Betting On The Rookie. Stephanie Doyle

thing with me, then I become part of your life, and you become part of mine.”

      Even looked at her hard, and for a second, just a second, she might have thought that his gaze lingered on her mouth.

      Another flag she was choosing to dismiss.

      “Yeah.” He finally nodded. “That’s what I want.”

      Sam held her hand out and suppressed the shudder that went through her when he engulfed her in his handshake.

      It was going to be fine, she thought. So what if he was handsome? So what if her thoughts strayed into dangerous territory when it came to him? In the end she was a professional and a woman who had complete control over her actions. She simply wouldn’t let whatever this thing between them was get out of hand.

      “It’s a deal?” she asked as he was still shaking her hand.

      “It’s a deal.”

CHAPTER THREE

      CRACK.

      Sam knew the moment she heard the sound that Evan had hit the ball out of the park. She watched as it sailed over the left field wall. Duff used to say it was the sweetest sound in the universe, right after the sound of any one of his daughters laughing.

      The Minotaurs were taking batting practice before the game, and Sam found a certain amount of contentment sitting in the stands and just watching players swing a bat. She probably hadn’t actually watched a game since...

      Since the last time she’d watched Evan play.

      Then she’d been fascinated because she’d rarely seen such a display of raw talent.

      “Sure. Talent. If that’s what you want to tell yourself,” Sam muttered.

      “Am I interrupting a conversation with yourself? Because I can come back later. I know how important they can be.”

      Sam startled and turned to see a woman just a few steps up from the seat at the end of the aisle. Sam stood and reached out her hand. “You’re Jocelyn Taft.”

      “Jocelyn Taft Wright,” the woman replied, taking Sam’s hand in a sure and confident grip.

      “Oh, yes. Sorry. I forgot.”

      Jocelyn jerked a shoulder. “Call me sentimental, but I like the other name better. With mine and my husband’s together. May I join you?”

      Sam couldn’t see any reason to object. Jocelyn was the Minotaurs’ owner. The two women sat next to each other, both staring down on to the field. While Sam had dressed again professionally in pants, blouse and heels, being here as an agent, Jocelyn was infinitely more casual in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Which Sam could tell, just by the quality of the material, still probably cost as much as Sam’s outfit.

      “What can I do for you, Mrs. Wright?”

      “Oh, please, call me Jocelyn. Everyone around the park does. And we’re vaguely connected through Scout. How is she these days?”

      “Happy. In love.”

      Jocelyn smiled. “You know I’m responsible for that. I invited her to my wedding, just so she would have an opportunity to ask Jayson out. And I made sure she was in a killer dress.”

      Sam laughed. “Uh, yeah, but then he left her and broke her heart, and she wasn’t the same for four years.”

      “Until he came back and mended her heart, and they lived happily ever after,” Jocelyn said in a put-on hoity tone. “I still think it counts as a match in my favor.”

      “If you say so,” Sam said coolly. She wasn’t going to argue with a woman as powerful as Jocelyn Taft Wright.

      “So you know who I am, right? I have this inbred desire to make money all the time.”

      “The way I understood it, you gave away most of your money to charity.”

      “I did.” Jocelyn smiled mischievously. “Which of course I’m glad I did, but it didn’t seem to kill my desire to make more. That’s where you come in or, more accurately, your client.”

      Sam watched Evan take another swing. She watched another ball sail out of the stadium. It was just batting practice, so the pitches were basically softballs, but he certainly had a sweet swing.

      “What are you thinking?”

      “I want to do a little meet-and-greet with some of the press. He’s been playing with the team for a week, and everyone knows he’s bound for the majors. I want to milk ticket sales as much as I can while he’s here. More people will come out to a game if they think they’re seeing the next big thing, so I need to let everyone know I’ve got it.”

      “There’s press in Minotaur Falls?”

      “My husband would be very offended to know you thought so little of his struggling gazette.”

      Sam winced, remembering Jocelyn’s husband essentially was the local sports media, but she could see from Jocelyn’s expression, she wasn’t truly offended.

      “Sorry,” Sam said anyway. “I’m just used to a bigger market.”

      “That’s fine. I would imagine we might attract more than just a few local sports people. After all, he’s a unique story. Late bloomer, just coming to the game. And he’s way better-looking than Robert Redford.”

      Sam smiled at the movie reference. “Remember, Robert Redford had been a baseball player before the evil woman seduced and shot him. So Evan is even more unique than him.”

      “Either way, he’ll pique the interest of enough people to get some sports coverage on television, and that will bring the people to my stadium, which will make me a very happy woman.”

      Sam looked at her. “You really do enjoy it. Making money, even when you have all you could need.”

      Jocelyn shrugged. “’Fraid so. But I look at it this way...the more Pete and I have, the more good we get to do. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

      “Okay, I’ll see what I can do to set something up. You would want this to happen in the next few days, I imagine.” After all, it was anyone’s guess when the Rebels would decide to bring him up.

      Jocelyn winced. “Uh, yeah. But here’s the thing—I would appreciate it... I mean, this is a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. Certainly anything having to do with the Bakers...”

      Sam nodded, Jocelyn’s unsaid message sinking in. “You don’t want me there. You’re afraid my bad press will rub off on him.”

      Jocelyn turned to Sam, and it wasn’t hard at all for Sam to see the tough businesswoman she must have been to have succeeded so well. There was steel behind her eyes. “Look, I’ve had a chance to talk with Evan a few times. He’s as squeaky clean as they come. The fact that he hired you to be his agent tells me there is probably more to your story than what most people have heard. So I get that you might be wrapped up in a scandal you didn’t choose and weren’t responsible for, but unfortunately too many people around here know you and your story. I hope you understand I’m doing this for his sake.”

      At that Sam laughed harshly. “See, you’ve already told me the truth, Jocelyn. You’re not doing anything for Evan’s sake. You’re doing this to sell more tickets. And you don’t want someone who might have turned a blind eye to domestic violence anywhere near your squeaky clean poster boy. It’s business, and I do understand. I won’t be anywhere near the cameras. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a sudden craving for a hot dog.”

      It was a thing with her. Sam always wanted food when she was pissed. She stood, but Jocelyn remained seated, essentially blocking her path out of the aisle.

      “You had no clue, did you?”

      Sam didn’t