearer than I do?

Chapter 23

Mia

When we arrived at Jackson’s estate on Maui late this morning, everyone immediately dove into having a good time—with lots of food and drinks. It seems we’ve all been in need of a break, and I quickly forgot I was here without a date. My friends are great about making sure I never feel like a third wheel.

After some pool time with my Stiletto Sisters, this evening I hung with my poker buddies as we’re squeezing in a quick tournament.

It’s always fun. Playing cards with my tech billionaire friends is not like going to Vegas. We count cards intuitively, and we play to win. With my math skills, I usually make it to the final table.

I cleared my table in